Still Going Strong: Tania Saleh

Tania Saleh has been around the Lebanese music scene for a long time and she has remained consistently good. Her latest album is no exception. Wehde continues Saleh's notable mix between East and West in another one of her albums that's difficult to classify. Some call it folk but I wouldn't go that far because of the prominent presence of jazz, funk and rock in her tracks. However I digress, genre is the last thing to worry about in music, it's about the good sound and that is certainly something that Salah captured in Wehde.

It's also nice to see that she developed a memorable graphic and style to go along with the album. Her website is its ultimate incarnation and we see it in the music video for Wehde as well. This vintage mixed media collage does her album and concept justice as she sings of themes like nationalism and unity with undertones of personal stories within this.

At this point let me apologize for having a disproportionate amount of Lebanese art so far, its just that I have more exposure to it. I'll also be trying to get more visual art, architecture and design on the blog, its just that music and film is more accesible online.

Enjoy the Wehde music video and you can find the download at Pirate Beirut.

Tania Saleh-Wehde from Amin Dora on Vimeo.

Something to be happy about: 12 Angry Lebanese

In a country with an overcrowded prison system that can often miss the mark on the rehabilitation aspect of prisoner detention, there's a sparkle of light. That sparkle is Twelve Angry Lebanese. After years of pushing, actress Zeina Daccache finally got the Lebanese authorities to allow her to teach drama therapy classes in Roumieh. Spending over a year in production, Ziena and her cast and crew of over 40 Roumieh inmates put on a Lebanese rendition of the classic 12 Angry Men. The good news is that the whole process, beginning to final performance is captured in the documentary film Twelve Angry Lebanese.

I'll admit that when I first heard about a documentary covering the acting classes of prison inmates I wasn't sold. Unfortunately the trailer did little to sway me over. However, I was wrong and I urge everyone who is able to see the film. After I came out of the screening at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival I was taken aback by how uplifting the film had been. In her the process of production, Zeina Daccache was really able to touch the lives of these inmates and we saw the best aspects of their personalities come out.

I'll include the trailer here even though it doesn't quite to the film justice. I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to watch this film and see how effective prisoner rehabilitation can be. Check out the facebook page for more info.

12 Angry Lebanese-the documentary from Mosaic Rooms on Vimeo.