The Beirut Banyan

Ronnie Chatah
  • 4.8 (50)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED DAILY

Storytelling and conversations, from Beirut and beyond. Subscribe from your preferred podcast platform. Support us through Paypal or Patreon.

  1. LIVE at Union Marks with Katia Jarjoura, Monika Borgmann & Marwan Hamadeh (Ep.437)

    1D AGO

    LIVE at Union Marks with Katia Jarjoura, Monika Borgmann & Marwan Hamadeh (Ep.437)

    LIVE at Union Marks with Marwan Hamadeh, Katia Jarjoura and Monika Borgmann Part of the REMAINING photo exhibition discussion series for the Lokman Slim Foundation at the Abroyan Factory / Union Marks in Burj Hammoud - on display until March 3, 2026 Marwan Hamadeh is a former minister and member of parliament, and himself a survivor of an attempted assassination on October 1, 2004. Katia Jarjoura is the REMAINING photo exhibition curator. And Monika Borgmann is the president of the Lokman Slim Foundation and cofounder of UMAM Documentation & Research. The discussion centers around the political, social and psychological consequences of assassinations, and the attempt to bridge art with impunity through the REMAINING photo exhibition. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 3:33 How the project started 10:55 Lokman Slim in the narrative 18:03 Marwan Hamadeh, survival & defiance 29:06 ‘Survivor syndrome’ 36:07 Permanent consequence 40:03 Assassinating the Taif Agreement 51:34 Expectation from investigations 56:58 What can be done further 59:02 Hesitation from victims 1:07:58 The future of the exhibition 1:11:32 Q&A 1:11:59 Najat Aoun Saliba intervention 1:13:21 Claire Hawi shares words 1:21:17 Youth & collective memory

    1h 29m
  2. REMAINING with Monika Borgmann, Katia Jarjoura & Edouard Elias

    FEB 7

    REMAINING with Monika Borgmann, Katia Jarjoura & Edouard Elias

    Introducing the Remaining Photo Exhibition - a signature project of the Lokman Slim Foundation, with photography by Edouard Elias and curated by Katia Jarjoura. Through Elias’s photographs, the exhibition documents political assassinations since 2005 and resists the erasure of victims and their loved ones, as well as the traces and sites of violence, from collective memory. The exhibition documents political assassinations since 2005 and resists the erasure of victims and their loved ones, as well as the traces and sites of violence, from collective memory. Over months of work, the project team met with the victims’ families and survivors, photographing their portraits and the objects they entrusted to us. They also returned to the crime scenes where the assassinations took place and whose impact still endures. The exhibition also reflects a period when political killings were used to silence dissent and shape Lebanon’s political landscape. These were not isolated crimes, but a method of control sustained by fear and the absence of accountability. Against this backdrop, Edouard Elias’s photographs hold on to what endures—ever so human and fragile—a reminder that what was taken by force will forever remain. With words by Ronnie Chatah, Monika Borgmann, Katia Jarjoura and Edaourd Elias.

    21 min
  3. The Idle Gentleman with Nadim Shehadi (Ep.436)

    JAN 29

    The Idle Gentleman with Nadim Shehadi (Ep.436)

    An episode discussing the pending gap law, corruption, army spending, rebuilding trust in the banking sector, prospects for Lebanese-Israeli relations and America's diplomatic role at large. With economist and Arab News columnist Nadim Shehadi. Check out Nadim Shehadi's article 'Lebanon is not resilient, it is traumatized': https://www.arabnews.com/node/2144181 and Michael Young's piece 'A Mechanism of Coercion': https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2026/01/a-mechanism-of-coercion The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 4:36 Protecting the criminals 7:08 Diversion from the real issues 9:05 Gap Law 14:43 Minimizing the state 20:30 Defending unpopular figures 22:18 Corruption in Lebanon 24:24 Investigations 30:38 Constant battering 33:10 Army spending & budget 38:10 Key element is trust 42:23 Discussion on Israel 44:29 Michael Young 46:29 “A Mechanism of Coercion” 51:12 Normalization - an internal matter 1:00:25 American positioning 1:06:07 “We’ll just go” 1:13:00 Turning 70

    1h 15m
  4. Iran, U.S., and how they view Lebanon | George Wardini with Ronnie Chatah

    JAN 14

    Iran, U.S., and how they view Lebanon | George Wardini with Ronnie Chatah

    George Wardini sits down with Ronnie Chatah for a special conversation—one shaped by years of friendship and a shared curiosity about politics, both local and global. With Ronnie Chatah’s grasp of international affairs and his sharp reading of Lebanese politics, the discussion asks: What is next for the region? How does the United States view Lebanon and the Middle East? How does Iran view Lebanon—its people, its politics, and its internal balance? George Wardini — Co-founder and Director of Polyblog. Ronnie Chatah — Host of The Beirut Banyan podcast, writer, and political analyst.

    1h 16m
  5. A Year Later with Youmna Gemayel (Ep.435)

    12/08/2025

    A Year Later with Youmna Gemayel (Ep.435)

    An episode discussing the one year anniversary of the Assad regime's fall, the emotions felt in Sassine Square that day, what closure looks like moving ahead and what remains in Lebanon's control With Youmna Gemayel, daughter of Bachir Gemayel. The podcast is only made possible through listener and viewer donations. Please help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut Or donating through our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan Subscribe to our YouTube channel and your preferred audio platform. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter: @thebeirutbanyan And check out our website: www.beirutbanyan.com Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 2:04 Emotions 4:51 Closure 8:23 Spirit of March 14 10:58 A year later 13:23 Out of & in our control 15:55 National unity

    18 min
  6. No shortcut

    12/06/2025

    No shortcut

    Armistice before peace

    2 min
  7. Four Questions

    12/05/2025

    Four Questions

    From an interview discussing the negotiations-mechanism with Israel, conditions for economic recovery, Hezbollah's status today and what hope means in 2025 0:00 Mechanism for negotiations 1:53 Conditions for economic recovery 3:10 Hezbollah today 3:57 Meaning of hope

    5 min
  8. Not-too-distant future

    11/29/2025

    Not-too-distant future

    In light of the Pope's visit and the wider message of peace and hope, these are three scenarios I see playing out in the not-too-distant future for Lebanon.

    5 min
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4.8
out of 5
50 Ratings

About

Storytelling and conversations, from Beirut and beyond. Subscribe from your preferred podcast platform. Support us through Paypal or Patreon.

Information

  • Creator
    Ronnie Chatah
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    500
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Beirut Banyan

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