NumberNineDream

I've been trying to sleep for the past hour, but failing miserably. So what better time to revive this journal.

Rolling in bed, I remembered what followed my "Mtv Phase". So here goes:


It was the beginning of the year 2005, on February 14th to be exact, that our previous Prime Minister got murdered. What started a chain reaction that ended with the beginning of what we called the "Cedar Revolution".
We used to go to the centre of the capital twice a week, marching and protesting, demanding our freedom from the Syrian regime (which was occupying the country at the time). And I, as many other teenagers at the time, got filled with the spirit of revolution and got to the streets.

Although it all ended up being some big charade held by the bigger countries, and even though I remember this time as an embarrassment and a huge disappointment; the songs that we chanted throughout the whole year, did, and still bring some tears to my eyes.


I'm going to talk about 3 female Lebanese singers, who happen to sing most of those patriotic songs.



First off, by one of the most prominent female singers of Lebanon, Majida el Roumi, singing "Ya Beirut" (O Beirut), which was a poem originally, written by Nizar Kabbani, ironically, a Syrian poet:


As you won't be able to understand the lyrics: It's about the poet, addressing Beirut, in the name of the Arab countries (hypothetically), confessing their jealousy, and the way they destroyed her. Then he urges the capital to rise from the ashes and so on...

A second favourite is, Saqata el Qina' (The Mask has fallen). This one is a more of a war song, urging the people to fight till death for their freedom, written by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.


We continue with Julia Boutros, more of a militant for the Palestinian rights, has a more popular, down to Earth sound. And here's a song for the South of Lebanon, that was at the time occupied by the Israeli army.

The song is entitled "Ghabet shams el Ha' "(The sun of Justice has set) , speaking in the name of the people, and declaring that they refuse to die:


That is the most down to Earth one of them all. She has this kind of naive way to sing everything, and the lyrics are so corny it just makes me smile... Here's the song "Ardak el Karami" (Your land of Pride), addressed to the Lebanese Army:



After this period of my life, I decided to boycott every Lebanese channel and radio station. Thank god for Cable and the Interwebs.

Cheers.

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