“We Ask the World Not to Help Us”–Acclaimed Lebanese Composer, Singer Marcel Khalife on U.S. interference in Lebanon, War, Censorship and Art

The song we just played was called “Passport,” based on the poem by acclaimed Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and performed by the world-renowned Lebanese composer, singer, and Oud player, Marcel Khalife.

Khalife is a cultural icon of the Arab world, he is sometimes called the Bob Dylan of Lebanon. He has consistently opposed war, performed in bombed-out buildings during the Lebanese civil war, and passionately defended the rights of Palestinians. In 2005 he was named UNESCO’s Artist for Peace.

During Israel’s bombing of Lebanon in 2006 Khalife wrote to fellow UNESCO Artists for Peace. He said, “Nothing justifies our art other than to speak for those who cannot speak. This is the cause for which we dedicated our efforts, and the cause that endorsed our voices. We only wished to take it as far as we can, and vowed to release our work as songs of love for, and unity with, the victims of persecution everywhere.”

Marcel Khalife is also no stranger to controversy and persecution. He is banned in Tunisia, was tried for blasphemy by a Lebanese court, and was denounced by Bahraini parliamentarians for “encouraging debauchery.”

Most recently, a venue in San Diego canceled his scheduled concert claiming it would be “divisive” and “unbalanced” to host Khalife without an Israeli artist alongside him.

Khalife and his Al-Mayadine ensemble have just completed a 25-city tour of the United States and Canada. Marcel Khalife joins me now in the firehouse studio in New York.

Marcel Khalife, world-renowned Lebanese composer, singer, and oud player.

AMY GOODMAN: The song you have just heard was called “Passport,” based on the poem by the acclaimed Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and performed by the world-renowned Lebanese composer, singer, Oud player, Marcel Khalife. Khalife is a cultural icon of the Arab world, sometimes called the Bob Dylan of Lebanon. He has consistently opposed war, performed in bombed-out buildings during the Lebanese civil war, passionately defended the rights of Palestinians. In 2005, he was named UNESCO’s Artist for Peace. During Israel’s bombing of Lebanon in 2006, Marcel Khalife wrote to fellow UNESCO Artists for Peace saying "nothing justifies our art other than to speak for those who cannot speak. This is the cause for which we dedicated our efforts and the cause that endorsed our voices. We only wish to take it as far as we can and we vow to release our work as songs of love for and in unity with the victims of persecution everywhere.” Marcel Khalife is also no stranger to controversy and persecution. He is banned in Tunisia, was tried for blasphemy by a Lebanese court, was denounced by Bahraini parliamentarian for “encouraging debauchery”. Most recently, a venue in San Diego, California cancelled a scheduled concert claiming it would “divisive and unbalanced to host Marcel Khalife without an Israeli artist alongside him.” Marcel Khalife and his ensemble have just completed a 25-city tour of the United States and Canada. He joins us in our Firehouse studio here in New York. Welcome to Democracy Now! How does it feel to be in the United States?

MARCEL KHALIFE: Once I come to the airport, you feel a certain difference in treatment, and the negative, not positive sense. Once our names are checked in the computer, the computer reacts unnaturally. They isolate us inside rooms and questions are asked which have to do with our very humanity. [Inaudible] that the place or the identity that you have become grounds for accusation. I would like to add a small note here. The American people came and attended our concert, but I can say that we do not agree with American policy. This, after all, is a democratic country in which one can say anything.

AMY GOODMAN: What did they ask you at the airport?

MARCEL KHALIFE: Questions that even dehumanizes a person. They ask you about people whom you know or have associated with, who they are and what they are. They even will check your personal e-mail. They even take your credit card number. They even asked me about my grandfather, a poor fisherman in my village, who passed away a long time ago.

AMY GOODMAN: What did they ask about him?

MARCEL KHALIFE: What does he do? Where does he live? If my grandfather had known that they were going to ask about him in the United States, he would have been overjoyed.

AMY GOODMAN: What you mean, they checked your personal e-mail?

MARCEL KHALIFE: They asked for my e-mail account so they can check it.

AMY GOODMAN: The song we just played was your song called—ironically, “Passport.” Tell us about it.

