Once considered the Paris of the Middle East due to its tourist and cultural offerings, Beirut, Lebanon was ravaged by civil war in the 70s and 80s. Though the civil war ended in 1990, the country has had a contentious relationship with its neighbors Israel and Syria, doing battle with both in the past 10 years.
Beirut has been striving to rebuild its cultural capital abroad but also at home. They recently held a symposium on cultural and arts reporting supported by theSamir Kassir Foundation, to encourage reporters to write about the contributions of Lebanese artists to the art world. The hope is that Beirutis and other Lebanese will see more than the destruction and war that has been a part of life for decades.
Texas Public Radio's Jack Morgan presented at the symposium and has a series running all week on the effort. What can art mean to a community in strife?
Explore Jack's Series on Beirut here:
Guest:
- Jack Morgan, arts and culture reporter for Texas Public Radio
*This is the second segment in the May 6 edition of The Source, which airs at 3 p.m. on KSTX 89.1 FM. Audio from this show will be posted by 5:30 p.m.
