Censure: “Will pass, will not pass” (Bto2ta3 Aw Ma Bto2ta3)

Lucien Bourjeily, a writer and theater director, had his theater piece « Bto2ta3 Aw Ma Bto2ta3 » censured last September for critiquing Lebanon censorship of the General Security service.

This piece describe the phases that a production has to go through before passing censorship. The answer of the censorship service was 45 days late after the submission of the manuscript.

« Bto2ta3 Aw Ma Bto2ta3 », une pièce qui n’a pas fini d’embarrasser la SG

At the conference held in the hotel Le Gabriel this Nov. 10, 2013. Diana Assaf (lawyer of the NGO March), Lucien Bourjeily , and Léa Baroudi (general coordinator of the association.

The president of the press bureau in the General Security, General Mounir Akiki, denounced on the channel New TV the piece of theater for constantly mocking this public security institution.

Gen. Akiki claimed to have consulted 4 anonymous art experts in drama theater who corroborated that the piece is “a defaming hallucination, a parody of non existent realities that do not conform with the image of the Security. This is artistically a bad piece of theater that does not reflect reality…”

The NGO March held a conference to respond to the accusation of “Will pass, will not pass”

Léa Baroudi  had this to say: “Since when a piece of theater is to be banned for a bad quality and not enjoying the artistic flavor of Gen. Akiki, and since when the author has  to stick to reality?”

Lucien Bourjeily said: “Fear of being censored is a menace to creative work of art that pressure the author to self-censorship…” He announced that a second version will be submitted describing how the first version was handled by the censors.

“We will follow the liar to his door” added Lucien.

The NGO March had not receive so far any official document banning the work.

David Cecil, Lucien Bourjeily, Mayam Mahmoud, and Meltem Arikan

The organization « Index on Censorship » nominated Lucien Bourjeily for its annual award of freedom of expression this March in London.

There several other nominee:

David Cecil for being arrested while producing a theater piece on homosexuality in Uganda

Mayam Mahmoud, an Egyptian rap singer who denounced sexual harassment

Meltem Arikan, a Turkish feminist