Fairuz's first step to cultural diplomacy was the launch of the Lebanese Nights at the Baalbek International Festival.
Her work with the Rahbani Brothers further expanded this role, which later deepened during the Lebanese war and evolved through her more recent collaborations with Ziad Rahbani.
The roots
Nuhad Haddad, Fairuz's real name, was born on 21 November 1934, or as some sources indicated, 1935, to a working-class family in the Zuqaq El-Blat quarter in Beirut, Lebanon.
Her father, Wadih Haddad, worked at a print house, and she was the eldest of his four children.
She used to help her mother, Liza Al-Bustani, with household chores and the care of her brother, Joseph, and her two sisters, Huda and Amal.
Her talent was discovered in her school choir by musician Mohammed Flayfel (1899–1985), who was captivated by her voice. He trained her in vocal technique and Quranic recitation and secured her a scholarship to study at the Lebanese Conservatory, then directed by composer Wadih Sabra (1876–1952).
Over time, Fairuz’s artistic journey became intertwined with the story of Lebanon and Beirut. She emerged as a creative force where Eastern and Western influences met.
This development was shaped by three key stages: the radio era (1950–1956), her years at the Piccadilly Theatre (1967–1978), and her later collaboration with Ziad Rahbani.
On cultural diplomacy
UNESCO defines cultural diplomacy as a set of cultural activities and exchanges used to build international understanding, promote national interests, and express national identity.
More recent interpretations broaden this definition to include non-state actors, organisations, and individuals who use education, culture, and the arts to build connections across borders.
The Baalbek International Festival is a clear example of these practices, especially through Fairuz’s long collaboration with the Rahbani Brothers and Ziad Rahbani. Their work, particularly after the outbreak of the Lebanese war, reflects the growing role of non-state actors in cultural diplomacy.
Baalbek 1957
The Girl from Baalbek, 1961. Photo by Manogue. Photo courtesy of American University of Beirut, Archives and Special Collections Department, Jafet Memorial Library.
Fairuz’s first major performance at Baalbek took place on 31 August and 1 September 1957. Opening with “Lebanon, O Sweet Green,” she captivated the audience against the backdrop of the Temple of Jupiter. Reviewers called her a “heavenly gift for Lebanese folklore” and the “bride of popular singing.”
At just twenty-two, she was already at a high point in her career, blending Eastern and Western musical styles with the Rahbani Brothers. This collaboration laid the foundation for her theatre and cinema work. She limited public appearances, often declined film roles, and focused on radio.
Assi Rahbani’s 1956 observations about her ability to play mythological roles foreshadowed her later success, as demand for her performances grew in Beirut and Damascus.
A euphoric victory
The first Lebanese Nights received strong praise and marked Fairuz’s rise as a leading Lebanese singer. Critics noted the festival’s role in presenting Lebanese culture to regional and international audiences. Information Minister Raymond Eddé allocated state funds to support the troupe’s tours, which soon took them to Brazil, Argentina, and England between 1961 and 1962.
These concerts highlighted Lebanon’s cultural diplomacy after independence, strengthened ties with the diaspora, and underscored the role of folk arts in expressing national unity. They also reinforced Lebanon’s artistic leadership in the Arab world after the end of the French Mandate.
The storyteller
“The Departure of the Gods,” the opening act of the 1961 Lebanese Nights, follows a local girl, played by Fairuz, who remains among the ruins of Baalbek to share stories of glory and love across Lebanon and the world. The work blends the physical landscape with imagination, linking cultural expression to broader political narratives.
Her concerts across the Arab world transformed her into a “crowned ambassador,” giving voice to everyday life and to calls for freedom and justice, especially for Palestine.
Fairuz’s songs conveyed shared memories of hope and resistance across the Arab world, strengthening a sense of common cultural identity.
Meeting with the Minister of Culture Dr Tharwat Oukasha during an official visit to Cairo, 1966. Photo courtesy of Tharwat Oukasha’s memoirs in politics and culture.
