CAIRO: For Hossam Mostafa, July 12 started out as any other day in Beirut. The summer season was promising; tourism rates were on the rise and music and cultural festivals were about to kick off. Legendary singer Fayrouz was to give the opening performance at the Baalbak Festival on the same night. Everyone was expecting a high season for the entertainment industry in Lebanon, which has become a hub for singers and artists.
That s why when Mostafa heard the sound of shells and bombings he thought it was just the ceremonial gunshots fired by Hezbollah in celebration of capturing two Israeli soldiers.
Shortly, however, the disturbing reality set in. As Mostafa recalls, that same day they learned that southern Lebanon was under attack and within a few hours the Israeli army had escalated its offensive and attacked the Beirut International Airport and consequently other districts in the capital.
I worked in a safe area, says Mostafa, an Egyptian who has been serving as the manager of Rotana Magazine’s office in Beirut. But this didn t prevent his team from harboring insecurities, he adds, or even getting scared. His manager decided to move all the team outside Lebanon, but due to Mostafa’s position and a sense of responsibility, he decided to stay.
Everyday it was getting worse and even more difficult to leave; the Israeli army destroyed the airport and its fuel tanks, cordoned the port and was targeting all land roads, says Mostafa.
Expatriates were already fleeing the city and a number of Lebanese artists decided to join, most of them heading for Cairo. Reminiscent of the 15-year long Lebanese Civil War, Egypt is now home to many Lebanese artists, including Assi El Hellani, Jad Cheouri, Iwan and Haifa Wehbe.
We were told Cairo would be safe, says Habib Rahal, manager of Melody Artist Management. Rahal left with a number of the company s artists, including Iwan and Cheouri, after a few days of bombings.
On the fourth day of the bombing, Mostafa received an order to leave from the mother company; the entertainment magazine is part of the same titled record company that has the bulk of Arab singers working under its name and has recently ventured into the film industry.
But Mostafa wasn t as lucky as some Lebanese singers who had special private planes to take them away from the war-torn country. Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe took a private jet out of Lebanon, and is currently residing in Egypt and making plans to collect donations for her country from here. She also attracted a lot of beach goers last Friday when she appeared at the private North Coast beach of La Plage.
A few days earlier in Beirut, with no transportation available, as the Egyptian Embassy had not started offering bus services to Egyptian expatriates at the time, Mostafa was left with no option but to hire a cab with a brave driver working independently that cost him 50 times more than the usual cab fare.
He had to take the only road left, the road to Homs in Syria. Instead of taking an hour and a half as it usually does, the trip took nine hours. One time they left a bridge right before it was bombed during Israeli raids.
In the crowded parts at the Syrian-Lebanese boarders, the situation was only slightly better. Finding accommodation or making travel plans were not easy tasks, but eventually Mostafa made it back to Cairo, where he is resuming his work.
Other artists, who might have had a better trip, are not having the same luck at work. We didn t come here to work, Rahal explains. There may be some small-scale events that the Melody artists will perform at, he continues, but no major concerts or events.
This follows in the footsteps of other Lebanese artists, who have canceled their concerts, apologized for not attending festivals and postponed the release of their albums and video clips.
Elissa and Miriam Fares had their video clips ready for release but had to postpone, says Mostafa, who notes the promotional campaigns these two singers and others conducted to promote new albums and videos.
Some artists announced their cancellations as acts of solidarity with Lebanon. Many of them aren t in the mood to work, says Mona Afifi, editorial director of Diva, a Cairo-based lifestyle and entertainment monthly magazine, And those who feel like working can’t do so because they are worried that the media will slam them for singing while Lebanon is under fire.
There is a state of confusion, says Mostafa. People thought the attacks would last for two or three days, he explains, but now it seems that they won t end soon. Besides the prevailing state of sadness, Mostafa says that some artists may face financial problems. Some came with their families without sorting out their savings and expenses. Afifi expects them to start working in the near future just to support themselves.
Yet, this is only part of the problem. Although residents of Arab countries have showed their acceptance of those who fled Lebanon, there is a parallel wave of criticism from Lebanon.
Lebanon s artists are not required to stay and die under the raids of Israeli spite, wrote Iman Ibrahim on the electronic news Web site Elaph. They are not required to die of hunger yielded by the Israeli siege . They are not required to carry guns and fight. But they are required to show a bit of sincerity so they don t turn into national icons while they don t deserve the passports they are carrying.
The Beirut-based writer criticized how some artists have hastily recorded national songs encouraging people to stay in Lebanon, while they have left to attend their parties after the first raid.
Whether you are a celebrity or not, you are born with an instinct to want to protect yourself and be safe, says Afifi, So to me, it doesn t make any sense for celebrities who left in search of security to be criticized.
Ibrahim also expressed her shock at the way some Lebanese artists have reacted to the attacks, limiting their comments to I don t want to venture into politics.
What politics when Lebanon is assassinated, wrote the aggravated Ibrahim. The reaction Ibrahim expected is more in line with Majda El Romi s phone interview with satellite station MBC, during which she refrained from politics but didn’t shy away from strongly criticizing the inhumane living conditions in Lebanon. What s happening in Lebanon is not war, but war crimes, El Romi said.
Just as Ibrahim was critical of those who left, she strongly commended those who stayed, including Marwan Khoury, Ragheb Alama, Madline Matar and Nawal El Zoghby. The latter told the press that she is not planning to leave her country and has pulled her songs off Lebanese radio stations. Her new album was due for release this summer.
And even those who stayed, says Afifi, may end up leaving in a while if the situation remains as it is for much longer; they need to work in order to support themselves.
Those who have left don t love their country any less, notes Afifi, For example, the famous TV presenter Youmna Sherry left one week after the attacks on Lebanon but she spent several days in Syria working with the Red Cross and delivering medication and food to homeless Lebanese people on the border, who had to leave their homes and belongings.
In this way she actually helped Lebanon and its people, even if on a small scale, which is something she couldn t have done had she remained in Lebanon, unable to even leave her house.
Yet, it s undeniable that those who have preferred to stay in Lebanon throughout the past two weeks have gained the respect of the Arab nation. Their supporters have expressed admiring sentiments on Internet forums and Arab Web sites.
Nancy Ajram s decision to stay in Lebanon and record the patriotic song, Lebanon Ya Habib El Omr (Lebanon, the Love of My Life) has been hailed by many. Reports indicate that the song is played almost every half hour on Lebanese radio stations.
El Romi s decision to stay and continue her work in supporting those who sought refuge at her area of residence was also highly commended.
