WTF
Video: Complete Blackout At Beirut National Museum
A video of the dark halls of Lebanon’s National Museum has been shared on Twitter. The video, shared by Mariela Rubio and captioned in Spanish, shows visitors using their mobile phones to navigate and illuminate the museum’s fixtures. It received relatively high engagement on Twitter as watchers were caught by the surreal scenes.
This comes during a period of increased electricity outages in the country. The state electricity service, provided through Electricite du Liban (EDL), has notoriously been inconsistent since the end of the Civil War, with blackouts a regular occurrence for residents. However, electricity conditions have worsened since Lebanon entered one of its most severe economic crises in 2019, forcing most people to be completely reliant on exorbitantly priced private generator electricity.
The video of Lebanon’s National Museum engulfed in darkness is a symbolic reminder of how conditions in the country have affected cultural and social life.
Last week, the Lebanese government was ridiculed on social media for asking residents next to the collapsing Beirut grain silos to keep their windows shut and air conditioners on. Sparse state electricity coverage, less than 2 hours a day in most areas, meant that those guidelines were impossible to implement.
Fuel deals with Iraq, and with Egypt have been touted as potential saviors of the nation’s electricity grid. However, so far, Lebanon remains in the same blackout state.
If anyone would like to admire the marvels of ancient Egypt and the artifacts of old Lebanon in the same conditions they were made, a trip to the National Museum right now is the right choice for you. You can get your own Night at the Museum experience at the heart of Beirut. Maybe the mummies you meet there will have important wisdom to share about how to deal with the mummies currently ruling the country.
El Museo Nacional de Beirut completamente a oscuras por la enorme crisis energética que asola el país. Los visitantes tienen que hacer la visita con linternas. Piezas de incalculable valor arqueológico en absoluta oscuridad (Hilo) pic.twitter.com/buG5IrMVlt
— Mariela Rubio (@marielarubio) August 9, 2022
This comes during a period of increased electricity outages in the country. The state electricity service, provided through Electricite du Liban (EDL), has notoriously been inconsistent since the end of the Civil War, with blackouts a regular occurrence for residents. However, electricity conditions have worsened since Lebanon entered one of its most severe economic crises in 2019, forcing most people to be completely reliant on exorbitantly priced private generator electricity.
The video of Lebanon’s National Museum engulfed in darkness is a symbolic reminder of how conditions in the country have affected cultural and social life.
Aquí van algunas imágenes más pic.twitter.com/xLHiQpNR5C
— Mariela Rubio (@marielarubio) August 9, 2022
Last week, the Lebanese government was ridiculed on social media for asking residents next to the collapsing Beirut grain silos to keep their windows shut and air conditioners on. Sparse state electricity coverage, less than 2 hours a day in most areas, meant that those guidelines were impossible to implement.
Fuel deals with Iraq, and with Egypt have been touted as potential saviors of the nation’s electricity grid. However, so far, Lebanon remains in the same blackout state.
If anyone would like to admire the marvels of ancient Egypt and the artifacts of old Lebanon in the same conditions they were made, a trip to the National Museum right now is the right choice for you. You can get your own Night at the Museum experience at the heart of Beirut. Maybe the mummies you meet there will have important wisdom to share about how to deal with the mummies currently ruling the country.