Lebanese kissing scenes: a curse or a blessing?

Media became so integrated in our life that we do not separate if anymore from our daily life. People became so attached to the visual and audiovisual screenings that they became a part of them. Media became a way of interconnecting audiences and ideas. Lebanon for instance, has been producing a lot of its own Tv series and recently, started making international movies. But what separates us from the West's movies, is our taboo towards kissing scenes.

Based on the report below conducted by Zaven on FutureTv, the first kiss ever on Lebanese TV was in 1963 between the great actors Wahid Jalal and Wafaa' Tarabay. It was a quick kiss but it stirred controversy in the society, thus the Lebanese supervision had to put a censorship on kissing scenes and make a law against it in TV shows. A few years later, the law became flexible, and the 2nd kiss was recorded. It was the first on screen french kiss in the Lebanese history and the longest. It was between the married actors Fouad Naim and Nidal Ashkar and it lasted 50 seconds.
The 3rd most famous kiss was in 1979 between Antoine kerbej and Nabila Karam in a series that mocks the Ottoman rule and how the ruler himself can be seduced by a beautiful woman. Later in the 90's, Melhem barakat and the dancer Dani Bostros shared a kiss on stage which was filmed and later used for promoting the play itself on TV.

 

Longest kiss - Fouad Naim & Nidal Ashkar

Nabila Karam & Antoine Kerbaj in "Barbar agha"

After the 90's, people forgot about kissing and TV shows became conservative. Meanwhile, Lebanese audience focused more on foreign movies and were very accepting of their kissing scenes. Around 2006 the actress Karmen Lebbos tried to break the ice and re-initiate an on screen kiss with the actor Bassem Moughaniye in a show called "zahrat elkharif" (meaning autumn's flower). The story was about a woman (herself) and a younger man falling in love and out taking the obstacles they faced in society because of the age difference.

Karmen Lebbos & Bassem Mghaniye

There was a lot of controversy around her role and her kissing scenes. But she insisted on moving forward, in the following years she had another on screen kiss with the actor Youssef elkhal in another TV series with a similar story. Her bold act stirred a huge controversy in Lebanon and in the Arab world. A lot of negative responses and comments were provided and most Lebanese viewers refused to watch Lebanese actors kiss yet gladly enjoyed watching long kissing scenes in foreign movies. It is believed that on screen kiss is not actually a crime, yet it's deemed a crime because Lebanese society collectively judged it and criticized it. It is because of the Mass response from the audience that the Lebanese on screen kiss was forbidden.

I was able to find a post on the "Lebaneses memes" page on facebook that asked the following question:

"Why do the lebanese very normally accept to watch a kiss in an american movie but violently refuse the same scene in a lebanese movie?" (click to view post)

126 person answered, each with a different point of view. Some of the most common answers were:
- Because usually the kiss is out of context. They just put it there.
- Because Lebanese people pretend to be open but they are narrow minded.
- Because kissing in public is already a taboo in Lebanon, while outside it's normal to kiss on the streets.
- Because they look fake.
- Because we shouldn't take bad habits from the West such as Public display of affection.

One of the common answers from the post

As we can see, Lebanese viewers have different points of view towards Lebanese kissing scenes most of which are negative. This is creating an obstacle for Lebanese actors to break the Taboo and challenge themselves and their acting skills.

Seeing a dream through reality

This article is supposed to be about abstraction in reality through its time. A way of letting loose of our imagination, transforming reality into a dream and vice versa. Below, you'll find a series of surreal photographs of the Lebanese photographer Lara Zankoul.

Lara is a young artist, trying to evade reality through her imagination. Most of her photos are mysterious and conceptual. A way to create a new world and to escape the everyday life.
At first glance, you'd think that these photos are manipulated. But allow me to correct you. The pictures are all real. Real props, real locations & real settings.
The following pictures are a proof of my statement.

Lara creating a swan out of foam and feathers.

The huge teacup, in the process of painting.

The Water series photos were created in this special built room.

With technology and recent innovations, manipulating images and concepts has never been easier. But the fact that this artist used real props and avoided photo manipulation, shows us that we can make anything happen!

On the left is a series of the surreal photographer Federica Giordano who used Photoshop to compose her photos meanwhile on the right are Lara's photos with real props.

