Sunday, 10 August 2014

Onomatopoeia, when you first read this you think HA?



I stumbled across this name over Facebook on one of my ‘I have nothing better to do other than scroll over Facebook updates’ time. It took me a while to actually pronounce that right! So I visited the page to check it out. Is it a coffee shop?  An event name?  Library? It does sound sophisticated!


In short, yea it was a headache to know that it’s actually a concept space, first of its kind in the region, with music emphasis, serving as a hub for diverse cultural activities, in other words, it’s a small music school.

‘Onomatopoeia’ is a word that finds its origin in the Greek language, and imitates or suggests the source of the sound it describes. You know when you read comic books and you see that huge splash of a bubble that says BOOM when there’s an explosion? Or PAW when someone hits another? Yeah, THAT’S ONOMATOPOEIA!!!
Genius no?

A music school named upon the origin of written sound! That really got my attention. It’s Brilliant! So I took a decision to visit that place which is located in Siofi Achrafieh. I went on a sunny winter day with one of my fella music lovers.

 The moment I entered the place I fell in love with it. The decoration is all based on hand made furniture, and in the weirdest ways! I mean the tables are actually made out of wooden apple boxes nailed together to make a perfect cozy room table, the couches are vintage with wooden vintage chairs, posters are actually original posters to movies from the 60s and my utterly most favorite is the ceiling lamp; it’s that same lamp u see at a dentist BUT it’s as old as the Lebanese war.

The hosts there were delightful; they showed us around the place, its cozy, made of a small coffee shop that serves homemade items, a studio for small bands to practice, a learning space where the teaching happens and a small library.

I, being a huge fan to good music but I lack the talent, decided to sit down with my friend enjoy a homemade soup and a good book while listening to their amazingly chosen music to the most legendary bands in history. I WAS IN HEAVEN, such an awesome place to chill. 

The cherry on top of the cake was when one of the guys sitting around the area started playing his guitar, he was so talented I couldn’t stop staring at how he’s playing, then a very random girl came across the room who knew the tones of the song being played and started singing, soon enough everyone around the room who knew this song participated in the song creating the most random talented jam ever. It was so amazing seeing those people bond over the love of music, and what made it perfect is the whole atmosphere.

This place is more than just a music school, it’s a place for people to meet, where nothing else matters, not your background, nor your religion, nor where do u come from. You can go and isolate yourself from a world full of hate and bond over the love of music, the love that spreads peace and joy among others.

 A real place to flourish and maintain inner peace, it allows you to bring the best in you. Seeing the smiles of people from different backgrounds in a moment like that brought hope back to my eyes that after all, Lebanon still holds the talent, that might be the only hope left that bonds people, that overlooks hate and anger and focuses on moments that would save a whole society.

By: Farah Antar

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