r/lebanon • u/MediocreCharacter828 • 1d ago
Vent / Rant Biel, what is wrong with you?
I, am a big fan of book fairs. I love books, I grew up with books, every year my parents would take me to biel, which is a book fair in Lebanon, seaside arena. Never in my life, I remember, seeing political books in biel. It was mostly children books, young fiction, and literature. But, what the hell, actually happened this year.
Im a freelance photographer, and my sister works in the book fair. Her team, has a booth, and I went there to take picture and overall help plus see the book fair. Bro, I was terrified, I was creeper out. It was all, about Iran and Khamenei and NasrAllah. I dont mind, its a book, a book is a book. It doesn't have a religion or an identity or anything. But the amount, of people, booths, about this specific political party, that, for me, as a young Lebanese, hate so bad. Btw, I have never harmed anyone who loves this political party and I dont care, but, the sheer amount of them, being there, terrified me.
We should, let kids, the youth of Lebanon, the teenagers, love books, not political parties, not politics, not people who support death and war in the name of peace. Where is the literature, where are the colorful books that would make a kid fall in love or like reading?!
I think Lebanon should have a policy on how book fairs should be concluded. No political books or political images in those national book fairs. There are online book shops, there are libraries outside the book fair that are selling political books, go to them if you live that topic. Dont let our kids see the war and the destruction by those politicians that you support inflict them and make them have ideas
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u/Icy-Treacle8349 1d ago
Political books have always been present at the book fairs, you probably never noticed them since you were a child, as today’s children probably don’t notice them either.
That being said, do i necessarily enjoy the presence of heavily political booths (books themselves are fine imo, the issue is more so with booths that are very clearly homogenous in nature and thinking) mehhhh not really, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, there are plenty of other booths.
The idea that any sort of book/ booth or “political books” should be banned from the fair and only “fun and colorful” books should be there is a bit crazy, if it’s not your cup of tea just skip it
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u/MediocreCharacter828 1d ago
I did realize that there were political books when I was a child. But, right now, this year. It feels like im suffocating in the huge amount of booth that are selling political books
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u/Icy-Treacle8349 1d ago
i get what you are trying to say, i just don’t think anything just be outright banned, better organization i think could’ve easily fixed this, maybe sectioning the fair
1
u/MediocreCharacter828 1d ago
Maybe, but as another redditor said, I used to go to the salon du livre, and this year, ma3rad 2el kitab and salon du livre are mixed with each others
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u/BigDong1142 Lebanese 1d ago
Why not let other ideologies be present there? Lebanon should always be open to ALL types of thoughts. From Islamism to secular atheism.
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u/MediocreCharacter828 1d ago
I dont mind Islam. I mind the politics. Book fairs are mostly packed with kids. Biel, was packed with kids, now, its mostly adults. Why not let kids have fun by reading books more? Why not put the politic away from book fairs for a while and let the kids enjoy it
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u/BigDong1142 Lebanese 1d ago
Let there be a section for kids and sections for everything else. My point is that no type of book should be banned or promoted. All should be available.
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u/MediocreCharacter828 1d ago
There are, but they are at the very back. Antoine this year, was at the very back which is one of the major distributors of children's and young adult books in Lebanon. But would you rather see your kid look at political faces in the front of children books
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u/Icy-Treacle8349 1d ago
Antoine, themselves, carry both children’s books and a huge selection of pure smut lmao i assure you kids will only care about what matters to them dw
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u/Good_Cook_8382 1d ago
Learn how to not hate. Learn how to learn about other beliefs. Being terrified of books tells a lot .. you’d rather the epstein regime defenders and empire and their extension here
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u/Witcherybythekitchen 1d ago
Hello, thats because this is the first time two book fairs get merged: ma3rad el kitab (organized by the ministry of culture) and salon du livre (organized by the french institute). This year they got merged due to political instability and economical reasons. The book fair you loved in the past was salon du livre that indeed focuses on fiction, poetry, comics, children books etc
The heavy political part is the ma3rad el kitab part