Come July, Lebanon is usually flooded with summer festival shows, with highway billboards hoping to lure locals and tourists to venues around the country.
While a funding crunch has reduced the number of seasonal performance events in recent years, the current financial crisis and pandemic precautions have cut off Lebanon’s festivals from their audiences. All but the Baalbeck International Festival, the oldest event, have cancelled entirely.
On July 5, Bacchus Temple will play host to “The Sound of Resilience,” a 55-minute concert that will be broadcast on local TV channels and streamed online. The concert’s 170 performers will all adhere to social distancing measures.
“We have a message to give and as long as we are able to, we will,” Baalbeck International Festival president Nayla de Freige told The Daily Star. “We want to tell everyone that culture is the foundation of our lives. This is a survival concert. Culture is a message of resilience, unity and hope.
“In Baalbeck we are used to having a lot of problems every year,” she added. “One summer there was the battle in Arsal. We’ve had security problems and Baalbeck is a redzone for many embassies. We know every year is a test and, when we can, we continue.”
Created by Harout Fazlian, principal conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra, the non-profit concert will gather the LPO, the Choirs of the Antonine University, Notre Dame University and Qolo Atiqo, as well as a number of young Lebanese musicians, alongside actor Rafic Ali Ahmad and dancers from the Makriss Dance Ministry troupe. The music and dance will be accompanied by visuals by interior designer Jean Louis Mainguy.
“When this lockdown lifts, performers were going to be among those who suffer the most because businessmen will open their doors ... but performers must show that what they do is important,” Fazlian told The Daily Star. “The idea is to revive cultural and performative life post-COVID-19 [while] following social distancing precautions.
“I could have done this concert anywhere in Lebanon but the idea was to do it in Baalbeck because it’s a symbol of Lebanon to the outside world and is a special place to the Lebanese people,” he added. “The message is to show Lebanon as its role of a cultural melting pot and to highlight some modern issues.”
The program will touch on topics of gender equality and women’s empowerment, with a section performed by young girls. The music will be a medley of Eastern and Western classical, spanning Beethoven to the Rahbani Brothers and the Lebanese diaspora.
“If a country doesn’t invest in its youth, it has no future, so it’s my duty as a leader in the musical world in Lebanon to show that there is a future in culture here,” Fazlian said. “Solidarity is something we must consider all the time, not just now, and this is where Beethoven’s music comes in to play, because he also spoke powerfully about unity.”
While the COVID-19 lockdown has put a dent in festival organizers’ summer plans, the financial crisis is of greater concern. The summer events usually rely on sponsors (mainly banks) and state funding to cover costs. Many festivals are currently in debt because the government has not paid the aid that they promised in the past few years, now compounded by the plummeting value of the lira.
Beiteddine Art Festival currently has no plans but remains hopeful they could do an online event similar to Baalbeck’s.
“Our regular festival is definitely canceled but there is a chance we might have one event around mid-July, depending on the economic situation and the corona lockdown restrictions,” director Hala Chahine said. “We’re still not sure what the formula would be – broadcast live or if people can attend in some way. We have to see what we’ll be allowed to do. It would be something with Lebanese artists.”
Byblos International Festival committee vice-president Rapheal Sfeir said they thought about doing a local project but recent developments have deterred them.
“If we can’t do bank transfers or get money how will be pay artists?” he said. “If we have to seat half capacity how will we afford it and who will set it up?
“If there is no support from the government it is impossible. We’re already owed funding from 2017 which we haven’t received. Banks have been impossible. There are no ads, no sponsors and with higher insurance and TVA it’s a nightmare,” he added. “It also depends on the stability of the artists. Foreign artists are out of the question now. No one will come, but local artists are also unsure how to proceed.”
Beirut Holidays founder Amin Abi Yaghi is of a similar opinion. He says his company Star System would have brought “Mamma Mia” the musical to the Casino du Liban, Chris de Burgh, and much more this year. With everything cancelled he sees the year as “a write-off.”
“We tried to think of ways to do something small, local, but because of the economy crisis and the Coronavirus there’s no way we can do anything,” Abi Yaghi said. “Even if they gave us permission to open up and do concerts, we’re at the end of June, the lira isn’t going to fix overnight and what would be price the tickets at?
“People don’t have the spare money to spend on concerts, even though people would love a change of scenery,” he added, “but considering the costs of putting on these kinds of shows, the tickets are not going to be LBP 30,000.”
Baalbeck festival has managed to organize their online offering because the artists are willing to donate their time, hoping that Lebanon’s cultural minds will continue to support each other in these trying times.
“The beauty of this concert is that it’s a solidarity movement with all the artists, musicians, the maestro, the selenographers and sound all working for free,” De Freige said. “All these people want to give his message that culture is not a luxury and has to survive against all odds, whatever the country is going through. We have creativity in this country and we need people to use their creativity and keep on producing.”
This article has been adapted from its original source.
