a selman project

It’s no secret that every nation has its own unique culture, demographics, and associated social issues. Unfortunately, sometimes our perception of many countries is shaped most by the negative issues which bubble up in the media. Worse still, is that many countries go both unheard of and unheard by the larger world.

Thankfully, every nation equally produces individuals who devote and sacrifice themselves to the principles of peace, freedom, and equality. The Peace Post project began as a means to shine a light on individuals from around the globe who are champions of peace.

As a starting point, we determined that every sovereign nation should be represented in the project with a few key disputed states entered at our discretion. As a referential guide for each illustration, we profiled each country with a keen eye on the progression of traditional and contemporary visual styles associated with the art and culture.

In choosing which individual to profile for each country, we first referenced Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, notable omissions, and various other international peace awards looking for potential candidates. In several cases when a nation was not represented by a winner of a major peace award, we used our own research to find an individual who represented associated ideals and actions of peace advocacy.

We elected to represent the chosen individuals as a series of stamps for several reasons. Stamps have a long history of commemorating important people and events. Stamps are collectible and shareable. Perhaps most importantly, stamps represent a vehicle of correspondence and dialogue.

Our goal was to learn more about these countries, the positive people there, and share their stories with you.

For more information please contact:
chris@selmandesign.com
peacepost on instagram:
@projectpeacepost
Copyright and disclaimer
The content of this web site contains information, photographs, and media intended solely for educational purposes.

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Lydia Canaan

  • Lebanon
  • Political

Lydia Canaan is a Lebanese activist and UN delegate, but to millions around the world she is better known as “the first rock star of the Middle East.”

Canaan was the first Middle Eastern artist to sing solely in English and her musical career was marked by her rebuking of tradition and breaking through gender barriers that had been present in the region for centuries. Many of Lydia’s early performances in the 1980s occurred adjacent to bombing sites in an effort to protest the raging conflict of the Lebanese Civil War. Despite death threats and the proximity of violence, she continued to perform in an effort to spread her message of unity in a time of war and uncertainty. 
Following her musical success, Canaan would go on to deliver many speeches at humanitarian conferences, including several at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Canaan received media attention for one address in particular in which she criticized many nations for the lack of implementation of human rights initiatives outlined by the United Nations and sang an a cappella verse of her activist anthem “Humanity Wake Up and Fight”. Never afraid to use her platform, Lydia Canaan has more recently been vocal in speaking out against the terrorist actions of groups like ISIS, which have mirrored the violence she once experienced in the civil war of her home country.

Lebanon

  • Population
    6,237,738
  • Capital
    Beirut
  • GDP (PPP)
    $17,986
  • November 22, 1943
  • Total Area
    10,452 km2 (166th)
  • Demonym
    Lebanese
  • Government
    Unitary parliamentary multi-confessionalist republic

Artwork

Lydia was the first female rock star in Lebanon. Despite a civil war and a conservative society, she fronted rock bands, wore what she wanted, and took Lebanese music into the 21st century. Her portrait is a collage that I imagine a young fan creating during Canaan’s early years, to give them hope and optimism for their own future.

  • Illustration by
    Anne Di Lillo