Beirut, Jul 8 The imposing Roman ruins of Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon, will once again host one of the oldest music festivals in the Middle East, an expected return after three years without an audience due to the coronavirus pandemic that will feature flamenco notes in the poster.
Due to covid-19 restrictions, the last two editions of the iconic Baalbek International Festival could only be enjoyed online, where its live broadcast garnered an all-time record of 17 million viewers, according to event organizers.
The festival, founded in 1956, will resume its concerts tonight in situ in the UNESCO heritage complex by the Lebanese artist Soumaya Baalbaki, who will delight attendees with a tribute to the great singers of the Mediterranean country.
For four nights spread between today and the next day 17, indie sounds, piano compositions accompanied by Sufi dance and even flamenco notes by the Spanish guitarist José Quevedo “Bolita” will reverberate in the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter.
With this, the festival will once again rise from its ashes, as it did after having to be canceled for years, postponed or relocated to other places during the civil war waged in the country between 1975 and 1990, the conflict with Israel in 2006 or instability from the battles in neighboring Syria in 2013 and 2014.
Throughout its more than six decades of history, the Baalbek International Festival claims to have served as a springboard for artists of the stature of Fairouz, the great diva of Lebanese song, and to have helped promote the cultural and tourist value of the nation of cedars
In 2022, the country needs more than ever a boost for these sectors, in the midst of the serious economic crisis it has been suffering for almost three years, with almost 80% of the population submerged in poverty and constant shortages of basic products such as fuel. and electricity.
The Lebanese authorities have announced with much fanfare in recent weeks that they expect the arrival of a large number of tourists and members of the diaspora this summer, after the last tourist season passed uneventfully due to the effects of the pandemic. and economic depression.
UNESCO considers the temple complex of Baalbek, an ancient Phoenician city that still retains traces of that time, as “one of the most famous sanctuaries in the Roman world”, a civilization under which the town reached its apogee. EFE
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