Antigone of Syria in Beirut Early last summer Antigone’s journey through the camps of the Syria diaspora in Beirut began. Oedipus’s daughter, grief-stricken at the death of her two brothers after they clashed with one another in battle, pays with her life for insisting on burying one of the pair, whom King Creon has ordered be left in the open air as a punishment for his rebellion. This is Sophocles’ Antigone, the ban princess, one of the great figures of Greek tragedy. But who is Antigone today? How is Sophocles’ tragedy a starting point for addressing the tragedy in Syria through the voices of the Syrian women of the diaspora? By Mohammed Al Attar
Antigone of Syria - Press Coverage “A rewriting of history, which is only ever told from the point of view of men.” (Mohamad Al Attar) "We were not born just to listen, just to obey, just to receive orders. We should be able to stand up for something in our lives." (Mona, actress) By only participating in the theatre workshop Antigone of Syria, Mona – and, together with her, twenty-four other refugee women from Syria – have already proven that they are very much able to stand up. Read the reports on the emancipative power of art, on theatre as a form of political rebellion, and heartbreaking stories of loss and courage in our press review on Antigone of Syria.
Women’s revolutions in the shadow of the Arab Spring: Has the time come? The revolution is a woman. Free, she has no need for fathers, guides or leaders. She needs children, working with love and faith for change and to champion women (in particular) and mankind. By Maha Hassan
Redefining “Sexual Intercourse Contrary to Nature” "On January 28, 2014, Naji al-Dahdah, a magistrate in Jdeideh el-Metn, Lebanon, issued a ruling acquitting a transexual individual accused of engaging in sexual relations with men. The ruling carries great significance, not just for the legal status of transexuals, but also because of its implications for interpreting Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code." By Youmna Makhlouf