LEBANON-RACE-EXHIBITION Beirut exhibition explores racial discrimination towards mixed-race Lebanese

Record ID: 310805

  • Title: LEBANON-RACE-EXHIBITION Beirut exhibition explores racial discrimination towards mixed-race Lebanese
  • Date: 2nd February 2015
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF TESTIMONIES OF MIXED-RACE FAMILIES EXHIBITED ON WALL ONE TESTIMONIAL EXHIBITED ON WALL READING (English): 'We first met in a supermarket [in Lebanon]. I was an employee and she was my customer. So, first I saw her, and directly I fell in love. I was dreaming that she could be my wife for the future, because I loved her directly' (SOUNDBITE) (English and Arabic) LEBANESE-AFRICAN WOMAN PARTICIPATING IN EXHIBITION, RENEE ABI SADD, SAYING: "It's really helpful because with this project since 2012, racism has decreased a lot, it reduced a lot, and it created a big buzz all over Lebanon and it reduced a lot. It is not done yet, but we are getting there. Nisreen is really nice, she helped me a lot, everyone has a different story here, my story is really hard, other people stories are way worse than mine, and at the end of the day, we are all one." VARIOUS OF CO-FOUNDERS OF PROJECT HOLDING TALK AT OPENING OF EXHIBITION VARIOUS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF MIXED-RACE FAMILIES EXHIBITED IN FRAMES ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic and English) LEBANESE-AFRICAN WOMAN ATTENDING EXHIBITION, FATIMA HAMMOUD, SAYING: "I loved the fact that there are people who think the way we do, that it is not because I am black, I must think in this way, but no, there are other Lebanese who think that way too. And they should do more projects like this, even though they missed some things, they should spread more awareness, specially among the youth in universities and schools." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GATHERING OUTSIDE ARTSCAPE GALLERY
  • Embargoed: 17th February 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA46SZNCQV37EDLACE44U9JIWXD
  • Story Text: A new exhibition in Beirut is taking at its focus issues of racial discrimination in Lebanon, showcasing personal testimonies from Lebanese nationals of African and Asian heritage.
    The "Mixed Feelings" exhibition, running under the broader title of "Identity, 'Race' and Family in Lebanon'' invited viewers to explore issues surrounding racial profiling of sixteen mixed-race families through a combination of photographs, texts and audio recordings taken from the participants' personal archives.
    Born to a Lebanese father and a Nigerian mother, activist and copywriter Nisreen Kaj, co-founded what she describes as a 'social-visual' project along with Beirut-based Polish photographer Marta Bogdanska back in 2012.
    Then, the project was limited to an exhibition showcasing a number of framed photographs of Lebanese-African and Asian families.
    This year, Kaj and Bogdanska found ways to develop their project through involving more participants and expanding the approach to include topics such as national belonging and identity crisis.
    "The project is a continuation of a project we did in 2012 where we were looking at mixed families in Lebanon, mixed individuals in Lebanon, and basically trying to highlight that the Lebanese demographic is ethnically kind of changing, people are mixing with different nationalities," said Kaj who was subjected to racial discrimination herself after she moved to Beirut 13 years ago.
    When the project first came to life about three years ago, Bogdanska was responsible for taking portraits of mixed-race people. But she now sees the project expanding beyond her own work.
    "These are the archives of the families, we only chose them, we edited them, we made them bigger, we scanned them, you know, we worked as archivists this time," Bogdanska told Reuters TV.
    According to its Facebook page, the project questions "'ideas of 'race', racialization and 'othering', and how these factors play into the perceptions of who belongs in the country and who does not."
    The project was organised in cooperation with the non-governmental organisation Heinrich Boll Stiftung Middle East who also funded the project.
    It's project manager Noor Baalbaki attended the opening on Thursday (January 29).
    "Marta and Nisreen conducted interviews with sixteen families where one of the parents is of Lebanese origin and the other is either Asian or African. They saw how these families experienced discrimination against them in Lebanon, and how Lebanese people perceived them," said Baalbaki.
    One of the participants sharing their story in the exhibition is Renee Abi Saad. Born to a Nigerian mother and a Lebanese father, Abi Saab came to Lebanon when she was 11-years-old.
    Back in 2012, Abi Saab expressed the difficulties she experienced in Beirut with Kaj and Bogdanska who shared her story in the first exhibition. This year, she is participating with her family's archive.
    "It's really helpful because with this project since 2012, racism has decreased a lot, it reduced a lot, and it created a big buzz all over Lebanon and it reduced a lot. It is not done yet, but we are getting there. Nisreen is really nice, she helped me a lot, everyone has a different story here, my story is really hard, other people stories are way worse than mine, and at the end of the day, we are all one," she said.
    Also attending the exhibition opening was 24-year-old Lebanese-African Fatima Hammoud who was born in Liberia to a Lebanese father and African-Lebanese mother.
    After touring the exhibition, Hammoud said she was pleased to see a Lebanese audience respond to the work.
    "I loved the fact that there are people who think the way we do, that it is not because I am black, I must think in this way, but no, there are other Lebanese who think that way too. And they should do more projects like this, even though they missed some things, they should spread more awareness, specially among the youth in universities and schools," said Hammoud.
    The exhibition is taking place in Artscape, located in Beirut's Hamra district. It opened its doors to the public on Thursday (January 29) and is expected to run until February 14.
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