HABIBATI AL-MUZHILA

Habibati al Muzhila (eng.: my beautiful lover) refers to Beirut, our city, and to the people around us, the people we love. The concept of her existence is quite simple, which doesn’t make it extraordinary beautiful. It’s about taking and giving – and sometimes more giving, then taking. It’s about taking care of each other and sharing knowledge and experiences. We refuse to use a cause for Habibatis' existence. Because the cause is the most human need, which is a collective search for togetherness and solidarity.

Habibati al Muzhila is authentic, she wants to bring us together – for food, for the love of arts, for being creative and for talking about us, our feelings and our surroundings. She welcomes all kind of humans, but not all kind of behaviors.

We found a beautiful space for her existence – at the ground floor, with it’s own entry, an open kitchen, a big communal room, a teracce and a tiny garden. We hope to open it soon with a first collective dinner – where you all are warmly invited. After this the place will be open from time to time for everyone – to work, to talk and to drink a joint coffee. Additinally, we will organize pottery, filmmaking and painting workshops, movie nights, planting days, talks about emotions and whatever else we want to do and create together.

For all of this, we still need money - to make the project sustainable, pay the rent & buy necessary items like things for the kitchen & ceramics. So, with this call we are asking – once more – for a bit of support.

We truly believe - that out of a space, where we are being, talking and eating together - we can create something beautiful and meaningful together.

We are appreciating every way of support! And would love to see you soon!

Habibati al Muzhila is welcoming you with her loving arms.

support our project in Beirut

حبيبتي المذهلة / Habibati Al-Muzhila / MY WONDERFUL LOVER / MI QUERIDA INIGUALABLE is a creative social, cultural, and culinary attempt to remain human in Beirut. Habibati is the place where we’ve been fighting for kindness. We want people to be together, to sit together, to talk and share around a table. It is a space for food, creation, and love. It is a safe place where all kinds of people are welcome, though not all kinds of behavior. We are a group of creative people in Beirut, Lebanon who believe in food, art, and imagination as a way to radical collective care. This is our way to preserve our political power as humans and citizens. Here we expect people to take and give. We expect them to give more than they take. We are looking for generosity in a city where monstrosity abounds. Beirut is suffocating. Our coast is on the Eastern extreme of a sea for strugglers, and it has been especially tired in the last few years. So, we imagined possibilities in between the cracks, through the culinary richness of Lebanon; through the knowledge of its people, of our parents, of our lovers and loved ones; through the wisdom in and around this Mediterranean land.

WHAT WE’VE DONE

It’s been a year since this journey started. We opened a tiny space in Gemmayze. We’ve hosted dinner-roundtables every Friday as one of our main events; we’ve made homemade pizza and homemade traditional Lebanese food. We’ve also organized some film screenings, a few cuisine workshops, and tiny festivals celebrating friendship and love. We’ve tried to be another form of existence for youth in Beirut through human closeness in one of the most gentrified neighborhoods of the city after the explosion of 2020. Habibati Al-Muzhila has financially relied on ourselves. In every event we ask for support from guests, but the general economical situation of the country makes this hard for most of our people. So this has not been enough.

WHAT WE WANT TO DO

We want Habibati Al-Muzhila to become a self-sustaining project, and we want to work for that while we stay loyal to our human and ethical beliefs. We need your support for a new beginning. We want to find a new place for Habibati Al-Muzhila. We want to build it together, with love and small meaningful ideas. We plan to arrange gatherings around Mediterranean cuisine, organize a supper celebration each week, make our own cooking-related videos (archiving and preserving our history and identity), and participate in the enjoyment of the culinary adventure of those we encounter by paying close attention to the sentiments and memories exchanged at the table. We want to promote the creation of safe spaces, and organize presentations and other events to encourage generosity, acceptance, diversity, and compassion.

With a larger space, we will:

Enjoy the process of making our own pottery and organize ceramic workshops. Construct a tiny theater where original multidisciplinary works can be presented. Create an initial basis for sketching and inspire individuals to get involved in life drawing sessions, which are exceptionally uncommon in Lebanon. Create competing films and filming workshops, to help us promote a more loving image of Lebanon and support the works of our brilliant companions. Science popularization, introducing science to non-scientific groups and individuals. Promote sustainability and pollution combating efforts - we adore our sea.

Hopefully, with improved tools and technologies, we can now push the idea to new heights. Recognizing our limitations, we wish that we may contribute somewhat to the process of developing some culturally intelligent, agreeable, and loving initiatives in our beloved home, Beirut.

Some beautiful humans said :

"Lebanese who speak Portuguese, Brazilians who speak English, or some Italian wearing a keffiyeh (who tries to say a few words in Arabic with little results), you know in advance that you will be happy coming to Habibati Al-Muzhila" - Giuseppe // “In the fall of 2022, I was walking with a friend and came across a small shop. Without expecting much, as rarely does one find the opportunity for surprisingly constructive connection, we entered and asked about the place. There I met Dany and Hassan…then Tuma and Hammoudie…then, then then!” - Philip // “I can never cook without thinking about love or Chahnouz (my mom's nickname)" - Tuma // “Life, love, energy, hunger, and time are involved in the kitchen, in our kitchen" - Hasan // “Creativity is something to be shared. We can take care of others through what we create" - Jimena // “We all seek for togetherness, and have found it here” - Marlene // "Only love in this place" - Bea // “The feasts of the good ones last, and the world turns and turns" - Ibrahim //

"In light of the current situation in the country, we are in need, more than ever, for those spaces that bring us together and allow art, poetry, philosophy, and life to flourish. Habibati Al-Muzhila is an individual initiative to create spaces. Thank you guys and comrades for your great work.” - Ramzi