tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73950992900844488612024-03-15T06:05:50.120-07:00Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture BlogA blog by the staff and participants of Al-Bustan, which is dedicated to teaching and presenting Arab culture through the arts and language. This provides a forum for us to regularly share the happenings and reflections on all things Al-Bustan-related.Hazami Sayedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06296533267373469530noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-56884311715496733362015-09-13T13:44:00.001-07:002015-09-14T13:52:47.827-07:00A Garden From AshIn nearly all things bad there is a silver-lining. On the fourteenth anniversary of one of the worst events to occur during my lifetime, I could not help but think that 9/11 has brought us closer to reconciling the constructed division between “Islam" (which mistakenly doubles as “Arab Culture” for most Americans) and “The West.” My best evidence of this phenomenon is also my most personal: despite being raised without engaging Arab culture much (my parents are wonderful and extremely open-minded, for the record), I find myself drawn closer to it in direct proportion to how much vitriolic hatred is produced by the extremes in the US.<br />
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As I reflect on my life up to now, I realize that without 9/11, my Islamophobic relatives might not have exposed me to such disagreeable and upsetting views that obligated me to seek better information. Without the demonization of Arabs and Muslims following 9/11, I probably would have never been intrigued enough to step into the Classical Islam course with Vernon Schubel my first semester at Kenyon College. Without 9/11, there likely would not have been multiple Arabic courses at my college and many fellowships to study Arabic abroad. Without 9/11, Al-Bustan may not have come into existence because there would not have been as much need to counter ignorance of Arab culture in the US. Without 9/11, I would not have the opportunity to help educate about Arab culture and language as a part of Al-Bustan.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzGbWfWgJeNHkdHd25tM5KcNSscARWgHJR7jkMXp2zPBWSktSB8UYTdCMApQ7_sDLJgcGgvPLICuHFdhadeQWOXlfk_8Vc9Ac7CAoECkGzqawWzDyG4ySrqVYXqDKP63W2hCNWn0_58U/s1600/max-1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzGbWfWgJeNHkdHd25tM5KcNSscARWgHJR7jkMXp2zPBWSktSB8UYTdCMApQ7_sDLJgcGgvPLICuHFdhadeQWOXlfk_8Vc9Ac7CAoECkGzqawWzDyG4ySrqVYXqDKP63W2hCNWn0_58U/s200/max-1a.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
In the continued struggle against post-9/11-ignorance and the consequent education of people, I see a silver-lining. This is not to say that the suffering of hundreds of millions of people in the Arab and Muslim World is worth it—the US will never fully ameliorate the damage we have done to those communities in the name of “freedom”—but it may help us envision how a garden can grow from ash.<br />
<br />
- Max Dugan, Program CoordinatorAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-39458710494727541252015-04-01T13:06:00.004-07:002015-04-01T21:38:41.082-07:00Weaving Arab Music and Cultural Education at Comley Elementary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After visiting Maura Diberardinis’s choir class on Monday,
March 30<sup>th</sup>, I left with two observations: (1) We at Al-Bustan are
very lucky to have Maura in our fold and (2) Hanna Khoury, Al-Bustan’s Music Director and PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, does a
great job of weaving Arab culture into music education in a way that
feels seamless and natural. About the latter point, Hanna's
lesson at Comley School exemplified the way that a teaching artist can use Arab music as a
vehicle to educate students about Arabic language and culture. By interweaving diction training, cultural anecdotes, and
translation, Hanna simultaneously taught culture, Arabic, and music in a way
that engages children regardless of their experience with the language or
culture. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbR-LME1ArpntH5XT2II__EjtGixt_oUvIx5XJvG9T9L8EByZS9FZR10ivs2xXmRQJTjIMYtSNqPydOy1c8KTymNJegt6y96LrB5uB1LQFsSwjjNvc8CnvAj7XNYkehmCEm0g9_dGcxeM/s1600/pd-28a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbR-LME1ArpntH5XT2II__EjtGixt_oUvIx5XJvG9T9L8EByZS9FZR10ivs2xXmRQJTjIMYtSNqPydOy1c8KTymNJegt6y96LrB5uB1LQFsSwjjNvc8CnvAj7XNYkehmCEm0g9_dGcxeM/s1600/pd-28a.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maura Driberdinis (2nd row, third from left) at Al-Bustan's<br />
professional development course in June 2014</td></tr>
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That said, I was first struck by how effectively Maura
taught her students <i>Nassam 'Alayna al-Hawa</i>,
and, furthermore, by how well her 80 students engaged with the music during our
visit. I first met Maura last summer during Al-Bustan’s professional
development course; she was highly engaged and eager to get the most from the course so that she could introduce her students to new material. One of
the songs which the participants learned was <i>Nassam</i>, a classic Arab song made famous by Fairuz. When I found out that Maura had begun teaching her students Nassam<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>and wanted
Hanna Khoury, who was the lead teacher in the summer course, to work further with her students, I was
simply excited! Despite having seen a fair number of these educational visits, the
teacher’s and students’ positive energy always surprises me. A visit to Comley
Elementary was extra-exciting because it offered the opportunity to work more
with Maura and to meet her diverse and talented student choir.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJxir2YOhbIesIuCzOJEdNeevC5TLt-lG_OrVd3kEYo9-FxP_X_IEayX9M0zoiO5P71fFBBsaNbNAjOjvu7X0v2jqqGZ1UspGcizL6sxxADrFXkHy2jUsOkdMQNqdkrUWgoQfh8GV0Hk/s1600/DSC_4851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJxir2YOhbIesIuCzOJEdNeevC5TLt-lG_OrVd3kEYo9-FxP_X_IEayX9M0zoiO5P71fFBBsaNbNAjOjvu7X0v2jqqGZ1UspGcizL6sxxADrFXkHy2jUsOkdMQNqdkrUWgoQfh8GV0Hk/s1600/DSC_4851.JPG" height="185" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hanna Khoury answering questions from eager Comley students</span></td></tr>
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In addition to the wonderful students, I was very impressed by how Hanna taught <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nassam</i>,
which concisely and naturally blended Arab culture education with music
education. He began by asking the students about their origins, and explaining
how the song’s lyrics speak to the emotional challenges of immigration. From
there, he worked on the students’ diction by using fun vocal games and song
excerpts to keep everyone engaged. For example, he had the students sing “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fi-mantoura…</i>” a little softer because,
as Hanna explained, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mantoura</i> is a
small picture, so you must reflect that smallness in song. Then, during the
following Q&A period, Hanna ended up giving a mini-lesson on traditional
Arab classical music. Consider everything that was covered in one class visit!<br />
<br />
I'm excited to see Maura's students perform <i>Nassam</i> on May 21 accompanied by Hanna Khoury and percussionist Hafez Kotain at an all-school assembly for students and parents.<br />
<br />
- Max Dugan</div>
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Al-Bustan Program Coordinator</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-38127977171353672042015-03-31T14:46:00.000-07:002015-04-01T21:35:15.284-07:00Interning at Al-Bustan: A Synthesis of My Passions and Interests<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_WtP9E1FXPNjVcxn-p5iNuR2MVNXhZCrfj79k0tKjYMB_wB4HCjGYHKE2IguQeOUcokHqwFsZCJ5mlhHk9agFShCrMtZWTt9-xPGZWUHokyUwsNLctUL5h_stxk0UVoQXyJg3sdGTG4/s1600/PAME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_WtP9E1FXPNjVcxn-p5iNuR2MVNXhZCrfj79k0tKjYMB_wB4HCjGYHKE2IguQeOUcokHqwFsZCJ5mlhHk9agFShCrMtZWTt9-xPGZWUHokyUwsNLctUL5h_stxk0UVoQXyJg3sdGTG4/s1600/PAME.jpg" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Playing the guitar (top center, next to cellist Kinan Abou-afach) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">with the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As a junior double majoring in Music and Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, it took me a long time to find a place where I could gain hands-on experience in both areas. Not only was I looking for an organization in which I could learn professional skills, but I also wanted to be engaged creatively and personally. After an extensive search, I am very glad to have found Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture. <br />
<br />
<div>
I first encountered Al-Bustan when I signed up to play the guitar in the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble class at UPenn. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I would be playing with their world-renowned resident musicians, as well as members of the broader Philadelphia community. It was even more surprising to know that we would play both canonical and original compositions (such as compositions by cellist Kinan Abou-afach), and perform alongside famous Arab artists, such as Oumeima El Khalil.<br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMZNwkeKG7UDGz7rSsfkSr6zasXfhSH4LDV6ImVq5WZ_tUoSzNlGVZGcwa_1r6KSA-9Mb-3wubxYsIrooY-OiG_LYfSTAWwwtMHYdTHvDyLISIbTXwHt0xRR-O9bEqvHfzS3V0AEx7Dk/s1600/albustanwires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMZNwkeKG7UDGz7rSsfkSr6zasXfhSH4LDV6ImVq5WZ_tUoSzNlGVZGcwa_1r6KSA-9Mb-3wubxYsIrooY-OiG_LYfSTAWwwtMHYdTHvDyLISIbTXwHt0xRR-O9bEqvHfzS3V0AEx7Dk/s1600/albustanwires.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the City Hall exhibit <span style="font-size: x-small;">with </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">program coordinator Max Dugan and Mazin Blaik (seated)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Given my experience in tutoring and music, and how much I enjoyed playing Arab music, I decided to apply for an internship as soon as I learned about Al-Bustan’s many programs. On my first week I was assigned as a teaching assistant to the After-school Arab Arts Program at Moffet School. Working with children can be hard, but there is no better way to ensure that our efforts will be impactful and long lasting. In addition to helping our teaching artists, I had the opportunity to record the Moffet choir singing, which you can listen to on <a href="http://soundcloud.com/al-bustan">soundcloud.com/al-bustan</a>. Recording the kids was a great way for me to put into practice techniques I have learned at UPenn, while also helping provide a way for more people to hear Moffet students’ singing.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition to the year-long Moffet program, I have also worked with Al-Bustan helping implement various events, which range from exhibits of audiovisual works made by children, to concerts showcasing international stars. In fact, many of these events involve our students as primary performers, showcasing their mastery of the materials learned. I am glad to help this organization broaden the cultural experiences of the broader Philadelphia community.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Although I have just joined the Al-Bustan team, my long search for the right internship is certainly over. I am currently a student, a teacher, a musician, and an intern, and I feel fulfilled in every one of these aspects. I hope to give this organization at least as much as I am sure it will give me. Meanwhile, we all work together to spread understanding in this world that needs it so badly.<br />
<br />
Henrique Nakamura<br />
University of Pennsylvania<br />
Class of 2016</div>
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<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928983202675159773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-74103994185885420972015-03-10T08:59:00.000-07:002015-03-10T15:56:13.916-07:00Tears of Joy for the Moffet Ensemble at City Hall <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmOLphZJmNkAm2FH_NknccxVVpSXoYiZjJkbPobnPYKvGiPiWz0BKnnKipG-iglOjgigljzoo2fP1pTWDn9zZyYEY0W8036JjFVPGKA2AqC70tYb3eIyVWzQmaETJ8OlGrGTmuPaDw5s/s1600/Moffet+Choir+City+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmOLphZJmNkAm2FH_NknccxVVpSXoYiZjJkbPobnPYKvGiPiWz0BKnnKipG-iglOjgigljzoo2fP1pTWDn9zZyYEY0W8036JjFVPGKA2AqC70tYb3eIyVWzQmaETJ8OlGrGTmuPaDw5s/s1600/Moffet+Choir+City+Hall.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Moffet Choir singing <i>Tik Tik Tik</i>, with four soloists<br />
around the microphone. Photo by Pamela Yau - Art in City Hall</td></tr>
