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Two events occurred a few hours apart, symbolizing the temporal gap between pre-war Greater Lebanon and today’s Lebanon, a country at stake following Beirut’s port explosion.
Najah Salam’s successful artistic journey serves as a profound symbol bridging two eras. The first one is a period shaped by Egyptian cinema before the rise of contemporary Lebanese music. The second is an era marked by Lebanese radio, the famous ‘League of Five’ (brothers Assi and Mansour Rahbani, Zaki Nassif, Toufic al-Basha and Toufic Sukkar), and the developments that followed.
For his part, Amin Maalouf stands as a pivotal bridge between two distinct periods in Lebanon’s history that reside in choosing between spreading the light of thought, culture and Eastern literature to the world as opposed to succumbing to intellectual darkness. Throughout his career, Maalouf has consistently carved out a permanent place within the realm of French academia.
The common thread connecting these two figures is the year 1976, which marked Maalouf’s departure from Lebanon at the onset of the Lebanese Civil War and Salam’s retirement, as she chose a path of religious and familial commitment. Both in form and substance, there are shared aspects between these two personalities. However, what is most significant is that they embody a unique period in history that cannot be replicated due to a lack of foresight. Both figures are the result of an artistic era characterized by a distinct artistic vision. Following the declaration of Greater Lebanon, prominent intellectuals and writers of the time embarked on an endeavor to forge an artistic and cultural legacy for the modern State. The culmination of these efforts came in 1957 with the launch of the Lebanese Nights as part of Baalbeck’s International Festival. This event marked the cornerstone for the preservation and substantial recognition of folklore within this historical setting. At the time, President Chamoun was influenced by his surroundings, dominated by intellectual and academic figures immersed in Lebanese nationalism, as well as the historical significance of the Christian role, mostly in the region of Mount Lebanon. As such, Chamoun helped the Rahbani brothers and their companions in realizing this vision, surpassing all expectations.
The core issue is that the primary objective of Lebanon’s first republic transcended the notion of a mere state. It aimed to establish the foundations for an entity endowed with a soul, a sense of purpose, a history and prospects. This was the strength of the first republic, which laid down the groundwork that aligned history and the future on the same path. After the war, however, this reality changed, and Lebanon’s second republic failed to find a person capable of formulating such plans: outlining a future path and trying to preserve the long-term collective societal memory.
In light of this situation, Lebanon is currently grappling with far more than just a fleeting political crisis. The country is facing a power vacuum on the one hand and a governmental crisis on the other, alongside ongoing efforts for parliamentary changes in between. Lebanon is tackling a real issue exemplified by the lack of cultural ideas and planning to unify its citizens under a single national identity.
In the context of modern Lebanon, the most recent artistic initiative was “Studio al-Fann,” a project with commercial ramifications that extended beyond Lebanon’s borders. It represents the latest venture to have effectively exported a specific artistic concept or well-established approach. In the realms of literature and intellect, post-war Lebanon was consumed with recording its history, and literature which became mostly overshadowed by the war’s impact.
Beyond politics, the major issue facing Greater Lebanon today is the State’s inability to secure a cohesive cultural project that merges ideas within a unified framework. This, in turn, raises existential questions about the current nation and its prevailing borders. Coupled with these crises, the issue of the overwhelming Syrian presence in Lebanon has significantly impacted the Lebanese musical landscape. Songs released in the last decade have undeniably absorbed the Syrian musical milieu, even adopting pronunciation and phonetic nuances closer to Syrian than Lebanese.
If and when this culture and the objectives of the cultural State fade away, there will no longer be any justification for preserving the country’s existing borders.
Returning to the journeys of Salam and Maalouf, their personal journeys bear witness to crucial periods that epitomize the essence of Lebanon’s cultural legacy. When they couldn’t find their niche in post-war Lebanon, Salam opted to pull back while Maalouf chose to emigrate. Both of these options undeniably convey a resounding message…
