Thank You, Qatar
All Sunday, most everyone I ran into seemed to be rushing to a television or already sitting in front of one.
They were following the election and swearing in of Gen. Michel Suleiman as the Lebanese President. Of course, the big news is all over the place, but I wanted to tell you about a report that you might not have seen.
A little before midnight, my Aunt Alia, Uncle Zoo and I were in our pajamas, still watching news roundups of the election when, in the middle of a report, a music video started playing.
First, there were beautiful shots of the ski slopes in Lebanon and the beaches in Beirut. Then, as footage of Qatar’s emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Prime Minister, Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani played, a chorus of male voices sang triumphantly.
“Zoo, what are they singing?” I said.
“What?” he said, growing wearier by the minute as my de-facto translator.
“What are the words of this song?”
Zoo said the song thanked Qatar’s leaders for their work, brokering peace in Lebanon after an 18 month political standoff following the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the recent outbreak of violence in Beirut which threatened to erupt into something much bigger, with regional implications.
Ahh. It was beginning to make sense. There was more footage: Leaders of various political factions boarding a plane for five days of negotiations in Doha, a still photo of a map of the Persian Gulf and Qatar with Doha clearly marked, a montage of one of the two Qatari leaders walking around Beirut, Suleiman and one of the Qatari leaders embracing one another.
So, a little out of left field for an average Western viewer, right? When was the last time CNN wrote a song about the November elections, cut some emotional footage of the candidates and had Lou Dobbs, Anderson Cooper and Candy Crowley sing their hearts out? What potential! Of course, our election, as I see it, is much less precarious, relatively speaking. OK and I guess, technically, the video wasn’t really a news report, but an opinion piece.
But I have to say that it seemed to capture something accurate about the tone of the day, at least among the people whom I observed in Damascus. Even without understanding any words beyond ‘Doha’ and ‘Qatar’, it was easy to sense the emotion behind the piece. It tapped into parts of my brain that I don’t normally equate with news digestion - kind of like if you woke up one morning and your newspaper suddenly had scratch and sniff qualities. I wasn’t reading or watching the news. I was feeling it and it seemed to jibe with reality.
Maybe these kinds of videos are a regular occurrence on television here and speak more largely about the way folks here understand and express themselves. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for a video montage on a Sunday night? I don’t know yet and I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I’m also curious to figure out who comes up with these songs on the fly. Is there an on-call news chorus that runs into the studio to sing every time something major happens? Are they hiring?
I will try to find the video for you!
They were following the election and swearing in of Gen. Michel Suleiman as the Lebanese President. Of course, the big news is all over the place, but I wanted to tell you about a report that you might not have seen.
A little before midnight, my Aunt Alia, Uncle Zoo and I were in our pajamas, still watching news roundups of the election when, in the middle of a report, a music video started playing.
First, there were beautiful shots of the ski slopes in Lebanon and the beaches in Beirut. Then, as footage of Qatar’s emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Prime Minister, Sheik Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani played, a chorus of male voices sang triumphantly.
“Zoo, what are they singing?” I said.
“What?” he said, growing wearier by the minute as my de-facto translator.
“What are the words of this song?”
Zoo said the song thanked Qatar’s leaders for their work, brokering peace in Lebanon after an 18 month political standoff following the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the recent outbreak of violence in Beirut which threatened to erupt into something much bigger, with regional implications.
Ahh. It was beginning to make sense. There was more footage: Leaders of various political factions boarding a plane for five days of negotiations in Doha, a still photo of a map of the Persian Gulf and Qatar with Doha clearly marked, a montage of one of the two Qatari leaders walking around Beirut, Suleiman and one of the Qatari leaders embracing one another.
So, a little out of left field for an average Western viewer, right? When was the last time CNN wrote a song about the November elections, cut some emotional footage of the candidates and had Lou Dobbs, Anderson Cooper and Candy Crowley sing their hearts out? What potential! Of course, our election, as I see it, is much less precarious, relatively speaking. OK and I guess, technically, the video wasn’t really a news report, but an opinion piece.
But I have to say that it seemed to capture something accurate about the tone of the day, at least among the people whom I observed in Damascus. Even without understanding any words beyond ‘Doha’ and ‘Qatar’, it was easy to sense the emotion behind the piece. It tapped into parts of my brain that I don’t normally equate with news digestion - kind of like if you woke up one morning and your newspaper suddenly had scratch and sniff qualities. I wasn’t reading or watching the news. I was feeling it and it seemed to jibe with reality.
Maybe these kinds of videos are a regular occurrence on television here and speak more largely about the way folks here understand and express themselves. Or maybe I’m just a sucker for a video montage on a Sunday night? I don’t know yet and I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I’m also curious to figure out who comes up with these songs on the fly. Is there an on-call news chorus that runs into the studio to sing every time something major happens? Are they hiring?
I will try to find the video for you!
posted by girlreporter at 11:11 AM
2 Comments:
Stella,
Keep writing.
Have I told you lately that I'm proud of you?
Is that allowed?
p.s.
you remind me of a man...
hahahhah...very interesting account on syria. comparable to my own experiences. I was just there in July, and I can relate to every element of syrian society that you've mentioned so eloquently here from Noor to the blind engagement setups...Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay and pick up on the language. Btw, I'm also from the Akkad family in Damascus. One thing you'll realize during your stay there is the fact that almost anyone can ascertain which part of syria you're from, your financial status, etc. from a mere last name. Good luck!
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