BEIRUT - During a press conference held at the Ecole Supérieure des Affaires (ESA) on Wednesday 10 September, Mr. Roger Ourset, Dean and Director General of ESA, announced to the Lebanese Press "LESARTS en Liberté". Organized by ESA, these cultural gatherings are scheduled between Thursday 9 and Saturday 25 October 2008.

Since its creation, ESA has been highly involved in the promotion of art and culture in Lebanon. This commitment conveys, according to Mr. Ourset, an institutional philosophy and a business culture. In fact, ESA aims, through its various initiatives in the artistic field, to work on the individual perception and to make people think about the importance of both the intellectual and cultural aspects in the community life.

"LESARTS en Liberté" will last for 15 days, as of Thursday 9 till Saturday 25 October 2008, in the setting of ESA campus in Clemenceau Street. "LESARTS en Liberté" proposes to the Lebanese public interested in art and culture, a select program including poetry, music, painting, opera, and photography. An array of events that link, according to Mr. Ourset, Lebanon to France, and highlight the remarkable cultural proximity of these two countries.

From Thursday 9 till Friday 17 October 2008: Exhibition of photography, Paris-Beirut; Beirut – Paris, by the artist Saër Karam. This exhibition will take place in the gardens of ESA and will be open to the public on the opening day (i.e. 9 October, at 6.00 p.m.), on Friday 10 October from 4.00 p.m. till 9.00 p.m, on Saturday 11 October from 11.00 a.m. till 6.00 p.m. and on Monday 13, Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15, Thursday 16 and Friday 17 October from 4.00 p.m. till 9.00 p.m. The exhibition will include a selection of recent photos of Beirut and Paris, revealing the analogy and sometimes the differences between the two capitals always intensely fusional, yet, both distant and close at a time.

Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 October 2008: An Opera Film Festival, sponsored by Air France, will take place in the gardens of ESA and will witness the screening of three classical masterpieces in the exceptional park ambiance of the campus: "Don Giovanni" of Mozart, directed by Joseph Losey on Tuesday 14 October at 8.00 p.m.; "Carmen" of Georges Bizet, directed by Francesco Rosi on Wednesday 15 October 2008 at 8.00 p.m. and "Otello" of Verdi, directed by Francesco Zeferelli on Thursday 16 October 2008 at 8.00 p.m. Each of these evenings will be closed by a draw on a travel ticket to a European destination offered by Air France.

From Monday 20 till Saturday 25 October 2008: Bank Med Paintings exhibition that will publicly display for the first time, paintings of Mr. Charles Belle and Mr. Paul Guirgarossian, part of the bank's rich patrimony of master pieces. The exhibition will take place at the Villa Rose on the ESA campus and will be open to the public on the opening day, i.e. on Monday 20 October from 6.00 p.m. till 9.00 p.m., on Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22, Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October 2008 from 4.00 p.m. till 9.00 p.m. and on Saturday 25 October 2008 from 11.00 a.m. till 6.00 p.m.

Tuesday 21 October 2008 at 7.00 p.m: A poetry evening with musical accompaniment, organized in partnership with the Bureau du Livre of the French Cultural Mission - French Embassy in Lebanon. The event will take place in the gardens of the Villa Rose at the ESA campus. The Lebanese poet Abbas Beydoun will recite during this evening some of his best poetries, accompanied by musical pieces played by the duo, Mr. Jan Schaaper on the clarinet and Sybille Schaaper on the flute. The French poet Serge Pey will present as well a piece of poetry accompanied by Chiara Mulas, outstanding video director and performer.

Saturday 25 October 2008 at 8.00 p.m.: "LESARTS en liberté" will be closed by a piano concert for the pianist Pierre Doueihi, in the charming atmosphere of the Villa Rose at ESA.

After going through the different events, Mr. Ourset noted that "LESARTS en Liberté", which will take place for the first time in 2008, is intended to become a yearly event. According to him, this festival complements the cultural mission that the Ecole Supérieure des Affaires committed itself to from its beginnings. Through this festival, ESA addresses a sign of support and encouragement to the cultural and artistic circles in Lebanon and the region, in order to keep Beirut a polyvalent hub of creation and publishing, and a symbol of liberty and diversity.

Mr. Ourset concluded his meeting with the Press by inviting the Lebanese people interested in arts and culture to take part in this festival, noting that the event is for free and open to the public. He then extended a thank you note to the sponsoring institutions and companies for their support in the organization of this festival, namely BankMed, main sponsor of this festival, as well as the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, the Bureau du Livre at the French Embassy in Beirut, the Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France (CCEF) (Foreign Commerce Advisors of France) - Lebanon Section, Medgulf, Air France, Optimédia, Fawaz Holding and Al Rifai.

For more information:
01-373 373,
lesarts@esa.edu.lb
or www.esa.edu.lb/LESARTS