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Anyone who came to the opening reception for <a href="http://www.albustanseeds.org/featured-story/al-bustan-exhibit-at-city-hall/">Al-Bustan’s Art Exhibit at City Hall</a> on February 25th probably saw me cry while speaking about the Moffet Arab Arts After-School Program.<br />
<br />
My duty was to briefly introduce the
Moffet Ensemble (choir and drummers) as well as our music teachers Hanna
Khoury, Hafez Kotain, and Serge El Helou. As straightforward as that should have been,
when I started speaking about the program—how hard everyone has worked, how
inspiring the children’s effort is—I choked up and couldn’t speak
without crying. People may have thought it a bit strange that I would be
so emotional when speaking about the kids; then when the Moffet Ensemble actually
performed, I think everyone could understood why I would be so emotional: this is such a special group of kids! <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Moffet students were simply amazing! The
Choir performed two songs in Arabic and one
relatively simple English song: <i><a href="https://soundcloud.com/al-bustan">Tik Tik Tik</a></i>,
<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eEQi18z6Ac">Yalli Zara’tu</a></i>,
and <i>Rhythm of the Rain</i>. They sang
beautifully, especially considering that the majority of them are not of Arab
descent; thus, the language in which they are singing was previously foreign to
them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBACK8ftFM8JwjWbi8YbBTtyyaXmQnlNzxt1ePXYJt57ZTubIP1oHXxGodE6Gv7tmETqDyTPCLP1STiktssksWtCGKLC2molwvK1fT7L_sm_ELi-pd9-n391R7YHnqy80jO8F6pOwJ-o/s1600/Moffet+Drummers+City+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBACK8ftFM8JwjWbi8YbBTtyyaXmQnlNzxt1ePXYJt57ZTubIP1oHXxGodE6Gv7tmETqDyTPCLP1STiktssksWtCGKLC2molwvK1fT7L_sm_ELi-pd9-n391R7YHnqy80jO8F6pOwJ-o/s1600/Moffet+Drummers+City+Hall.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Moffet Drummers before they amazed the audience.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo by Pamela Yau - Art in City Hall</span></td></tr>
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The next half of the performance -- the percussion -- really leveled the audience. The two Moffet drumming groups (advanced and
beginner) performed individually, together, and finally with Hafez in a
call-and-response style. During the performance, every action was done with
amazement: people shook their heads <i>with
amazement</i>; they audibly sighed <i>with amazement</i>;
they expressed <i>their amazement</i> with
exclamations like “wonderful” and " At this point, you would think I am used to
this; however, this wonder and awe always feels unique.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, I cried because I am very inspired by how hard the
Moffet Ensemble works to be better drummers and singers (and
people!). In spite of the many obstacles that these kids face on a daily basis,
they still do so much work in our program. I can’t wait to see what the
Moffet Ensemble will do in their upcoming performances this Spring!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
- Max Dugan, Program Coordinator</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-20237088341406633622015-03-10T08:02:00.000-07:002015-03-10T15:57:15.554-07:00Interview with Rosalie Swana: Countering Islamophobia Through Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-V1qUK2GFJTv3YLyiEbIVfwtLajZJgrCNJqiJCKucw5Q2wNww_3hMIFyH8RM7Kap6miWCRnARIZVMwdMBkt8fK9AgCxfxFXnneLETbeKu21Zb7aIOTziizEEiJjfT2mMdJ5DCrzN3cJD/s1600/rosalie+-+Edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-V1qUK2GFJTv3YLyiEbIVfwtLajZJgrCNJqiJCKucw5Q2wNww_3hMIFyH8RM7Kap6miWCRnARIZVMwdMBkt8fK9AgCxfxFXnneLETbeKu21Zb7aIOTziizEEiJjfT2mMdJ5DCrzN3cJD/s1600/rosalie+-+Edited.jpg" height="292" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosalie Swana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a Muslim-American student, artist, and activist, Rosalie Swana works toward informing others about the harsh realities facing too many Muslims in the United States. One such example, her art show in December,<i> Media Overload: Islamophobia of Muslims in the Media,</i> tackled themes of identity and misrepresentation. As a classmate and friend of Rosalie's, I had the pleasure of discussing her background, process, and recent exhibition. In our short meeting, I was able to feel the passion that she has for her work, and understand the connections between her personal identity and the grander question of how to address the issue of media discrimination against Muslim Americans.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;">Interviewer Kia:</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;"> I loved looking at the art from your exhibition! Would you mind explaining the themes you had in mind when putting together the show?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rosalie Swana:</b> Well, the goal of the opening was </span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">to show how the media misportrays Muslim Americans. There</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> are so many stereotypes about Muslims that have been fed to Americans by so-called "news" networks. For years, the media has made money off of Islamophobia.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline;">K: </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">A</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline;">re there any messages that you want viewers to take away from your show and art?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>RS: </b></span></span>I want my viewers to just be able to see it [the Media's treatment of Muslims] from another person's perspective. I am not asking viewers to agree with my message; I only hope that they will listen before making up their minds.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">K: </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span>What is the motivation behind this specific message? </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>RS: </b></span></span>Islamophobia in the media doesn’t just make me hurt because I am Muslim. Islamophobia upsets me so much because Muslims are not seen as Americans. We are seen as foreign; seen as animals and barbarians</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswTGnmNXnd5WEJNkd3_a0sUMg9kcKHoT8lrQWijDNr2lwZdgq_ew6_DRBtLT1j9LOEOozfGHt3FBkQ1hGeJ-mA29l6PMX3UZj4tkUU2TWihWHJnOYk8V4CtTqzGollw2wWNvutvNdQ3M5/s1600/10150684_376813892499440_8328508555103229052_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswTGnmNXnd5WEJNkd3_a0sUMg9kcKHoT8lrQWijDNr2lwZdgq_ew6_DRBtLT1j9LOEOozfGHt3FBkQ1hGeJ-mA29l6PMX3UZj4tkUU2TWihWHJnOYk8V4CtTqzGollw2wWNvutvNdQ3M5/s1600/10150684_376813892499440_8328508555103229052_n.jpg" height="288" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"Narcy"</span></td></tr>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><b>K: </b>Of all of the works in your exhibit, d</span></span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;">o you have a piece, or pieces, of which you are most proud?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>RS: </b></span></span>I would say I am most proud of my pieces “American Enough?” and “Narcy”. I felt extremely connected with these two pieces; really put myself into them, and they were very personal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">K: </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span>What inspired this piece(s)?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>RS: </b></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The inspiration for "Narcy" came from the political Iraqi-Canadian rapper the Narcicyst. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">A pencil drawing of him was one piece that was sold. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">A lot of his music has inspired me to discuss topics that most people are covering up, and to do it through an art form. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">He has inspired my artwork along with who I am as a person, and helped me express my feelings through something so beautiful. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">"American Enough?"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">As for "American Enough", this piece has a story. I was on the train with one of my close friends who wears the hijab. Two men got on and started to just stare at her. Soon after they were yelling things like: “Go back to your country”; “Take off that rag“; “Burn in hell“; “They shouldn’t let scum like you come into my country“; “People like you need to go back home.” As we left the train we turned to them and said: “This is our country just as much as it is yours. Our religion should not make us any less American." That night I went home and painted a portrait of her titled "American Enough?" I put the word “label” across her eyes. I then drew her heart with words reading “made me bleed red white and blue.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">K: </span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Very interesting. I'm wondering if </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">you can expand a little more on your personal connections to your work?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><b>RS: </b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;">With most of my work there is always a personal connection. When I paint I am usually happy or frustrated. I started painting because I felt like no one was listening to me and no one cared. I wanted someone to just listen before they rejected my opinion. If I put what I felt in a painting, it would be harder for people to ignore. We can talk over each other's opinion but we find it harder to ignore them when they are put in front of us.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">K: </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span>Are there any overall themes that you’d like the reader to take away from this post about you, your art, or Islamo</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">phobia in general?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>RS: </b></span></span>All I see on these media networks are non Muslims speaking on Islam, saying how toxic the religion is. Most of these people have never read the Qur’an. You can not condemn an entire religion because of a few followers. It is up with the followers of that religion to interpret it. You cannot blame every follower for one's mistake. We all interpret religion differently, some interpretations may be barbaric. But we cannot let those few barbaric followers blind people from the true meaning of Islam. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Rosalie is a current 11th grade student at Science Leadership Academy, exploring Islamic identity and Islamophobia while inspiring her peers and the greater community.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 14.7199993133545px; white-space: pre-wrap;">___</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 14.7199993133545px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kia DaSilva - Intern at Al-Bustan</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cc7567ca-c9c2-9dbe-52b5-6011683480b8"><span style="font-family: Arial; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Class of 2017, Science Leadership Academy</span></span></span></div>
