In the latest edition of I-Talk, euronews’ programme where you ask the questions, the guest is Alain Tasso, the Franco-Lebanese painter and poet who is also Professor of Art at St Joseph University in Beirut. He spoke with Alex Taylor.

The first public question came from Maarten in Belgium.

Maarten: “My question is after the Arab spring do you think there will democratic change in the region?”

Alex Taylor: “It’s a vast question. Is democracy on the horizon? Can democracy take root in Arab societies?”

Alain Tasso: “What I’m afraid of in today’s world is that we are heading more towards oligarchies that will clash with the masses, in other words the middle classes and the poor. That’s what worries me the most.”

Alex Taylor: “Are we not a little condescending in Europe and America when we think that everyone wants to set up systems like ours? Is democracy adaptable for everyone?”

Alain Tasso: “I dare to hope that the European system will rediscover its real values. At the moment the image of Europe, if it doesn’t come to terms with its differences and changes, becomes somewhat unbalanced. There’s a definite lack of balance today, and that’s why I think a return to first democratic principles is important.”

Alex Taylor: “Are the people we see filling Tahrir Square and in other Arab capitals demanding the sort of democracy that the European Union has developed?”

Alain Tasso: “I dare to believe that, yes. Having said that, the most important thing is to think about the future along with those who are on the fringes of these events.”

Alex Taylor: “But when a nation has no democratic traditions where can these people be found? If there has been no democracy for years where do the figures capable of leading the democratic debate come from?”

Alain Tasso: “I have always thought that a nation needs to have a sort of “think tank” of intellectuals who can help advance political thought and not just day-to-day politics. Unfortunately this sort of setup is increasingly rare around the world. But a think tank is important for thinking about the future based on an understanding of the past, because the past cannot be ignored.”

Alex Taylor: “Another question from Belgium, from Dietrich.”

Dietrich: “My question is how do you see the development of Arab integration in the EU?”

Alex Taylor: “There are many problems in our different countries as we saw recently with the Dutch ban on ritually slaughtered meat. That certainly poses the question of how to reconcile Arab traditions within the EU.”

Alain Tasso: “Integrating Arab traditions… You know, modernity has allowed the ebb and flow of populations. I dare to believe that each population, each ethnic group and culture can bring something to the other, and at that moment we will head towards the right outcome.”

Alex Taylor: “It’s beautiful when you put it that way, but it doesn’t always work because some values are incompatible.”

Alain Tasso: “I believe that when we live in a country it is important to integrate. It is important to adapt to the country’s values while at the same time enriching it with yours.”

Alex Taylor: “Ok, but if your values clash with the laws of the country… you must have seen a few examples of this?”

Alain Tasso: “Politicians see this sort of thing. I have nothing to say about this, it’s politics.”

Alex Taylor: “Now a question from Mohammed in Mali.”

Mohammed: “Hello. I come from the north of Mali, the Sahara where the al Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb is active. One thing in particular disturbs me, and that’s the way the media covers the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Alex Taylor: “A delicate subject. I imagine that Mohammed is talking about European and Anglo-Saxon media.”

Alain Tasso: “You know that today the media coverage is extensive. It’s everywhere. I dare to believe, once again, that each individual needs to think about themselves and the society in which they live to ensure a bright future. Today the world’s screens are full of images but it’s high time we took a step back and paused for thought. I think some quiet reflection would take us closer to better solutions.”

Alex Taylor: “That’s a journalist’s job, no? To think, and tell us what’s happening on the spot?”

Alain Tasso: “Journalists have a role, maybe to tell us what’s happening somewhere, but today they also have a role to educate us. You know how it is; today we speak about the events only to forget about them the day after. I dare to believe that the media and journalism’s role — and I have been a journalist as well — is to help the audience to think.”

Alex Taylor: “It’s a very different idea of journalism, because we are used to thinking that the journalist tells us what’s happening and leaves the audience to draw its own conclusions.”

Alain Tasso: “As a poet and thinker I don’t like the dictum ‘Once seen I understand’. I like to place my readers on the threshold of understanding once the event’s taken place, after a reading of the events.”

Alex Taylor: “Do you watch euronews’ competitors like Al-Jazira for example? What is the channel’s philosophy?”

Alain Tasso: “I don’t watch much television. I try to watch the news, but I’m very busy. I’m not stuck in front of my television all day.”

Alex Taylor: “Another question from Belgium, this time from Ilse.”

Ilse: “Hello. I’m from Brussels and I’d like to know what you think of the coverage of the Arab revolution by the Western media. Do you think they’ve done a good job, or not at all? Thank you.”

Alex Taylor: “You’re going to say not enough thought has gone into it. But at the same time there has been some debate because it’s been very difficult for Western journalists to report from where the events are taking place, like in Syria for example.”

Alain Tasso: “Certainly. The media tries to cover the events, but the most important thing today is peace. Everyone need peace, the world’s peoples, the world’s governments… at least that’s what I recommend. The most important thing is that human beings think about and with each other about their shared humanity.”

Alex Taylor: “What does that mean exactly, when we look at Syria for example?”

Alain Tasso: “I dare to believe that conflicts will come to an end because death is the worst of all things and war and conflicts are the worst of all things. Thinking, on the other hand, is a good thing. Today the world is losing its beauty because, and I want to say it again, we are living in a period when we say ‘Once seen I understand’. It’s a period of pernicious selfishness and we need a renaissance of beauty.”

Alex Taylor: “You’re a real poet. Are you in a minority or are there many poets like you in the Arab world?”

Alain Tasso: “Oh, I really don’t know. I dare to believe that there are many people of good will in the Arab world. And, in fact, there are many things that we can discuss in the Arab world that we can’t talk about elsewhere.”

To find out who will be our next guest and how you can ask them questions go to euronews.net/i-talk.

More about: Politics, Protest, Unrest in the Arab world

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