/ GREAT MOMENTS
Since 1999, approximately 250 activities have been hosted in Zico House: discover the greatest moments in the history of Zico House.
1934
Building of the House
Built in 1935, located in the heart of Beirut in Spears Street, in the Sanayeh district, this charming traditional house was the family home of Mustapha Yamout (alias Zico). Lover of art, he started using available spaces in the building for performance rehearsals.
1994
Opening Exhibition
A large exhibition opened the doors of Zico House, defining it as a cultural space. This exhibition uncovered the work of Marwan Rishmaoui, Flavia Codsi, Gilbert Hage, Elie Khalife, artists who later became esteemed internationally.
1995
Haris
« Haris », written by Boutros Rouhana, is the first performance to be presented at Zico House. This play had been especially created for the space, highlighting the fact that Zico House is a space dedicated to artists working in unusual sites.
1996
Al Khat Al Moubachar
This youth association operated at Zico House for few years. They presented a number of weekly events, such as Libération Cinéma and yearly events like conferences, film festivals, etc… It was a very active association, and its members invited well-known persons from different fields, like Moustapha Barouti from Palestine.
1997
Chorba
« Chorba » is an exhibition by Rafik Majzoub; it was the first time that the name Zico House was employed.
2002
Beirut's Street Festival's Creation
From 2002, the Beirut Street Festival aims at presenting a selection of the best European, African, Asian, American, Arab and Lebanese street performances. It focuses on the collaboration between foreign and Lebanese artists for the creation of urban, site-specific performances.
2004
Baladi Baldati Baladyati
2006
Café Samra’s Opening / The Israeli attack
In 2006, during the Israeli invasion, Zico House was automatically transformed into an aid centre for refugees. A number of individual volunteers and of social organizations gathered in the building, creating a major support system for the country. In two days, Zico House was able to welcome refugees, associations, and volunteers; the space was transformed, adapted to the emergency and to the necessity to react. In this context, a number of civil associations were born.
2008
The Bus
This project started on 13 April 2008 (the anniversary of the beginning of the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War) and ran for one month. A bus that was similar to the one that was shot at in 1975, which sparked violent clashes and eventually led to civil war, toured the Lebanese territories – 34 villages and cities of varying ethnic backgrounds – promoting peace, dialogue and mutual understanding.