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On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, on August 30th, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with artist Jamale Abou Hamad, organized an artistic event, W Biit, at the Beirut Art Center. This event was dedicated to continuing the fight for kidnapped and forcibly disappeared individuals. Before an audience of grieving families, diplomats, committed artists and Lebanese people from all walks of life, the song W Biit, performed by Jamale Abou Hamad, reignited the urgency to unveil the hidden truth. The artist answers This is Beirut’s questions.
W Biit is much more than a socio-cultural event in Lebanon. It is a poignant commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared, a topic that remains, 50 years after the start of the war, completely neglected and obscured by successive governments. The ICRC organized the event at the Beirut Art Center, relying on the symbolic and artistic dimensions of thousands of poignant stories to mobilize a large audience in favor of the disappeared’s cause. From the outset, the fingerprint, this unique mark that differentiates us, left on the family tree displayed in the hall, signifies a commitment to this cause. The concept, created by the ICRC team, follows the previous project of planting olive trees in eight different regions of Lebanon by the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared.
Inconsolable families and a supportive public attached leaves to the branches, representing the missing persons. By leaving their fingerprint on the family tree, participants made the symbolic gesture of placing these individuals back on it and deeply commit to the search for and proclamation of the truth.
On a giant screen, two epistolary texts were read, extracted from the book conceived by the ICRC’s communication department titled Elt Bekteblak (“I Said I Would Write to You”), which presents a collection of poignant letters written by the mothers, sisters, brothers and children of the disappeared, including heart-wrenching poems in prose and verse. Another book brings together drawings and paintings from families deprived of mourning and any semblance of consolation, titled Empty Chairs, Waiting Families. It gathers memories and objects representative of the disappeared loved ones, with their first names and the date of their abduction or disappearance. This book is a way to commemorate the presence of the absent through art, by filling their empty chairs with symbolic objects related to them. This cathartic approach, born from a collaboration between the ICRC in Lebanon, ACT for the Disappeared and Artichoke Studio, helps to release unbearable pain and generate hope.
Emotional speeches were delivered successively by Wadad Halawani, the president of the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon; Ziad Ashour, the vice-president of the independent national commission responsible for the issue of missing persons; and Simone Casabianca Aschelimann, the head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon. They recalled, on the one hand, the fruits of the relentless struggle that led to the adoption of Law 150 in 2018 and, on the other hand, the long fight that remains to be fought. At the end of the ceremony, the booklet on this fundamental cornerstone was distributed to the public along with the two aforementioned books.
The event not only rekindled this noble cause but also highlighted the contribution that every Lebanese can make. W Biit serves as a reminder never to lay down arms, to mobilize opinions, and to raise awareness among the most resistant, ensuring that the voices of the disappeared and their families continue to be heard.
Interview with Jamale Abou Hamad, the author, composer and performer of W Biit
The highlight of the evening was the launch of the song W Biit by Jamale Abou Hamad, which recreates a dialogue between a devastated wife and her missing husband. The song transports us into a melancholic atmosphere, through indelible memories and the promises that tragically bind the separated couple.
You are a songwriter, composer and performer. Can you summarize your career?
I am a Lebanese artist and storyteller committed to humanitarian causes, blending Eastern and Western styles. Co-founder of the musical group RAND with my brother and sister, I created my own music in 2019 alongside that project. W Biit is my eighth single. I also made a short film on the theme of loss, presented at international festivals. In 2016, I moved to Los Angeles to study theater at the Stella Adler Academy. Before that, I graduated from the National Higher Conservatory of Music in Lebanon and was a member of SACEM (Société Des Auteurs, Compositeurs Et Éditeurs De musique). I also earned a degree in Cinema from the Institute of Theatrical, Audiovisual and Cinematic Studies at Saint-Joseph University.
You cried for a long time while presenting the song, even though none of your relatives have been kidnapped. Your empathy is very touching.
That’s who I am; I fully identify with the causes I sing about. I write mini-stories that showcase my commitment to human causes, or I use authentic narratives to convey messages. For example, my song Kifak (“How are you”) is the true story of my uncle who fell in love with a Muslim woman. Faced with their parents’ refusal to accept a mixed marriage, the lovers separated. To me, one should never judge a person based on their religious affiliation. A human being should only be evaluated based on their humanity and empathy.
