Lebanon’s centuries-old café culture tradition of way of life is experiencing a frantic revival following two decades of stagnant economies and war. Urban and rural coffeehouses across the country are rediscovering their role as society forums bringing together various segments of society in an atmosphere dominated by debate, creativity, and open discussion.
Lebanese coffeehouses have also traditionally been sites of culture and politics. Beirut’s coffeehouses used to be havens for intellectual debate and cultural production, particularly prior to the war. The role was lost during the Lebanese Civil War and other circumstances but reasserted by a new generation dedicated to reviving and creating this aspect of national culture in recent history.
It is correct that entrepreneurs have come forward to flip the old café on its head and make it an experience area where quality coffee is combined with quality design and locally-sourced materials. Ethically-sourced Lebanese coffee beans form the specialty for most, and it is about building an arena where cultures meet over not just a drink, but over cultural advancement and art appreciation.
These new coffee shops are also a haunt of Lebanon’s creative class. Visual artists, musicians, writers, and performers do show work or have events at these coffee shops. The convergence of cultural programming and coffee shop usage allows networks to form and cross-disciplinary interaction among arts disciplines to occur. The coffee shops have thus become nurseries of creativity development as well as cultural transfer.
Apart from their social purpose, the majority of coffee houses are also civic. They assume civic causes by providing space for fundraisers, campaigns, and educational workshops. These are often locally oriented human rights, environmental justice, and community resilience issues and transform the café into an activist and social movement space at a local scale.
This revival of Lebanese coffee culture is a testament to the civic and resilient nature of Lebanese society. Through the re-discovery of the coffeehouses as part of the daily fabric, society is gathering and allowing for rejuvenation as well as reflection. As office-in-the-go, culture centers, or civic agora for debate, the Lebanese cafes are a manifestation of an increased social need for communication, creativity, and civic renewal.
