NAYA | Joumana Haddad: Taboo-busting journalist, book author, show host, candidate and mom

BEIRUT: A feminist, activist, international best-selling author, and one of the secular and independent candidates in the 2018 Lebanese Parliamentary elections, Joumana Haddad sure has a lot on her plate.

With her new book, “The Seamstress’s Daughter,” slated for release this coming fall, and her new show on Al Hurra TV that will be launched in October, Haddad seems to always be on the go.

“I wake up every day with so much passion, energy, and love for what I do that I really think I can move mountains,” she told Annahar.

Her forthcoming book is her first novel after numerous poetry collections, essays and other literary genres. It’s written in English and has been translated to Arabic, and it will also be published soon in French and Spanish as well.

The novel is inspired by her maternal grandmother, who was a survivor of the Armenian genocide, and it revolves around the lives of four successive generations of women in the Middle East who, between 1915 and 2015, lived through the Armenian genocide, the Israeli war on Palestine, the Lebanese civil war, and the Syrian war.

As for her upcoming TV show, it’s about freedom of expression in the Arab world. “It’s pretty much a reflection of all the human values I defend and stand for, mainly our right to be free. Censorship is an insult to our dignity and intelligence,” Haddad said.

She’s also waiting for the results of her appeal at the Constitutional Court contesting the results of the elections.

But Haddad is especially excited about officiating in a few days the wedding of a couple who didn’t want a religious marriage but wanted a ceremony. “They had a civil marriage in Cyprus, and I’ll be performing a secular ritual for them here, in the presence of their family and friends, where I get to be the one who marries them," she said.

Haddad stressed the importance of civil marriage, as she thinks it’s one of the steps that are “key for Lebanon to become a real and inclusive country.”

Haddad has always been criticized for her controversial writing, and loud-spoken opinions on sexism, racism, confessionalism and discrimination in Lebanon.

“There’s a lot of hate against me, but there’s also a lot of love and support for me,” she said. “I simply choose to focus on the positive, and guess what? It’s amazing.”

Her passion for the things she believes in motivates her, and “it shows in the way I write and speak”, she said.

Growing up in war-torn Beirut in the 70s and 80s, Haddad has always found that dreaming and planning for the future is the best support to survive the tough days.

“Even if the present is completely dark and calling for desperation, dreaming big, planning well, and educating yourself will ultimately give you a better tomorrow.”

She gives great credit to reading books as a child and an adolescent and advises young girls to stay curious and thirsty for knowledge.

“It’s about keeping curiosity alive and not surrendering to the bad situations around us, because we’ve all been there; we’re only human after all,” she told Annahar.

As a mother of two sons, 26 and 19, Haddad noted that it hasn’t always been easy raising children while learning and working at the same time.

“My kids grew up with a very busy and ambitious mother, and I believe it’s been a good example for them, to know that women are entitled to have careers and achieve a lot,” she said.

To her own mother, Haddad represents a “vengeance on a tough life.” “Both my parents come from modest families, so they struggled to send me and my brother to a private school to give us a good education,” she said.

This is why public schooling was on top of her agenda when she was running for the elections. “It’s so unfair that education should be conditioned by how much money your parents have.”

“People always ask me why I’m so angry all the time, but how can I not be?” she asked. “Until this stops being a discriminative, classist, sexist state, I’m going to stay angry, because I care,” she said. “I can’t be indifferent.”

Haddad insists that a person really has to love Lebanon in order to resist the urge of leaving or simply becoming indifferent.

“If you don’t love this place you can’t handle it, but you need to know that it’s your absolute right as a Lebanese to live here, and to live here with dignity,” she said. “However, change doesn’t happen on its own. You need to go out there and claim it.”

She advises young people to find something they’re really passionate about, like a cause that moves them, and work for it.

“It’s impossible to fix the corrupt system all at once, but let each and every one of us pick a battle and stay committed to it, even if winning seems impossible now. Ultimately, the unjust system will surrender and the change will happen. Just let us dare to believe that it will,” she told Annahar.

------

Welcome to “Naya,” the newest addition to Annahar’s coverage. This section aims at fortifying Lebanese women’s voices by highlighting their talents, challenges, innovations, and women’s empowerment. We will also be reporting on the world of work, family, style, health, and culture. Naya is devoted to women of all generations — Naya Editor, Sally Farhat: Sally.farhat17@gmail.com

Naya on Social Media:

Twitter: @BeirutNaya

Instagram: @NayaBeirut