Yes, time flies, even if three decades is a long time in someone’s life.
Bambi has always thought that any extra year beyond civil war was a gift of life. She would happily enjoy it and be grateful for it. Imagine 32 years beyond this unforgettable June 17, 1990 (as described in a post from last year shown below).
How can Bambi not be grateful, especially for a life enriched by meeting wonderful people in three different provinces of our beautiful country?
Is our country still the same as Bambi discovered it upon her arrival? Of course not. It is not even similar to what it was 10, five, or even just 2-3 years ago.
Is Canada still worth loving and celebrating, despite our collectively insane times? Of course, always!
Today’s post will be brief. It will end with a few songs to highlight this important day for Bambi, her family, and her dear friend Carla. Their friendship began on a KLM flight. Together they discovered their beloved Québec. They did crazy things in their youth like taking belly dance lessons and returning to their neighborhood dancing on a bridge, ignoring cars that passed by them :). Happy June 17 to you too Carla ❤️!
There are so many songs and music for Leila, including Mr. Eric Clapton’s Layla.
As a tiny virtual surprise, without any particular reason, Bambi would like to dedicate this post to honour her dear friend Leila.
In addition to being so talented and beautiful (in her soul, look, and voice), Leila has a contagious big heart and an inspiring sharp mind. Her adorable spouse, daughters/their own families, and relatives are also a blessing in Bambi’s life.
Despite being a busy lady, from time to time, Leila kindly posts thoughtful comments enriching Bambi’s blog.
Thank you for being “you”, Leila. We ALL love you: Yes, much love across the miles from Bambi, her spouse, sisters and especially from her parents with whom you have been a close friend over many beautiful years in Beirut!
This being said, now is the time for “your” music :). Bambi hopes you will enjoy the following very famous songs in French, Arabic, and English. They are all are meant for a “Leila” ❤️.
To conclude this post, and if she may, Bambi will also dedicate Leila’s second Arabic melody to her childhood friend Selim who, like her, loves this superb Standard Arabic song, which translates into English as follows: “The night, oh Layla, reproaches me and it tells me to give you my regards, Layla the loves wind/breezes is not sweet unless it (the wind/breeze) sings for Layla the alleyways are asking me has Layla travelled far away? And the tenderness of affection is carrying me towards your eyes, Oh Layla for your sake the moon rises shy and full of timidity and how sweet to him travelling becomes in the splendor of your eyes, Oh Layla for us, the days smile without any whispers or any regret and what good is it to regret? When regret is the companion of the soul, Oh Layla” (taken from: https://lyricstranslate.com).
In Lebanon, a world’s famous animation will not be screened because of a lesbian kiss. Thanks to journalist Roula Douglas for her thoughtful words that translate into English as follows: “They do not have any problem with scenes of rape, torture, mutilation, and of war… but a kiss between two consenting people of the same sex is a categorical NO“.
What is the message being given here? There is no same-sex love in the Muslim community? Only in other communities? Does that make any sense? Today, it is a poster, or an animation, pulled under pressure. Tomorrow, what? Pushed to the extreme of the extreme, it can be human beings that would be pushed or hanged, as it happens sadly in some Islamic countries of our world (do you research and read about it, if you do not believe Bambi).
To conclude this post on musical note, Mr. Enrico Macias’s wonderful song on tolerance naturally comes to Bambi’s mind. Below you can find an English translation of it by Bambi (from an older post) followed by the song interpreted by a certain talented Mr. Pascal Leyman.
