Photo by Emily O'Dell
A new months ago, I was out at night with friends, when I stumbled upon a group of young adults standing on top of a wagon–affixed to two bicycles. A crowd had gathered around the wagon, while a woman–who seemed equal parts activist and performer–stood on the wagon to speak in Arabic about social issues in Lebanon. While I wasn’t able to hear much of what they said–since I was in the back of the crowd–I was able to hear the applause which served as an exclamation point to each performative proclamation.
“Oh, duh, I get it now,” I said, when I took a photo of their wagon. A few weeks before, my students had told me about an endeavor called The Naked Wagon–a creative campaign dedicated to raising awareness about social issues, providing humanitarian relief, and offering psycho-social support to those in need through performance, art exhibitions, music, and fundraisers. This morning, AUB sent out a poster for their latest endeavor–an arts-based collaboration with Syrian children in refugee camps in Lebanon. I’m looking forward to seeing more of their work–especially if they continue to do interactive, performance art pieces where one would least expect it–on the busy streets of Beirut (which already provide their own share of compelling drama)…
