Essays and Features

The Art of Conveying Joy: The Late Latifa Multaqa on the Human Connection Between Actor and Audience

By Naomi Pham

A pioneer of female directors in the history of modern Lebanese theater, Latifa Multaqa has guided generations of actors since Lebanon’s golden age of theater, embodying the art of theater as an actor, director, and teacher. Multaqa, 92, passed away on April 9, 2024, joining her husband and partner on stage, Antoine Multaqa, who left this world a few weeks prior. Since the 60s and 70s, the Multaqa duo have established their reputation as pillars of modern Lebanese theater, opening doors to experimental theater alongside fellow pioneers Muneer Abou Debs and Raymond Jebara. From the legal pulpit to the stage, Latifa Multaqa laid the groundwork for serious avant-garde theater, and in mentoring students even after she retired from teaching, played an invaluable role in fostering the growth of Lebanon’s theatrical talent for generations to come.

Essays and Features

The Tragicomic Lebanese Reality in Raymond Jebara’s Theater: ‘Sarcastic to the Point of Despair’

By

Elie Chalala

“There are clear faces that do not hide anything, as if their features convey the stories of their owners. It is as if every story in the life of its owner left a mark on it. For the Lebanese playwright Raymond Jebara, he wears a face of fatigue mixed with sharp sarcasm and a smile... eyes that describe the man,” wrote the Kuwaiti Al Jarida in an interview with Jebara in 2010.

Issam Mahfouz (1939-2006): Recalling Poet, Playwright, Critic as the Attractive Modernist

Mohammad Dakroub

Even in his early writings, which were mainly poems, Issam Mahfouz used to “create a sublime and penetrating theater of dialogue,” says Lebanese poet Shawqi Abi-Shaqra about his friend. It is a disservice to Mahfouz to sum up his contributions in generalities. This creative artist made his unique and visionary contributions in different fields: first, in modern poetry, then in theater, where his basic and most notable contributions lie, as well as in literary studies, criticism, and research. He excelled at developing innovative methods for presenting knowledge and introducing creative and cultural works to the Arab reader in a deliberate and entertaining form. We cannot overlook the rich and distinguished literary page which he edited each Saturday in the Beirut-based An Nahar newspaper, providing the reader a font of cultural knowledge from an authentic modernist and progressive perspective; and for reasons we have yet to understand, that newspaper has abandoned this shining weekly literary page, a loss for both the newspaper and the reader.

Antoine Multaqa, Enduring Pillar of Lebanon’s Golden Age of Modern Theater, Exits the Stage

By Naomi Pham

While Arab theater sits at a crossroads amid questions about its path toward the future, another pillar of modern Arab theater exits the stage. Antoine Multaqa, 91, who passed away in his sleep on February 21, 2024, nurtured the development of experimental theater alongside his wife, fellow director and actor Latifa Multaqa (née Chamoun), during Beirut’s golden age of theater. In its current state, Arab theater stands a shadow of its former self, nowhere nearly as celebrated as it was during the 1960s and 1970s when Antoine Multaqa, Muneer Abou Debs, Raymond Jebara, and others ushered modernism to the Lebanese stage. Modern theater was the backbone of cultural life in Beirut. At a time when theater mainly depended on translated works, poets played active roles in writing and translating plays, bringing Western classics by Sophocles, Shakespeare, and Brecht to Arab audiences. Multaqa’s passing is a nostalgic reminder of Lebanon’s theatrical heyday and the dilemma it faces today, caught between modernity and postmodernity.

Essays and Features

Jalal Khoury (1933-2017): Brechtian Realist Forged by 1967 War, and the Birth of Modern Lebanese Theater

Elie Chalala

Historically, the founding of the Lebanese theater traces back to the 1800s, specifically to 1848 when Maroun Nakash built a makeshift playhouse in his home and staged the first ever Arabic language production, “The Miser,” a work by Moliere translated from the French. After this period, known by theater scholars as one of the translations, came a renaissance era, consisting of staged works by prominent Lebanese authors like Said Takieddine and Said Aql. Critics referred to the following periods as the Arab nationalist or political phase during the 1950s and 1960s, followed by the realist or the modernist movement, which Jalal Khoury helped to spearhead from the mid-1960s until his death last December at 84. According to one author of a book on the subject, ideas played a central role in forming the Lebanese theater, as opposed to its European counterpart, which emerged as an amalgamation of traditional popular customs.

The ‘Guardian of Gaza’: Fathi Ghaben (1946-2024) Preserved Palestinian Memory, Colors, Dress, and Symbols Through Art

By

Elie Chalala

As if gripped by the fear of losing the history of Palestine, Fathi Ghaben kept Palestine close to him for his entire life, in his mind, art, and physical existence. Reporters, critics, and Palestinian government officials paid tribute to the artist, whose unwavering focus on Palestinian culture and memory saturated his life and work.

From Humble Roots to Self-Made Star: Undefeated by Time, Cultural Icon Umm Kulthum Captivates Arab and Western Interest Half a Century After Her Death

By Naomi Pham

Although nearly 50 years have passed since her death, Egypt’s beloved diva, Umm Kulthum, has continued to captivate generations. One can still hear her alluring voice emanating from cafes and car radios in the streets of Egypt or find photographs from her famous performance at Paris’ L’Olympia Theater sold as merchandise. She has consistently remained in the spotlight long after her death, with new books and other artistic homages giving a retrospective of her life and career.

Essays and Features

Multi-Talented ‘Poet of Colors’ Magdy Naguib (1936-2024) Mesmerized Music Composers and Singers of Egypt’s Musical Golden Age

By

Elie Chalala

The widespread reach of the Egyptian song and its artistic achievements, going beyond the Arab sphere to the rest of the world, owes its success to musicians, singers, and poets whose writings remain immortal today. Among them is the poet Magdy Naguib, who departed from the cultural scene on February 7, 2024, reports Al Habeeb Al Aswad in Al Arab newspaper. Hardly a moment goes by without news of the Arab cultural scene losing an artist, poet, songwriter, or other creative.

Hussein Madi (1938-2024): An Artist Whose Lifelong Embrace of Nature Created an Art That Will Endure

By Naomi Pham

In recent years, media reports have raised concerns over a worrying decline in the Arab cultural scene. Government restrictions on the media and artistic expression have taken a toll on art and cultural production across the Arab world, whether in literature or art. In Lebanon, where the ongoing liquidity crisis has continued unabated since 2019, discontent with the state and worsening economic conditions were intensified by the pandemic and the disastrous explosion of Beirut’s port in August 2020, a tragedy still fresh on the minds of many. The blast decimated large parts of Beirut’s arts and cultural neighborhoods, Gemmayzeh and Mar Mikhael, among several others. Its aftermath witnessed damage not only to galleries, museums, and historic architecture but also to livelihoods, leading many Lebanese artists to emigrate after the explosion. Small victories have risen since then as museums and galleries slowly recover. Still, critics worry about an artistic drought, especially after the recent passing of one of Lebanon’s renowned artists, Hussein Madi.

Essays and Features

Postscript to ‘Indefinite Postponement’: Adania Shibli Breaks Silence on Frankfurt Book Fair Decision and Finds a Voice in the Absence of Words

By

Naomi Pham

When the Frankfurt Book Fair announced last October the “indefinite postponement” of Palestinian author Adania Shibli’s award for her novel “Minor Detail,” outrage erupted among critics not just in the Arab world but globally, with numerous translators, publishers, and award-winning authors condemning the decision in an open letter.

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