Under the Bridge - Tahit Al Jisr

Alexandra Harb

The poster is divided into three themes. The first focuses on Alexandra’s own reflections and the inner turmoil she felt, one of anger, excitement, and fear. Alexandra describes a revolutionary moment filled with rage at what the country’s politicians have done to Lebanon. At the center of the poster, Alexandra has drawn a gallows with the Arabic words "corruption", "sectarianism", and "1975" (the start of the Lebanese Civil War) in the nooses. The second part is focused on Batroun, located on the coast of Northern Lebanon and the place where Alexandra protested “under the bridge”. Here, Alexandra has drawn references to how they blocked the highway and engaged in public lectures learning about the how Lebanon reached this predicament. The third part is Beirut, which is where Alexandra says they used to gather and was the main event. It was also the most violent. The drawing represents a symbol of the Lebanese army as representative of the security forces that were present and the memories of being beaten and tear-gassed.

1
Tahit Al Jisr which translates as "under the bridge" refers to the place Alexandra and other protesters gathered in Batroun, a coastal town in northern Lebanon. It was an ugly spot, Alexandra details, that people painted as part of the transformation of the space that the protests engendered.
2
Alexandra first heard about the protests after her dance class. She reflects on the mix of emotions that she had about the protests when she was first made aware of them. Her emotions swirled between feelings of hope, anger, the need to speak up and fear.
3
Alexandra states that while the protest was national in scope, the capital Beirut remained the "main event" where she and fellow protesters gathered to make demands. At the bottom of the poster written in Arabic are references to downtown Beirut, specifically the parliament and Martyrs' Square. At the bottom right is written in Arabic Haris Al Majlis (Parliamentary Guards) and there are is also a military insignia in the poster referring to the violence that state security forces directed toward the protesters.