Open your Mic for Human Rights

November 1, 2018

Gathered in Aaliya’s Books coffee shop, the homely gem of Gemmayze Street in Beirut, activists, poets, writers and musicians were captivated by the performances of participants in the Open Mic session.

This session was organized by the UNDP “Peace Building in Lebanon” project and Sidewalk Beirut on September 27th at 6 pm, with the generous funds of Germany.

National and international participants from all walks of life took the mic, read their poems and prose and shared their passion, stories and experiences in a convivial atmosphere. The performances embraced difficult and thought-provoking topics, such as overcoming domestic violence, refugees, death and many other issues.

“All performances revealed the beautiful spirits and souls of their performers. It had a cathartic effect on the audience”, commented a participant at the event.

The Open Mic session offered participants a platform to raise their voices for causes they hold dear. It was preceded by a discussion session around the articles published in the “Peace Building in Lebanon” News Supplement which was issued by UNDP Lebanon in August 2018 and distributed with Annahar, L’Orient-Le Jour and The Daily Star newspapers.

“I wanted to tell the story of Jassem, my neighbor, who, like many other refugees in Lebanon, endured a lot away from his family in Syria” said Lina Ghaibeh, comic artist and participant in the news supplement.

Other participants in the supplement covering the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on Lebanon, presented their articles to the audience who shared comments, suggestions and recommendations on topics to be discussed in upcoming issues.