How Hezbollah uses Ramadan TV shows to bolster its image

The Hezbollah fighters crept through the mountains in south Lebanon concealed by the darkness of night, careful to avoid making any noise that would give away their position to the patrol troops of the South Lebanon Army (SLA), an Israeli-backed militia formed during Israel's occupation of the south.

One of the Hezbollah fighters had spotted SLA movements from their camouflaged outpost, and they saw an opportunity to deal another blow to Israel and its militia. Once the Hezbollah fighters were in a good position, they struck, shooting at the surprised SLA force.

After several minutes of gunfire, Hezbollah forces emerged victorious, with only one of its fighters injured in the shootout.

This, however, was not a scene from real life or one of Hezbollah's countless combat videos. Rather, it was part of a Ramadan series on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel.

"This sort of imagery is important for Hezbollah to remind people that Israel remains a threat and that it is Hezbollah who defends the Shia and Lebanon"

The series, Melody of the Sea, is a dramatisation of the final year of the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon which depicts the lives of fishermen and their families in a southern seaside village and the efforts made by Hezbollah to expel Israel from Lebanon.

It is the latest in a long line of series produced for Al-Manar's Ramadan programmes that portray Hezbollah and its military activities against Israel. Most have the same goal; to boost the Shia community's support for Hezbollah and its fight against Israel, even though it has been nearly two decades since the two adversaries fought an actual war.

According to Nicholas Blanford, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Centre, this sort of imagery is important for Hezbollah to remind people that Israel remains a threat and that it is Hezbollah who defends the Shia and Lebanon.

"It’s reminding everyone of the potency of resistance, the importance of resistance and that Israel remains a threat," Blanford told The New Arab. "It’s very much part of the measures that they take to keep the populace behind them and supporting them."

A useful tool

The use of film and television is not something that is unique to Hezbollah.

According to documentary filmmaker and academic Daniele Rugo, it is a medium that has been used since its inception by governments and groups all over the world in an effort to influence people, since it allows them to synthesise difficult messages and draw in large crowds.

"Film has both a strong pedagogical message and a very large appeal, more than any other art form," Rugo told The New Arab. "It teaches by telling stories, so that the message is never too direct, but delivered through storytelling and by engaging emotions, rather than analysis."

In the Soviet Union, it was used to spur support for the Communist Revolution. The Nazis used it to spread propaganda with Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will being one of the most iconic examples. Iran even went as far as to develop an entire genre of film to portray an Iran-friendly depiction of the Iran-Iraq War.

It is not just authoritarian governments that have used the medium for their benefit, though, with the West, in particular Hollywood, often echoing the beliefs of the leadership "by projecting and consolidating the American dream as well as the image of the US as a democratic superpower".

"At every crucial stage of American history you can find films that are in one way or another propagating a certain agenda - World War II, Vietnam, the war on terror and so on," Rugo explained.

Non-state actors, such as the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Hezbollah, have also used film and television to shape a narrative conducive to their political needs.

For Hezbollah, the use of the media has been a way for the group to "speak to its base and cement support inside Lebanon".

"The Iran-backed group has long paid attention to its media profile and has used it to push a narrative that will rally support to its ranks"

Hezbollah TV

The Iran-backed group has long paid attention to its media profile and has used it to push a narrative that will rally support to its ranks. Its television station, Al-Manar, has played an essential role in this effort since its inception in the early 1990s.

Today during conflicts it is not uncommon to see video footage taken by soldiers or fighters on the frontlines of a combat zone with cell phones or Go-Pro cameras published online.

Hezbollah was one of the pioneers that quickly saw the value of using such videos, going as far back as the 1990s when many operations carried out by Hezbollah against the SLA or Israeli forces were often captured on heavy VHS cameras to be broadcast later on Al-Manar for the entire world to see.

"Showing these combat videos on Al-Manar had an electrifying effect on the domestic audience and, indeed, across the region even in Israel because it’s one thing to put out a bland statement saying that the mujahideen staged a roadside bomb attack against an Israeli patrol killing or wounding all involved, or you can actually see it happening hours after it occurred on Al-Manar," Blanford said.

However, the last time that Hezbollah and Israel were engaged in direct combat was during the 33-day war in July 2006, meaning that the group has had to find other ways of continuing its message.

This is where shows that are constantly broadcasting on Al-Manar work to remind people of the fighters who fought Israel and died to liberate the south, particularly during the holy month. 

In these Ramadan series, the imagery is similar to that of a Hollywood film or series depicting US soldiers. Rugo emphasised the centrality of the messaging of "heroism" and "martyrdom".

For ardent supporters of Hezbollah, watching these shows is an act of supporting the resistance. However, the opinions of the wider Shia community are mixed.

Some do not even watch Al-Manar and, therefore, do not watch its Ramadan series. Others have watched some of them in the past but are not watching this year.

According to Rabab, 26, a Shia living in Beirut, some of the Ramadan series depicting Hezbollah in the past have been really good and have even attracted viewers outside of the Shia community.

However, she argued that most of the people who are watching these shows are people who have already made up their minds about the group.

"​​Some of the people are already with Hezbollah and they watch Al-Manar and only Al-Manar, it’s a vibe, a resistance vibe that they need, they want, they enjoy," she told The New Arab, comparing the shows to nasheeds, songs produced for Hezbollah that are meant to inspire listeners.

Characters throughout the series also espouse Hezbollah's ideology, albeit more subtly. The "heroes" are well-mannered, kind and pious Muslims with all of the women wearing the hijab, while the "villains" are conniving, manipulative, and sometimes cruel individuals.

This characterisation is something that not everyone agrees with. Rabab's sister argued that it would be better for these shows to depict the diversity of south Lebanon and the Shia community, which exists on a broad spectrum of religiosity.

"For the ardent supporters of Hezbollah, watching these shows is an act of supporting the resistance. However, the opinions of the wider Shia community are mixed"

A piece of the puzzle

Since Hezbollah's creation in the 1980s, the group has worked to create grassroots support for the organisation through a social welfare programme.

This includes Mustafa schools that teach Hezbollah's ideology, health clinics, a martyrs fund, and Jihad al-Bina, which rebuilds property damaged during conflict.

In the last decade, however, media productions have increased in importance.

"You’ve got a whole generation of young Shia who have grown up without experiencing the Israeli threat. So it becomes harder with each passing year for Hezbollah to maintain that notion of resistance, of readiness to confront Israel," Blanford explained.

Ideally, it is a cyclical cycle where Shia grow up in Hezbollah's schools, watching Hezbollah's shows and having family members who fought in the ranks of the resistance, making it more likely that each passing generation will follow in the same footsteps.

But this is not guaranteed, as there are many Shia who do not attend the Mustafa schools or watch Al-Manar and are more interested in going to university and finding a job or, because of the economic crisis, moving abroad.

On top of that, Hezbollah has been more busy fighting in Syria rather than against Israel, making it harder to convince its support base that Israel remains a threat and that Hezbollah is here to defend them.

Until Hezbollah and Israel go to war again, the group will need to depend on its social welfare programme to keep its support base dependent on them. The Ramadan shows are just one part of a larger strategy designed to keep the group relevant. 

Nicholas Frakes is a journalist and photojournalist based in Lebanon reporting on the Middle East. 

Follow him on Twitter: @nicfrakesjourno