Lebanon Fundraiser VA by High Hats Community<\/a><\/p>\n Lebanon Fundraiser VA<\/a> by\u00a0High Hats Community<\/a><\/p>\n In crises, I know a lot of folks stop producing or even releasing music. But I think artists still deserve to be heard \u2014 even as most of the mainstream of the electronic scene has the luxury of worrying only about whether a Dubai or Doha flight connection was canceled. HHC represents deep underground music that has always warranted more attention. And a country like Lebanon has gotten proportionally less coverage; Lebanese artists don\u2019t have the freedom of movement or attention that comes from big Western European capitals. So you\u2019ve been missing out, in other words. (Yes, yes, some media in the region has helped \u2014 but often those reports don\u2019t get out of the region, and that\u2019s a shame.)<\/p>\n And from HHC, Chiri Shoukair, aka Cherry Chills, has been uniquely active in organizing for Em Mohammed\u2019s community kitchen in Karantina (northeastern Beirut) \u2014 see below.<\/p>\n Chiri\u2019s music is dreamy and extraordinary, and her career and voice say something about music as more than just empty calories. It\u2019s not all breaks; this one was a favorite:<\/p>\n And she\u2019s been mixing, too, as for Palestine-based Radio Alhara:<\/p>\n Please go ahead and buy the compilation if you can. (The next Bandcamp Friday isn\u2019t until May, so don\u2019t wait\u2026) That also helps it spread.<\/p>\n But if you don\u2019t have the cash, it can also make such a difference to share, even person-to-person. (We did used to do this before social media platforms.) And much as I enjoy being in a leading position of covering this scene, I\u2019m only one person, and I would feel even better if I started to see this story show up in other media outlets. If you\u2019re reading this, please\u00a0steal my stories. I mean it.<\/p>\n And then, you can support the kitchens. <\/p>\n The kitchens and relief efforts<\/p>\n The Shoukhair family is actively collecting \u201cto\u00a0help us provide Lebanese families with much-needed food, blankets, hygiene products, and other necessities.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re outside Lebanon, this is the best way to give right now. (Image above from fundraiser)<\/p>\n Help forcefully displaced families in Lebanon \u2013 Donorbox<\/a><\/p>\n The fundraiser for HHC, via Shoukhair family, includes supporting Em Mohammed and her kitchen. Al Rawiya covers that story. As with Nation Station, which I wrote about before, this is another community kitchen effort that began after the Beirut port blast and has been reactivated in the Israeli attacks and forced displacements.<\/p>\n But back up \u2014 what\u2019s mouneh, as mentioned in the story? It\u2019s a traditional way of preserving food<\/a>. And unfortunately for too much of the diaspora, even, it\u2019s become reduced to \u201cthat sad-looking pickle that came with your shawarma.\u201d So let\u2019s take a brief side trip to the south of Lebanon and Bint Jbeil \u2014 exactly the area Israel now threatens with occupation and obliteration. This says everything about what\u2019s at stake, the core of whether we care for one another as humans.<\/p>\n That\u2019s only in Arabic, but we can follow along here with English subtitles.<\/p>\n In Beirut\u2019s community kitchens, though, you might also spot this enormous pot of Nigerian jollof rice \u2014 or Sri Lankan chefs working with Sudanese women to make curry chicken. <\/p>\n So if your friends aren\u2019t into breaks but are into eating, you can send them this story, reported by Jasmin Lilian Diab<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Sonia Caballero Pradas<\/a>. Photo from the article by Sonia Caballero Pradas. And maybe while you\u2019re on the site, you\u2019ll learn to make mansaf<\/a>; that\u2019s great.<\/p>\n Taste as Protest: The Subtle Power of Migrant Kitchens in Lebanon<\/a> [Al Rawiya]<\/p>\n I always felt we should put food and music together more; I\u2019m not clear why we ever broke them up. But crucially, Al Rawiya has tirelessly covered Lebanese and migrant efforts, as well as compiled the largest database of current relief efforts<\/a>.<\/p>\n More action<\/p>\n Music isn\u2019t enough. Relief really isn\u2019t enough. I\u2019m not going to say anything that hasn\u2019t been said or convince anyone who needs convincing (I think I already just scared them away from the site and \u2014 honestly, fine). <\/p>\n For readers who vote in the USA, it\u2019s worth noting that Detroit native, Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib has added new resolutions, even as other Congressional actions have failed. (Rep. Tlaib has, by the way, also been the biggest advocate for supporting musicians<\/a>, alongside the city of Detroit!) From Friday:<\/p>\n Tlaib Introduces Two Resolutions Standing with the People of Lebanon against the U.S.-backed Israeli Invasion<\/a><\/p>\n Common Dreams notes that these efforts could get bipartisan support, so don\u2019t assume your representative\u2019s position.<\/p>\n \u2018We Must Act Now\u2019: Tlaib Introduces Pair of Bills to Block US Support For Israel\u2019s Lebanon Invasion<\/a><\/p>\n For the UK\/Europe, contacting media is a good place to start. See Newscord\u2019s Bias Tracker<\/a> and, here in Germany, de.press.media<\/a>. <\/p>\n And let me just repeat the top fundraising call for this story, if you want to give directly in addition to the compilation(!)<\/p>\n Help forcefully displaced families in Lebanon \u2013 Donorbox<\/a><\/p>\n Previously:<\/p>\n \t Tags: actions<\/a>, activism<\/a>, artists<\/a>, Beirut<\/a>, breakcore<\/a>, breaks<\/a>, Cherry Chills<\/a>, compilations<\/a>, dnb<\/a>, donations<\/a>, experimental<\/a>, food<\/a>, fundraising<\/a>, High Hats Community<\/a>, jungle<\/a>, Lebanon<\/a>, migrants<\/a>, Nigeria<\/a>, relief<\/a>, Sri Lanka<\/a>, Sudan<\/a>, underground<\/a><\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cat-in-a-box-768x1024.jpeg\")
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