To live in Beirut

Before moving to Lebanon, I was told that Beirut was the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East.’ Other friends coined it the ‘Paris of the East’ because they consider it at the crossroad between East and West.

When it comes to social and cultural activities, this vibrant and busy city is certainly close to New York or Paris. In 2009, The New York Times named Beirut the top place to visit. Indeed, there is always something to do, with someone(s), somewhere. One of the many nightlife districts, Gemmayze, gathers almost 60 bars along the street. Different atmospheres. Fancy cocktails. Westernized crowd. While bar hopping, you suddenly feel transported to the trendiest pubs of the Meat Packing district in Manhattan or the Champs-Elysées, in Paris.

Lebanese people are also very involved in art. Looking for a play in French, English or Arabic? From the eccentric Viva la Diva at Babel theater in Hamra to the moving Matriochka in Monot, Time Out Beirut will list them all. One festival just succeeds another. Last week, it was the European film festival in Ashrafieh. Just before, it was the Greek film festival that took place at the Empire Metropolis Sofil. A few days ago, I was invited to Lebanon Dances for the Rain, a surprising ceremonial dance meant to invoke rain to protect the harvest, in Downtown Beirut…

However, behind this sparkling social life hides a painful truth.

Today was the first morning I was able to take a hot shower since three days. My roommates and I had water issues and barely had water during that time. It seems that there was a problem at municipality level. My roommate even had to go shower at the gym!

Whether you live in a well-off neighborhood or in a more modest one, Beirut inhabitants do not have electricity for about three hours every single day. If you live in the mountains, you do not have electricity for six hours. Many times, I came back home from the university and was suddenly plunged in darkness.

In a country where it is night towards 5 p.m. during winter, no electricity means no television, no computer if you did not think of charging it the previous day, no hot water because you have to heat it before taking a shower, no microwave if you want to get warm food, no cold fridge and therefore rotten food, and no light if you want to read or change your clothes.

The first Arabic word any foreigner learns when he moves to Lebanon is ‘kahraba,’ which means electricity. My Polish friend Paula became interested in Lebanon when she was playing Warcraft, a computer game in which you play with other people from all over the world. She realized that every time she was networking with Lebanese people, they would all of a sudden be disconnected. She then did her research and found out that there is a daily shortage of electricity in this country.

I believe that there is a clear difference between a cheerful nation who always smiles and looks at the bright side of life and political apathy. Apathy is defined by a lack of interest, especially regarding matters of general importance. It seems to me that electricity is an issue of significant concern. I realized the extent of the laid-back attitude of Lebanese people when my cousin came to visit. We were chatting in a coffee place and, suddenly, the electricity went off. No one reacted. People kept talking, drinking and laughing while she was the only one finding this situation awkward. A situation to which I got accustomed. This can happen in bars, clubs, restaurant and all kinds of places. (I am currently writing this blog in the computer lab of my university and the electricity just stopped working!)

What strikes me is that the government can afford to build many millions-dollars buildings overlooking the Mediterranean sea, with generators. But when it comes to caring about the rest of the population, let them suffer from electricity shortage in the XXIst century…

I have wanted to move to Lebanon because I found it fascinating to mingle with people who always talk about politics, whether in a coffee place or at the university. I have felt that it clearly highlights citizens’ interest in their country. Until today, I am fond of this aspect of Lebanon.

I have no doubt that Lebanon is the most democratic country of the Middle East and an oasis of liberalism in an ocean of conservatism. There might be a lot of political issues. Yet, there are plenty of civil society movements. People do dialogue. And this is what matters the most.

Nevertheless, do you assess the effectiveness of civil society activities by their ability to mobilize? To speak up? Or to affect policy agenda?

All the Lebanese people that I met since I came here and became great friends share the same view. These university students and young professionals, the future of a nation, were interested in politics and aspired to bring change in the society. Today, they all gave up. They are all disillusioned by the current political system.