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TERRITORIAL MARKERSAND SOCIAL FRAGMENTATION
INBEIRUT’S VISUAL
URBAN LANDSCAPE
Religion in Lebanon
Defining Lebanese population
Dividing state power
National Pact (1943) : an unwritten agreement
Political foundation of modern Lebanon on a confessional system :
President of the Republic = Maronite
Prime Minister = Sunnite
President of the National Assembly = Shi’a
Deputy Speaker = Greek Orthodox
Ministry of Defence till 1975 = Druze
1975-1990 : the civil war
Faith fractures
Signs shaping new territories
Lebanon is deeply cleared along ethnic and socio-religious lines of force
It creates a situation
The city, the country are running contrary to the will of its people
Divided among communatarian and regional lives
Markers, messages … elaborating mental borders
CIVIL WAR AND IT’S
TERRITORIAL MARKING
April 1975
In a popular suburb of Beirut
Political frustration
Occupation of downtown Beirut : symbol of Lebanon’s multi-confessional character
Parliament Square
The Downtown : stage of fighting
Demarcation lines : Martyrs Square and Damascus street
Beirut is divided in two sectors
East Beirut : Christian
West Beirut : Muslim
Put a stop to coexistence
Visual markers and messages
Territorial markers
Political and religious
Sign of affirmation community : « this land is mine »
Bill-boards, posters, graffitti, flags… = boundaries of ideological territories
To communicate quickly a message to supporters and residents
RETURN TO PEACE
Political issues and
confessional new territories
After 1990
Former warlords entered into the State
Defending private interests
Milicia performs in a legal way
Hezbollah is an exception : still armed to defend its « secure land »
Media and audio visual markers
Religious authorities
Are using media and television
« Al-Manar » belongs to Hezbollah
« Télé Lumière » to Catholics
They preach good word and demonization of the other religious communities
New kind of war
New places of worship are more impressive in size
September 2010 : inauguration of a towering cross of 73 meters tall by Maronite church
Rehabilitation
Minarets much higher
Multiplying bells
Powerful speakers
The biggest bell in the Middle East
Fertile ground : the youth
Consolidation of Community Lebanese Universities :
University of Balamand = Greek Orthodox
Univsersity of Holy Spirit = Maronite
Islamic University = Shi’a
Arab University = Sunnite
…
Cyber propaganda
« Internet is a wonderful tools that gives to political movement an echo of disproportion relatively to their real size »
(DESTOUCHES G., 1999)
« CNN of the poor »
The « Arab Spring » is the illustration of the political power of social networks like Facebook, Twitter….
Islamists and others religions websites
Or terrorist and militia networks
They practice cyber propaganda that amplifies ideological messages
target
Young unemployed people
Mobile’s screen or electronic bill boards
New media calling for rally, commemoration, informations …
Clothing and behaviour
In the Muslim world
The veil
Rigor is not the same everywhere
Lebanese streets : western fashion, iranian tchador, islamic headscarf, body piercing….
New attitudes
sale of alcoholic beverages prohibited in lebanese sunni cities (Sidon, Tripoli…)
Lately it extends in Christian areas
During the month of Ramadan new type of decorations : crescent moon, palm tree…
Educational Institutions or stores doesn’t close anymore during a religious holiday of another community
Advertising Companies consider 2 posters for the same product
Calendar of commemorative dates or events is still respected
Sport and politics
Sport
To assert its sovereignty, independance a Nation creates its own sports teams
Football = a collective national cohesion and promotes the group
Since 2005, in Lebanon, football games are played without spectators
Football game
The militia’s role
Confessional behaviour
Great influence on the people
Territorial fragmentations are wider between rich and poor people
28% of Lebanese families lives below the poverty line
militia’s activities
Various social projects
Support to youth groups
Allowing an ideological indoctrination
Recruiting from a much more fanatical youth than before
THE CULT OF MARTYRDOM
Statue, monument, memorial
« These markers strike the imagination and allow us to individualize a place to make it unique »
(NESSI J., 1999)
memorials
Are numerous in the Middle East
Object of pilgrimage for Jewish, Muslims and for Christians
In Israël : Wailing Wall, Yad Vashem…
The Wailing Wall
In Lebanon
Cult of martyr was born in the civil war
Militias were using the symbolic dimension of space to legitimize their power
In West Beirut : pictures of martyr Moussa Sadr
Hezbollah
Pictures or painted panels representing Khomeiny…
Sound & Light shows
Decorating gravesites
Flags with Katyusha
Hezbollah Flags
For young Shi’a
Martyr falling in the service : a supreme honour
The goal is not a military victory but rather to have the privilege of being a martyr
Syrian occupation (1990-2005)
During the « Pax Syriana » several statues had been installed in many lebanese regions
They were unbolted or vandalized during the withdrawal of Syrian troops (2005)
14 February 2005
Since the assassination of Rafic Hariri, « new martyrs » have their public places
Surprisingly since Islam forbids all image representations
Plaques, statues, gardens… became places of memory
CONCLUSION
In Lebanon
Tension and idology of fear which
« creates a report of mistrust and potential conflict with each other; « us » and « them » have built virtual walls that draw the boundaries of our new indentities and affiliations. »
(RAMADAN T,. 2005)
Lebanese Constitution carries with it the seed of community division
Great difficulty to establish a national dialogue
Shi’a is by now the largest sect in number
Should we despair ?
A large part of Lebanese people is fighting for values : family, education, civil order…
Religious coexistence for centuries
Cathedrale & Mosque
Former rector of USJ
« In Lebanon Christians and Muslims share more than they think, common patterns of behaviour and thought; the former are more Arabized and the Second more Westernized that they do think »
(ABOU S., 1994)
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