Another journey towards a new horizon
After the 1967 defeat, the arts took on new layers of meaning. Fairuz’s theatrical roles became expressions of resistance and connection to the land.
Folklore shifted from a celebratory symbol to a foundation for committed, politically aware art. Singing became a means of confronting injustice.
On 11 August 1968, Al-Hayat’s front page called Fairuz the “Ambassador of Jerusalem to the World,” noting that her voice carried stories from Jerusalem, Bissan, the refugee camps, and messages of love and beauty from Lebanon.
Ambassador of Jerusalem to the World, 1968 Clipping from the front page of Al-Hayat Newspaper. Photo courtesy of Archives of Akram Rayess.
Mountain high
In the play “Granite Mountains” (1969), Fairuz’s voice reached new emotional depth, aiming to inspire people to rise after defeat through faith and solidarity.
In the play "Custodian of the Keys" (1972), the conflict shifts from a violent war against an external enemy to a non-violent internal struggle against a tyrannical king within the kingdom.
The theme of departure is repeated as the people abandon the kingdom of oppression, after the goddesses had preceded them in leaving Baalbek in the 1961 festival.
Fairuz is the last citizen of the kingdom of Sira, becoming the guardian of abandoned homes and a symbol of the land. Her role expresses a mission to rebuild the nation and foster understanding, extending her earlier work of reviving Baalbek’s heritage.
In these roles, Fairuz embodied a form of moral and artistic diplomacy that shaped both her life and art.
A war-torn nation
The Lebanese war deeply fragmented the fragile country and crippled its aspirations, with Fairuz consistently continuing to embody through her art a collective spiritual homeland and memory.
During the turmoil, her public performances in Lebanon were limited to the symbolic Good Friday prayers. Fairuz decided not to leave during the war.
Her stature was further reinforced by her decision not to take sides with any of the competing groups and legitimize any group’s claim to the national narrative and the shattered land.
Her performances at the United Nations in New York (1981) and later at the International Red Cross Federation in Geneva (1999) connected her music to Lebanon’s struggles and to other global conflicts after the Cold War.
Songs such as “The Land is Yours,” with lyrics drawn from Gibran and music by Ziad Rahbani, resonated with audiences at home and abroad.
Critics acclaimed Fairuz’s ability to empathically convey Lebanon's pain and inspire collective emotion through her powerful voice, illustrating her role as an artistic beacon amid the devastation.
Her singing "settles in souls and carries in its tones the pain and suffering of Lebanon" (The Economist), after having "lulled more than one generation, more than one people, more than one continent" (Parole et Musique).
These reviews went beyond the impact of her voice, as she was selected in 1995 among the 100 women who move the world (French Express) and recognized as "one of the women who promise to invent the world of the future" in 2010 (Madame Figaro).
Las Vegas Concert Poster, 1999. Photo courtesy of Archives of Akram Rayess.
A world citizen
Fairuz’s diplomatic path continued through her later work, especially with Ziad Rahbani. Their collaborations expressed both rootedness and a broader humanism.
After the 2020 Beirut Port explosion, French President Emmanuel Macron visited her home during the centenary of Greater Lebanon and awarded her the Legion of Honour, describing her as “a rare national symbol that unites the Lebanese.”
It was her third French medal and the highest, adding to several Arab and international honours she had received throughout her career.
The surviving ambassador
Lebanese poet Said Akl was among the many Arab writers who celebrated Fairuz’s art. As early as 1956, he called her “Our Ambassador to the Stars.”
“She sang the land, the people, and the revolt against injustice. She gave hope to the homeless, purity to the beautiful, and a more beautiful tomorrow to the wretched. A nation is being built today on her voice,” he wrote.
Her voice continues to create meaning even in silence. It crosses borders, strengthens cultural bridges, and lives deeply in personal and collective memory. It first affirmed identity, then carried the promise of resistance and liberation.
Through national, global, and personal turmoil, Fairuz, both the artist and the person, has stood with remarkable resilience, embracing loss and triumph with rare human grace.
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