Barely a wall in Beirut is untouched. From murals to political messages to advertisements, the walls are serving as a place for public dialogue and political debate.Whether it's a message against the Turkish annexation of Western Armenia, or denouncing rape, or protesting the war in Syria, these days it seems everyone has something to say."No to the extension" says one message, referring the Lebanese Parliament's recent decision to extend its term for another 17 months.Below it, a continuation: "not even one day.Graffiti allow people to voice their frustration according to graffiti artist Yazen Halwani, 20.He is having the first-ever solo show for a graffiti artist, entitled 'Joumhouriat el Mouz', which means 'Banana Republic'."A banana republic is a system where you have very few people governing the country and it's corrupt and this is exactly an illustration of Lebanon," he explained.Graffiti artists -- both amateur and professional -- have written about the war in neighboring Syria.But many messages -- both for and against the regime -- have been removed or crossed out. Halwani says that inspires graffiti artists to get more creative."The most important thing is that the political views should not be blunt, should not be childish, and especially should not be very aggressive," Halwani said.Graffiti were not always so nuanced. Public space in Lebanon used to be occupied by inscriptions and stencils related to war and sectarian politics, explained Tania Helou, who has studied civil war graffiti.
