25 may / lebanon celebrates the reconciliation

bang bang
bang bang bang
bang
bang bang bang

- "how many dead and injured?"

24 may / on the plane

i am coming back to lebanon and, for the first time, i feel that i don't know where i am going...

in a slovakian cafe, sharif and i are lost

- "what do you think will happen to lebanon? is there really a reconciliation? is it possible that the country calms down a little bit after these two years?"

- "i don't know! i don't believe! i can't believe! i don't know how to believe!"

nicotine

nazdravie again and again

i am still in bratislava and i am still getting drunk

- "and the best is to come."

nazdravie!

less than an hour in bratislava, and i am already drunk...

- "to be honest, i cheated a little bit... i started drinking in the plane... and before it in the airport... and before in my house... and before..."

bratislava blues

after half an hour in the taxi (and with gipsy king) i arrived finally to bratislava...
- "somebody remove me from here."
BOMBOLEEEO, BOMBOLEEEA

i arrived in the middle of a rock concert!
- "the problem with drawing and music, is that whatever you draw, the reader can feel that the music was good..."

20 may / in the plane

i am going for 4 days to slovakia for the opening of my exhibition and a duo concert with sharif sehnaoui.

and i don't know if the beirut airport will remain open for these 4 days...

15 may / THE WAR IS OVER (hahaha)

we removed the helmet and ut it away (not very far)

- "i hope that the next time you'll put me on again, there will be some dust on me..."

drunk

i was getting drunk to forget the war, i ended up forgetting how to draw!

a nice dinner

- "today, racha went to work (in corniche el mazra'a) and evan went to school. and people are in the streets. as usual, as if nothing happened.
a war? which war?
and today we decided to go out for dinner.
in this moment, while i am drawing, i am drunk. very drunk.
between hizbollah and the "14th of march" i choose the white wine..."

- "but who do you support for real?"

- "i support the germans... and if they loose i become with brazil..."

12 may / joker

- "In july 2006 war,
we got angry and we shouted
and we got scared and we got disgusted
and we cried and we got drunk
and we stayed and we felt distress
and we insulted and we resisted
and we got nervous and... and...
and... and... and... and..."

- "These days, i am only crying."

11 may

AND ON THE FIFTH DAY

the cannons joined the dance.

10 may / tv tv tv tv and tv

- position

- and counter position

- and answer to the counter position

- and position against the answer to the counter position

- and condemnation of the position against the answer to the counter position

- "i don't understand, are we going to remove the helmets or not? 58 or 75?"

note to the foreign reader:
1958 = 3 days civil war in lebanon
1975 = 15 years civil war in lebanon

10 may

ONE HUNDRED ISRAELI PLANES

AND ONE THOUSAND TONS OF BOMBS

frighten me less than the sight of one armed man on tv and in beirut streets!

10 may / irak and palestine

it's been 5 years we are watching
IRAK & PALESTINE
and saying:

- "poor bagdad and poor gaza, you are becoming like beirut in 75"

- "poor"

- "o bagdad and gaza, turn your tv on, beirut came back on the scene!"

9 may / UNDER MY HELMET

beirut and my head
are burning

9 may / the right to answer

in answer to the famous lebanese legend saying "in every lebanese house there is weapons", racha says:

- "how's that? who said that there is weapons in every house? WE DO NOT HAVE WEAPONS!"

- "racha?"

- "ENOUGH FOOLISH SAYS!"

- "racha?"

- "WE'RE FED WITH WEAPONS AND FIGHTERS!"

- "racha?"

- "WHAT?

- "can you lend me some cash? i found a cheap kalashnikov rifle... a real deal... and the russian model..."

9 may / tv truth?

"the problem is political and not communitarian"

"no to the shiite-sunnite war"

"we will not allow the communitarian war to happen in lebanon"

"the battle is not sunni-shii, and we refuse a communitarian war"

- "didn't they say the same in 75?"

9 may

today, when i woke up, i thought about this drawing of naji el ali

el ali drawing caption: "good morning beirut."

- "go hide yourself hanzala, it seems beirut is going insane these days"

note to the foreign reader: hanzala is the name of el ali's iconic character (the small boy seen from behind in most of his cartoons). the used drawing was published after the 1982 israeli invasion of beirut.

8 may / before going to sleep

it's 3 am, and you are falling asleep next to me, on the sofa.
and the rain stopped.
and it seems the shots stopped.
before you felt asleep, you told me: "that's nice... it feels like the rain is washing beirut..."
and here i am sitting, with my glass of whiskey, trying to convince myself that something can still wash this fucking country.... fucking country!

8 may / and with the fall of the night

tatatataaaa
booooooom
tatataaa

- "talking and shots and talking and shots and talking and shots..."

- "and it's your fault and it's your fault..."

- "and i did nothing and i did nothing..."

- "and the price of the kalashnikov rifle is still going up!"

8 may / the "after press conference" era

tatatatata
- "cheerful shots"

tattaatatataaa
- "andconfrontation shots"

tatatatata
- "and tv shots"

booom
- "and bazookas"

- "until when will we stay in pajamas?"

8 may

11 AM
- "it seems i am right this time..."

4 PM
- "and it seems that we're going to need sand bags!"

7 may / beginning of the civil war

it's been 2 years you are saying this.

- "because it 's been two years that it is beginning..."

7 may / hunger demonstration turns wrong?

THE LEBANESE WORKER FINALLY FINDS HIS DAILY BREAD

- "better than bread, stones for free!"