Is "Achra Abid Zghar" a racial slur?

Achra Abid Zghar! Based on Agatha Christie's book "Ten Little Niggers" which itself is based on the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians" (for the American edition the title was changed into "And Then There Were None" just like the nursery rhyme now uses "soldier boys" instead of "Indians").

In Arabic the word "Abd" or "Slave" is used interchangeably for "person with dark skin". So the literal title of "Achra Abid Zghar" which originally aired in 1974 on Tele Liban means "Ten Little Slaves/Persons of Dark skin". For Ramadan 2014, MTV is airing a new version of the show, apparently rewritten but "with Agatha Christie influences" (so says the intro "min ajwa2 Agatha Christie") but of course - kept the same original name, racial slur included.

Above you can see the title taken from the intro - both old and new. So here's the question: Is the title derogative?

Should MTV have changed the title to reflect more racial senstibility in today's world?

Or should the title remain the same because - duh - that's the name of the work anyhow (it's like rewriting Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" while omitting the 219 "nigger" words that are mentionned).

Gandour, our national pastry confectionary changed the name of "Ras el Abd" (Literally "tete de negre") into Tarboush as a sign of changing times and political correctness, so here's the question:

Should Achra Abid Zghar have changed names for the same reason? And is this a racial slur in the title?

And - just because we are used to it - does this omit the original condescending reference of the word "Abd" in the context?

Imad Gebrayel's Madina: The city comes alive.

In a world where Escher meets Tim Burton and crosses-over with Naji Al Ali, comes Madina - the illustrative brainchild of Imad Gebrayel (whom you might remember from a certain other wesbite among other creative endeavours I was enamoured with!), and - so far - Madina (which translates into city) has covered Gaza, Jounieh, Dubai and Damascus. You can find Madina on facebook, and below is the project in the words of its originator:

"Who is "Madina"?

Madina cannot be defined by what’s between her legs for her existence today transcends the physical cast she once found herself trapped in. She is an outcome of social experiments, of lust and contradictions. She is all of us, and we all are ‘Madina’. Spawned from the Arab desert batting long dark eyelashes and stroking an even darker beard; Madina is the oriental schizophrenia bound by land’s tradition, an ardent fire that remains too weak to spark a revolution. 'Madina' is a creative writing and illustration project by Imad Gebrayel, adapted to English by Nisrine Najem."

Survivor: Beirut (applications now accepted)

Written originally in 2006 and published in "Getting the News from Poems", these are the rules of Survivor: Beirut as based on the ABC application.

SURVIVOR: BEIRUT

Survivor: Beirut (Based on the real application form for Survivor as downloaded from the ABC website)

ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS

So you've seen the show and lived it between
1975 and 1990 and now want to know how to become a part of SURVIVOR Beirut II.
Here is a breakdown of the selection process:

1. If you have previously applied for SURVIVOR
and you were a finalist in the civil war, please do not reapply. Unless you
specifically notify us in writing that we should not consider your prior
application (and therefore survival) and submission in connection with an
upcoming SURVIVOR, we will be reviewing your previously submitted applications
and videotape submissions for SURVIVOR. We will not consider any new
application or submission you may submit. Second, if you have previously
applied for SURVIVOR and you were not a finalist in Beirut I, feel free to reapply if you wish
because we will not be considering your previously submitted applications and
videotape submissions for upcoming SURVIVORs (Considering you will survive
Beirut II that is).

2. Written application forms are available for
downloading on this website. These forms along with the video submission must
be received at the SURVIVOR mailbox no later than Friday, June 16, 2006, at 5:00
p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Protagonists reserve the right, in their
discretion, to extend the deadline as appropriate.

3. A total of approximately 3,826,018
applicants (Approximate number of Lebanese people) will be invited to interview
sometime in late July – early August 2006 (Depending on the availability of
shelters, or the length of the combat sessions, in case of death we shall not
be held liable to any compensation) in person. Protagonists reserve the right
to change the number or the identity of the foregoing locations at any time.
All travel expenses for the interview will be the applicants’ sole expense.

4. Approximately 48 semi-finalists (the final
number of which will be determined by luck, fate, God or a combination of them)
will be invited to Bierut in September 2006 (or as otherwise scheduled by a
combination of Hizbollah, Israeli forces, United Nations, United States,
European Union countries, and ceasefire) for final interviews with the SURVIVOR
protagonists. Roundtrip economy air travel between the Rafic Hariri Beirut
International Airport and your local air raided airport and lodging will be
provided by the protagonists (In case the runways are still not working, it is
advisable to listen to the flight attendant’s safety instructions, specifically
the part about the inflatable yellow vests due to proximity to the sea).

