Regional War Dries Up Work for Lebanon’s Creative Sector

For decades, the Gulf served as the center of gravity for much of Lebanon’s creative talent, with swathes of designers and marketing executives flocking to its cities to find clients or relying on its foundations and cultural centers for funding. But with Gulf economies now under pressure from a nearly six-month-old regional war, Lebanese creatives say financing and work opportunities are drying up.

Uncertainty linked to the conflict has prompted Gulf-based clients to postpone projects, reduce budgets and slow payments, leading to layoffs and income declines, Lebanese professionals in advertising, branding and communications told Reuters. Fashion school Creative Space Beirut (CSB) relied on donations and partnerships with individuals and institutions in the Gulf to keep its courses free for underprivileged students. CSB hoped those avenues could yield $500,000 this year, but its co-founder and CEO Sarah Hermez, told Reuters the regional war meant Gulf-based donors went into “survival mode” and that many “promises weren’t able to be met”. Donors were unable to renew contributions or had to downsize them significantly, Hermez said, putting student scholarships at risk.

Late last month, within CSB’s tranquil walls near downtown Beirut, students toiled on their projects. One sewed at a table while another stitched a dress on a mannequin. Since it opened its doors in 2011, the school has weathered the impacts of Lebanon’s economic contractions following the war in neighboring Syria, 2019’s full-blown financial crisis and the Beirut port blast of 2020.

All along, CSB relied on the Gulf for funding. But now, with only enough money to operate four more months and little visibility into what Gulf contributions could come next year, it has turned to crowdfunding campaigns and a hunt for new partners to maintain free courses.

Most Gulf economies will contract more sharply this year than previously expected before rebounding in 2027, a Reuters poll found in July. Marwan Barakat, group chief economist and head of research at Lebanon’s Bank Audi, said the Gulf’s key indicators all show downgrades, including GDP growth, aviation traffic, stock market performances and fiscal balances.