Posts Tagged ‘Independence Day’
Select the Lebanese personality you can be proud of (dead, living, abroad…)
Posted by: adonis49 on: December 29, 2015
Select the Lebanese personality (dead or alive) you can be proud of
Don’t let anyone tell you there’s nothing to celebrate this Independence Day in Lebanon!
We may not have a president, or a functioning government – but when have those ever been what made Lebanon great?
We give you 72 Lebanese people who make us proud – with compatriots like this, who needs a president?
(Add to the list other personalities and leaders who made us proud)
Some of these are the legends we grew up admiring, some are relatively unsung heroes, and some are legends in the making.
But they all share one thing: They show the strength of the Lebanese spirit, and that’s something worth celebrating this Independence Day
1. Fairuz (80) (Singer) Like

2. Ahmad Kaabour (Singer) Like
3. Georgina Rizk (Universe Beauty Queen of 1969)
4. Late Ghassan Tueni (Journalist and founder of daily Al Nahar) Like
5. Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah (Inventor. Electrical engineering genius. He and Tesla discoverer of Alternative current and who invented most of the electrical equipment in use today) Like
6. Aida Sabra (Actress/Director)
7. Joumana Haddad (Writer)
8. Kim Ghattas (Reporter)
9. Late Chouchou (Actor. Most famous ironic icon) Like
10. Fadi El Khatib (Basketball Player)
11. Philemon Wehbe (Composer) Like
12. Carlos Ghosn (Businessman. General manager of Nissan and Renault) Like
13. Zuhair Murad (Fashion Designer)
14. Late Said Akl (Poet, Writer)
15. Yasmine Hamdan (Singer)
16. Late Samir Kassir (Journalist/Activist)
17. Late May Ziade (Writer. Launched the first literary salon in Cairo) Like
18. Maxime Chaya (Sportsman. Climbed highest mountain peaks and reached the North Pole) Like
19. Charif Majdalani (Writer)
20. Bernard Khoury (Architect)
21. Amal Alamuddin Clooney (International Lawyer) Like
22. Late Pierre Sadek (Caricaturist) Like
23. Nidal Al Achkar (Actress/Director of theatre/Activist) Like
24. Elia Abu Madi (Poet)
25. Ziad Rahbani (Musician/Actor/Director of theatre/Singer) Like
26. Nadine Labaki (Actress/Director) Like
27. Ounsi el-Hajj (Writer)
28. Mazen Hajjar (Investor)
29. Serge Hochar (Winemaker)
30. Majida El Roumi (Singer) Like
31. Walid Toufic (Singer)
32. Amin Maalouf (Author/Journalist/French Academy member) Like
33. Ray Bassil (Sportswoman)
34. Melhem Barakat (Singer) Like
35. Reem Acra (Fashion Designer)
36. Silvio Chiha (Sportsman)
37. Bushra El-Turk (Composer)
38. Lebanese Rocket Society Like
39. Fady Raidy (Comedian)
40. Xriss Jor (Singer)
41. Octavia Nasr (Journalist)
42. Eddy Maroun and Elie Habib (Entrepreneurs)
43. Jalal Khoury (Playwright/Director) Like
44. Hamed Sinno (Musician)
45. Late Charles Malik (Philosopher/Represented Lebanon at the UN session of 1946 in San Francisco)
46. Ramzi Haidamus (President of Nokia) Like
47. Joseph Harb (Poet/Song Writer) Like
48. Late Nasri Shamseddine (Performer) Like
49. Hind Hobeika (Techie)
50. Abdallah Absi (Entrepreneur)
51. Karl Sharro (Writer)
52. Guy Manoukian (Musician)
53. Late Wadih El Safi (Singer/Musician/an icon)
54. Sabah (Singer/Actress, an Icon) Like
55. Late Mikha’il Na’ima (Writer/ Friend and contemporary of Jubran in the USA) Like
56. Late Gibran Khalil Gibran (Writer/Drawer. Famous for “The Prophet”) Like
57. Marcel Khalife (Musician. An Icon) Like
58. Late Rahbani Brothers (Musicians/Writers/Playwriters. Icons) Like
59. Habib Haddad (Entrepreneur)
60. Nicolas Jebran (Fashion Designer)
61. Zeina Daccache (Actress/Director)
62. Rabih Alameddine (Writer)
63. Lucien Bourjeily (Director/Writer/ Activist) Like
64. Charles Elachi (Scientist/Director of Jet Propulsion Lab) Like
65. Mona Bawarshi (CEO)
66. Elie Saab (Fashion Designer)
67. Ralph Debbas (CEO)
68. Bassam Jalgha (Engineer/Musician)
69. Rudy Rahme (Sculptor)
70. Georges Khabbaz (Actor/Writer) Like
71. Hilal Khashan (Scholar)
72. Adel Termos (National Hero/Tackled a suicide bomber) Like
Happy Independence Day #Lebanon!
Michelle has hope for Lebanon: Sort of 5 reasons…
“Since the Syrian revolution began over 20 months ago, the headlines around the world concerning Lebanon have all had the same tone – “Lebanon on the brink”, “Tensions in a divided Lebanon run high”…
And since last May, we have seen what appears to be a breakdown of Lebanon’s social fabric. Fighting in Tripoli between Bab el Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, tire burning around the country, the so-called “military wing” of the clan Moqdad family kidnapping of Gulf nationals, Syrians…and blocking the road to the airport.