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Kia DaSilvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039210959734339361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-17508309468243857952015-02-11T14:24:00.000-08:002015-03-10T15:37:36.758-07:00Merion Elementary's Amazing Arabic-Language Winter Concert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t even know where to begin...you really gave some of our families a wonderful window into music that was unknown and also brought to other families the music they love and are familiar with in their homes.” - Marita McCarthy, music teacher at Merion Elementary</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4Eikmua6n3jOmDF8Iu5VEilkmVwKHp_N8l2KPVtQbk_WCQCATVwZ-Kdw9FI1rbX_MrRQUTxU-9wT7Ku5jugvNtGejyU7SzjYl7X6oE0BIjoJO8MZX7QftlkJ8PyQniVKucsNjWiSmxI/s1600/IMG_1817.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4Eikmua6n3jOmDF8Iu5VEilkmVwKHp_N8l2KPVtQbk_WCQCATVwZ-Kdw9FI1rbX_MrRQUTxU-9wT7Ku5jugvNtGejyU7SzjYl7X6oE0BIjoJO8MZX7QftlkJ8PyQniVKucsNjWiSmxI/s1600/IMG_1817.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a packed auditorium!</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I empathize Marita, it is surprisingly hard to write about a winter concert during which American students beautifully sing in Arabic, Hanna and Hafez give a brief lesson on classical Arab music, and 200 people do a call-and-response percussion session with Hafez. Honestly, I can’t imagine enjoying school assemblies more than those I attend with Hanna and Hafez. Everytime I expect to see a generic assembly, and everytime Hanna and Hafez blow me away and have the entire audience totally engaged. All of this is a testament to their genius as both educators and performers. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of this came about when Marita McCarthy, the music teacher at Merion Elementary, began teaching her students Arabic songs for the Winter Concert. When I met Marita at our professional development course over the summer she possessed an infectious enthusiasm. I remember how dedicated she was to learning the nuances of singing in Arabic, and by the end of the week her version of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yalli Zara’tu</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sounded she had spent months working on it. And in addition to learning Arab songs, the intention of the week-long course, Marita was also just an extremely fun person to be around and added this positive energy that everyone responded very well too. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWFevYCa9RML6FK4_7_yB0EuIoLhtLWrbljrgMl0tEuEsEGQDMo5vWN2qcg19Tc9Suk9tsBl9egQlnFT6rFsq5Qzn8sHnBbLdwH9azfqjt_ra0YZ3Pil3B0p_-eGPPcqml-lYO1OYNg0/s1600/IMG_5469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWFevYCa9RML6FK4_7_yB0EuIoLhtLWrbljrgMl0tEuEsEGQDMo5vWN2qcg19Tc9Suk9tsBl9egQlnFT6rFsq5Qzn8sHnBbLdwH9azfqjt_ra0YZ3Pil3B0p_-eGPPcqml-lYO1OYNg0/s1600/IMG_5469.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hafez and Hanna taking a moment to pose for a photograph with<br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This all provides the background to understand why I was so excited when I found out that Marita had taken the Arabic songs she learned back to Merion Elementary and included Arabic songs in her Winter Concert program. She personally taught her students the bulk of the songs, but Hanna and Hafez went to Merion with some frequency the two weeks before in order to make sure that the singers’ diction and rhythm were on point. Hanna himself was blown away by Marita’s choir; he said that their focus and enthusiasm for the song was exemplary. All of this makes so much sense when you consider their teacher and model of behavior, Ms. McCarthy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was lucky enough to attend the morning performance of the Winter Concert and see both the choir’s performance, and a brief demonstration by Hanna and Hafez. All of this was just so impressive. The kids were surprisingly good at singing in Arabic, both in terms of the song’s beauty, and the pronunciation of the students. What had me reeling though was the audience’s noticeable engagement with all of the Arabic music, especially Hafez’s drumming. I mean, it is pretty hard not to enjoy Hafez’s percussion, especially when 200 or so people are clapping along with him. I should expect this by now, since I have seen Hafez’s magic countless times at this point, but it still had not worn off. And Marita’s letter to us is a testament to how amazing Hanna, Hafez, Marita, and the Merion community are that everyone could appreciate one another so much!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Dugan, Program Coordinator</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-49597425914725405662015-01-13T07:21:00.000-08:002015-01-16T14:52:23.098-08:00Something for Everyone in The Turtle of Oman<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The more I read and talk about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a new book authored by Naomi Shihab Nye, the more I see the many layers that it contains. Of course, it speaks well to its target audience of young adults. For this demographic, it touches on the ways that young folks’ identities and understandings of “home” are fluid, and often confusing. Shihab Nye also infuses everything with her wonderful way of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">looking</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at the world, best shown by the lists that Aref makes of interesting facts he learns. Consequently, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is filled with lots of thoughtful and fascinating ideas for young adults to ponder.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Moffet School student's brand new copy<br />
Photo by Emily Ganser</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, there are many other dimensions of Shihab Nye’s new book; the one which struck me hardest was the way that Aref (our young protagonist) is a metaphor for contemporary Oman’s negotiation of tradition and modernity. Essential for understanding this metaphor is that Oman only really started modernizing when Sultan Qaboos came into power in 1970, and still maintains most of the traditional culture that predates his ascendence. For example, almost all Omani men still wear </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dishdahsa</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> outside, only now the streets are paved, electrical wire runs overhead, and they get great cellular reception. It should be noted that maintaining a traditional lifestyle is difficult in country that wants to be global, because there is constant exposure to what many consider non-traditional-Omani culture. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> speaks beautifully to this national struggle by having Aref pulled in two directions, that of his parents and that of his grandfather, referred to as “Sidi.” Aref’s parents represent globalizing Oman; they speak lots of English and are traveling to Michigan to obtain higher degrees. Sidi symbolizes traditional Oman; he lives in a pre-Qaboosian house, tells Aref all about the time before electricity, and he seems to know every man around. Aref is the product of these two influences, and Shihab Nye’s book is his journey to reconciling the two sides.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The only problem with my above analysis is that it simplifies Omani history by ignoring that Oman has exemplified a vibrant, multicultural society for centuries. For example, to see the influence of East Africa and South Asia on Omani culture, one needn’t look further than traditional Omani food and music. So, while the previous paragraph is helpful in simplifying </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the book actually touches on the fact that, while Aref’s journey may seem groundbreaking and totally unfamiliar, he is actually going down a path well-traveled by other Omanis throughout history. Like I said, there is something for everyone in this book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Max Dugan, Program Coordinator</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-61250825502118086262015-01-13T06:58:00.001-08:002015-01-13T07:20:52.678-08:00Naomi Shihab Nye's Amazing Concert<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGm-D7kNJ5ldyielJ7Oft3RXy3F6eYKBRV1pvAsxe7XJOMSC4Ge_WBCaC6jcaLuT7vt9PY2GqO_5OC2eGuB02YtU8q8iTmbaMG8JhyQXyzq0Qf93t3f1lJe6aXNf_qM9NHJCc5bKTsFY/s1600/N-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGm-D7kNJ5ldyielJ7Oft3RXy3F6eYKBRV1pvAsxe7XJOMSC4Ge_WBCaC6jcaLuT7vt9PY2GqO_5OC2eGuB02YtU8q8iTmbaMG8JhyQXyzq0Qf93t3f1lJe6aXNf_qM9NHJCc5bKTsFY/s1600/N-1.jpg" height="248" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Takht and Philadelphia Arab Music Ensembles. <br />Photo by Danielle Nowak</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It might seem a bit late to write about Al-Bustan's last concert (it took place on December 13th, after all), but it has been on my mind because I heard about it all holiday season from my parents. You see, my parents have very little experience with Al-Bustan concerts, Naomi Shihab Nye, the Takht Ensemble, the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble, or the Moffet Drummers; thus, when they came to our last concert they were pretty blown away. And then when holiday season comes around and relatives are sharing news, the amazing concert that just happened gets talked about a lot, which is why am I writing this blog post now, and not a month ago. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, the concert itself really was quite amazing. The Takht Ensemble was, per usual, spectacular. I have seen them perform so many times at this point, and even now they still manage to make every song unique to the moment. They really are an exceptional group of musicians, and we are lucky to get to see such world-class talent create </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tarab</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Philadelphia.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbxRZ2D_Jng9vKesXDz01c0rKw2XWlb1_nWdYIoO8msPvt4RBwCIki2kHJczT1Fgzh_7cl2gZZco0j9volnmTwPYrZN0Z8OEjo-mUPRXFtS08jgiH9A0lq4ijB-oEsRAs1NR6eycA-L0/s1600/N-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbxRZ2D_Jng9vKesXDz01c0rKw2XWlb1_nWdYIoO8msPvt4RBwCIki2kHJczT1Fgzh_7cl2gZZco0j9volnmTwPYrZN0Z8OEjo-mUPRXFtS08jgiH9A0lq4ijB-oEsRAs1NR6eycA-L0/s1600/N-4.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naomi Shihab Nye reading with musical backing by the<br />Takht Ensemble. Photo by Danielle Nowak</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Additionally, the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble and the Moffet Drummers lit up the room, and, from a personal perspective, warmed my heart. As the on-site administrator for both groups, I have had the privilege to watch both groups grow exponentially over the course of a semester. After all of work that each group put in these past few months, it means a lot to see them do such a great job.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As amazing as the concert as a whole was, the real scene-stealer was Naomi Shihab Nye. I do like her poetry a great deal; it is socially conscious while still remaining beautiful and transcendent, and she has this optimism about humans that induces hope. And all of that which is good in her written work shines even more brightly when she reads it. To illustrate her charisma, there was a moment during her final poem, "Gate A-4," when the whole room seemed to lower into another level of quiet, because they were so focused that they forgot to breathe (my theory, not empirically justified). If you're curious about her work, check out </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/gate-4">Gate A-4</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBH6GNHbp1Y">A Valentine for Ernest Mann</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, along with her </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naomi-Shihab-Nye/e/B000APE8JO">extensive published works</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now I'm just looking forward to our next performance!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Max Dugan, Program Coordinator</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-89484658024159832122014-12-10T07:54:00.001-08:002014-12-10T12:29:07.378-08:00A Meeting of my Favorite Things: Oman and Moffet School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last Friday I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Moffet School kids about the country Oman and its history and culture. The students reactions reminded me exactly why Al-Bustan’s work is so impactful: we help expose people from all backgrounds to Arab culture, while simultaneously providing a forum for those of Arab heritage to feel pride in their culture, especially at a school like Moffet where there are a significant number Arab students.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVa_VfXVwk4F0mpRQ9Aq7WMNLT_Ige67ul7w897ImF4vvsUIsdT6AxL-sgbbSjAwxzuKEgoBACFTfshVVa4j6fFHbLvFsjyZg4tWdr7bn4ZQyfUn83seKimpTYhM9-_WpqWd3NB9q8jY/s1600/moffet_35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVa_VfXVwk4F0mpRQ9Aq7WMNLT_Ige67ul7w897ImF4vvsUIsdT6AxL-sgbbSjAwxzuKEgoBACFTfshVVa4j6fFHbLvFsjyZg4tWdr7bn4ZQyfUn83seKimpTYhM9-_WpqWd3NB9q8jY/s1600/moffet_35.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saeed (front right) brings his copy of <i>The Turtle of Oman</i><br />
