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Back in the 60s and 70s, Beirut was known as a place where affluent tourists could do as they want. A playground for rich Arabs and Europeans, and a favourite of artists and intellectuals. But then came the war. In the 1990s the ruins were cleared and amid much argument much of the city was rebuilt. The Lebanese capital has since regained some of its reputation for openness and tolerance, but Sophia Smith Galer has met a man trying to challenge some of the traditional stereotypes that still prevail. First broadcast on From Our Own Correspondent, 2 June 2018.