MARCEL KHALIFE: It says “in the house of all my men are my nationality, take away my passport”. At the end of the interview with the immigration officer, naturally, this was not the first time. Anywhere I landed, I have the same conversation. I had a CD and I give them a copy and I told him I would like to give you this as a gift so that you’ll know I am just an artist and musician. He was surprised I gave him a CD. I told him at the same time, Im the UNESCO Artist for Peace. And he said, what does UNESCO mean? It figures an immigration officer does not—this happened here in New York. I told him this was a UN organization for culture.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk, Marcel Khalife, about what music means to you?

MARCEL KHALIFE: Ever since I was young, I felt that amenity would create in me a certain internal situation. I would accompany my mother in our village when I was young to church. I was not seeking God or anything. I loved listening to the hymns. At home, later on, I would tap on the table with pots and plates. It turns out that ever since I was very young, this rhythm- sound–means something to me. My mother was the first to discover this [inaudible] in my fingers and talked my father into buying me a musical instrument. Naturally, they bought me the cheapest one. [laughter] It was not my choice. Oud came into our household. And we had a big celebration and I gave up my domestic instruments, such as pots, tables and dishes. [laughter] The following day, they took me to a certain person in the village who knew a little about music and notes and taught me for three months. Then he called my parents and told them “this boy is very talented, you should send him to an institute to study”. Once more, my mother intervened to talk my father into sending me to Beirut. That’s what happened and I joined the conservatory. Music is my oxygen. Without it, I feel life is lacking something. I wish that these politicians who control the world would listen to a tune before they go to bed. Perhaps then, instead of declaring war, they would declare love.

AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to just play an exerpt of–Umi – can you just introduce it for us?

MARCEL KHALIFE: I lost my mother at an early age. This woman who discovered when I was just a child. I did not live with her for a long time. In dying, I discovered she was there. The song is a profound salute to her. And to all mothers.

AMY GOODMAN: The words?

MARCEL KHALIFE: The words are by Mahmoud Darwish

AMY GOODMAN: Let’s take a listen.

[music]

AMY GOODMAN: Umi means mother. Fawaz, can you roughly translate?

MARCEL KHALIFE: [inaudible] yearn to my mother’s bread. I miss my mother’s coffee. The child in me grows day after day. If I were to die, I would be ashamed of my mother’s fears.

AMY GOODMAN: Were gonna go to a break and then we’re going to come back. But of course the break will be your music. We’re joined by the acclaimed Lebanese musician, Oud player, Marcel Khalife. Stay with us.

AMY GOODMAN: Our guest is the acclaimed musician, UNESCO Artist for Peace, Marcel Khalife, just finishing his tour through the United States. This song, dedicated to Mahmoud Darwish, why do you dedicate him to him? Talk about his significance in your work.

MARCEL KHALIFE: At the beginning of the Lebanese civil war, in ’76, I was confined to my village because of the political events. I was not in agreement with the political tribe in our area, the eastern area, so I had to stay indoors, in my house. In that retreat, I only had the oud and the books of Mahmoud Darwish.

I had just graduated from the conservatory. I was an ambitious young man who wanted to change the world. But in the final analysis, one cannot even change oneself. I said to myself, I have to do something.

I began putting these Mahmoud Darwish poems to music. I put them to music so that I could feel my own presence. I never thought that they would become popular songs and sung by millions of people. I felt that Mahmoud Darwish possibly wrote his words for me, or it was revealed to me, a relationship that dates back thirty years with the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish.

And this work, I wanted to dedicate to him. My voice is not part of this work, and neither is his poetry. But I have always felt that his mother’s bread is like my mother’s bread, and the eyes of his beautiful Rita, look like the eyes of my beautiful Rita. His red Indians also look like mine. His sand and his birds also look like my sand and my birds. That’s why I dedicated this work to him.

AMY GOODMAN: Marcel Khalife, you have been banned in Tunisia, tried for blasphemy by a Lebanese court, denounced by parliamentarians as encouraging debauchery, most recently your concert in San Diego was cancelled because they said you were divisive and unbalanced. Tell us about each circumstance. What happened?

