Exclusive – Raghida Shalhoub: “Yasmine Ezz is as if she were a Cartoon Network, and I direct this question to Haifa Wehbe.” What about Rudolph Hilal and Basma Wehbe?
She interviewed the most famous and important Lebanese and Arab stars, directing the dialogue with her guests in a loving and intelligent way. Her strong presence on the screen and the large cultural reserve that she possesses made her one of the most important media figures in Lebanon and the Arab world. We mention from her programs: “Cut the Man, 100 Questions and Talks in Your Secret,” and she also presented the program “Oyoun Beirut” currently presents the “Zaman” program, which is shown on Dubai TV and the “LBCI” channel, and achieves remarkable success and high viewership rates.
“Al Fan” website met Raghida Shalhoub, and we conducted this interesting interview with her.
We congratulate you on the great success of your program “Zaman”. Do you watch the program when it is shown on screen?
Thank you, you have struck a chord, because I do not watch any episode of my program “Zaman”, but rather I see quick clips. I am a very difficult critic, and I do not like wonder.
The great media figures who preceded me in the field always told me that I should watch myself on screen in order to improve myself, but I consider the viewer to be my eyes.
What is the strongest episode of “Zaman”?
There are many strong episodes, including the episode of the artist Marwan Khoury and the actress Nadine Al Rassi, and there are certainly more strong episodes that will be shown.
What is the difference between your work in Lebanon and your work in Egypt?
Each of them has its own flavor, and the two complement each other. Egypt opened the doors of Lebanon to me, and Lebanon opened the doors of Egypt to me. I used to work on Orbit Channel, and after that I went to Egypt, and worked on the Lebanese “Al-Jadeed” Channel and currently on LBCI Channel. In Lebanon, we can raise very bold topics, but in Egypt, currently not, as there are now laws and oversight of the program that we are subject to, much stronger than those in Lebanon, noting that our program “Zaman” is under censorship in Dubai, so there are some paragraphs that It is not shown on Dubai TV, and is exclusively on the “LBCI” channel.
Do you find that there is competition between you and the journalist Rudolph Hilal, especially since you both host celebrities on the same screen?
Rudolph and I present artistic content and talk shows, but Rudolph tends more to the hard talk show, while the “Zaman” program includes nostalgic stations, from the past and the future.
We were drawn to the statement of the Syrian actress Suzan Najm al-Din, on your program, about the presence of magic in her house.. Do you believe in magic?
I do not believe much in the existence of magic, even though it is mentioned in all the heavenly books. I feel that if someone has a very strong faith and God is with him, all the gates of Hell will not prevail against him.
What do you think of fortune tellers?
Perhaps there are people who have a very strong sixth sense, or who can read minds, there are those who have this ability. If I am in a session, and someone tells me that he wants to read the cup for me, I accept that and have fun, and the same applies to the Tarot, but not once have they determined my life and its path for me.
Egyptian journalist Amr Adeeb worked in Saudi media institutions, including MBC, and was honored by granting him Saudi citizenship. Raghida Shalhoub worked in Egyptian media institutions. Does she deserve Egyptian citizenship?
Yes, I deserve it. In Egypt, they consider me, as I consider myself, one of the people of this country. Since 2014, I have friends and family in Egypt, and my work there is very nice. I am proud of my Lebanese nationality, and of course any second nationality that adds to me, and respects me as I respect its people, even if I do not have it, is a nationality in my heart.
If you conducted an interview with the Lebanese star Haifa Wehbe, what question would you conclude your interview with?
You know how much I love Haifa. I ask her: “What do you want after more than what she has achieved? What makes her happy after more than what we see on social media sites?” I ask her that because I am sure that what we see on these social media sites is not all Haifa Wehbe. There are many stories in it, “What would she like to say but they don’t give her the space to say it?” What does she still need to be happier?
What do you think of the content provided by Egyptian media figures Radwa El-Sherbiny and Yasmine Ezz?
Each of them has a frighteningly different line from the other, there is no comparison between them. When Radwa speaks to you, she is based on facts, evidence, logic, and reason, even if she is biased toward women. As for Yasmine, I feel like she is “Cartoon Network.” With my great respect for her, there is something in her words that is contrary to reason and logic. Therefore, I say that there is a big difference between Radwa El-Sherbiny and Yasmine. Almighty.
What do you think of Egyptian media personality Basma Wahba’s message to the Israelis in Hebrew?
Basma Wahba and I are friends and I love her very much. We congratulate each other on our programs, and last Ramadan she was with us on Al-Nahar channel and presented the “The Oracle” program. Returning to your question, I did not delve into this topic much because it coincided with the events of Gaza. At that time, I was busy filming episodes of “Zaman”. Every person has his own way of expression, and Basma is naturally emotional, so perhaps she wanted to convey the message in this language so that everyone could understand it.
Have you ever encountered a guest who was arrogant behind the scenes of filming?
There are those who were not very “digested”, or were not as close to the heart as they suggested to people. I encountered such guests in Lebanon and Egypt, but everyone is subjected on the air to the scissors of Raghida Shalhoub’s censorship, where remorse is of no use (laughing).
