The Lebanese Thawra (“revolution”) is a feminist movement. Women* are the heart and perseverance of the protests. With a collective consensus presented by participants, borders between individual social groups are broken down, and Lebanese citizens in unity take to the streets for the first time. The Thawra is cross-generational; it fights against sexual assaults, supports the LGBTQI+ community and helps people who live in poverty due to the financial crisis. The Thawra is the fight for a just future and against corrupt politicians. A leitmotif of the protests: Kelon yani Kelon – All means All!
Lilian Mauthofer's photographs document the power and energy of these protests: They show the strengthening aspects of empowerment for women*, for the oppressed and for those at risk. Thus the photographs deviate from the usual, largely Eurocentric reporting, which all too often reports on violence and chaos in the Middle East. At the same time, the presentation is based on the photographer’s self-reflexive working method. She devotes herself to the field of tension between the Self and the Other, and she addresses the conflict within herself as a foreigner in Beirut: What role and what responsibility do I have now that I have stumbled into these protests?
The photographs of the Thawra underline the importance of social cohesion and the strength of a group that stands up for equal rights for all. The presentation shows that adverse circumstances can be fought together. Even in a free democratic society, achievements must be defended and lived every day, especially in times like these.
The entire exhibition is also available online.
