VOA文化艺术2024--Artists in Lebanon Keep Creating During Conflict

Charbel Samuel Aoun is a working artist in the Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon. As the Israeli military launches¹ a deadly attack against the militant² group Hezbollah in his home country, Aoun asks, "Does art still have a place in such a crisis³?"

Lebanon has long played an important part in the Arab world's artistic⁴ community. It has been a center for arts, music and theater, combining traditional and modern influences.

Now, Lebanese artists are using their work as a way to express the anger and loss they feel after a year-long Israeli offensive⁵ that has killed more than 3,200 people, most of them since September.

Aoun's works⁶ of art are directly connected to the conflicts Lebanon has seen. In 2013, he began gathering⁷ dust from Syrian refugee⁸ camps in Lebanon to create a series of paintings before moving on to explore other materials.

Now, he says the darkness and hopelessness of the war and the waste left behind by Israel's intense⁹ bombing campaign have renewed¹⁰ his desire to create art from dust.

"You either stop everything or keep going with the little that still has meaning," he said.

Two of his exhibitions have been canceled due to the war. While he once made money from selling art, he now also relies on selling honey from his beehives, which he first set up as a project to create art from beeswax.

"I can no longer rely on the art market," he said.

No demand for art

Exhibition spaces across Beirut have closed in recent months. Their owners told Reuters there is no demand to buy art at this time. Even Lebanon's famous Sursock Museum has stored its collections underground.

Lebanese singer and musician Joy Fayad has also struggled with the emotional¹² cost of the conflict. It has made it difficult for her to perform for months.

"It limited my creativity; it was like I shut down. I couldn't give to others, nor to myself," Fayad, 36, said.

Instead, she threw her energy into songwriting. One line in a new song reads: "You are from the downtrodden people, whose word has been silenced, and by their weapons, you are paying the price with your blood."

She recently began performing again, singing for displaced¹³ and refugee children in Lebanon at an event north of Beirut.

"They're changing the atmosphere, having fun after such a difficult period," she said, especially for those who became used to the sound of bombs instead of music.

Words in This Story

exhibition - n. an event at which objects (such as works of art) are put out in a public space for people to look at : a public show of something

beehive - n. a nest for bees

beeswax - n. wax¹¹ made by bees that is used for making candles and other products

shut down - phrasal verb (informal.) to cause (an opponent) to be unsuccessful, unable to score, or function

downtrodden - adj. without hope because of being treated badly by powerful people, governments, or the like

1 launches   

v.发射( launch的第三人称单数 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launches into an inarticulate tirade against conventional people. 他词不达意地发表了一通激烈言论攻击因循守旧的人们。 来自辞典例句
• The thesis divides into three parts and launches explaining. 论文分三个部分展开阐述。 来自互联网

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 offensive   

adj.令人不快的，侮辱的，攻击用的；n.进攻

参考例句：

• His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。
• If all else fails,I will take the offensive.如果其他方法不行，我将采取攻势。

6 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

9 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

10 renewed   

adj. 更新的，重建的，复兴的，重申的 动词renew的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• They regrouped their forces and renewed the attack. 他们重新聚集兵力，再次发动进攻。
• The army renewed its assault on the capital. 军队重新发动对首都的攻击。

11 wax   

n.蜡，蜡状物，震怒；vi.变大，增大，月亮满；vt.用蜡涂

参考例句：

• I wax my boots chiefly to waterproof them.我给靴子打蜡主要是为了防水。
• I wax the floor once a month.我每月给地板打一次蜡。

12 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

13 displaced   

移动( displace的过去式和过去分词 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines. 工厂的工人已逐渐被机器取代。
• He was displaced by another young man. 他已被另一个年轻人顶替。