Beirut Luna Park

Mashallah news is a collective of journalists, bloggers and graphic designers, born at the end of the long and hot summer of 2010 in Beirut, the funky and decadent capital of Lebanon. The group is composed of individuals from all over the Mediterranean sea and beyond, who are sick of of cultural propaganda, bribes, scape-goats, Lawrence of Arabia, CNN, ill-informed foreign correspondents, camels, Samuel Huntington, pollution, palm trees and flying carpets.

Their aim? Spreading a new outlook on countries from Morocco to Iran, everywhere the word Mashallah is used, thanks to a team of correspondents reporting from major cities in the region.

They are interested in pretty much anything, from underground cultural scenes, social taboos, multilingualism, identity crises, organic wine, urban planning, body painting, humor, art and going beyond mental, to cultural and national frontiers.

They believe in describing cultural change, social issues and the unexpected, rather than repeating stereotypes and simpleminded images.

In sum? A multilingual platform because to reach English, French and Arabic speaking audiences.

You need to check it out! These guys have something to say!

Featured video: Beirut Luna Park (2007) tells the story of the oldest amusement park in the Lebanese capital that has survived civil war, economic downfall and recently even a bomb attack.

The film is part of the Dreamcities project, a long term project of photographer Anoek Steketee and the two journalists of the journalistic collective Prospektor.

Dreamcities portrays extraordinary amusement parks around the world. Magical places that stand out because of their remarkable history, unexpected location or surprising clientele. Amusement parks can be
found all over the world, even in countries dealing with chaos, war, the past, identity politics or poverty.

Sometimes the everyday reality on the other site of the gate is in stark contrast to the dream world created by the amusement park. In this environment, which is as pleasant as it is surreal, people are portrayed
who, for one day, escape everyday reality.