with him even to after-school art class. Photo by Emily Ganser</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The roots of my presentation stem from a scholarship I received from the Omani government to study Arabic and learn about its history and culture while I was in college. During my seven weeks living there, I became enamored with the place and ended up writing about Oman as part of my senior honors thesis. So, when I joined Al-Bustan and found out that we were bringing Naomi Shihab Nye to Philadelphia to talk about her latest book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I got very excited. Then, when I heard that some of our dedicated Al-Bustaners (“gardeners”?) were donating money to purchase a copy of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for all fourth and fifth graders at Moffet School, and that Naomi would come and speak to these kids about the book, I was overjoyed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The intersection of Moffet, Naomi Shihab Nye, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> meant that I had the opportunity to go do one of my favorite things: talk to people about the Sultanate of Oman. As all the fourth and fifth graders are reading the book now, the teachers invited me to speak with their students about my time in Oman They only gave me 45 minutes--I could talk about Oman for hours if you gave me the chance--which was just enough time to review the geography, the impact of Sultan Qaboos on the development of the country, and some show and tell about the food and clothing. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqA1qQRTGQ1TIp4SpJmqlJR79-7yP4zyAE5TIKQuZANIPxPkh-N_01iSTwf1Vz4nsUKxfDDEKtjpf-ReKWh5tUZj7Q9RXhKvwUDfD5OeTjO6yluO51c7XpEQFm363qseW2pq13XVYgiQ/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqA1qQRTGQ1TIp4SpJmqlJR79-7yP4zyAE5TIKQuZANIPxPkh-N_01iSTwf1Vz4nsUKxfDDEKtjpf-ReKWh5tUZj7Q9RXhKvwUDfD5OeTjO6yluO51c7XpEQFm363qseW2pq13XVYgiQ/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me giving the first of two presentations on Oman.</td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the distance of Oman from their lives, the Moffet kids were attentive listeners and inquisitive questioners. They asked about everything from the types of weapons Omanis used to use (small shields!) to the traditional way of eating food with just your hands. And let me tell you, when I spoke about my experience camping in Wadi Ash-Shab (the most fun adventure I’ve ever undertaken) the room was filled with that eerie quiet that comes about when everyone is really focused. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As fun as the talk was, my conversation with Ms. Anderson afterwards was, perhaps, the most gratifying moment of the day. She told me how one of the Arab girls in her class has become more engaged and confident while he class is reading </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. As a native Arabic speaker she was able help her classmates with translations of the Arabic words. This is a perfect example of how intercultural work can help engender pride in youth. By introducing a book which contains Arabic and Arab cultural themes it provides opportunities for Arab students to contribute to class from their unique perspective. I can’t wait to see what happens when the students get farther along in reading </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Turtle of Oman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and what they say when Naomi Shihab Nye visits their school this Friday!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Max Dugan, Program Coordinator</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-25629411873970112892014-11-19T13:07:00.002-08:002014-11-19T14:41:53.393-08:00Replanting the Seeds at Al-Bustan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me dressed in a black skirt, age 7 at Al-Bustan Camp 2007</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cc7567ca-c9c2-9dbe-52b5-6011683480b8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm currently working as an intern with Al-Bustan. My longstanding participation with Al-Bustan says something about the organization, in that its reach extends past those ancestrally connected with Arab culture. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though I am fascinated by Arabic language and culture, my mother’s family is Colombian-American, and my father’s family is Angolan. It is the integration of Arab culture throughout the Islamic world, specifically in the Andalusian region, that originally led my mother to send me to Al-Bustan Camp, and it is my own ethnic diversity that has allowed me to be more open to other cultures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Growing up surrounded by the languages that tie into my heritage (Spanish and Portuguese, of which I speak Spanish fluently) has further interested me in the languages that go along with the identities of others: while I attended Independence Charter School, I was fortunate enough to study Arabic during my last 3 years. Currently a sophomore at Science Leadership Academy, I take my school life, both in and out of the classroom, very seriously. I'm on the debate team as well as the board of the robotics team. While Arabic is a hobby of mine, I bring the same dedication to studying the language and culture that I do to my schoolwork. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me playing the role of the "Sea Goddess," age 10 at Al-Bustan 2010 </td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cc7567ca-c9c2-9dbe-52b5-6011683480b8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s fortuitous that the first song I learned as an Al-Bustan Camper, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lamma Bada Yatathanna,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was one representing the multicultural region of Andalusia, Spain. As a seven year old, I could not grasp the importance of the lessons of acceptance taught to me through Al-Bustan’s diverse and welcoming environment, but returning to Al-Bustan each year has offered me a way to reconnect with those lessons as well as my passions: Arabic and Music. Though I have pursued out-of-school opportunities (I take singing lessons at UPenn and Arabic lessons with a family friend, Tarek Albasti), limited funding within the Philadelphia School District has made in-school access nearly impossible. Working with Al-Bustan seemed like the perfect option for me as I am in the midst of thinking about what I want to do in the future. The organization has done such a phenomenal job of incorporating the arts, especially Middle Eastern art, into education of the Arabic language. </span></span><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-cc7567ca-c9c2-9dbe-52b5-6011683480b8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/uP28ut2J7tE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My general goal for this internship is to improve my understanding of the Arabic language and culture by interacting with prominent figures working with Arab art and culture here in Philadelphia. Most importantly, I want to decide for myself whether or not working in an Arabic-related field and with organizations that promote Arab culture is something that I would like to pursue in the future. If so, I know that the seeds that I plant through this internship with Al-Bustan will prove a strong foundation. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Insha’ allah</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I will use that foundation to better my understanding of the Arab world, while learning from and teaching others along the way.</span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-cc7567ca-c9c2-9dbe-52b5-6011683480b8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kia DaSilva - Intern at Al-Bustan</span></span><br />
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Kia DaSilvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15039210959734339361noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-28052638279446266032014-11-05T08:03:00.000-08:002014-11-19T13:27:55.599-08:00Dancing, Debke, and Tarab at Greenfield School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The experts setting up before the presentation.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Hazami asked me to help Hafez, Hanna, and Hicham with their presentation about Arab music at Greenfield School, I expected an engaging lecture; there is no way I would have guessed that by the end of the assembly that the students would literally be dancing and clapping in the auditorium. As their teacher pointed out, this extraordinary student engagement is made even more amazing by the fact that this presentation took place during the last period of the day on Halloween, when all the children have on their minds’ is trick-or-treating. Now I’m just wondering about the date of our next school presentation/</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">debke</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> experience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The impetus for this whole talk is that Hafez--who is currently teaching Greenfield 6th graders Arabic drumming--wanted to give his students a little background in Arab music and culture, so that they could better appreciate what he is teaching them. So, Hafez did what any teacher would do in this situation: he recruited two virtuoso Arab musicians, who are also currently pursuing doctorates in anthropology of music and ethnomusicology, to accompany him in describing Arab music and culture, as well as performing some traditional Arab music. You know, the usual routine in this situation.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanna Khoury, Hicham Chami, Hafez, and<br />
Hafez Kotain fielding questions from Greenfield students.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And in an hour and half Hafez Kotain, Hanna Khoury, and Hicham Chami covered so much information. They began with a primer on their instruments (the violin, qanun, and dumbek) and how they are used in Arab music. For the record, the Greenfield students liked the qanun the most; Hicham was extremely happy. Then they traced the history of modern Arab music as the cultural center moved from the Ottoman empire (Morocco was independent during this time), to Egypt and Umm Kulthum, to Lebanon and Fairuz, while also giving a brief overview of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maqamat</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or Arab scales. Throughout this talk they played examples of the different genres of music, from ‘</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aziza </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Longa Shahnaz</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. All of this was wonderful, especially the kids’ responsiveness, but nothing could prepare me for what happened during the finale.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao-BNaTFiqVVCUOfpbOrvkSolJpVeoIjbmI4UPwudKM0b1-aQvAFik8_ryhOqIKhMrr2XIuBL10-5nPjSksnBHPtIOQ2Lk24saM72iSbS6wOxvF0a9QNRjjf3tJWdlQk25DX2U9LjR2I/s1600/Greenfield+Presentation+Standing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao-BNaTFiqVVCUOfpbOrvkSolJpVeoIjbmI4UPwudKM0b1-aQvAFik8_ryhOqIKhMrr2XIuBL10-5nPjSksnBHPtIOQ2Lk24saM72iSbS6wOxvF0a9QNRjjf3tJWdlQk25DX2U9LjR2I/s1600/Greenfield+Presentation+Standing.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>dabke</i> finale that lit up the room.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To close the presentation, Hafez blew everyone away with a lively </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">debke</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> rhythm. The English language doesn’t have words to describe what Hafez did to the kids, though the Arabic word “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tarab</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” which roughly translates to “enchanting,” would work perfectly. All I know is that the kids were literally dancing in the aisles of the auditorium, and when the song ended, I heard an audible “woo!” from the students. As someone who went to Philadelphia Public School for thirteen years I can tell you that I never once saw students react to a presentation like that. The reason is pretty obvious: we never had a musician</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> like Hafez come give a talk on Arab music and culture. I’ll be looking to the next time I get to help set up for one of these presentations, which, as I know now, will never be the “usual.”</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Dugan</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-44159605201038005132014-10-29T14:28:00.000-07:002014-11-01T14:34:11.737-07:00Syrian Awareness Week: Raising Knowledge and Money<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last month <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pennreliefsyrianrefugees" target="_blank">Penn for Syrian Refugees</a> and Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture organized “Syria Awareness Week” on Penn’s campus (Sept 23-27) -- and I, in my dual role as board member for PSR and Al-Bustan staff member, took a big part in organizing it. Our goal, which we conceived last spring before the many changes in the Arab world over the summer, was to increase awareness on campus about the sheer size of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. A lot of people get so caught up in the political debates--about things like arming the opposition and US intervention, among others--that they forget just how many Syrians have been killed and displaced in the 3 years since the conflict began and the many other humanitarian tragedies the war has wrought. It was our intention to bring this knowledge to people—as well as do a little fundraising along the way.