MARCEL KHALIFE: I was banned previously in Tunisia. But later on the problem was resolved. And my work is available.

AMY GOODMAN: Why?

MARCEL KHALIFE: I was banned possibly because what I present attracts people in the audience. On the stage, I feel like I’m in my natural milieu, saying what I want. There’s no censorship of what I say. Many of my works are not allowed in many countries. The moment they read the name of Marcel Khalife, even if its just purely music, its banned.

AMY GOODMAN: Why blasphemy in Lebanon?

MARCEL KHALIFE: I put a poem by Mahmoud Darwish to music, which talks about the profit Joseph, who is acknowledged by all religions. Naturally, he has the Palestinian people in mind. There was a part of the poem which has a Koranic verse, which I recited. This was not approved of by many extremists. I was tried by the Lebanese judicial or Lebanese court. And the Lebanese court aquitted itself, proved it was not a suppressor. After three or four sessions, I was found innocent of committing any crime. I was found innocent of committing any crimes. In Bahrain, I presented “Khais and Laila”, a love story that predates Romeo and Juliet by 1000 years. The extremists also did not like that. Because Khais and Laila fell in love, they were extremely close with each other. Those who denounced me were extreme parliamentarians who did not even attend the concert. They simply based their opinion on the photographs published in newspapers that showed Khais and Laila next to each other. In San Diego, this was the first case of an ethnic nature. They said this would offend the Jewish community, according to them. They said this concert would offend the Jewish community. They did not agree with the right of return of Palestinians because the sponsoring organization was the Right of Return organization. Its incredible that this happens in a country which claims a culture of democracy. They banned the concert in that venue, although they had already received a deposit on the payment. But we did not give in. Together with the audience, we moved to another venue. It was a major concert, a significant concert. Everyone came. I always like to say no–against this tide of misery and filth.

AMY GOODMAN: Marcel Khalife is our guest – the great Oud player, the great physician, the UNESCO Artist for Peace, just finishing up his tour here in the United States. This weekend, he played at New York University here in the city. The audience was both adoring and it was absolutely packed. Can you talk about the situation in your country today, in Lebanon?

MARCEL KHALIFE: Very briefly and quickly. We ask the world not to help us, because this assistance whether American, French, or anything else, is assistance to consecrate the confessional system. Because what we are doing today, whether we elect a president or not, the situation will remain the same. Let the Lebanese do away with their confessional system and transform it into a secular one. So that the Lebanese will be united under the banner of Lebanon. And not under the banner of the confession, or the sect. If the world would help us achieve this, then it would be saving Lebanon. But it is clear that the world is seeking to consecrate this confessionalism.

AMY GOODMAN: You mean sectarian when you confession?

MARCEL KHALIFE: Yes. Regrettably. This is what the Foreign Ambassador [inaudible].

AMY GOODMAN: You played your music during Israel’s bombing of Lebanon?

MARCEL KHALIFE: Naturally. Throughout history of a war that lasted 30 years, our music was available, even in the frontline positions. Sometimes its a balsam–its like a small candle, that one tries to light. If it sheds a little light around, then one will have done something.

AMY GOODMAN: During your concert here in New York, you talked about the bombing of Lebanon, the bombs provided by the United States.

MARCEL KHALIFE: I talked about smart and not so smart weapons. I did not invent it. As we saw, the U.S. tried to prolong the war as long as possible. This is truly regrettable.

AMY GOODMAN: You are getting away, Marcel Khalife, from singing, using your voice, and more towards instrumental. Why?

MARCEL KHALIFE: I began with instrumentals and music and I started the singing by accident. I see no difference between writing a song and writing music. I have greater freedom when I have a blank page on which I just write my notes. Sometimes, I will ask poetry to leave me just to compose music and sometimes I go to poetry.

AMY GOODMAN: Are there any American artists you admire?

MARCEL KHALIFE: No particular person. I like to listen to the music of the world- east and west, north and south. The sources of my music are not confined to any one place. I feel this globe is too small. A plane crosses it in two days.

AMY GOODMAN: Thank you for being with us, Marcel Khalife, renowned musician, artist. That does it for our broadcast, Fawwaz, thank you for translating.

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