Alternative Eurovision Song Contest 27

## Participation map

The **Alternative** **Eurovision Song Contest 27** was the 27th edition of the Alternative Eurovision Song Contest. The contest was held in **Lebanon**, following the country's victory in the 26th edition with the song "Sea in your eyes" by Michele. It was the first time that Lebanon hosted the contest, and second time an arabic country hosted it. Three live shows took place in Forum de Beyrouth, hosted by Dolly Ayash, Sara Abi Kanaan and Lilianne Nemri.

## Location - Beirut, Lebanon

**Lebanon**, officially the **Republic of Lebanon** or the **Lebanese Republic**, is a country in Western Asia. It's located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies to its west across the Mediterranean Sea; its location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has contributed to its rich history and shaped a cultural identity of religious diversity. Lebanon is home to roughly six million people and covers an area of 10,452 square kilometres (4,036 sq mi), making it one of the smallest countries in the world. The official language of the state is Arabic, while French is also formally recognized; the Lebanese dialect of Arabic is used alongside Modern Standard Arabic throughout the country.

**Beirut** is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. As of 2014, Greater Beirut has a population of 2.2 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. Beirut has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years, and was one of Phoenicia's most prominent city states, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. The first historical mention of Beirut is found in the Amarna letters from the New Kingdom of Egypt, which date to the 15th century BC.

## Venue - Forum de Beyrouth

**Forum de Beyrouth,** strategically located at the capital’s major crossroads, within minutes from Beirut International Airport, Port and major hotels, Forum de Beyrouth figures among the largest permanent multipurpose centers in the Middle East and measures up to the key role of economic and cultural exchange Lebanon is regaining. Forum de Beyrouth is the first exhibition area in Lebanon that is specially designed to simultaneously host various events. Forum de Beyrouth features state-of-the-art infrastructure with an optional module adaptation allowing for tailor-made facilities to match the specific requirements of all sorts of events including Concerts, Exhibitions, Weddings, Family Shows, Dinners, Conferences, Studios, Corporate Events, Theaters, Fashion Shows, Sports Events, Educational Events, Social Events, Political Events.

## Format

### Design

Michele, our most recent winner, talks to Lebanon in her winning entry "Sea In Your Eyes". Her main message is supporting her country in its hard times, encouraging it that in the future it will return to its past glory. The theme art this edition is trying to capture this complex experience.

The facet is made up of 2 kinds of abstract shapes. The first are the round, soft, colorful ones that makes the main body of the facet. The second is the hard-edged, not-saturated ones that intertwined between the other shapes. Together they create an overall form that resembles the Lebanese Cedar. This whole combination is meant to represent Lebanon - a country with lots of culture diversity and great treasures, but that also faces a lot of problem throughout it.

But we can also see ourselves in the facet. The round shapes represent the parts of us that we are proud of, that we want to show the world; while the edgy shapes represent the parts we want to improve in ourselves. When they come together, those shapes create the whole cedar, us.

The slogan of the edition is **Homing Instinct** - the ability to find your way to your home, your safe and familiar place. It meant to represent both the cry of michele. for her country, but also our ability (and the wish to have the ability) to always find the way to go to being our true self.

### Presenters

The hosts of the show have been revealed on 10/02/22. Rumors said Lukas Abdul, Lebanese representative from Edition 24, has announced on his official twitter account that he is interested in being one of the hosts, and there is a good chance that will happen. However, this didn't happen, and on Thursday evening we found out that the show will be conducted by Dolly Ayash, Sara Abi Kanaan and Lilianne Nemri.

**Dolly Ayash** caught the attention since the day she appeared as a contestant in Miss Lebanon. Despite having lost the pageant, the public stood by her and believed that she deserved the title. Not only did Miss Lebanon help her introduce herself to the public, but it also helped her launch her career as a TV presenter, starting from MTV Lebanon. Dolly Ayash enjoys both dancing and singing. Even though she does not have any singing experience and has never seriously considered it, she is very excited about hosting AESC. She loves international music and has always dreamed about standing next to her favorite artists, such Michele, Remie Akl, Carizma, Lukas Abdul or Jon Bellion.

**Sara Abi Kaanan** can sing a little and play the piano a little more. But when it comes to acting, Sara Abi Kanaan is distinguished among her peers, especially after her success in many challenging roles that she played with conviction. Sara Abi Kanaan began her acting career at an early age. She was only a young girl when she took up a role in the Bent El Hay series. Then, she started growing up and her roles also started growing in importance and size until she reached the United States, which she recently visited to promote her new movie called A Star in the Desert.

**Liliane Nemri**, the daughter of two actors, was only 7 years old when she first began acting. She took part in television-related work on hundreds of occasions, in addition to acting on stage and through the big screen, especially in the comedy roles she performed. Liliane has had a large experience in performing monologues, which is a role she always played in her own beloved style. Her one-of-a-kind acting led her to become one of the most prominent comedian actors of her time. She also has several experiences as a presenter on both radio and television programs.

## Other Countries

> *Other Stuff: List of all Countries in Alternative Eurovision Song Contest*
>
>

### Active ABU Members

* Cyprus - Due to the sudden and unexpected change of the head of delegation and internal problems, Cyprus announced its withdrawal from the competition. Return in the next edition is possible