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flags on College Green at UPenn campus</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1dfa81d-2dfd-5ea9-49e1-5ecd94c6d03e"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Tuesday, we held a Skype call with Dr. Monzer Yazji, a founding member of the Union for Syrian Medical Relief Organizations (UOSSM). Dr. Yazji spoke to us about the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">systematic targeting of medical and humanitarian relief efforts by regime forces within Syria and about his work trying to get medical care to civilians there.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> He told us that the regime restricts medical care from reaching anyone who supports the opposition--or doesn’t explicitly support them--and therefore hundreds of people in opposition controlled areas find it nearly impossible to receive medical care. Dr. Yazji talked about seeing doctors he was working with targeted by military air strikes, including one talented young brain surgeon who had gone on a special mission to reach a child with a brain tumor and was killed. He himself was at risk numerous times. I was particularly struck by Dr. Yazji’s passion for and commitment to what he was doing, not only in such a dangerous situation in Syria but also with intense passion in America, recruiting doctors and Syrian-Americans to support his cause. Everyone in the audience on Tuesday was left with a new appreciation of the difficulties of providing assistance in Syria.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Qusai speaking at UPenn</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Wednesday morning we set up flags on College Green, in the center of Penn’s campus, to show the number of Syrians who had been killed in the conflict. There were 955, with each flag representing 200 deaths. From the morning when we started setting up the flags, there was a lot of interest in them, with several of the passerbys asking us what they were for and many more looking on with interest. By the end of the day, many people were stopping for pictures, and we got interviewed by a reporter for the campus newspaper. The memorial was a good way to raise awareness because it was a striking and public reminder of the humanitarian toll in Syria.</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1dfa81d-2dfd-5ea9-49e1-5ecd94c6d03e"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thursday was perhaps the most moving of all events: a speech by Qusai Zakarya, a Syrian man who spent over a year under siege in Moadamiya, a small town outside of Damascus. During this year, Qusai talked about the starvation of the town and the chemical weapons attack it suffered at the hands of the regime in August 2013, including Qusai’s own near-death experience in which he had to be resuscitated in the morgue. He spoke also about his numerous interviews with Western news outlets and, more recently, since he has been in America, trips to government and international organizations to plead for intervention against Assad. The most meaningful thing he said, in my opinion, was his statement that “people in Syria cannot imagine having what American’s have...not just the jobs, the clothes, the food, but the freedom to say whatever you want to and to not be scared.” That is something that I and some many others take for granted, when we really need to appreciate it. Qusai’s speech had a huge impact on everyone in attendance and gave everyone an overwhelming urge to help.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My colleague Oscar and I presenting about Karam at the event</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a1dfa81d-2dfd-5ea9-49e1-5ecd94c6d03e"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saturday provided the opportunity to do just that. In conjunction with Al Bustan, we put on a fundraiser for <a href="http://karamfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Karam Foundation</a>. Karam is an American-based non-profit that runs programs for displaced Syrians that incorporate art, exercise, and health; their motto is “Every Child Deserves to Play.” Our event featured a performance by the Al Bustan Takht Ensemble, art-making, Arab food, and a brief attempt at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">debke</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We also screened some of Karam’s videos to highlight their programs with Syrian children. The gathering raised over $650 for Karam's efforts to help displaced Syrians. It was great to see community members--students and adults, Arabs and non-Arabs--come together to support a cause. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, we were happy with the impact that the week had and hope it will inspire people to continue to follow and support the Syrian cause.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amy T. Cass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">International Relations Major</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Al-Bustan Program Assistant</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507697453991615892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-91738741677399420172014-10-15T18:21:00.000-07:002014-10-15T18:55:20.319-07:00Interview with Mohsen Namjoo: Making Music and Memory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">October 13, 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By Nikki – Senior at Science Leadership Academy</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mohsen Namjoo at University of Pennsylvania campus</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">n the next chapter of his career,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><a href="http://www.mohsennamjoo.com/" target="_blank">Mohsen Namjoo</a></b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is dedicated to
breaking new ground. Dubbed by the New York Times as “Bob Dylan of Iran”,
Namjoo strives for musical excellence, not only for his fans, but also because
of his reverence for traditional Persian music and literature. During his visit
to Philadelphia, I had the chance to interview him and learn about the
influences and inspirations that drive him to be the type of musician that he
is today.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Interviewer Nikki:</b> In your<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/01/world/middleeast/01namjoo.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&">2007
interview with The New York Times</a>, you mention that as you expand your
music and begin to write new songs, your music won’t “belong to the present
time and cannot satisfy the younger generation;” it belongs to the generation
of “lost music,” your own generation. As you expand, do you think you
will include the youth and change the view you have of them?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Mohsen Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>First off, the reason I make music is to make it for the
sake of music. The younger generation, however, pressures musicians to include
political concepts in our songs and art. In some of my music, I have done that,
to cater to that generation. But right now, due to the calm, soothing
environment I live in here in America, the environment inspires me to write
music for the art of music. It inspires me to write just for musical concepts
and not for non-musical, more political concepts. My musical ideas include
different orchestrations, scenarios, and different collaborations with
different cultures, like Al-Bustan. They don’t include political agendas. Even
if I were going to have some sort of political agenda, it would not be to
protest against different government systems. It would be to protest for the
beauty in culture and music. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Interesting,
do you think it is easier to be a musician in America or Iran?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Financially, Iran is better. However, unfortunately, right before
I hit the peak of my musical career, I had to flee the country. Nonetheless,
I’m emotionally satisfied being here in America as a musician.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>You were
previously a music fellow at Stanford and are now teaching a course at Brown
University. When teaching at Brown, do you feel as though it is a learning
experience for you or do you see it as a top-down experience for your students?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Any teaching is a learning experience for me. This
semester at Brown University, I teach a course about contemporary Iranian poets
and about their political power after the revolution. It’s like I am
collaborating and competing with my students. I don’t teach and don’t like the
traditional teaching method of “I know everything and you, as a student, are
here just to listen to me”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>While growing
up in Iran, in your teenage years like me, what type of music would you listen
to or who? Eastern? Western?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>When I was a teenager, my favorite type of music was traditional
Iranian music and some traditional Eastern music. Eastern music from India,
Afghanistan, and also some traditional Arabic Music. On occasion, I would
listen to pop music from Los Angeles as well. However, my taste changed after
university. My perspective on music expanded and became much more diverse.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Are there any
specific musicians or concepts that inspire you?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>I have a few inspirations. First, I am most inspired by
Persian literature and modern Iranian poetry. Next, Persian folklore (<i>several songs that Namjoo will perform on
the October 18<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>are
from the folklore</i>). Then, Iranian maestros like<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqPoDzmV6wk&list=PL1iqhMhqGtjwzRzZ1RzRHsVpxVfkj6YMy">Shajarian</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0DN5xfZgmE">Alizadeh</a>. Finally,
modern western music, Blues and Rock music from the 70s.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Do you feel
challenged by the music you produce for your fan base or do you produce music
within your comfort zone for your fan base that you know will sell?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Oh, interesting question. I honestly wish I could produce music
for myself. But producing music, in general, involves a lot compromising due to
financial stability. For example, if I do solo performances with my setar (<i>the signature instrument that Namjoo plays</i>)
around the world, for Iranian audiences, all my fans would be satisfied. It
would also be financially beneficial for me as well. That being said, I hate to
perform this way. I like composing new songs/albums through new concepts so I
discover new ways of producing music. But people don’t like that. They prefer
just listening to my old songs and styles, instead of the new ones, because it
brings back their old memories. They don’t appreciate my attempt of trying new
music out.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>So, you like
to create music more for the artistic aspect than just for the memories.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Yes, exactly. Except, no one appreciates your efforts to
incorporate creativity. They need you to be what they want. After a certain
amount of time, the people own you. Sometimes, you can no longer be yourself
because you have to cater to them. I would rather spend my time learning new
vocal concepts, or, for example, if I had the choice to produce music for a
movie or to produce music from my hometown, I would choose to produce music
from my hometown.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>You talk
about wanting to create new musical opportunities and new collaborations. Are
you excited to collaborate with Al-Bustan? Do you see it as an opportunity to
widen your musical horizons?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Yes I am excited and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity
to expand my musical experiences.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nikki: <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Al-Bustan
often brings together a very diverse audience. Since your music is geared more
towards Iranian audiences, do you think, from this new experience, you can
produce music that is geared to a more diverse audience?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Namjoo:</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Most definitely; however, I’m not tempted to create music that is
