By Sonia Caballero

Al Fusaic content writer Sonia Caballero Pradas interviews Lebanese stand-up comedian and LGBTQI activist Shaden in her apartment in Furn El Chebbak, a southern district of Beirut where she has been confined since the beginning of the pandemic.

She used to frequent stages in the popular Hamra Street of Beirut where she performed her comedy shows and filled the theaters with a very varied public. During this pandemic, which is worsening the current economic crisis in Lebanon, Shaden keeps engaging with her followers on Instagram (@shadyonshka). Throughout this virtual window and always with a great sense of humor, she has not stopped to condemn injustice in her country by standing up against the failing sectarian system that cannot manage the increasing poverty rates, estimated to have reached 50% of the population. 

Shaden’s “incendiary posts,” as many have described them, look for a society’s collective reflection strengthened by the memory of the October 17’s Revolution or thawra, when people from different origins went to the streets to protest corruption. Shaden was in the front-line of these demonstrations that continued even after the tragic explosion of the port of Beirut, which caused the life of 202 people, injured 6,500, and destroyed the houses of the citizens already affected by the crisis. In this situation of despair and frustration, Shaden uses her comedy as a tool to share a non-conformist spirit and hope.

S: What does justice look like for you? How can art be involved in the fight for justice?

SHADEN: “I don’t think there is justice in the world, the whole existence is pretty absurd. We just try not to hurt other people, coexist, and be accountable. The world is unjust and Lebanon… If you want to define justice by showing the community the complete opposite, show this country as an example. 

And here we can find art as a tool. Art changes the discourse. For example, let’s talk about sexuality and gender. If we compare the discourse about sexuality and gender ten years ago and now, it is very different, more advanced, and this is, in my opinion, where we can see hope. We are still very behind, but there are more people talking more positively about sex, also condemning rape, and differing between sex and rape, something that in previous years was not separated. Also, the presence of women in sex and mental health for example. When you talk about these topics, you place yourself in the discourse that is usually dominated by non-minorities, for instance, in Lebanon, is dominated by men, it is a male cisgender straight discourse. Not only in Lebanon actually, but everywhere. So, I use art to introduce a new discourse, or not a new discourse, but an underground one to make it normal, to normalize it.”

S: What is your comedy role within your society?

SHADEN: “I am a stand-up comedian in a male-dominated field. The comedy sector in Lebanon is very fresh, we are creating it now and yes, there are not a lot of women in it, so I would like to think that I give voice to women and the LGBTIQ community, but also to any minority that feels isolated in this country. 

There is an expression in Arabic that says: “نتعلق بحبال الهواء” (nata’alaq bihibal alhawa’), which means “we are hanging from the tightrope”, and I think that we all, public figures or not, are doing this now in Lebanon, we are trying to find hope somewhere because we are completely f****d. 

Giving up comes with another decision. Here, giving up means migrating and leaving this place for good, as many have been forced to, and for me, I have already chosen that at this point I do not want to leave, which means I do not have another choice, but to fight. Do I believe in a better future? Don’t I believe? At this point, I can only try.”

S: Which topics do you include in your performance to promote reflection and raise awareness about revolution, justice, and tolerance?

SHADEN: “I want to live in a better place, with better conditions for all and it, so I think that using comedy and making people laugh while actually criticizing this world is an amazing tool to improve it. I make people laugh while talking about very serious topics like politics. I use my comedy to criticize our corrupt politicians and international politics that affect our country and region as well as to remember the need to continue the intifada.

I prefer the term intifada instead of thawra (revolution) because thawra entitles not only the process but also the result, the result of winning the battle, and we haven’t won it, so I prefer to refer to the revolution of October 17 as intifada. And this is what I talk about in my shows, the need of being in the streets and having a loud voice, not only me but everyone together. Perhaps I say things that others wouldn’t, but everybody needs the seek for justice. As you know, I have an Instagram account and I make videos with a political-sarcastic tone like my shows, especially lately since theaters are closed due to the pandemic. 

