Amid mass Israeli attacks on the people of Lebanon, musicians, artists, journalists, and cultural institutions are banding together to provide emergency mutual aid. That includes our friends at the Beirut Synthesizer Center and other spaces, which have turned their facilities into shelters and stores for urgently needed supplies.
Today was another horrifying day to be in Beirut, according to various friends I’ve spoken with there, as the city was shaken by unprecedented bombing. Civilians continue to pay the price for these attacks. There are now overlapping crises, as people are forcibly displaced from southern and eastern (Bekaa) Lebanon, atop existing populations of displaced Syrians, Palestinians, and migrant workers. Despite what’s sometimes reported in the press or by Western governmental officials, this is also more than a crisis of the “border” region, as attacks have occurred across the south and east of this relatively small country. Following the displacement of both Lebanese and Israeli residents along the border since October, that now means mass displacement in Lebanon – a country ill-equipped to handle the crisis. As of Sunday, Lebanese officials estimate displacement of as many as 1 million.
I should preface this by saying the nightmare of this is watching a fresh conflict in Lebanon atop nearly a year of Israeli attacks on civilians across Lebanon and Palestine. The crucial difference is, in Lebanon it’s far easier to get funds from abroad directly to where there’s need by giving locally to trusted recipients (not via NGOs at the moment).
Updated: Since publishing, Beirut reports ongoing bombing of the city’s southern neighborhoods, causing still more displacement inside Beirut. That has added masses of fleeing civilians gathering in Martyr’s Square and along the seafront as locals scramble to set up tents or any temporary shelter. Following the announcement of Nasrallah’s death, bombing has continued – this shows no signs of stopping yet. I’ll leave discussions of what that means as this is a music site, but what it means for Lebanese reality right now is – not much, as the crises and bombing continue unabated.
I’ve written plenty about the Lebanese scene over the years and spent some there. The shorthand version of what’s going on now is that the entire scene—every space, every artist I know—is engaged in relief efforts. And while mutual aid is vital everywhere, particularly for reaching at-risk and marginalized populations, it takes on another level of meaning in Lebanon. Without these volunteer efforts, without people opening up their own apartments and performance spaces and leading drives for medicine, food, and water, there would be almost no support for the forcibly displaced at all. (The piled-up traffic jams you may have seen on the news indicate Lebanon didn’t even really have an evacuation plan.) People are escaping bombs by moving into schools and collecting mattresses, pillows, and blankets at music spaces so they have somewhere to sleep. This is an extra reason it is vital to amplify these messages – the people affected depend on these volunteer lifelines and giving.
If you want to know what’s going on in Lebanon’s music scene right now, this is what’s going on.
Updated: Tunefork and Beirut Synthesizer Center have the latest on their funding drive. In addition to in-person donations, there is still an urgent call for funding from abroad.
People are escaping bombs by moving into schools, and collecting mattresses, pillows, and blankets at music spaces so they have somewhere to sleep.
In any emergency, it’s essential to have reliable, trusted places to give, especially for those outside the country. So, anything linked here I’ve checked with trusted sources, with particular attention to resources that address the needs of migrants, refugees (including Syrian refugees), and LGBTQ+ people. For those of you in Lebanon, there are pickup points listed here for donations – but also many resources that internationals can give to that reach folks directly.
I’m also an outside source, so please, if you can, follow these folks in the country and listen to what they’re saying, especially as the situation changes from hour to hour.
Beirut Synth Center is massing food, mattresses, blankets, medicine, hygiene items, and other essentials and they’re collecting directly. The space is also a dropoff point. (Sending huge love to all my friends there, and bad as things are, a big part of me wishes I were there with you.)
Fizz and Tunefork Studios are joining, as well:
Tunefork with donations via PayPal for international audiences and an open call for relief fundraisers. (If you join in, I’m happy to list those on CDM, as well.)
Haven for Artists comes highly recommended and I see various friends in the music scene focusing their fundraising on this organization:
There are also international fundraiser events, like this one next week in Cyprus from Breach Festival:
From the Periphery is a much-recommended platform for understanding the region from a variety of viewpoints. Its anti-authoritarianism is steadfast and international, which is crucial when trying to detangle these issues. (Think “radical Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jewish, Egyptian, Turkish, and Armenian perspectives from the periphery.”) For instance, see its Ukraine-Palestine solidarity episode or a discussion of resisting authoritarianism in Ukraine discussions. (Russian attacks knock out the power in the midst of one of the interviews.) On his podcast for the platform, Politically Depressed, Ayman Makarem has posted multiple updates on Lebanon this week, including the issue of queer mutual aid. So I trust the list here, in addition to seeing multiple institutions that come recommended by other contacts in our Lebanese network:
If you are in Lebanon, you can also give blood:
Migrant and Syrian advocacy groups are banding together with a wide coalition of support groups in Lebanon, doing everything the governments are not. For instance:
Doctors Without Borders has a good summary of what you might need to understand why this is such a deep crisis. (That’s not to center outside voices, but this lines up with recurring themes in everything I’ve heard from inside the country and Lebanese diaspora over the last days. And maybe you can spread this to friends and family.)
Lest, for some reason, you think I’m suddenly supporting authoritarian militant movements – well, that would be a bizarre pivot for the site. It’s important to understand the realities on the ground. Amnesty International is one of many international organizations whose research reports that these attacks have widely and indiscriminately impacted civilians, including children.
Latest update on just how broadly impacted Lebanese territory is – and make no mistake, this is strongly felt in Beirut including by our music colleagues:
Updated: Hyperallergic covers galleries and museums/cultural institutions and their efforts to scramble to respond to the situation. Excerpt:
“In a country already struggling with a harsh economic crisis, Israel’s war on Lebanon threatens our dreams for the arts and cultural sector to get back on its feet after the blast,” Karina El Helou, the director of Beirut’s Sursock Museum, told Hyperallergic. “Our heartfelt prayers go to the victims of this ongoing bloodbath in the region.”
For everyone who feels the music “community” or “scene” is really not a community, the industry not a community space – I agree. We’re seeing in Beirut that people like us can spring into action and provide the care that an increasingly hostile world does not. Our colleagues, friends, and family deserve our support.
Thanks to readers, too, for your support. Sending love to everyone hit by this.
