BEIRUT — “Beirut is a very important place, not only for artists from Syria but artists from the region who see [it] as a platform to meet and to create,” Abdullah al-Kafri, executive director of Ettijahat, an organization that seeks to promote Syrian civil society and culture, told Al-Monitor. "It is not just about having no other place, it is about the spirit of the city and how to benefit from that.”

"Moussem Cities: Damascus starts in Beirut," a multi-disciplinary cultural event held at Station Beirut on Jan. 14-15, showcased musicians, actors and performance artists from Syria in the Lebanese capital. The event was run by Lebanon-based Ettijahat and the Moussem Nomadic Arts Center, a Belgian nongovernmental organization covering art and globalization, and sought not only to strengthen the bonds between Beirut and Damascus, but also highlight the artistic interconnection of the two cities.

With a little over 100 kilometers (62 miles) between the Syrian and Lebanese capitals, the two countries are intertwined. While this often conjures up images of Syria’s occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005, political assassinations and Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian civil war, there is also a strong and often overlooked artistic link.

Kafri explained, “Historically there was a strong connection between Beirut and Damascus, with [the former perceived] as a capital of creativity. In the [1990s and early 2000s] many Syrians came to perform in Beirut. Most of the publishing used to come from Beirut to Syria as well."