MIDDLE EAST PROFILES SERIES – INTERVIEW WITH LEBANON’S ZEID HAMDAN

Freedom Beat teamed up with Arash Sobhani of the Iranian band Kiosk, and Iranwire.com on a series of documentary profiles of contemporary Middle Eastern music artists who engage in nonviolent resistance through the medium of music. Arash traveled with journalist Jahanshah Javid of Iranwire to Turkey, Egypt, and Lebanon in August of 2013 to meet musicians, interview them, share ideas, and to play music together.

Meeting Zeid, another Dreamer; He is Not The Only One! by Arash Sobhani

Before leaving for Beirut, I reached out to few journalist friends and musicians who were familiar with the local music scene. I asked them to put me in contact with a musician who uses his music to raise political and social issues. Surprisingly, roughly 2/3 of the people I asked told me that I had to meet Zeid. Even the young chic Lebanese lady from the UN’s human rights office, that I shared a cab with from the airport, suggested Zeid Hamdan.

My bandmate Mohammad Talani and I sat down with Zeid in his small private studio in Beirut.  We began talking about our songs, and going over the chords on our acoustic guitars with him.  Jahanshah had booked a venue for all three of us to play together.  We had never played together before, and we weren’t sure about the sound that would develop from our collaboration.  Working with Zeid, you immediately get the sense that he’s a natural writer.  He approaches guitar like a piano player, searching and exploring melody and progressions rather than being boxed in by conventional guitar playing techniques.

After playing together in Zeid’s studio, we took a cab to his nice flat.  It was filled with instruments, natural light, and a nice Mediterranean breeze.  We began a casual conversation on music, society, and religion that quickly turned into an engaging ping pong of ideas.  Zeid is calm, even when he talks about the time that he was thrown in jail for his music.  You don’t see any anger in his eyes.  With his poetic selection of words and his soft manners, you feel like you are listening to a modern day prophet.  Prophets are something that this geographic part of the globe has been quite prolific in producing.  Zeid’s selection of words, his dismissal of nationality, borders, country and religion, and his passion for humanity, oneness, and peace is reminiscent of a John Lennon song. You may think that he is a dreamer, but you know one thing for sure, he is not the only one.

Executive Producers: Maziar Bahari, Daryn Cambridge, Tim O’Keefe
Produced by Jahanshah Javid
Directed by Tim O’Keefe, Arash Sobhani, Irene Su
Edited by Irene Su
Interviews by Jahanshah Javid, Arash Sobhani
Camera & Sound by Mohammad Talani, Jahanshah Javid
Freedom Beat logo animation by Sang Un Jeon
Freedom Beat Middle East Series animation by Beth Wexler
Music by Tim O’Keefe

Special thanks to Iranwire.com and The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict for their support & collaboration in the making of this series.