just in English because it will reach a further audience. Sure, it might be fun
to do a song or two to do in English; however, I don’t think I’m going to
change my musical path to be in English. That being said, I am very fortunate
and optimistic about this collaboration with Al-Bustan. I’ve played with many
different musicians all the way from Turkey to here in America. But, playing
with the Takht Ensemble is different because we all have the same background
when it comes to rhythms. In addition, I love the discussions we are having
about music with the members of the Takht Ensemble because they are all very knowledgeable.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You can catch see Mohsen Namjoo perform with Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble this
Saturday, October 18<sup>th</sup>, 8pm at Trinity Center for Urban Life, in
Center City Philadelphia. </b></span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More info at</b><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://albustanseeds.org/music/2014/08/mohsen-namjoo">http://albustanseeds.org/music/2014/08/mohsen-namjoo</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394290985378308334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-70511622203769157512014-10-09T11:07:00.000-07:002014-10-10T10:49:30.848-07:00Launching the Moffet Arab Arts After-School Program*<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Three weeks into our after-school program, so much wonderful stuff has already happened that I have to get some of it off my chest. The kids’ personalities are just starting to emerge, their skills are sharpening, and consequently the days are increasingly fun. Concurrent with the play that goes on there is also a fairly rigorous--for elementary-school-age children--structure to the program. We open with a fifteen minute snack in the cafeteria where all the children gather. This gives them a second to unwind before the bulk of the teaching begins and they are divided into two groups: the visual artists and the musicians.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing oil and water colors - learning about resists</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Visual Art</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The visual artists go withTremain Smith who immerses them in making art. Teaching assistants Ms. Rachel and Ms. Stevie, both Temple affiliates, help out in the classroom, and on some days when Ms. Tremain can’t make it, Ms. Lisa, a teaching artist who worked with Al-Bustan last year, fills in. It is relatively early in the program, so we are building a foundation for future art projects by reviewing and learning foundational art concepts and skills such as texture, line, color, shadow, scale. So far, the students have enjoyed art so much that they do not even mind when art has gotten them in trouble with their parents. For example, Yaseen (Little Yusef, for those of you in the know) got a few stains on his shirt after the first day. I response, Yaseen justified this to his mother with a bold, and profound, statement claiming these splotches on his shirt were infact art (“but mama, this is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">art</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!”). What the kids are doing looks like so much fun; I often find myself wishing that I was allowed to just sit and paint with the group. For the last hour of the program, the teaching assistants and myself jump in to help the kid with their homework so that when they go home after 6pm they can actually relax and unwind a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Music</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the music track, the students take the first thirty minutes after snack to do homework, to lighten their work-load when they get home. Then, they come all together to sing in choir with Hanna Khoury and Hafez Kotain, and on Wednesdays with Serge El Helou. If this sounds mundane to you, take into account that these children sing songs in English, French, and Arabic. While they probably do not understand the Arabic words without the translation (provided on the papers), they are starting to get some of the more difficult Arabic sounds, such as the various guttural, glottal, and emphatic consonants. One of my hopes is that this program is planting the seeds (garden metaphor!) for their future linguistic flourishing.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serge El Helou leads students in music skills session</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following choir they split into two groups that are distinguished by those who previously drummed with Mr. Hafez, and those who are new to the program. One group does percussion with Mr. Hafez (who is a very popular teacher at Moffet) and another group goes with Mr. Hanna or Mr. Serge to practice music drills and exercises in Western and Arab music. Everytime I hear them drum or sing I’m amazed by how quickly these kids learn new concepts and skills. They are already pretty good at matching pitches, and have learned so many drum rhythms. I cannot wait to see what they are adept at in the next few weeks!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, this is simply a basic introduction to the program. I love to write, and tons of remarkable things happen every day at Moffet; this is merely the first in a series of articles about the budding program and students.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Dugan</b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Al-Bustan’s program at Moffet School is made possible with the support of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>William Penn Foundation, Children Can Shape the Future, Stockton Rush Barton Foundation, and Lincoln Foundation.</b></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hummus, waraq 'anab, and soft-pretzels. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Dana Scherer.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know that I sound like a broken record here, but the diversity of this camp was just simply astounding; between the counselors, campers, and parents, I may have never been around such an ethnically and culturally diverse group before in my life. What is perhaps so amazing about this is this community is that, while people usually gravitate towards similar folks, the parents at Camp Al-Bustan sought to immerse their children in an exceptionally heterogeneous and polyethnic community. The wonderfulness of this pluralism should not be overlooked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the end-of-camp-potluck perfectly showcased this. Parents of all ethnicities jovially sat with one another and ate foods from all over the world. The range of foods --from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mjadara</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hummus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Pakistani-style peas and carrots, and Sudanese potatoes and beef, cookies, macaroons, and so on-- itself indicated the diversity of the campers respective cultural backgrounds. At the end of two weeks packed with intercultural exchange, this potluck beautifully, and deliciously, symbolized the heterogeneity of the Al-Bustan community.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are never too many photos of food.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Dana Scherer.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The desire of Al-Bustan parents to expose themselves and their children to other cultures reminds me of Omid Safi’s contrasting of tolerance and pluralism. By comparing these two approaches to multiculturalism, Safi, editor of the generally excellent </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Progressive Muslims</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, highlights what is so special about the fact that Al-Bustan Camp parents chose to enter in a heterogeneous community. To explain that tolerance is not a simply positive concept, Safi informs us that tolerance is etymologically linked to someone’s ability to “tolerate” poison. Although tolerance may be peaceful, it also can imply a subtle contempt for “others” lingering beneath the surface. Safi contrasts that with pluralism, which is a celebration of difference. Pluralism, and not tolerance, is the engine that really drives cultural exchange and innovation, and as such, is a benevolent concept in Safi’s conception. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I have seen here over these past three weeks (two for camp and one for orientation) is pluralism at its clearest. Everyone involved in the camp at Al-Bustan seemed actively invested in intercultural exchange. With so much divisiveness between ethnic, political, and religious groups throughout the world today, a scene such as the one I witnessed during the end-of-camp celebration was really inspiring. It was truly a pleasure being involved with Al-Bustan Camp and getting to see the pluralistic mentality in action. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer Intern at Al-Bustan</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-5034456796122956692014-07-17T04:55:00.000-07:002014-07-17T05:15:36.605-07:00A Gullah Narrative: Expanding Our Understanding of Identity<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
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<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This Monday we were lucky enough to have storyteller of peace, Nashid Ali, use music and anecdotes to talk about home and identity, specifically focusing on how family plays into those constructions. Amidst his performance he informed us of a dimension of his identity; Nashid is Muslim and can trace his family roots back to the Gullah region of South Carolina and Georgia (Gullah here has nothing to do with the show Gullah Gullah Island, by the way). It should be noted that his knowledge of his ancestors is an extraordinary thing, as the majority of people descended from enslaved Africans were deliberately robbed of that knowledge or simply lost touch as older generations passed away. Additionally, he informed the campers that his Gullah ancestors were Muslim, and had maintained their Muslim practice throughout their time as slaves and, following that, legally oppressed people in North America. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Gullah communities to which our guest alluded existed in Georgia and South Carolina and maintained a polyethnic West African culture that also mixed with some Western European culture. Due to reasons related to climate and disease, the Africans enslaved in the Gullah regions were isolated from white communities and subsequently were able to preserve their culture in ways not afforded to slaves in other areas. Along with music, dress, and language (there is a unique Gullah patois, for instance), they also maintained vernacular West African Islamic practice. It is this Islam to which Nashid alluded when he spoke to the campers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Islam’s presence </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in Gullah communities was remarkable, it was by no means unique in slave communities in North America. As scholar Kambiz GhaneaBassiri explains in his fabulous primer on Islam </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">in the Americas </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A History of Islam in North America</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2010), many slaves from West Africa maintained their Islamic identity and practice following their enslavement in North America. As GhaneaBassiri notes, there are records indicating that enslaved Africans continued to practice Islam until at least around the turn of the twentieth century by using written Qur’anic verses from talisman, as well as memorized ritual practices. And today there are certainly lots of African immigrants, African-Americans, and Blackamericans practicing Islam in North America.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I write all of this to say that, with his remarks about his Gullah roots, Nashid subtly provided a narrative for the students at camp regarding how one’s identity is constructed. Whether he was raised Muslim or converted, Nashid connected in a deeper way with both his religion and ethnic roots by discovering his bloodline to Gullah communities. Seeing as our theme at camp is “identity and home," I think a narrative like this one provided the campers a wonderful example of how someone constructs a part of their identity.