- Title: Virtual Lebanon museum exposes censorship of films, books
- Date: 2nd October 2017
- Summary: TRIPOLI, LEBANON (SEPTEMBER 26, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TALKING AT POP-UP MUSEUM OF CENSORSHIP IN TRIPOLI SIGN DEPICTING MUSEUM'S LOGO VARIOUS OF VISITORS LOOKING AT POSTERS OF BANNED MOVIES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VICE PRESIDENT OF MARCH ORGANISATION, GINO RAIDY, SAYING: "The virtual museum of censorship in Lebanon started in 2012. It is a way to document all that is banned or censored in Lebanon, be it books, movies, DVDs, plays, graffiti or journalistic reports. It is because censorship in Lebanon is ambiguous and laws are unclear, that we need a place to track what is being censored, and this is why we created the virtual museum of censorship."
- Embargoed: 16th October 2017 15:58
- Keywords: Lebanon censorship museum culture museum repression censorship film books museum website censorship
- Location: TRIPOLI AND BEIRUT, LEBANON
- City: TRIPOLI AND BEIRUT, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA00171CCKT1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Despite its relative liberalism by regional standards, Lebanon has a history of banning films, plays and books that touch on the taboo subjects of sex, religion and politics, as revealed by a new exhibition held by the rights group MARCH.
Founded in 2011, the Lebanese non-governmental organisation that fights for freedom of expression runs an online platform recording banned or censored materials going back to the 1940s, and which forms the basis for its occasional pop-up exhibitions.
"Because censorship in Lebanon is ambiguous and laws are unclear, that we need a place to track what is being censored, and this is why we created the virtual museum of censorship," said Gino Raidy, vice president of MARCH, speaking from the second Museum of Censorship to be held this year in Tripoli.
"From time to time, when we can, we erect a physical museum in which we exhibit several artistic and cultural items from the virtual museum. In conjunction, we organise a talk about what freedom of expression means, what the limits are, whether we can go against censorship and if censorship is something good or not," Raidy added.
Movie posters, book covers, DVDs, posters for plays, copies of graffiti and journalistic reports were all exhibited at the event, which - according to MARCH - aims to show the scope of what gets censored in Lebanon, and why.
"Artistic works shouldn't be censored. The state shouldn't censor our minds, what we read, what we see or what we think. It can put restrictions on age, saying for example this is for adults, people over 18. But it can't come and tell me I can't read this book or watch this film. Censorship kills the artistic work and prevents people accessing information," said Lebanese lawyer Khaled Merheb, also a member of MARCH.
An attendee of the exhibition said Lebanon evidently had a "very big problem" if such an exhibition was needed.
"We should have passed this period a long time ago and the laws we have since 1926 should have changed or been amended, especially in Lebanon," said Mohammed Serhan.
MARCH is fighting to change censorship laws that date back to 1947, and to move decision-making power on censorship from the directorate of general security to the ministry of culture. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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