Carrying a Torch for Hope

Where does a grueling run become a three-day party? Lebanon, of course, where this year’s Beirut marathon featured dabke, salsa, hip hop, and tango, along with a remarkable performance of public art.

Runners pushing through the race’s final meters were met not with corporate logos and commercial banners but with hand-made signs; over the gathering area, a glowing mural bore homage to Lebanon and the race’s theme, “Run for a cause”.

This celebration was orchestrated by “I Leaf Art“, an arts movement dedicated to brightening the walls of underprivileged and decrepit areas with murals, graffiti and illustrations, in collaboration with the Beirut Marathon Association. Volunteer artists helped attendees—adults and children—to create their own posters championing individual runners and causes, while graffiti artist Zed, aka Eli Zaarour, painted the vivid 5.8 x 2.8m mural as a live performance.

“We need to concentrate on the lively, colorful aspects that illuminate different causes, away from materialism,” says I Leaf Art co-founder Solange Al-Heybé, “and Lebanon needs to seize more hope through their supporters.”

BY JENNIFER MACKENZIE
http://www.barakabits.com/2013/11/carrying-a-torch-for-hope/