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/

Here I come running, longing for it!

“I suddenly find myself seeing a sweet dream and come running to the room, longing for it”. This was the most grateful expression we've ever heard, coming out from a seven year old girl we had met at Home of Hope - Kahaleh.

Going back to the beginning, where our journey as “I Leaf Art” began at Home of Hope in Kahaleh, few weeks ago, as we decided to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan with the children in the boys’ dormitory. The brightness of the sunlight reflection and the last summer whiff at dusk were all leaving behind an eternal ochre shade portrait of a sumptuous young boy over a peaceful hill holding a book in his hand.

That day, the eyes of the young boys were full of dreams and visions of a successful and hopeful future. We taught them how to integrate colors and they excelled in providing their own combinations on papers they proudly carried to their rooms as personal rewarding gifts.

We were overwhelmed with happiness we’ve never felt before. That holiday gift was the most valuable that we could ever offer to those boys. From here, our second visit to the Home of Hope stemmed from an inner desire but this time we targeted the girls’ dormitory.

This time we chose a world of sparks and glittery stars submerged with wishes and dreams, sowing hope of life in everyone's eyes. We formed an integrated beehive with girls of various ages. Some of them were abbreviating the luster of retouching while others were learning the sponge techniques in drawing. Other boys and girls gathered around us, trying to imagine the painting we planned to offer to the girls this time.

This fun activity mobilized the whole team in a defiance to create the most beautiful painting in the floor. But they all shared in the midst of joy how to express this feeling in words. Personally, we felt quite satisfied with the words of that young girl and the spontaneity of another girl who was forced to leave, eager to hug us all one by one using her childish body to express gratitude and joy.

Home of Hope overwhelmed us with kindness and insisted on gathering us with the girls and boys for lunch. We went back home, leaving them a painting of a girl carrying a balloon, wandering gracefully in a moon dripping crystalline sky.

This work has been really a dream we all run to, when longing to the painting souvenirs to re-enjoy the delight of those young girls. 

"Together more colorful, safer spaces"