London meets Beirut
....Creative Lebanon, a framework for future prosperity
In their common effort to support the Lebanese creative economy and contribute to its growth, The British Council and Starch Foundation have created a one-day seminar, London Meets Beirut, to merge the expertise of some of the most renowned UK creatives and Lebanese designers. It covers all creative arenas to give insight into the functionality of the UK’s creative market; an established leader in design technology and support for emerging talent. The seminar will also give insight into the current Lebanese design industry, and devise strategies to catalyze the growth of the Lebanese creative economy for the very first time. NJAL’s founder Stefan Siegel along with Wallpaper* magazine’s fashion editor Ursula Geisselmann, and London College of Fashion’s Phillip Delamore are excited to be part of this project and build upon the blueprint of Lebanon’s creative structure.
In an effort to increase prosperity in the creative industries in Lebanon, Stephen Hill of the British Council has issued a report outlining possible solutions to unite the global economy, using the creative industries as the starting point. Developed countries can often attribute their progression to the growth of their own creative economies. Hill argues that emphasis must be placed on creativity to facilitate growth in other arenas, building a consumer market spawned from a creative field. Lebanon may still have a way to go, but it shows real promise to lead the next generation of developing nations.
Lebanon is a small country of under 4 million people. Its culture is derived from a history of trade between East and West. The capital city of Beirut was toasted as “the Paris of the Middle East” until the Civil War, which lasted 15 years and ended in 1990. The war left the country in a devastated state with limited means to rebuild itself.
After slow and partial repair, Lebanon was able to build its economy back up to what it had been in 1973 before the war, but this was not enough to keep up with the current global climate. However, the Lebanese determination to move forward made for visible development and by 1998 and there were some 22,000 manufacturing establishments employing over 140,000 people. Lebanon’s connectivity between Arab and Western markets certainly added to this sprout. As the broadcasting centre for the Arab world, Beirut sees a Pan-Arab market of some 280 million people. Lebanon’s reasonable infrastructure links in all directions suggest that economic activity in Beirut can quickly have positive spill-over effects to the rest of the country. In 2009, the New York Times dubbed Beirut as the number one place to visit. It’s exciting mash of cultures and unpredictability leave the city practically untouched by tourists. After a month’s conflict with Israel the country’s dedication to improvement was tested but Lebanon failed to back down. The country’s beauty, history, variety and potential could not be mistaken.
Lebanon leads the region in terms of visual arts, with far more exhibitions each year than any local competitor, and Lebanese nationals (not always working in Lebanon) dominate the Middle East design market, including graphic, packaging, publicity and billboard design. Beirut is now the website design capital of the Arab world.
Whilst much has been achieved, the potential for the creative industries in Lebanon remains in its infancy. There is sufficient evidence for the ability that Lebanon holds to generate ideas, and to turn those ideas into commercial success, mirroring that of the developed nations of the world. The concentration of business and intellectual infrastructure in Beirut, together with its multilingualism and multiculturalism, provide it with the potential to re-awaken its international reputation. The goal is to turn Beirut into an internationally esteemed Creative City. This will only happen when its inhabitants make it so and when the regional and international communities recognise it as such.
A creative city has certain characteristics; such as, significant clusters of successful enterprises in key sectors of the Creative Industries, effective and inexpensive telecommunications, an environment attractive to talented people from abroad, a friendly physical environment, transport links, an enterprising education system, and an easily accessible location.
Beirut has already established many of these characteristics, which will allow creativity to flourish. Effectively marketed, this is a concept and strategy that can be a unifying and cohesive force for the city and a bridge to the rest of the country, as well as to the rest of the world. The next step is to prioritise the components of this strategy and put them into practice.
In this difficult time, there is, more than ever, a need to focus on the regeneration of Lebanon and to plan for the role it will play in the new globalised economy, especially in light on the recent emergence of the new cultural and education clusters in the Gulf States and the Emirates. Because of the recent political and economic crises, Lebanon is suffering a huge brain drain of its talented youth. There is dire need to put in place a national strategy in order to provide the interesting work opportunities and a viable, prosperous and stable future that will stem the flow of people leaving. This is a call, an invitation to work together for a better future for Lebanon, in order to place a structure that will plan and prepare for the release of Lebanon’s economic and creative potential. The importance of creativity and content in any present-day economy presents to Lebanon unique opportunities for growth, development and stability. Grasping these opportunities can transform all our futures.
