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Lebanese art program empowers Tripoli girls

The girls at a Catholic school in Tripoli are gaining confidence through the Cross Arts program to express themselves with graffiti and other forms of art.
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TRIPOLI, Lebanon — Near Sainte Famille, a French Catholic school, a wall stands covered with bubbly bright graffiti painted by a group of young high school girls trying to bring awareness to and make a difference in their community by expressing themselves through a positive outlet. The girls are taking part in a program called Cross Arts, which promotes street art through musical expression and graffiti. The program helps students develop their own projects and works with local schools in Tripoli to provide workshops to help young people develop skills based on their personal interests.

Al-Monitor visited the girls at Sainte Famille and asked them to talk about their projects. Tala Haffar, the girls’ group leader, said, “An art teacher came to me, and she said that since I had the best drawing, I would be participating in a project to cover the wall.” The project began May 15, during the Iberoamerica Festival, which featured activities promoting cultural education about the Americas in addition to beautifying the city's streets.

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