Montreal’s Dhakira Collective presents Dreams of Beirut – a screening fundraiser in support of two organizations (MESEWAT and Egna Legna) working to provide crucial aid and services to migrant workers in Lebanon under the Kafala system – from April 2nd to April 4th 2021. As Dhakira Collective shares, Farah Salka describes the Kafala system in the 5th issue of the Journal Safar as: “a violent, abusive and exploitative ‘sponsorship’ system used to monitor and control migrant workers, primarily in the construction, cleaning and domestic sectors in the region. This system is not written down nor formalized in any law but rather a compilation of practices enacted out over the years by the self-entitled General Security Office of Lebanon who enjoy governing with impunity.”

The suffering inflicted by Lebanon’s economic crisis has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the violent explosions that occurred in Beirut on August 4th, 2020. This unprecedented string of events has worsened the living conditions of domestic migrant workers in the region and both organizations working to support this vulnerable population are in need of urgent help.

The screening includes two mid-length films, Maid in Lebanon (2005) and Maid in Lebanon II: Voices From Home (2008), both by Lebanese filmmaker Carol Monsour, as well as the short film Tshweesh (2017) by Lebanese filmmaker Feyrouz Serhal. Along with the screenings, both filmmakers will present an introduction to and explanation behind their respective work. Mansour’s films document the lives of Sri Lankan women working as domestic workers for Lebanese families, and examines the complexities of their relationships with the households that employ them. Feyrouz’s film follows a young woman through the streets of Beirut as the excitement surrounding the World Cup goes awry after an impeding Israeli attack is announced.

The films will be available to stream worldwide via the collective’s Vimeo account with English subtitles on a donate what you can basis via Paypal. The password to access the films will be shared with those who donated on April 1st. Individuals who, for financial or other reasons, are unable to make a donation but still want to watch the films are encouraged to reach out to he collective via Instagram.

100% of the proceeds will be split equally between the two organizations: MESEWAT and Egna Legna. 

This event is organized by Dhakira Collective and funded by QPIRG Concordia

Dreams of Beirut event page

Dhakira Collective is a research-led curatorial collective aiming to highlight and celebrate cinema, art and music outside the western canon. The collective was founded in July 2020 by Bouchra Assou and is co-run by Gaïa Ziad Guenoun, two multidisciplinary artists based in Tiohtià:ke/ Montreal.

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