Being October 2019

Christina E Karam

Christina places “the being” at the center of her poster to illustrate how at this moment of the protest there was a strong feeling of empowerment that was also embodied. In this poster Christina references the mix of emotions, sight, taste, sound, smell and touch. Christina explores the maelstrom of emotions, feelings and senses, including fear, sadness, happiness, the smell of BBQ and shisha, the tears from tear-gas and the relief of an onion, and the sounds of the protesters chanting "All of them means all of them".

1
Christina recounts the senses are important to her because when she took part in protests in Beirut, she was tear-gassed and a stranger put an onion in her hand. Onions have been frequently used in Palestine to counter the effects of tear-gas. Christina vividly remembers how she sniffed the onion. In the moment's intensity, Christina describes how she feared losing her sense of smell, eyesight and other senses: “It was all very scary at the time”.
2
Christina first heard about the protest through her family and the media that promoted her own desire to experience the protests first-hand. While she was eager to see the protests there was also a sense of fear. Her family urged her not to attend the protest fearing for her safety. Christina went to Jel El-Deeb as this was the nearest protest location to her home and the roads were closed preventing them traveling to other protest sites.
3
The drawing of the ear refers to the importance of slogans in the uprising. In Arabic the slogan "Kulun yani Kulun" (All of them means all of them) is referenced. By the lips are drawings of a shisha or narghile and BBQ that were frequent features amongst protesters.