I always thought Ziad Rahbani was overrated, until, at 19, I heard some (prohibited) cassettes of the radio show “baadna-taybeen” (We are still alive). This satirical radio show by Ziad el Rahbani, and was broadcast on the Sanayeh (West Beirut) transmitter of Radio Lebanon during the early years of the civil war (1975-1978). These sketches are a series of courageous, forthright and candid views on various aspects of the war. Both dramatic and humorous, they are acutely perceptive and free of political inhibitions and as such tell the story of the war up until the Israeli invasion with little necessary supportive documentation. These recordings have been prohibited for a long time now. They were available on the Al-Mashrik site and its mirror site on AUB’s intranet.
Click here to visit the site
The first episode I ever heard was “history repeating itself”. From there on, addiction was easy.
For those of you with a certain Southern nostalgia, start by listening to “El Khiam”. This also goes for followers of the Lebanese left, the “authentic” left anyway. Otherwise, You can always listen to “The football match”.
For those of you who feel like whipping the Syrians, listen to “What did they tell you?” addressed to Syrian soldiers entering the Lebanese villages. You can listen to any of the three episodes “Yesterday” on the ceremony inaugurating the presidency of Elias Sarkis.
Anyway, my point behind these I that the discussions we are having today are the same ones that have been had over and over again. Let’s learn a bit from out history. Just a call for all my fellow bloggers.
I also came across a great poem, that I found fit for us, to try to transcend out inherited paradigms. Oh, I’d add Ziad’s name down there. The organization we are to "fight": the Lebanese system.
Click here to visit the site
The first episode I ever heard was “history repeating itself”. From there on, addiction was easy.
For those of you with a certain Southern nostalgia, start by listening to “El Khiam”. This also goes for followers of the Lebanese left, the “authentic” left anyway. Otherwise, You can always listen to “The football match”.
For those of you who feel like whipping the Syrians, listen to “What did they tell you?” addressed to Syrian soldiers entering the Lebanese villages. You can listen to any of the three episodes “Yesterday” on the ceremony inaugurating the presidency of Elias Sarkis.
Anyway, my point behind these I that the discussions we are having today are the same ones that have been had over and over again. Let’s learn a bit from out history. Just a call for all my fellow bloggers.
I also came across a great poem, that I found fit for us, to try to transcend out inherited paradigms. Oh, I’d add Ziad’s name down there. The organization we are to "fight": the Lebanese system.
http://www.selvesandothers.org/article9763.html
In Remembrance of Loose Cannons
Thursday 2nd June 2005, by Doug Soderstrom
AW yes,
To be an honest human being,
Honest with one’s self,
Honest with God,
Honest with others.
Enough of,
Being an organizational man,
A team player,
A status-quo oriented,
Whatever you say boss,
Yes I’ll kiss your ass,
Anytime you want,
Kind of guy.
What the world does not need,
Is another bunch of,
Scum-sucking sycophants,
Back-slapping toads,
Submissive slaves,
Grinning fools,
Yes men,
Truckling turds,
Groveling,
Boot-licking,
Brown-nosing,
Stooges,
Cowering,
Cringing,
Kowtowing,
Ingratiating goons,
Submissive,
Obsequious,
Sniveling,
Wheedling,
Well-wishers,
Mealy-mouthed,
Mortimers,
Fawning,
Groveling,
Partisan flunkies,
Ass-kissing,
Good old boy,
Government lackeys.
Enough of that shit!
To hell with that kind of life,
No more being just another,
Damn wage slave!
However,
What the world does need is more,
Whistle-blowers,
Free-thinkers,
Iconoclasts,
Infidels,
Insubordinates,
Doubting Thomases,
Devil’s advocates,
Scoffers,
Rebels,
Recalcitrant radicals,
Reprobates,
Revolutionaries,
Iconoclasts,
Individualists,
Insurgents,
Insurrectionists,
Liberals,
Mutinous mugwumps,
Liberators,
Emancipators,
Seditious subversives,
Scalawags,
Mavericks.
People who,
Quite frankly,
Don’t give a good damn,
About anything,
Except what is right.
What the world needs,
Is a few more,
Leo Tolstoys,
Henry David Thoreaus,
Martin Luther Kings,
Mohandas Gandhis,
Bob Dylans,
Jesus Christs,
A few more,
Loose cannons.
That’s what the world needs!
Doug Soderstrom, Ph.D. May 14, 2005
Thanks for reading so far!!
5 comments:
Great post Hassan. Indeed, some of the discussions that we have seen on some of the politically oriented lebanese blogs have varied around the the same ideas that have perpetuated their way through the years. What we see today has been repeated, for example, in the late 1950's, and it is time to finally learn our history, if we, as part of the Lebanese community, are to make a change.
Yes Hassan, history is indeed repeating itself. But even more, I feel that at times some of the opinions being stated are not as challenging as they could be - there are even instances when they are merely reflecting the correct national trends in thought circulating the political arena today. We need challenge. We need change. And Hassan, since you are part of this blog, and since your previous analysis has been acutely precise, I feel that it is your responsibility to provide a touch of reality.
After all, you are what you blog. And regardless of the insults that people like Hassan have gotten in the past, such as "petty" and "narrow minded", it is in fact the prophetic opinions (as Pat once commented) like the ones he provides that will propel the country forward.
Thanks Hassan, I needed that. That poem hit the spot. Those who run the country and who enforce upon us the status-quo unfortunately are true manifestation the rest of us. We are the blame for what we have allowed to fester among us and this poem accurately describes most of us yes men/women who give higher regard to the organization rather than the right cause.
Enough of that shit!
yup. its a great poem, as are rahbani's pieces. you can actually read more of his works on www.selvesandothers.org . They are impressive.
and on another note: Welcome back Hassan.
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