This country is based on words, on poetry that doesn’t mean anything, because in the streets, you have poverty, and harassment, and sexism. Something that was good during the intifada was that we, women, were present and we had a very high voice, we played a role in the revolution. I do not care about the words ‘thawra imra’a’ (the revolution is female), but what I care about is that a lot of women are talking and doing and fighting.

S: What motivates you to keep fighting for a better life in Lebanon?

SHADEN: “Zoloft, first of all [Shaden comments in a sarcastic way], I take Zoloft for my mental health, because it is not easy to keep up fighting. I think that collectively we all lost a huge part of the fight for democracy on the Saturday after the port’s explosion. That Saturday, people were in the streets full of rage, despair, and emotions after losing too much, and the government responded by shooting us, using live bullets and tear gas, and treating us so violently after literally four days of an explosion that destroyed the whole city and us inside. After that Saturday it felt like a huge loss, and this is when I personally fell apart. It was very tough. The explosion itself was horrible, but that Saturday was beyond the physical. The truth is that bad people win, because they are willing to cross all limits, all red lines. Life does not have meaning, so you have two options, you either give up or create the illusion of a purpose, fight for it and live life fully.”

S: What does a good advocate or ally of your cause do/say/think?

SHADEN: “A good ally for me is a person who puts him or herself in an uncomfortable position to speak up. I think that speaking up is the hardest thing because you are going to be the party pooper, people are going to think that you are going to turn everything funny into something serious. So, good allies are those who put themselves in this position of discomfort, even though they don’t have to. And although they have the privilege of not doing it, they do it, they speak up. An ally is the one who stands up, defends, and protects oneself and especially others. 

In Lebanon, there are for sure certain communities that support my cause. They are very diverse: youth, LGBTIQ, feminists, people with similar political beliefs, etc., but, especially my parents. What allows me to speak up with confidence is the privilege of having full support and protection from my family. It is not that common in Lebanon to receive full support from your family in matters of homosexuality or feminism, and that is why I consider it a privilege. I feel that my family’s support is why I can be loyal to my values.

I do receive a lot of terrible messages from people all over the country because Beirut is a tiny bubble. Beirut doesn’t represent at all Lebanon. So, for example, in Beirut, there is an LGBTQI community, but in other regions, there is not. There are feminist advocates, but not as many as in Beirut. A lot of NGOs are working all over Lebanon for women’s rights and in order to protect minorities, but having a supportive community there, present, is not happening in the whole country, and that is why I use social media to say ‘hey, you are not alone in this, you are not different, there are a lot of people who think like you, who do like you”.

S: What resources (books/movies/music) should people interested in supporting your cause turn to?

SHADEN: “I like The Handmaid’s Tale because it is a dystopia that feels very real. The same with 1984 and other novels of George Orwell. I do not understand them fully as dystopias, but as exaggerated realities. For example, the first time I watched The Handmaid’s Tale, I felt anger but also empowerment. The social media page Humans of Patriarchy (@humans_of_patriarchy) is very good, and I recommend it to everyone.

Here in Lebanon, I like the Instagram account Coffee Break (@coffee_break_lb). It is a page where two Lebanese women make videos and use comedy as I do to mock patriarchy and other issues common in our society. And, of course, Khansa (@khansakhansakhansa on Instagram, Khansa in Spotify) is an important resource too. He is a Lebanese musician, singer, and performer who is breaking gender barriers with his moves, lyrics, and beliefs. 

From the region, Cairokee is very inspirational to me. It is an Egyptian rock band that became very influential during the Revolution of 2011. They are trying to change the political discourse in Egypt, despite the arrest and imprisonment of political activists and artists. There is a song called Hodna, Ceasefire in English, whose lyrics express the frustration of people who have no other option that stands up against injustice, corruption, and violence in their lives. There is a strong verse in Hodna that says: “It is time to fight so that I can live in peace.”