Dusty Wyndow Blog

Not so long ago, particularly in one of my summer trips to Lebanon, I meet a woman called Marie, she endlessly wept as she was telling me . It was then when she hit me with the worst, as she was heartbroken over the fact that her son would be 62 the next day. I didn't get it, and upon me asking why is this making her so sad, she frantically said "he's been missing since 37 years now". News got on social media through the below post, and it took some time before it got some interaction and, only in March 2016 had the story's exposure started to pick up. Many people shared the story, some of them recognized Marie (or somebody who looked similar, or had a similar story), but then there was only this guy, Aly, who was literally head-first in the story, he left me wondering what's in it for him as he was privately messaging me over the course of the next two months on the updates of his search. Some time passed and I had not realized at all, that Aly had never ...

This is a post about how small the earth is. Back in my UAE days I learn there's a poetry gathering in Dubai, a couple hours away from where I lived. I contacted the organizers only to know they were Lebanese, she was Lebanese as a matter of fact. It was only her, Zeina, who was in charge of it all and that event happened to be the season finale before their summer/fall break. Knowing the curator of PUNCH (see here ) being Lebanese, and later on finding out she's also from Tripoli was a blast. I do have a handful of friends from Tripoli too, some living abroad, but they all have this in common: they have started a poetry collective wherever they are. Samer Annous , assistant professor at the university of Balamand, has been famous for running those monthly poetry gatherings in Mina, particularly every first Wednesday of a new month. Sara Sibai has blown minds with her spoken word poetry, and keeps on doing so. She is now curator of the Beirut Poetry Slam, and also took pa...

Photo from Ruwwad Lebanon's Facebook Page "I came here a broken woman, Ruwwad has turned me into a strong person. I don't have to beg any politician anymore!" were the words a woman performed as she stood among her peers interpreting a video they were just watching. She gathered the applauds of every single person listening, whether donors, guests or staff. She was one of the ladies that were benefiting from Ruwwad's empowerment program gathering women from both ex-conflicting Jabal Mohsen and Tabbaneh under one roof. "Everybody thought I was a notorious person, somebody who cannot be friends with others, and that made me pretty upset in return, until Ruwwad came along and showed everybody the real me" uttered a young man in front of us during the "Dardashat" stop, part of the "My Identity" program at Ruwwad. I was immensely moved with this young man's intervention, and I bet I saw somebody else wiping her tear to...

We've been friends for a while then you must know I'm not big fan of typical everyday birthday celebrations, from facebook posts to cakes and parties. It's not that I'm being prophet of doom here or, well, the Grinch, it's just that I don't see any purpose of celebrating a day I haven't contributed to in any way. Hold on, let me put that differently, I'd very much love to celebrate a friendship anniversary for instance, a sweet memory, an achievement, some progress I was part of, you get the idea. That said, you must also know of my yearly anniversary ritual, which is quite different each year. (check 2012 , 2013 , 2014  & 2015 ). Despite growing really tired of all this, I thought to give it a shot based on previous years' success stories. It all started with using a cover photo on my Facebook inciting folks and fellows to, since they'll be doing it either ways, express their birthday celebration differently, whether in a kind deed, a good...

It goes without saying that yesterday was probably when the town had witnessed one of its most successful mini-projects. It was that Samer , the Tripolitan professor at a renowned university in town, and the activist if I may call him, had wanted to put to use the available resources in order to bring books back to life, and hopefully promote for a new fashion for reading them. Samer, and through the Cultural Agenda, made ties with a few fellows and created what is now known as the “ El Mina Book Marke t”, the first of its kind in Mina (Tripoli’s very own sea port) where used books are sold, bought and exchanged too, all in the sake of gathering enough money to send children back to school. The event was held in non-other than Rassif café , the roadside coffee shop that, I believe, had excelled in marking a new footprint and raising the bar for all future coffee shops in town. “An open air street market for used books. Kids' reading corner and family activities. If you'...

We finally have it in town, Tripoli's very own, and possibly the first, dog shelter. A group of enthusiasts has decided it's about time there were somebody in town to take care of all the homeless and rejected feline friends, many of whom end up being tortured out there, even put to death in some cases, especially those linked to the municipalities themselves, mainly due to total ignorance of how to handle stray animals. A few words about Paw Shake from the initiative itself on their Zoomal Page : Paw shake is a group of several young guys in Tripoli and all are volunteers. We all have the same passion for dogs and we have raised many dogs in our homes in Tripoli. Each person of this team is dedicating his free time for dogs rescuing through reporting and sending homeless dogs to specific NGOs in Lebanon who are providing shelter and food for these homeless dogs. Puppies put for sale in Tripoli's Flea Market Mahmoud Mawass , founder of Paw Shake, has wholeheart...

Couldn't think of a better place where I can share all the videos I shot during the Trio Joubran latest concert in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, on April 30th 2016. Let alone that I'm a big fan of the three Palestinian brothers, these guys kicked some serious ass in a stunning performance back then. This post isn't about the photos I had taken (you can check them on my facebook or on 24.ae ), but rather as one place where you guys can watch their performance split into parts. Now for the technicalities, excuse: 1- The unexpected nauseous camera shakes 2- The amplified bass and distorted sound

Who would've thought that one day my blog, the Dusty Wyndow blog, would wear the cape of one of the world's top silent performers (yet not as famous as Charlie Chaplin)? Here's how, and why, it all happened. It had come to a point a while ago where I grew really tired of playing youtube and soundcloud music, track after track, to keep myself and my tiny desert house entertained. Music just wasn't doing the job anymore. It was all until one day I found myself playing movies as early as the 1920s, surprised by the fact that we actually had movies back then. I had always made fun of the way our grandparents would be taken so damn serious by what's displayed on that big luminous screen: Actor falls down? they gasp and their faces turn white. Train wagon coming their way? Some would probably jump off their seats, wholeheartedly believing it is actually happening! Never had the slightest clue this phenomenon would reach my chores as well. It was when I decided...

And will never have one, not in the near future at least, to clear things out first and foremost. It's become a trend lately for anybody who's reached a certain level of progress (both technical & artistic) in photography, to seriously consider promoting their work in order to, out of oh-so-many reasons, possibly earn a buck or two on the side, or it could be simply to create this one point where "fans" can follow their most recent work. Photography has always been a breath of fresh air to me, no matter how cliche it might sound, but it definitely is. Photography has definitely taken me to places I would never even imagine myself being if it weren't for my camera. I was doing pretty well at some point in the past (and still do, hopefully) when a few friends approached me to launch a Facebook page, some even insisted I'd do so. Most of these calls were turned down eventually, me thinking that it's an absolute waste of time. "I...