Beirut's Ouzai district reborn through street art initiative

Lebanese entrepreneur Ayad Nasser, who fled Beirut during the civil war at age six and later became a successful real estate investor in Germany, has invested over $100,000 to revitalize the Ouzai district in southern Beirut through contemporary street art. Ouzai, once a vibrant neighborhood, has degenerated into a slum of precarious shanties with no public spaces. Nasser enlisted international street artists including Retna (Los Angeles, 1979) and the Lebanese graffiti group Ashekman, alongside artists from the US, Europe, and Russia. Murals promoting peace and rebirth have transformed the area, now nicknamed Ouzville and called the 'Wynwood of Beirut,' attracting tourists. The project aims to inspire youth and foster community belonging, with Nasser hoping other entrepreneurs will invest in Lebanon's cultural revival.