Lokman Slim

From the Fikra Forum profile:
 * Lokman Slim was born in Beirut in 1962. He moved to France in 1982 to study philosophy at the Sorbonne and returned to Beirut in 1988. Two years later, he founded Dar al Jadeed publishing house, which publishes Arabic literature and essays of controversial content. Its publications range from books banned by the Lebanese General Security to the first Arabic translations of the writings of Muhammad Khatami, the former Iranian reformist president, which generated controversy within the Shia community in Lebanon. In 2001, he widened his scope of intervention to include film, with the establishment of Umam Productions, which has produced several films, including Massaker. This film was co-directed by Lokman and won the Fipresci Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2004, Lokman co-founded Umam Documentation and Research (D&R), a nonprofit organization devoted to creating an open archive of materials concerning Lebanon's social and political history, as well as organizing film screenings, art exhibitions, and discussions relating to civil violence and war memory. Umam D&R is based in Beirut's southern suburb, the Hezbollah stronghold of Haret Hreik, where it acts as a counter to Hezbollah’s cultural monopoly and extremism. Lokman's most recent endeavor is Hayya Bina, an initiative which began its activities during the 2005 Lebanese parliamentary elections to promote citizen involvement in the political process. Hayya Bina now implements projects nationwide, continuing its mission to offer a platform for independent voices committed to resisting a culture of fear and intolerance. Several of Lokman’s articles, essays, and translations have been published in English, French, and Arabic newspapers and books.

Affiliations

 * Fikra Forum – Contributor
 * Hayya Bina – director