First, here are the lyrics in English, followed by the original French:
“Tolerance is
proof of love and intelligence
Tolerance is
respect for life in all countries
Tolerance is
to have a lot of indulgence for your neighbour
Open your
heart instead of clenching your fists
For no
reason for nothing
All forgiven
for the tears
Of a child
or of a woman
We are never
loved
By fear or
by severity
Understanding
the ideas of others
Without
wanting to impose our own
It is in
this world a virtue
That we lost
Tolerance is reasoning about the passions of difference
Tolerance means recognizing to everyone their divine rights
Tolerance is the last chance for today’s humans
If they don’t want to no longer live in freedom
in a few years
Despite the many disagreements that still exist between us
Everything can be discussed if we know how to forgive first
Whatever the naysayers of all stripes can write
Mourning the future, I still refuse
Tolerance will eventually win out over backbiting
And on that day, on earth
There won’t be happier than me”
Original French lyrics of Mr. Macias’ song:
« La tolérance, c’est une preuve d’amour et d’intelligence
La tolérance, c’est le respect de la vie dans tous les pays
La tolérance, c’est d’avoir pour son prochain beaucoup d’indulgence
Ouvrir son cœur au lieu de fermer les poings
Sans raison pour rien
Tout excusé devant les larmes
D’un enfant ou bien d’une femme
On est jamais aimé
Par crainte ou par sévérité
Comprendre les idées des autres
Sans vouloir imposer les nôtres
C’est dans ce monde une vertu
Que nous avons perdue
La tolérance, c’est raisonner les passions de la différence
La tolérance, c’est reconnaitre à chacun tous ses droits divins
La tolérance, c’est pour les hommes d’aujourd’hui la dernière chance
S’ils ne veulent pas ne plus vivre en liberté
dans quelques années
Malgré les nombreux désaccords qui entre nous existent encore
Tout peut se discuter si l’on sait pardonner d’abord
Qu’importe ce que peuvent écrire les défaitistes de tous bords
Porter le deuil de l’avenir, je m’y refuse encore
La tolérance finira par l’emporter sur la médisance
Et ce jour là, sur terre
Il n’y aura pas plus heureux que moi»
This post aims to share a song that came to Bambi’s mind at the end of this long day.
Who knows? You may already know this 1973 French melody. You may or may not like it. As far as Bambi is concerned, she loves it. If you wish, you can listen to it, thanks to the Youtube video below with English sub-titles.
Thank you, Mr. Michel Sardou, for your beautiful song entitled “La maladie d’amour” [Love sickness]!
Should the UQAR apologize to the general public for having been yet another Canadian university attacking academic freedom? Today it is the turn of Dr. Bastien. Tomorrow whom? And the day after tomorrow whom?
Isn’t enough enough, Canada? Indeed, it is about time to start re-committing to the principle of freedom, as a value or a principle. Bambi means by this a respect for the freedom of expression for ALL and respect of the rights of ALL. It is only when we return to principles for the sake of principles that our rights will be truly protected and respected. This means respect of freedom (i.e., Academic-Freedom-Freedom of expression) for ALL of us, not just the most powerful people, regardless of whom they are, at a particular time in history. In other terms, when one of us is under attack, we are all at risk of being under attack in the future. Make no mistake, it can happen to you too. it is just a question of time.
All this being said, Bambi sends her FULL solidarity to Dr. Bastien who filed a complained to the Commission des droits de la personne. Good for him! Bravo also to the CEGEP of Rimouski for welcoming him on its campus to give his talk!
On a more personal note, too bad Bambi is busy now, she would have gladly driven all the way to Rimouski to listen to this outstanding historian, lecturer, and journalist. She enjoys reading him and learning from him. It is her hope that younger Canadian generations will learn how to learn from all conferences and historical or scientific point of views. It is surely not by censoring our intellectuals that our universities will teach them how to build their critical sense and widen their horizons.
To conclude this post on a musical note, two songs come to Bambi’s mind. Both are on the value of freedom, thanks to Mr. Georges Moustaki (Ma Liberté sub-titled in English) and Ms. Nana Mouskouri’s song for liberty.
To come back to Ms. Tamara Tayah, when she was just 11 years old (less than two years ago), she lost her mother to the surrealistic Beirut port explosion. Back then, Mr. Macron gave her a big comforting hug during his trip to Lebanon. To thank him and honour the memory of her mother, she offered him a handmade jewellery by her. Bambi had an older post on this moving story (post shown further below). As a reminder, the French President reached out to the devastated residents of Beirut, after the surrealistic blast, before any Lebanese politician; none of them went to to comfort their “own” people.