5. The finalists (the final number of which
will be determined by again, luck, fate, God or any combination of them) will
be selected as contestants to participate in this SURVIVOR Beirut II program.
Filming is presently scheduled to occur sometime between late-October and
December 2006 (or as otherwise scheduled by the different combinations afore
mentioned) at a remote location to be announced (Well, scouting is still underway
in the southern suburbs to find a pile of rubble that would be aesthetic enough
to sustain the several days of shooting).

6. All decisions made by the protagonists are
final and not subject to review or appeal.

So now you're probably wondering what kind of
person is eligible to be selected for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Here
are the guidelines:

●
Employees, officers, directors and agents of the protagonists and/or of any of
their respective licensees, assigns, parents, affiliated and subsidiary
companies and the immediate family (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother,
daughter or son, regardless of where they live) or members of their same
households (whether related or not) of such employees, officers, directors and
agents are not eligible to be contestants on SURVIVOR or participate in this
application process.

● All
contestants must be 1 day or older at the time of application.

● All
contestants must be Lebanese citizens and be living in Lebanon.

● All contestants should not be
in excellent physical and in poor mental health.

● All applicants must authorize
Protagonists to conduct a background check.

● All semi-finalists will be
required to complete and timely return the Medical History Form (to be
furnished to the selected applicants).

● All semi-finalists must
undertake physical and psychological examinations and testing (to be conducted in
Beirut by
medical personnel selected by the Protagonists) and meet all physical and
psychological requirements that certify them as nuts.

● To receive an invitation to
be a semi-finalist, each applicant must complete and timely return the
Applicant Agreement Package (to be furnished to the selected applicants).

● All semi-finalists must have
a valid Lebanese passport.

● Applicants who are selected
as contestants cannot be candidates for public office until after the initial
broadcast of all programs in which they appear.

Beyond these basic qualifications and any additional qualifications set
forth in the Contestant Application, we are looking for a diverse group of men
and women who represent a broad cross-section of Lebanese society. Our
competitors will be in debatable physical health. Building shelter and finding
food will be much more taxing than a trip to your local hardware store or
supermarket. Our competitors will also need to be in arguable mental health so
that they will be able to cope with the extreme change in environment and the
tension of the competition.

Contestants will be selected based upon having the following traits:

● Strong-willed

● Outgoing

● Adventurous

● Physically and mentally inadept

● Adaptable to new environments (Especially able to cope with immediate
migration)

● Interesting lifestyles, backgrounds and personalities (Borderline
disorders especially encouraged)

The prize for this competition is your life but this prize money will not
come easily. Our competitors must be willing to commit to traveling and living
in a remote location for approximately seven weeks. Contestants will be filmed
up to 24 hours a day by television camera crews to be broadcast on national
television. This is reality television. They will actually be living in a
remote location, and they will actually be responsible for building their own
shelter and finding their own food.

If you are serious about this opportunity and are
willing to accept this commitment, please click below to access the application
form and answers to frequently asked questions.

Rihanna has an ISIS tatoo, not of the caliphate, of the goddess.

Rihanna has an ISIS tatoo - no, no, not for the Caliphate of The Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria - I mean the egyptian Goddess! Yes, tends to be pretty confusing these days. It's a sad state of the affairs, (unless you remember the tatoo is her thoracic cage and every time she shows it there is bound to be a boob spill-over).

A year ago Sharp Lemon also did Ramadan too!

Following what I just wrote about Anthony and No Garlic No Onions, Sharp Lemon chastised me for disregarding their effort last year. Point taken Patrick (Chemali, but no relation!).

No Garlic No Onions teaches everyone how it's done! (UPDATE)

What did just happen? A blogger - and a dentist at that! - just came up with the most interesting, captivating and brand-centric Ramadan ad. Yes, Anthony from No Garlic No Onions just wished everyone a Ramadan Kareem in what is - advertising and branding wise - a stroke of genius. This should tell a lot about the creativity in ad agencies when out from left field, someone teaches them how it's done.



PS - I have just been told that Day Dream is the agency that handles No Garlic No Onions online, so it is an agency work as opposed to an effort by Anthony, still merits the accolades this being said.

Ramadan Kareem from Beirut/NTSC

I thought this gigantic daf (tambourin) found in the window of a mosque downtown with the inscription "the full moon is upon us" was quite a fitting greeting for the beginning of this holy month - may it be a blessed one for those observing it. 

CTSelfies make sense.

