How foreign influences have shaped Lebanon’s dynamism
Lebanese benefit from a range of year-long activities organised by institutes from various countries
Notwithstanding its many woes, Lebanon remains a cosmopolitan country with unprecedented dynamism that is the envy of many, promoting intercultural contacts.
The country survived two civil wars and continues to waddle through conflicts, which demonstrate resilience par excellence, even if the societies that inhabit it — and there are several — choose chaos over nation-building.
Despite this organised chaos, Lebanese continue to enjoy themselves.
Thousands have flocked to dozens of prestigious summer festivals like Byblos, Beiteddine or Baalbeck, to enjoy international-level performances. While much of Lebanon’s cultural prowess is locally produced — through a flourishing art scene, including theatre, film, music and arts in several languages (Arabic, English, French, Armenian and even Persian) some of it is available through the courtesy of foreign institutes that truly enrich the lives of those who seek it.
More than a dozen foreign institutes organise a variety of year-long activities, including the teaching of foreign languages, concerts, and a variety of lectures by leading academics and journalists.
Several hold annual fairs and, in the case of the Alliance Francaise, promote a widely attended book fair.
Most excel in language training, and while their primary purposes hover around disseminating their own cultures, the Lebanese benefit from such exposure.
Long before Lebanon became a French colony, both the coastal as well as mountainous regions that make up the country experienced foreign rule.
The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians succeeded the Phoenicians and Canaanites, before Hellenistic and Roman occupations set up shop.
They were followed by the Sassanians, Arabs and Ottomans whose reign ended in 1918.
Britain and France walked in even before the infamous 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement that divided the Arab world, while the US opted to deploy its sharpest weapon — education — when it created a college in 1866 that became the American University of Beirut.
‘Tell America’s story’
America’s people-to-people diplomacy grew significantly in 1953 when Washington established a US Information Agency (USIA) branch in Beirut, whose mission was to “tell America’s story” and “promote mutual understanding” through English language teaching programmes, library services, and Arabic-language publications.
Its John F. Kennedy Cultural Centre and Library had five branches throughout Lebanon, including in Zahleh and Tripoli.
Over the course of the 19751990 civil war, most public affairs activities came to a standstill. Although the US restored some of its cultural services, security concerns dominated its activities, which meant that little of what was once a superlative presence returned.
Other countries, including Spain, Germany, Britain and France, filled the cultural void.
Cervantes Institute
The Instituto Cervantes [Cervantes Institute] was created in 1991 to promote the teaching of Spanish and to spread the culture of Spain. Named after the great writer Miguel de Cervantes, and present in more than 70 cities around the world, the Beirut branch is one of the most active local institutions today.
The Cultural Centre of the Safadi Foundation in Tripoli hosts Cervantes instructors too and similar classes are also held in Kaslik.
The Cervantes Institute has a full and varied programme of cultural activities including lectures, film screenings, book presentations, exhibitions and dance performances, theatre as well as music.
Its library has a collection of about 11,000 books, serial publications, videos, DVDs, cassettes, slides and CD-ROMs, and access is free.
Similarly, the Goethe-Institut furthers knowledge of the German language though, like its counterparts, it aims much higher. Beirut was one of the Arab stations for the recently established dialogue points that created a network of upto-date information about Germany to a greater number of centres in the North Africa/ Middle East region.
These dialogue points are designed to interact with young Arabs and to provide free access to information about Germany.
Although many walk or drive past the Ashrafieh Protestant cemetery, few know that many German tombstones exist within it, a testament to German history in the Land of the Cedars.
This is the first of a two-part series on the impact of foreign institutes in Lebanon.