Anxious in Beirut with Zakaria Jaber
Are you Anxious in Beirut?
We host Zakaria Jaber, the person that triggered the motivation behind this Podcast season. Joining Zakaria are Farah Darwish and Nazih Osta, two very prominent figures featured in the award winning documentary.
In this episode, we chat about:
-The last three tumultuous years in Lebanon, (the October Revolution, Pandemic, August 4th Blast)
– Immigration
– Corruption in Lebanon and how it feeds into our society
– Navigating friendships in Beirut in the midst of chaos
– The economic collapse and its impact on our generation
Anxious in Beirut (2023)
In the ever-present desire to capture, record, and understand Beirut, and by extension himself, Zakaria has been trying to give a coherent story to his city. It is through the intersectionality between the general and the personal, the public and private, the old and young, that we are able to answer: why are we anxious in Beirut?
Municipal Elections in Lebanon: A paradox, with Cendrella Azar
From March till May, Lebanese people were left uncertain, wondering whether the long awaited municipal elections were taking place. While this is no longer a hot topic due to the indefinite postponing of the elections, we think it’s still extremely important to look at municipalities and how their systems of governance affect the citizens and residents of Lebanon.
Tune in to this episode with our guest, content producer, media strategist, and journalist Cendrella Azar to understand how municipalities function, how they affect the quality of life of citizens, and more.
Cendrella Azar is a dynamic Content Producer and Media Strategist with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry, specializing in promoting election and human rights. Proficient in research, proposal writing, time management, teamwork, and leadership, with a keen focus on setting effective media strategies to advance these causes. Strong program and project management professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media & Communication, with a minor in Political Science from the University of Balamand. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Digital Journalism at the Lebanese University – Faculty of Information, further deepening my understanding of digital platforms to amplify the voices of those advocating for election integrity and human rights.
On the status of LGBTQIA+ policies in Lebanon with Karim Nammour
With the increasing incitement to hatred and violence against queer community in Lebanon, we find it extremely important to share and raise awareness on the current status of LGBTQIAS2+ policies in Lebanon. And who better to speak to than Karim Nammour, Researcher, Lawyer and Podcast Host of Qanuni Break.
In this episode Karim and Stephani dig a deeper dive into the following areas:
– The status the LGBTQIA+ community in Lebanon as it stands today
– The current state of the judicial system and its important role in the protection of the queer community
– Examples and stories of court cases and arrests against LGBTQIA+ individuals
– Government backlash, active silencing and incitement to violence against the queer community
– The future of the LGBTQIA+ community in Lebanon
Modern Day Slavery - The Kafala System with This Is Lebanon
In this episode, Stephani takes on understanding the Kafala System in Lebanon with the insight and knowledge of This is Lebanon. Together, they dive deep into the history, policies and horrific stories of what we call today, the modern-day slavery, Kafala System.
The kafala system, also known as the sponsorship system, outlines the connection between foreign workers and their domestic sponsor, typically their employer. This arrangement has been practiced in nations belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to Jordan and Lebanon.
“In Lebanon, domestic workers are expected to execute their assigned tasks to perfection and without question. Non-compliance can easily be punished by withheld pay, termination of employment, or worse, verbal, physical, or sexual abuse. Workers will perform their assignments for an average 100-hour work week, and the notion of overtime pay is virtually nonexistent.” (Nicolas Haddad, Al Rawiya)
THIS IS LEBANON (TIL) is a federally registered non-profit in Canada run by a coalition of former migrant workers and activists demanding the protection of migrant domestic workers, and an end to labour exploitation and abuse, with the aim to effectively end government-sanctioned, modern-day slavery in Lebanon. They aim to empower domestic workers, informing them of their rights and supporting their access to justice.