- Title: LEBANON: Artist marks the anniversary of the civil war by displaying 600 toilets
- Date: 17th April 2008
- Summary: (MER-1) BEIRUT, LEBANON (APRIL 15, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TOILETS ON EXHIBITION IN A FIELD CLOSE OF BANNER READING IN ENGLISH "HAVEN'T 15 YEARS OF HIDING IN THE TOILETS BEEN ENOUGH?" PEOPLE SIGNING A PETITION AGAINST CIVIL WAR CLOSE OF MAN SINGING PETITION AGAINST CIVIL WAR CLOSE OF MAN'S HAND SIGNING PETITION AGAINST CIVIL WAR VARIOUS OF LEBANESE ARTIST NADA SEHNAOU
- Embargoed: 2nd May 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lebanon
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: History
- Reuters ID: LVA4OQP5KG2SA4K2XKNJ6EZ6YI62
- Story Text: A Lebanese artist took art as free expression to a new length with her installation of 600 toilets in an open field in the country's capital, Beirut. The installation is the artist's way of protesting against the country's current political crisis and what some people view as the possibility of civil war.
Artist Nada Sehnaoui derived her idea from personal experience, having lived through the country's 1975-90 Civil War.
"The title of this work, ''Haven't 15 years of Hiding in the Toilets Been Enough?'' is an artistic installation in an open field. I did this work now, because as you may have heard, the drums of war are beating again in Lebanon and they are threatening us with the nightmare, which we lived for 15 years, the nightmare of civil war," Sehnaoui told Reuters Television.
The opposition has been locked in a power struggle with the governing coalition since November 2006. The conflict has paralysed much of the work of government and left Lebanon without a president for four months.
The exhibition is part of a two-week event staged by Lebanese civil society groups to raise people's awareness about civil war and protest the country's current political crisis.
"I was inspired (to do this installation) because when the civil war started I was 15-years-old and I hid in the bathroom and when I became a mother -- in 1986 I had my son -- I hid him in the tub in the bathroom. Also, when I asked people around me (they said they did the same thing). So the idea evolved from my personal experience, which is also the experience of a large number of Lebanese people, unfortunately,'' Sehnaoui added.
The event started on April 13 to coincide with the 33rd anniversary of the Lebanese civil war. It kicked-off with a concert by Lebanese singer Ziad Sahhab and has featured daily testimonials from people who experienced the 1975-90 civil war. The event provides a platform for open dialogue and discussions among people on the subject of civil war and Lebanon's current political crisis, and includes film screenings and concerts by local musicians.
In Beirut's downtown square, where the installation is placed, the toilets quickly replaced chairs as a seating alternative for people watching the film screenings.
Lebanese director Jan Shamoun is among the film makers whose film is being featured. He says it is important to remind people of the severity of war.
"I think it's a very important idea because many people who lived the experience of the civil war in Lebanon lived the catastrophe, the suffering, the country being divided, and many difficulties... 15 years of civil war, the human memory is very important," Shamoun told Reuters Television.
The 1975-1990 civil war killed almost 150,000 people, destroyed much of Beirut and prompted hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to leave the country.
"(It is) Very important because the Lebanese people lived during the war in shelters, in hiding spots, in bathrooms and corridors. It (the installation) expresses a very difficult stage that Lebanon went through,'' Lebanese citizen Abdulmajeed Kaseer said.
Despite current tensions in Lebanon, the country has not slid into an all-out war but there have been incidents of deadly violence between pro and anti-government supporters. The conflict between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the government coalition has paralysed much of government.
The crisis is considered the worst since the 15-year civil war and has left the country without a president since November and soured relations between regional rivals Syria and Saudi Arabia.
Tensions began to rise in Lebanon following the assassination in 2005 of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Dozens of explosions have rocked the capital since and seven anti-Syrian politicians have died in assassinations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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