 

 

Lara had a dream, a vision, and she worked to make it come to life. Although we know these pictures are a composition of props, yet we can't but get carried away into another world, another dimension where people have horse heads and swans are watching over us while we're asleep. Mini scale doors made the model look gigantic, yet the big teacup made her look tiny. It's all about what the eye sees, and how the brain interprets the vision.
Looking at these pictures 20 years ago, you would believe they're real. Looking at them today, would make us believe they're digitally manipulated because of technology and photo manipulation softwares. Thus, the time frame plays a big role in the context of an art piece.

For more information about Lara's photography, visit her website:
http://larazankoul.com

Lebanese drivers and their quotes.

One of the things Lebanese people are famous for is their arabic calligraphy and the way they exhibit it on the streets.
Driving on the roads in Lebanon, the first thing to catch your sight are the big yellow trucks with their Arabic quotes.
When i asked an old driver about them, he told me how this trend began.
A couple of decades ago, truck drivers used to put a blue eye amulet known as the Nazar. The Nazar is believed to protect them against the evil eye which causes misfortune and injury for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike.

The Nazar amulet.

After a while, drivers started drawing the Nazar on their trucks as a greater power for protection. They then added phrases like " 3ayn al hasoud tebla bel 3ama" which meant "may the evil eye goes blind".

Later on, drivers started writing religious quotes on their trucks, seeking god's protection. Some of the examples included "allah ybarek" meaning "God bless".
We could also see trucks with drawings on them like the Cedar tree (symbolizing Lebanon), or a scorpion silhouette or a tiger (symbolizing strength).

 One of the trucks with blue eyes (nazar) drawing and the cedars, and a phrase of "God bless"

Another truck, same phrase, and eye, and Mercedes logo.

Nowadays, even cars and tow trucks are being designed with such phrases and calligraphy-bumper stickers. Tow trucks are using the phrase "ma3ak 7atta elmot" which means "by your side til death" or "sra3 w la yhemmak, ne7na men lemmak" meaning "go fast, no worries, we'll catch you".
On the other hand, cars and buses are using some funky quotes like "abou layla" meaning "layla's father", or phrases like "be careful im using whatsapp, Facebook and BBM".

" The rooster is here, hide your chickens"

" I'd rather die than be humiliated by a woman"

"5 in your eyes" is a lebanese quote which is usually said to someone jealous.

"Be careful, i'm chatting on whatsapp and might log in to facebook."

Tow truck: " Go fast, no worries, Alloush will catch you".

As we can see, what started as a symbol for protection against the evil eye, ended up as a design for Lebanese drivers and a way to share a laugh on the road.

Be a man, drop your weapon.

We are living in a Lebanese society, surrounded by terrorists attacks, daily political arguments and a government that does not provide us with proper security. Lebanese people are forced to take their own safety precautions. They believe weapons will defend us and thus prove their masculinity.

A perfect example to my theory is the ad below. It is a Lebanese anti-weapon campaign; simple indexical piece, daring and well presented. It depicts the myth of masculinity & weapons.

At first glance, we would see a twisted bullet with a phrase beneath it. Then, we would notice that this bullet looks like a man's genitals.

The sentence beneath it is written in Arabic slang language and says: " That's not what being a man is all about, drop your weapon."

The ad's point is to represent a picture of a bullet, shaped like a man's sexual organ unerected. Based on our culture, we believe a man's masculinity is in his sexual strength, presenting such ad strips him away from his manhood.

In Lebanon, some men do not own guns, which means gun use is by choice.

A combination of cultural, social, and political factors makes it acceptable for a man to own a gun for defense. It is believed that manhood is measured by the ability to instill fear in others. If we look at our government, it is powerful because of its armaments and soldiers that are always ready in case of an incoming threat. When Lebanese people see their leaders equate power with militarization, it makes them believe that weapons will provide them with masculinity and strength. In fact, Lebanon's security is explosive, forcing each man to protect himself, and his family, with all means possible, even if he had to use weapons.

I conducted my own survey, going around asking some men of all ages, if they are with or against gun use. For those who are with, i asked them why?
Here are my results :







As we can see, most people own a gun for self protection or to protect their family calling themselves "Man of the house".

In addition to that, media plays a big role in promoting gun use. Gun ads usually portray a stiff muscular man (a symbol for masculinity) holding a gun, as a way to say that real men are killers.

As sad as it all is, believing that weapons are a sign of masculinity and security puts us in a more dangerous society; where crimes and shootings increase, and where kids grow up to the thought of embracing war instead of striving for peace.

Example of typical muscular model
promoting a weapon.

A Weapon ad for Trijicon company
with the phrase "take control".