Reviving Hamra Street
Kerning Cultures
Kerning Cultures Network
4.9 • 529 Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2019
⏱️ 18 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the heart of Lebanon's capital city, Beirut, Hamra Street once stood as one of the preeminent cultural, economic, and intellectual center of Arab world. Hamra Street housed journalists, politicians, and leaders who were exiled from other nations, and was the site of inception for opposition movements. But after the Lebanese Civil War, the district never quite recovered.
Yazan Halwani works to preserve the fading history of Hamra Street in his wall-sized street murals. His signature style combines Arabic calligraphy with portraits of Lebanese and other Arab figures – from world-famous recording artists to resident street urchins. While reflecting the storied histories of Beirut's streets onto themselves, Halwani hopes that he can bring back the spirit that once inhabited neighborhoods like Hamra Street.
This episode was originally aired in 2015.
Produced by Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher, sound design by Ramzi Bashour. Special thanks to Yazan Halwani, Maria Abunasr, music by Khaled el Habr شارع الحمرا and Sabah جيب المجوز يا عبود. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, and you're listening to |
| 0:03.1 | hold and is predictable, they've seen it happen. |
| 0:05.0 | And one story that always kind of captures my imagination. |
| 0:08.4 | It's fair. |
| 0:08.7 | The street's lost culture. |
| 0:12.7 | And you're listening to Kearning Cultures. |
| 0:18.9 | Hello, dear listeners, it's Hibah. and this is Kernan Cultures, radio documentaries from the Middle East. |
| 0:26.9 | I cannot wait for you to hear some of the stories that we have lined up for you over the next few weeks. |
| 0:33.3 | At the end of this month, we're doing a story about a Lebanese man who made it his mission |
| 0:38.3 | to visit every city in America named Lebanon. And along this epic road trip, he made an |
| 0:46.2 | unexpected discovery, involving a mistaken identity of a tree. Next, we're lining up our first Arabic episode, a story reported in Palestine |
| 0:58.5 | by producer Shahid, whom you'll remember from the episode her side of the story. Today, we're kicking |
| 1:04.1 | 2019 off with an oldie, but goody, a favorite from one of our earliest episodes that newer |
| 1:10.1 | listeners may not have heard, |
| 1:11.9 | and you lovely veteran listeners can enjoy as a trip down memory lane. |
| 1:17.5 | Actually, a trip down this one particular street in Beirut, Hamra. |
| 1:22.9 | This is producer Dana Balut. |
| 1:25.6 | It's hard to miss, this beautiful woman with a ponytail rising up from a popping bright red |
| 1:31.5 | background and a warm smile staring over the city. |
| 1:36.2 | Behind her is this white halo of calligraphy. |
| 1:40.1 | And at night, she's beaming. |
| 1:42.4 | And I mean that literally, there are beaming lights making sure you see her, |
... |
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