The Lebanese actor Salah Tizani (Abu Salim Al-Tabl) took part in a seminar organized by the students of the University of Sciences and Arts in Lebanon, entitled «Stations from Memory», devoted to speaking about his artistic beginnings with his troupe and to recalling a number of the events that accompanied this troupe's work at «Télé Liban» over decades.
During the meeting, which was attended by a number of the university's teachers and a crowd of students, Abu Salim spoke about his childhood and youth in north Lebanon, and about the suffering that accompanied his artistic journey because of weak funding and the troupe's being forced to sacrifice part of its fees and indeed, on many occasions, to contribute to the production costs.
Abu Salim spoke about the situation of the artist in Lebanon, who suffers neglect, especially in what concerns his family and what it needs of health coverage and other things.
Despite all that, Abu Salim appeared smiling and laughing, speaking about the art of comedy, its requirements and its elements with enthusiasm and passion, and throwing in from time to time some jokes that made those present laugh.
Tizani touched on his interview on the programme «Bila Tashfir» on the «Al-Jadeed» channel, and on the comments it aroused in the press, which held that this fine Lebanese artist had been subjected to «humiliation» after he appeared in the interview in a bad state and seemed to be weeping.
The Lebanese artist explained that the interview lasted more than two hours and was cut and abridged selectively, revealing that the media figure Tammam Baliq asked him to wipe something from under his eye and gave him a «tissue», then filmed that and highlighted it so that he appeared to be weeping. He affirmed that he was not weeping. Then he added, commenting on the programme: «In any case, that does not matter to me; I am 87 years old, so how long shall I live? And is anything worth being upset about?»
Abu Salim pointed out that of course he had at times appeared moved during the interview, and that this emotion was sorrow for his companions who had departed while in straitened circumstances, among them his brother-in-law Mahmoud Mabsout (Fahman), who left his family in a difficult situation.
The seminar was attended by a delegation from the first cyclists' team in Lebanon, which presented Tizani with an honorary gift at the end of the seminar.