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Max Dugan</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Kenyon College, '14</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Summer Intern at Al Bustan</span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-39386282593982898172014-07-16T14:05:00.001-07:002014-07-16T20:03:27.470-07:00What Personality!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The passing of time, and consequent increase of comfort at camp, has resulted in the campers’ personalities really shining through over the past two weeks. Whether this means that the children are more pensive or loud, disciplined or distracting, it says that the campers are being more like themselves. Of course, every camper is unique in how they express their personality, but at the same time, they do gravitate towards certain types.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps the most inspiring of these are the children who, despite how difficult Arabic can be at early stages, have become more diligent and invested over the past two weeks. Partially, it shows their personal interest in the language, which also shows that they have good taste. At a deeper level though, I think it indicates their intellectual curiosity. I saw a bit of this the first few days, but around the end of last week it became very apparent who had this extra desire to understand Arabic. Those kids just sought more Arabic, like extra worksheets or practice time for writing. And when they learn new vocabulary, they have this look of satisfaction. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkKNwHvPNAtWZ5qv0Brwx2eNKp-Fp44GtfxlZ4PvmNwdkL6AyzK3yT_78EaBJFqYtiQxEFwWJysbOH9MMf294J4z3VDiLZjm6ehyuYDt11a8O7kA9CUvtoPyUriC6yXe-iB0toKicE1k/s1600/anaka.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkKNwHvPNAtWZ5qv0Brwx2eNKp-Fp44GtfxlZ4PvmNwdkL6AyzK3yT_78EaBJFqYtiQxEFwWJysbOH9MMf294J4z3VDiLZjm6ehyuYDt11a8O7kA9CUvtoPyUriC6yXe-iB0toKicE1k/s1600/anaka.jpg" height="320" width="311" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just as there are linguists, some of the kids are just </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">artists</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. At the beginning of the camp I did not really see those campers as much, partially because I was not in art class, but also because the youngins were shy about their drawings and paintings. Now, as they have become less nervous, the artists actually started showing their creations to the other counselors and me. Like when the youngest group had to decorate old photographs to look like celebrities, they wanted us older folks to see what they had made. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there are the jokers. Not that I have favorites, per se, but I feel a profound connection with the </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">shabab</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who spend all their time trying to make someone laugh. As someone who used to spend his time joking throughout the school-day, I see a bit of myself in them. And every class has a few children who are really, really funny. A goofy example of this is the youngest group who while playing </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">butta, butta, asad</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">--our own version of duck, duck, goose that actually translates to “duck, duck, lion”--found so much comic pleasure in the similarity of </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">butta</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and a word that everyone finds funny. Again, I know this a stupid example of how funny the children can be, but it is what first comes to my mind, and one of the things that has consistently made me laugh over the past few days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My only regret in all of this is that there are only a few days left, and I will not get to see their progress after the end of the week. That said, it has been a pleasure seeing their personalities come out over the past two weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Dugan</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenyon College, '14</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer Intern at Al Bustan</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-55213852030421378042014-07-16T04:32:00.002-07:002014-07-16T04:44:23.356-07:00Children are Our Greatest Teachers: Stories from Al-Bustan Camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This past week at Al-Bustan’s summer camp has been a whirlwind, so much so that I feel I’ve hardly had a second to take a breath, let alone sit, reflect, and blog. So, before I blink and the two weeks have passed, I want to take a moment to commemorate the experience.</span></span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-0f0c5709-3eea-c78a-2e47-40865fa9ad70" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Part of the reason I suppose I have struggled to reflect on camp is because I feel I am just getting to know the campers. The diversity of their background is amazing, and their personalities reflect the uniqueness of their experiences. Given the theme of this year’s camp ╸ Home and Identity ╸ we have spent a great deal of time discussing the campers’ families. Suffice to say that there has been a lot to think about, especially as I try to represent the varying experiences of such a widely varied group of individuals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW4rDIfuOAqwkwUeSjmaZ1bT6NH7jxb3Aidb0nLlb-WbdmO5XUY3ML2lKsBHCqLzLVwBD36hklNYT_0nJYOk4pxKRfTOPXm7wZyJZE7ODG3Bs5IfxbkptG2vjJ2f8twt8boMh_m46mQDk/s1600/Joan+with+kids.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Joan Baz with campers in Art class</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the most fascinating things about this week has been the opportunity to see the campers teach this summer’s resident artist, Joan Baz, about the U.S. This is Joan’s first time in the U.S., and, as she readily admits, she arrived with certain preconceptions about the country and its people. And I can hardly imagine a group more appropriate for an introduction to at least what I think of as one of the U.S.’s greatest assets: Its diversity. Among our campers, faculty, and staff are first, second, third, and fourth generation immigrants, from Austria to Sudan, France to the Ukraine, Iraq to Morocco ╸ we even have our own “foreign exchange student” of sorts, a young girl visiting family for the summer from Saudi Arabia! There are also others with longer lineages here in the U.S., or simply those who when asked about “heritage” reference formative experiences in local and domestic places, such Philadelphia, Lancaster County, or Texas. In addition to diversity of heritage, so to speak, children come from a variety of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, diversity that enriches our conversations in vital ways. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A good example can be seen in one of the first exercises we completed at camp. Joan asked each camper to ask someone in his or her family to write down a family recipe as a way of beginning to explore the camp theme. Campers brought in recipes as colorful as they are: Some of the students with parents from the Arab World brought “traditional” recipes for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mahshi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">makdous</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (stuffed vegetables), </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tagine</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and falafel; other students brought recipes for home-fried potatoes, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bacalao con verdura</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (salted cod with root veggies), moussaka, a pumpkin roll served at Thanksgiving, corn fritters, baklawa, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pancit bihon</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (a noodle dish from the Philippines). But even food challenges our stereotypes: A counselor with (self-described) “Bulgarian gypsy” roots told me that her (non-Arab) mother makes hummus almost daily and buys za’atar by the pound. And our camper from Saudi brought in tea crackers and nutella as her recipe, a snack she and surely millions of other children around the globe enjoy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To make the exercise even more personal, Joan then had the students construct sentences in the format of, "I went looking for home, and I found…” first using the name of the dish and finally substituting the ingredients. (e.g. My grandmother’s holiday brisket; “I went looking for home, and I found my grandma’s brisket and onions.”) The exercise highlighted the sensory experiences involved in cooking and preparing these foods.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And it also gave Joan an opportunity to observe some of the multiple, shifting ways in which the campers’ identities and those of their families overlap and intertwine ╸ but also how they differ. It was but one nice, albeit brief and certainly limited, window into the lives of kids in the U.S., one of many that I hope will broaden her perspective on the very questions with which she arrived: On family, heritage, genealogy, and identity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">-- Jane Lief Abell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">PhD Student in Anthropology</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">University of Pennsylvania</span></div>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538266398906590249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-378318728893824502014-07-11T09:57:00.004-07:002014-07-11T10:31:24.601-07:00Why Can’t Adults Be As Kind As These Kids? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the first Thursday of camp I saw a few of the students display such compassion and benevolence that my heart metaphorically melted. To set the scene: one of the female campers who is visiting the U.S. for the summer is a native Arabic speaker, but does not know a word of English, and over the past week she has made friends with a number of other girls, despite that sizeable language barrier. Today during “choice” period, when the campers can choose to do art, dance, or percussion, I noticed that group of 8 to 9 year old girls was not participating in any of the offered activities. When I walked over to see what was going on I discovered that two of the girls were attempting to teach English to the non-English speaker. Writing their own practice sheets with the alphabet, numbers, and days of the week on looseleaf, the girls were teaching their friend the alphabet using sentences like “A is for apple,” and “J is for jet.” Only a one-dimensional cartoon villain would not have been moved by such an image. Really, it would be impossible to overstate the sweetness of this whole activity. </span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNTs-cgk2VwVfg28-kzWeg2ZN-O6W6i6vj4Tlxl5u6tSebOFo5xxyZy5W3r4o_-ep3W54mcdqLVg7P5tD2XGxWfk7Sx4PoJYkhmiSO52XVtfik6PvX_IjNdjrg6YNh3IGSR-JFTirFIQ/s1600/camp-english1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNTs-cgk2VwVfg28-kzWeg2ZN-O6W6i6vj4Tlxl5u6tSebOFo5xxyZy5W3r4o_-ep3W54mcdqLVg7P5tD2XGxWfk7Sx4PoJYkhmiSO52XVtfik6PvX_IjNdjrg6YNh3IGSR-JFTirFIQ/s1600/camp-english1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practice sheets that campers created for <br />