Yes, CTS knows its clients and is in touch with the market. I know it's obvious these days of speak of selfies (and I am not going to launch into a lecture about nacissism and selfies, but I guess this piece from Pan Arabia Inquirer sums it up - the print version of which contained not one, but two, Lebanese selfie takers). So frankly, I guess it only makes sense for people to take selfies while away on travel (heck, if they can take selfies in bathrooms, it's only logical to have one with "insert famous landmark" in the background). Alternatively, since sometimes people would go to trips with travel mates just for the other ones to take photos, this, I presume will enahance solo travelling. So, in short, this campaign is smart. 

Wooden Bakery and the useless teasing.

Anyone who read Beirut/NTSC chronically (that would be about three people I guess :) ) would know I am not in favor of teasers and revealers. And by God, we get them periodically in the market - revealers that sometimes do not even look slike the teasers, that don't add anything to it, and that could have been compacted in one visual from the get go. Sure, some wonderful campaigns managed to justify the teaser and revealer such as this one, but the crown will always go to "Avenir l'afficheur qui tient ses promesses" (the Myriam Szabo strip-tease and the famous line "le 4 Septembre j'enleve le bas") only for the final outcome to be... this!

Ooops I have gone on a long tangent to say that most of the time teasers are useless, such as the Wooden Bakery one above. It starts with "la ilak ahamm" (to you that's what's important - or a variant of it because the slogan is a bit... odd). And the revealer is "to us you are what's important". The two sentences could have fit easily in one visual without having to break it down into two.

Nader Tfayli's deep and layered designs

All images (c) Nader Tfayli

As usual, it's a pleasure for me to see new talents on the market, whereas I had seen Nader Tfayli's work in different places and had admired it I did not know it was all the work of a single person. It was sheer luck that drove me to his wesbite which is worth exploring from beginning to end. Whereas I am known for my pop sensibilities, I am always always drawn to complex multi-layered works especially those espousing repetitive patters and visual narratives, and Nader's work provides plenty on all fronts. I am sure there'll more of where this came from, and I look forward to seeing it!

Of mosaics at building lobbies

You could still see them in those buildings dating back from 50's and 60's when a hallway would be the equivalent of a spacious apartment by today's standadards. Touristic landmarks, mythological tales, abstract patterns, or geometrical etchings; such mosaics - usually badly maintained over time - speak of that former glory of those places and the people that inhabit them as the social standing of owners or tennants changes over time. Relics from a different era, they still carry themselves with dignity and grace, albeit even if they are actually walking wounded.

Bonsoir... Bonsuarez!

So you know the greeting "bonsoir", and a Lebanese would reply "bonsoirien" (two bonsoirs!) - but this time it's a bonsuarez what's with the Urguayan player having had a antipasti from the Italian player. Two Lebanese brands jumped on the bandwagon - Master's potato chips advocated it was never the players they wanted us to munch on and Shwarmanji said that even if not Italians "we're worth every bite"... Well, as long as brands do not bite more than they can chew, we'll all going to be fine!



Update via blog baladi:

Seems I have missed the Lord of the Wings one:

So there, the one above is self explanatroy as well - even if weaker than the Shawarmanji interpretation.

Five Lebanese bands with cool names!

Before anything let me stress this - I have little experience in music, I am not here to critique the output of the bands in questions, and most of these bands are foreign to me. This post is exclusively aimed at arabic-named bands (hence Who Killed Bruce Lee, the Kordz (for whom I have written a song), Arcane, etc.... will not be included). Also since the post is not about musical merit but about funkiness of name Mashrou3 Leila, Adonis, and other bands are not in.

So here they are, five Lebanese bands with cool names (in no particular order).

Ashekman

I shall be accused of being biased over this one because Ashekman and myself collaborated frequently in the past, but the thing that attracted me first about Ashekman was actually their name. Ashekman is the Arabization of "echappement" in case you are wondering about the ethymology of the word.

Fareeq el atrash

Oh come on, don't you love this one? A derivative of Lebanese crooner Farid el Atrash, Fareeq (which means band) el Atrash is just a wonderful spin off!

Meen

Meen means "who" so just the name on any poster is catchy enough - "meen" is playing tonight? A self-answered question if there was any!

Fer2et 3a Nota

Fer2et 3a Nota is a genius name! Fer2et means band but also means "missed it by". So the name means "3 nota band" but also "there's a missing note". A wonderfully creative one!

The seaders

Oh how cool is this one? Blending our national symbol (the cedar) with some beach boys vibe (litterary "sea"). And there you have it!