11 October 2010
BSHARRI: The Gibran National Committee (GNC) is set to launch numerous cultural projects inside and outside Lebanon to highlight the legacy of celebrated author of Gibran Khalil Gibran.
The projects include exhibitions, cooperation with educational institutions, translating Gibran’s work, social contributions, and new cultural centers, according to the committee’s president Tareq Chidiac.
Chidiac told The Daily Star that the new plans came after the committee witnessed the success of the Gibran exhibit held on the Saint Nicolas stairs in Beirut in September.
He said more exhibitions and cultural events were being prepared for Australia, Switzerland and Germany in order to introduce the world to the Lebanese author.
“Gibran cannot live away from Lebanon for too long,” he said, explaining why the committee found a need to multiply its activities in Lebanon as well.
The committee is currently working on acquiring a significant space at a new museum to open in Beirut.
It is also collaborating with schools and the Education Ministry and has asked Prime Minister Saad Hariri to dedicate some space for Gibran at Downtown Beirut’s shopping center.
The committee has started to translate Gibran’s posthumous book “Turn the Page Young Man” to English and French. The book consists of writings and drawings put together and published 79 years after the author’s death in 1931.
Chidiac added that the committee will aim to develop the Gibran Museum, which is based in Gibran’s hometown of Bsharri. “We’re currently studying the possibility of putting up statues inspired by Gibran’s work on the road leading to the museum,” he said, noting that the Public Works and Transportation Ministry has put aside $500,000 to rehabilitate the museum’s exterior.
Regarding financial resources, the committee has been in constant contact with Carlos Slim – the Mexican billionaire from Lebanese origins- – and anticipates the launching of several joint projects, including opening a Gibran museum in Mexico. “The museum will hold 120 paintings about Gibran from all over the world,” Chidiac said.
The committee’s vice president Josef Finianos spoke of the social contributions the GNC plans to make, such as scholarships and awards for distinguished students in the qada of Bsharri.
“We are in contact with the Education Ministry to build a high school on a land donated by the committee,” he said.
Other projects consist of renovating Gibran’s house in Bsharri, expanding the Gibran museum and opening a Gibran music conservatory with the cooperation of the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music.
The GNC might also open a public library in Bsharri, where discussions and academic reinforcement for students will be made available.
Finianos said the committee was also trying to free the Gibran building in Bsharri of its tenants in order to transform it into a cultural center.
“We will publish an affordable version of Gibran’s books for students … we are working on strengthening our ties with embassies in Lebanon to further spread Gibran’s philosophy … we are cooperating with the Arab Cultural Club and with various cultural movements,” Finianos added.
Gibran was a Lebanese author born in 1883 in Bsharri. He spent his life travelling between Lebanon and the US and his work became an essential part of Arabic and English literature. His most famous publication was the philosophical book “The Prophet.”
Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