Today, Mr. Macron expressed his heartfelt condolences to Tamara by writing the following on social media (Meta, formerly Facebook), as reported by l’Orient Le Jour: “If I got involved, if I remained mobilized for Lebanon and that I remain fully mobilized today, it is for Tamara and the hope that she embodies, that of Lebanese youth“… “On September 1, 2020 in Beirut, I heard many moving testimonies. There is one that particularly touched me, it is that of little Tamara”… “In an accident in Italy, Tamara lost her dad. I want to tell her that I share her pain and that my thoughts are with her in this terrible ordeal. More than ever with all my heart with her”.
Thank you Mr. Macron for your humanity and care for Tamara. If she may, Bambi would like to join the French President in sending her heart to you Tamara (without having had the chance to hug you in life). She does not have any meaningful word in neither Arabic nor French. Just a song-prayer for your dad through the moving (French) words and beautiful voice of Mr. Nicola Ciccone. It is entitled “Oh toi mon père“. Bless your grieving heart… You take good care Tamara, please.
Fairouz’ “Ya Ana Ya Ana” in Arabic (its original music is Mozart’s Symphony #40) and Aznavour’s “Emmenez-moi” (subtitled in English) are two beautiful songs, which are taking Bambi far away in her mind right now… ahead of the weekend.
Enjoy the end of your week, whatever you will be doing or wherever you will be :)!
Many NB families have opened their own houses, in addition to their hearts, to host our newcomers until they find long-term housing. If this is not generosity, what it is then?
This gesture is not surprising for Bambi who has witnessed the generosity of her fellow citizens when Syrian newcomers arrived to Canada a few years ago.
This being said, this brief post will conclude with two songs by Mr. Enrico Macias: Of course, his famous “J’ai quitté mon pays” [I left my homeland] and “Les gens du Nord” [People of the North]. The first song, sub-titled in English, is about the sadness of being torn away from our birth country. The second song is full of tenderness. It is about the kindness and generosity of the people of our host country. It is precisely this generosity that makes the whole difference for migrants despite the challenges inherent in their adaptation process.
She does not know about you, but Bambi is always moved to hear Mr. Macias’ beautiful words that go like this: “ People of the North always open their doors to those who have suffered. People of the North don’t forget they’ve been through hell. If their houses are lined up, it is for the sake of equality. And the peniches, poor or rich, bear the fruit of their efforts.“
To the Ukrainian newcomers, Bambi will now allow herself to say: Welcome to New Brunswick/Atlantic Canada. May peace know how to find its way back to your birth country. Along with the kindness of NB people, may your own peace of mind be your best friend throughout your good and bad days.
Bambi discovered a wonderful singer yesterday evening while working. Thanks again to her Lebanese-American radio station from LA 🙂 . She now learned that Ms. Yasmina Joumblatt, singer and songwriter, is the “great-granddaughter of the legendary 1930s diva Asmahan” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmahan). Wow!
Anyhow, her voice is SO beautiful…
Her message is moving (in French, with a sentence in Arabic, sub-titled in English).
Bambi does not know much about the history or story behind this latest development. She just knows that the people of her birth country have suffered from domestic political paralysis for a LONG time. Her questions today are neither about the “(still) official enemy” of Lebanon, Israel, nor about Lebanon or even the Hezbollah. Her questions are about how the fate of a tiny supposedly sovereign country is decided, far away, in another country: What does sovereignty mean? Does the international community care about Lebanon’s sovereignty, like it cares or would care for other conflicts? Is this story strictly about gas or could it be related to the larger problem in the area about the nuclear ambitions of Iran? Or is just raising the latter question a form of a “conspiracy theory” by Bambi, as they say, she wonders now?
Anyhow, regardless of any question, what matters the most is to ALWAYS allow diplomatic channels of communication, even through a third party, to have the last word. Only a good communication, ideally along with good faith by all (as much as realistically possible), can solve imminent problems and prevent long-term armed conflicts in our world. In the end, we have no choice but to return to the negotiation table to solve the world’s problems, even when they last for 15 years like the Lebanese civil war (1975-1990). Last but not least, it is Bambi’s hope that Lebanon will not be used as a battleground for (any failed?) US Middle Eastern policy.
To conclude this post on a light musical note, and if she may with all due respect, Bambi would like to offer this kids’ song entitled “I am a good listener” to the US mediator, Mr. Amos Hochstein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Hochstein), if he will re-visit Lebanon soon. Best wishes!