A travel ban for the nationals of UAE, Qatar and Bahrain crippled Lebanon’s tourism over the summer.
And a month ago, the car bomb that ripped through Beirut’s bustling Ashrafieh district that claimed 3 lives, including that of Brigadier General Wissam al Hassan, his bodyguard, and an innocent woman walking in the area. In the days that followed, protestors stormed the Grand Serail, (the PM administration) and gunfights erupted in several areas around Beirut.
International media basically had a field day predicting the next civil war in Lebanon, and elaborating on the oversimplified narrative of Syria’s conflict “spilling over” and Lebanon’s sectarian divides continuing to “widen” as change rocks the region. What happened instead?
Millions of Lebanese woke up in the morning, got in their cars and faced mind-numbing traffic to get to work for completely unfair salaries. For that, I respect them and their resilience immensely.
Schools, bars, restaurants, and malls remained open despite shooting in several areas of Beirut. In the days that followed, life here largely returned to normal, and the media’s eye shifted away from Lebanon. Basically, over the space of two days, columnists and foreign correspondants from around the world predicted a major breakdown of social and political institutions in this country.
And that may yet happen. But instead of breaking down worst case scenarios, let’s take a look at the reality of the past month in Beirut.
1. Beirut White March
A week after the blast in Ashrafieh, around a thousand Lebanese gathered in Martyr’s Square dressed in white, and marched peacefully to Sassine Square (the location of the blast) to show solidarity for the victims, and to express frustration with the March 8/14 rift that characterizes Lebanese politics. “March against March” and “5losna Ba2a” signs were held up, along with hundreds of Lebanese flags.
The mood was positive, despite the grim events of the week before. I overheard two photographers jockying for position joke to each other “In peaceful protests, the photographers are the ones who fight.”
No violence.
2. Ashrafieh for All
Again, immediately after the bombing, a group of young Lebanese began the “Ashrafieh for All” initiative. Spread through Facebook, the group description simply read: “[We are] a group of young people looking to help the people of Ashrafieh out. This is in no way political. Anyone willing to help can join.”
Over the following weeks, hundreds of volunteers, including youth groups such as les Scouts du Liban, collected food, water, clothes, medicine and money for those whose homes had been destroyed in the explosion. Major Lebanese brands including Zaatar w Zeit, Roadsters Diner and many more also contributed to the efforts.
3. Beirut Marathon
On November 11th, in the pouring rain, over a thousand Lebanese gathered to complete a 10 km run, or a full marathon, throughout Beirut. Thousands of Lebanese of different faiths gathered together in a massive crowd, while jogging, under a torrential downpour – sound like a perfect recipe for conflict. But no – the event was a great success.
4. Seculars in AUB election
Student elections at the American University of Beirut are closely watched, as they are known for representing Lebanon’s political divides. Unlike typical student elections, which are either popularity contests or based on campaigns pertaining to student life, AUB’s are highly politicized. Competing student parties openly endorse the March 8 and March 14 camps that divide national Lebanese politics, and have a history of high tensions, and even outbursts of violence.
Given the events of the past few months, many expected this year’s election season to be particularly inflammatory. Though the elections were highly politicized as usual, with political chants and quite a bit of booing taking place as results were announced, there were no fights. And in an interesting turn of events, AUB’s very own Secular Club, supporting candidates running independently of any politically affiliated organizations, performed particularly well this year.
For a soundbite I compiled featuring interviews with AUB students regarding their view of the influence of Lebanese politics on student elections, click here: www.beirutnewsnetwork.com/michelle. You may be surprised by what you hear. While some cited the inevitability of Lebanese politics spilling into AUB, others expressed major disappointment with this – despite the fact that they had won because they ran with politically-backed parties.
5. TEDxBeirut
TEDxBeirut, a full-day conference that took place November 17th at Beirut’s UNESCO Palace, brought together Lebanese speakers, activists, innovators, leaders, and regular citizens with “ideas worth sharing” as a part of the larger TED talks global movement. A TEDx conference even took place in Tripoli, despite the strife that has marked the city since this summer.
What does all this mean?
Lebanese people are far from war-hungry sectarian-driven individuals. The above events show that Lebanese do want to live together, and enjoy normal, happy lives. And that’s what gives me hope in Lebanon this independence day.
As summarized by Bernard Pivot:
“Les Libanais sont sûrs qu’il y aura un autre attentat. Puis, plus tard, un autre. Ils ne vivent cependant pas dans la crainte. Ils vivent.” (The Lebanese are sure another car blast is being readied, and another… They don’t live in fear. They live.)
On top of that, JLO carried a Lebanese flag on stage while performing in Dubai. I mean what more do you really need? End of article
If the reader has noticed, almost all of these events are set in Beirut, where about a third of the population live and work. Outside of Beirut, in this tiny country, life is controlled and administered by the communities: The pseudo-State (government, institutions, and deputies…) exists just in Greater Beirut. A few sectors in Beirut get high priority in potable water, 24/24 electricity, and all the amenities that other sections in Beirut don’t enjoy…
Apparently, the rate of hope is “measured” on how people living and commuting to Beirut behave and have fun…