In Lebanon, over one million people, about a fifth of the population, have now been forcibly displaced by Israel. From inside the country and uniting an artist community around the world, Tunefork Studios and Beirut Synthesizer Center have issued a powerful protest in two musical compilations — and an urgent cry to support those displaced at a moment of need that seems to have no end.
Abed Kobeissy and Sary Moussa open Land 03 with music that sounds like the Earth is opening up. I can’t add much more in words to this anguish. Every track of this compilation is vital.
Official site: https://www.tuneforkstudios.com/forthedisplaced
Where funds are going: “Sales and contributions from this volume will be given to Beit Aam and other local grassroots initiatives in Beirut and the South.” [more on Beit Aam below; many international events are also working to give to them]
The music across Land 02 and Land 03 compiles “unreleased tracks by established and up-and-coming artists from or based in Lebanon, along with some international artists.” That includes friends and friends-of-the-site I’ve featured previously, including people like Julia Sabra (with the beautifully titled “My love is like the sea,”), Snakeskin, Elyse Tabet, Jad Atoui, Anthony Sahyoun, Julia Holter, Mazen Kerbaj, Nour Sokhon, Rhea Daily, SANAM, Stephanie Merchak, Yara Asmar, and many others. It’s full of raw emotions, healing and cathartic rage, and some sublime beauty. Keep this as a guide to artists to remember for better times. Listen now when the silence feels lonely.
This completes a trio that truly no one wanted to make, continuing Land 01 which I wrote about previously (see below).
It’s desperately urgent that we not only talk about this music, share it, support the relief efforts, but do anything we can to stop this war on civilians. We can’t afford to stop fundraising, but we also can’t afford to pretend that we can fundraise our way out of this crisis. Lebanon is a country that already has the highest per-capita number of refugees of any nation in the world.
Support the music, because it’s a way for people in Lebanon and friends and family internationally who are disconnected by this war. Support the fundraiser because the amount we give at this point determines how many meals are prepared and how many basic supplies are delivered to those who need them. That includes a diverse group of refugees and migrant workers. Give what you can, especially those of us in the West/global North, because our governments and media have helped make this happen — sometimes through direct support. (We might also talk to some of our governments about supporting our healthcare instead of helping bomb Southwest Asia.)
Got an event locally? (Or a record shop, synthesizer meetup, whatever/) Think about printing out this QR code linking to Tunefork’s Bandcamp page with all three compilations at a discount.
Art by Carla Aouad, design by Josette Khalil.
More on what’s happening:
Independent Lebanese media outlet Megaphone continues to do a great job of telling the story of what’s happening in a human, personal way. You can follow their material in both Arabic and English.
They’ve been doing this beautiful video series Dairies from the War by Mohamed Soueid. Here’s one set to “Ya lawʿati” by Mohamed Abdel Wahab, the Egyptian legand; I expect this short will feel grounding for diaspora who can’t get back home to Lebanon right now.
The compilation here will fund Beit Aam, especially. For an added sense of why this is an issue relevant to culture, they’re taking up the Beirut Art Center. (That venue has in turn been a music venue, among others.)
Here’s my closing question: to our cultural centers around the world, why are we not also giving up some of our space to address this, to give to our colleagues’ effort in need?
So please, once again: this is a call to you.
You can also join in giving directly to Beit Aam, a community center in Beirut (they collect via PayPal and Revolut for us internationals):
And hey, I mean, you can even put this handy QR code for the compilations in your office/cafe/whatever! Spread the music along with the story and help give.
Previously — in a war that never really stopped: