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Lebanese Rejoice after Mayyas Win 'America's Got Talent'

A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanese Rejoice after Mayyas Win 'America's Got Talent'

A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanese celebrated the local dance troupe Mayyas on Thursday after it won the "America's Got Talent" TV contest, stoking joy and pride in a country battered by years of political and economic turmoil.

Many fans, across age groups and religious lines in the crisis-tested country and its large diaspora, tearfully cheered the all-women group for what judges and viewers hailed as a hypnotic and mesmerizing performance.

"Congratulations Mayyas, proud, proud, proud," tweeted Lebanese pop star Elissa, while caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati gushed that "Lebanese creativity shines" in the performance.

A Twitter user called Wael summed up the mood about the group that beat all the odds: "They come from a country ravaged by crisis and, despite the difficulties, they managed to be the best. Lebanese all around the world are proud of you."

The troupe led by choreographer Nadim Cherfan scooped a $1 million prize and the chance to headline a Las Vegas show for their extravagant performance featuring belly dancing, feather fans and white orbs of light.

"You gave us a glimpse of hope and showed the world what Lebanese women are capable of," tweeted another fan, DivaMaj, saluting the group that in 2019 won the Arabs Got Talent contest.

Even the military joined in, declaring on Twitter, somewhat more stiffly, that "the army command congratulates the Mayyas group, its trainers and members, on winning America's Got Talent,” AFP reported.

The Mayyas' win of the season finale brought rare respite and a moment of unity to the small country reeling from almost three years of deep economic hardship and political stalemate.

Amid Lebanon's worst-ever economic crisis, the national currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value on the black market since 2019 while poverty and unemployment have soared.

Beirut remains scarred by the huge portside blast of haphazardly stored ammonium nitrate in 2020, which killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and decimated vast areas of the capital.

In a reflection of the deep popular discontent, several people who have recently held up banks, using real or toy guns, to demand their frozen savings have been cheered as folk heroes by bystanders and on social media.

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Varieties

Animal Rescuers Care for LA Fire Evacuees - Dogs, Donkeys, Horses

FILE PHOTO: Jodi Lakatos unloads the last of her 15 horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center after evacuating Altadena as large animals are evacuated from several wildfires, in Burbank, California, US January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Carlin Stiehl/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Jodi Lakatos unloads the last of her 15 horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center after evacuating Altadena as large animals are evacuated from several wildfires, in Burbank, California, US January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Carlin Stiehl/File Photo
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Animal Rescuers Care for LA Fire Evacuees - Dogs, Donkeys, Horses

FILE PHOTO: Jodi Lakatos unloads the last of her 15 horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center after evacuating Altadena as large animals are evacuated from several wildfires, in Burbank, California, US January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Carlin Stiehl/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Jodi Lakatos unloads the last of her 15 horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center after evacuating Altadena as large animals are evacuated from several wildfires, in Burbank, California, US January 8, 2025. REUTERS/Carlin Stiehl/File Photo

The pitbull mix arrived at Pasadena Humane covered in ash, his paw pads ulcerated from walking on fire debris, his lungs choked with smoke. A good Samaritan found the dog lying in rubble in Altadena, wrapped him in a blanket and brought him to the shelter, Reuters reported.
Still too weak to walk Saturday, Canela was reunited with his owner - thanks to CNN’s coverage of the act of kindness. The injured pet continues to receive medical treatment and is one of more than 400 animals that have arrived at the Pasadena facility since the Southern California wildfires began last Tuesday.
Animal facilities, veterinarians and rescue organizations have taken in and assisted dogs, horses, donkeys, goats, sheep and other creatures that were displaced by the ongoing fires along with their human owners.
The Humane Society began accepting animals as a temporary shelter as families evacuated their homes. But circumstances evolved, along with the widening disaster, which has left 13 people dead, burned 39,000 acres (157.83 square kilometers) and forced at least 153,000 people to leave their homes.
"We are now seeing more injured animals coming in," said Dia DuVernet, president and chief executive of Pasadena Humane. “We're also starting to see people who brought their animals for what we thought would be temporary shelter, but they don't have homes to go back to, and so it's turning into a longer-term sheltering situation."
Some animals bear the scars of the ordeal, like a severely burned Husky with singed fur and burned paws.
“He hasn't had anybody come back to reclaim him,” said the humane society’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Maria Pyrdek, adding that the dog was showing gradual signs of recovery. “He wasn't even lifting his head when he came in. He was just completely exhausted.”
The organization has entered a new phase of this disaster response, search rescue and recovery, DuVernet said. Pasadena Humane is prioritizing calls to help live animals in the burn zones -- including eight injured peacocks.
One man in Altadena contacted the Humane Society for help getting water to cows, sheep and a bull that he had been unable to reach because the fire destroyed a bridge.
"We've been strategizing how we can get a significant amount of water over this ravine and up this hill, so that these animals don't perish from dehydration," said DuVernet.
Throughout the crisis, DuVernet said the community had provided enough donations to fill five U-Haul trucks.
HORSE AND DONKEY REFUGE
In nearby Burbank, the Los Angeles Equestrian Center has taken in around 400 animals, mostly horses but also a few donkeys. Some were brought in by owners who evacuated their homes and others by law enforcement who found them running loose.
The Eaton fire on the east side of Los Angeles hit a region filled with horse lovers.
"People have horses in their backyards in these neighborhoods,” said Leigh Anne Claywell, general manager of the equestrian center. "It’s been a horsey area for a long time. This is kind of where the Hollywood Western was born, because of all the cowboys and the ranches that used to be in this area.”
Some of the evacuated horses appeared stressed when they arrived in their new environment, Claywell said, "but by and large, everybody seems to have kind of stumbled into a routine."
On Saturday, dozens of volunteers helped walk and feed horses and clean the grounds. The center was packed with donations of apples and carrots for the animals and pizza and sandwiches for humans. Smoke was visible from the Palisades fire to the west and the Eaton fire to the east.
At one point, all of the center's stalls had been full. Spaces opened up as some evacuation orders were lifted and owners were able to reclaim their animals.
Karrie Saydah was picking up her two donkeys and two horses that she had brought to the center when she was forced to evacuate her home at 3:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
"It was so scary, a fire in the sky kind of thing," Saydah said.
Saydah borrowed a horse trailer from a neighbor and headed to a site near the Rose Bowl only to learn it was full. After finding space for horses Zippy and Sonny at the equestrian center in Burbank, she went back with donkeys Midge and Thelma.
On Saturday, Saydah said she was thankful to the staff and volunteers and said her animals likely will miss their generous supply of treats.
"There is so much help and so much goodwill being shared,” Saydah said.