The First Step

Lebanon

Dates: 2018 - 2019

Promoting Cultures of Tolerance through Video and Song

A creative initiative that addresses the stigmatisation of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Saida, Lebanon.

Divisions exist between the Lebanese population of Saida and the refugee populations residing in the city. Syrian and Palestinian refugees face discrimination and marginalisation, from education, arts, culture and the media. Xenophobic attitudes are a constant challenge for refugees both inside and outside of the camps.

The team, which included both native-born Lebanese people as well as those from refugee communities, had experienced conflict, discrimination and marginalisation. They wanted to utilise their skills in song production and videography to make an impact on their community and reduce the stigmatisation of refugees.

They trained themselves in song-writing across 4 intensive days of workshops with local hip hop artist Bob Arja. And brushed up on filming and editing with an expert videographer. Using these skills, they produced one song and one documentary which highlighted the lived experiences of refugees in Saida.

Total Views

211,400

Total Reactions

324

Total Shares

Empowered and Inspiring Others

The group recorded the song in their own music production studio. To produce the accompanying music video and the documentary they then travelled across Saida to pick the perfect spots. The different locations were chosen specifically so the team could highlight the places that meant the most to them. This included their youth-led studio, neighbourhoods they were familiar with and breath taking views across the city.

The documentary discusses the participants’ engagement in the local arts scene and how they use their skills to train others in view of bringing young people with different backgrounds together and build their capacities.

The videos were viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and gained hundreds of reactions each. They can be viewed on the project’s Facebook page along with behind-the-scenes shots and footage they they posted throughout, documenting the process.