With 'The Eweeha Protest', KAFA turned a centuries-old wedding chant into a national call for change. By rewriting its familiar verses with real stories of discrimination, forced obedience, and unjust custody, a recognized sound of celebration became a collective call for justice, heard across radio, film, and the streets.
The Eweeha Protest
Turning a traditional wedding chant into a rallying cry for women’s rights
Client
- KAFA
Office
- Saudi Arabia
At every Lebanese wedding, a bride is promised a bright future filled with joy. But in reality, many women enter a system that systematically disadvantages them.
The Eweeha Protest gave voice to women’s unfair realities through a familiar tradition
Zeina Awar
Communication Coordinator, KAFA
Audio played a central role in this idea. The familiarity of the Eweeha drew people in, but its new meaning is what made them listen.
Manuel Kurkjian
Associate Creative Director, VML
In Lebanon, marriage, divorce, and custody are governed by 18 religious sects, each enforcing its own laws, often disadvantaging women. These courts are predominantly led by men and frequently side with the husband. For KAFA, the leading women’s rights organization, the challenge was to shift public opinion and build support for its proposed unified civil law, ensuring equal protection for all, regardless of religion.
At every Lebanese wedding, elder women perform the Eweeha, a centuries-old chant filled with poetic verses wishing the bride a beautiful future.
Introducing 'The Eweeha Protest' where we turned celebratory wedding chants into a rallying cry for change. We collected real stories of discrimination, forced obedience, and unjust custody, then rewrote the traditional Eweeha word by word, keeping the same rhythm while telling a different story.
Launched during peak wedding season, we released radio spots and films starring renowned Lebanese actresses performing the new Eweehas. We then took the Eweeha to the streets through a moving convoy, chanting at the doors of religious courts blocking the new law.
The campaign raised awareness around gender inequality, exposing how religious personal status laws discriminate against women. Women adopted the rewritten Eweehas as a rallying cry, chanting them during an impromptu protest outside Parliament.
What was once a symbol of celebration became a tool of protest, helping build momentum around KAFA’s proposed unified civil law.
A post-campaign survey conducted by KAFA confirmed a clear shift in public perception, with 84% supporting a unified civil law, 85% supporting joint custody, 69% supporting registering children under both parents, and 72% favoring shared financial responsibility.
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