their fellow camper to learn English</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To put this in perspective you have to acknowledge that less than a week ago none of these campers knew one another. Upon arriving at camp they befriended one another despite significant personal differences, including the ability to articulate ideas to one another through a common language. So, to remedy the problem the English-speaking campers decided that it would be best to teach English to the non-English-speaking camper so that they could better communicate. Thus, they used one of their precious free periods to undertake this activity. The benevolence and compassion contained in this is deeply touching, isn’t it? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to this example of the kindness of these kids, this vignette also speaks to the essence of Al Bustan Camp, which is intercultural exchange among the youth. The diversity at the camp allows for an immersion in diversity that, hopefully, conditions the campers to embrace their differences. The image of English speakers and Arabic speakers teaching one another their respective languages during free time is certainly a perfect example of this. But I should also note that I have seen countless other instances of this ideal exchange during the camp so far. Sometimes this takes the form of linguistic education, but other times it will be an Arab student telling their friend the meaning of an Arabic word, or, in a less culturally-oriented exchange, a boy bringing in Pokemon cards to give his friends (these cards are worth their weight in gold to the youngest group). In the midst of the consistently bleak national and international news it does give me some hope to see these kids treating one another with such benevolence. I’ll try to keep posting about this linguistic exchange as it develops. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265b-5f2c-cb08-282cdfe0cd1b" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265b-5f2c-cb08-282cdfe0cd1b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Dugan</span></b></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265b-5f2c-cb08-282cdfe0cd1b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenyon College, '14</span></b></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265a-a808-5657-474b28091041" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-a4ff9725-265b-5f2c-cb08-282cdfe0cd1b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer Intern at Al Bustan</span></b></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-66922893150521922902014-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:002014-07-07T20:34:48.800-07:00A Garden of Diversity at Al-Bustan Camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This past week I was blown away by the diversity, and yet strange connectedness, of the various camp counselors at Al-Bustan. Since the theme of the camp this year is home and identity, we decided that it might be helpful for the counselors to share stories about their understanding of those two subjects. What began as a storytelling exercise became a demonstration of the heterogeneity of our group, all the while showing that we are all bonded by our interest in intercultural exchange, as well as our respective lack of a set identity. At the end of it all there was a sort of benevolent comfort in the room as everyone realized both what they shared with and were uniquely able to contribute to the group. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When discussing identity, nearly everyone expressed a sense of confusion as to their categorization. I won’t go into details here, out of respect for the counselors who trustingly shared their stories. However, I will say that anyone who discussed identity talked about the conflict between their inherited identity--ethnicity, gender, religion, language, class, race, etc.--and their different experiences and influences. It was beautiful to see counselor after counselor emboldened by one another’s stories, quickly realizing that our respective identities are all in flux. </span></span></div>
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<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQNapkX3e0G19WJva_ehGHghowbmfudzZd3jDfh3segOyCUu23KBci7npjcMLVQGyvp_zmRSUqx0iITHSaG1HB7B9YZ1tQrpzWm3OXDHpV78knValCg9C5Gc8v_Elh17DCbeUJkXAf44/s1600/campcounselors2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part of the power of these stories was their diversity, with counselors expressing their identities with anecdotes about food, or language, or location, or personal history. This variety will be great for camp, where the counselor’s special qualities will expose the kids to a range of identities. I am of the opinion that this sort of diversity is simply good; we can come up with explanations for its goodness, but at the end of the day it just is beneficial in an profound way. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the same time, the commonalities of our stories were inspiring. For one, we are all deeply interested in intercultural exchange, specifically related to Arab culture. But even more specific connections emerged. For instance, one counselor and I, who are were not raised in Arabic-speaking households, were drawn to the study of Arabic by encountering the Qur’an at a young age. She thought the written language was beautiful, and I was enamored with the sounds. Our similar catalysts created this notable sort of benevolence as we shared stories with one another. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After our one-time experience talking about identity and home, I’m very optimistic about the coming two weeks at camp. If the counselors have this diversity of understanding of their identities and homes, then I can’t wait to see what the campers will say.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Max Dugan</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 13.800000190734863px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenyon College, '14</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 13.800000190734863px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer Intern at Al-Bustan</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-51619816569263211042014-06-29T07:20:00.000-07:002014-07-07T18:57:11.186-07:00What's So Wrong with Mohammad Abd al-Wahaab?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is there such a thing as pure Arab music? Has Arab music been westernized in a way that surpasses the natural intercultural exchange that constantly occurs, and if so, is this a serious problem for the future of Arab culture? These questions continued to arise in discussions this past week at Al-Bustan's Arab and Arts and Culture course, probably due to the fact that we spend a large part of the day thinking about Arabic music and how it can be incorporated into lesson plans. Among the group there is disagreement over whether “modernizers” like Egyptian composer Mohammad Abd al-Wahaab set Arab music on a path which has lead to the erosion of Arab culture or not. I must concede that I lean towards “not,” believing that the issue is much more complex than the notion that an Arab musical genre has been progressively destroyed by Western culture. That said, I agree with much of the discontent regarding the loss of knowledge of Arabic musical history.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RHBRvBrTBfnWqV2n9zmTTqQTYfpQ6o28zqAzsSmULs3PKLTNsSu0eD9dMFL-kynEHlDm60GPyxtPHe7Xrj0CmlnIQ7QDbbRK_PnoETDjc80U9LxUG3BFCfQAEy8Z1idEOPj9BHvI1-s/s1600/pd-instru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RHBRvBrTBfnWqV2n9zmTTqQTYfpQ6o28zqAzsSmULs3PKLTNsSu0eD9dMFL-kynEHlDm60GPyxtPHe7Xrj0CmlnIQ7QDbbRK_PnoETDjc80U9LxUG3BFCfQAEy8Z1idEOPj9BHvI1-s/s1600/pd-instru.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musician Kinan Abou-afach on cello leads instrumental <br />
ensemble practice with music educators, </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, the disagreement hinges on the notion that there is a static thing that is Arabic music. There is an Arabic music style, but it is so multivalent that I have a hard time thinking that fusing it and other styles is automatically problematic. Arab music has now-accepted influences ranging from all parts of Africa, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and even Europe (the violin, for instance). There was likely a time when this intercultural exchange was considered a serious problem. But then, as time passed and the musical genres became better integrated, these fusions became natural and accepted. That is not to say that all fusion music is good, James Brown does not mix well with the singer Hakeem, for instance. I am merely trying to say that fusion is not fundamentally problematic.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the same time, colonialism has affected hybrid music such that western music did not naturally mix with Arab music because there was not an even socio-political-cultural-playing-field. The cultural power of colonialism here should not be underestimated. Partially as a consequence of the Western cultural hegemony, some traditional Arab musical forms were ignored and not preserved, thereby reducing the richness of Arabic music today. Abd al-Wahaab is perhaps at fault here, inadvertently setting in motion the privileging of Western musical styles over Arabic ones. This is just a fraction of the arguments against the westernization of Arab music; I included it specifically because it was the most common argument that came up in our group.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<div style="line-height: 1.15;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I really am unable to pick a side, because there are so many factors to take into account here, and each argument is itself very layered. The only conclusion I can come to with any certainty is that the questions which opened this post are much more complicated than they appear initially. I know this is a cop-out at some level, but it also something that we will likely all agree upon. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.15;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.15;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Max Dugan</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 13.800000190734863px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenyon College, '14</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 13.800000190734863px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer Intern at Al-Bustan</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-81364392027881055392014-06-29T07:13:00.001-07:002014-08-24T06:18:35.023-07:00Fairuz or Amr Diab?: An Approach to Choosing Arabic Educational Material<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After sitting in on the Arabic educators group for the first three days of Al-Bustan's Arab Arts and Culture Course, I saw the group continue to return to the question: “how do we choose Arabic songs or poems for our classes?” While there was definitely some disagreement, they seemed to arrive at the conclusion that we need to have a clear goal when choosing a song, and that the song should be integrated across other class syllabi. Yes, it is obvious that teacher needs to have an </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">intention</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when they create a lesson plan. But if you, like me, have ever taken an Arabic class you have probably heard at least few songs whose names, lyrics, and themes you don't remember. On one hand, that may be the fault of the song itself by not properly keeping our attention, but on the other, if the teacher and the students know what they were supposed to focus on, then everyone would probably maintain their attention better.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2o5q97vojeyuTcdisQ43xzb8aVjuwT9sfhNtVkBlST34CP6NE3wG7BfGzoWEFzLErKZKkBvt29BdikylZa9bM4qgAV-MeyMRzMgnmq7Q8IosqFUQQYGmarIxNJAOymAhfcTHIEgwZqY/s1600/pd-choir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz2o5q97vojeyuTcdisQ43xzb8aVjuwT9sfhNtVkBlST34CP6NE3wG7BfGzoWEFzLErKZKkBvt29BdikylZa9bM4qgAV-MeyMRzMgnmq7Q8IosqFUQQYGmarIxNJAOymAhfcTHIEgwZqY/s1600/pd-choir.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music Director Hanna Khoury teaches Arabic/Music educators<br />
"Nassam Alayna-l Hawa," composed by Rahbani Brothers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As for these teacher's intention, there are nearly endless possibilities, many of which are contradictory. Take this group for instance, some teachers want to emphasize Modern Stand Arabic and traditional Arab music, and others focus on dialects and the current mainstream music. For example, if someone falls into the former group, they should pick a song that contains </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fusha</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and has non-electronic instruments. All the intention directive asks is that teachers are conscious and deliberate when they pick a song for their curriculum.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps more important than all of this is that, if possible, the Arabic teacher coordinates with their fellow teachers to include the song in classes that aren't their own. Personally, I wish my school had done something like this when I attended. To illustrate what I am talking about, when there is a unit on the Arab world in school, the music class, history class, and English literature class would all work together to educate holistically. History class could speak to the historical context, music might do a crash course on Arabic rhythm, literature could analyze the poetry for its rhyme and meter, while Arabic class would explain the meaning of the words and their correct pronunciation. This sort of structure allows teachers to broaden students' understanding of a single piece of Arab culture.</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-bc978d4e-e7ff-4262-b5d0-a3578e37a884"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am only a student of Arabic, and as such have not come into contact with the obstacles of teaching something like a Fairuz song. That said, I can speak to the fact that directed readings of poetry and a deeper understanding of a text have always left me with a longer lasting impression of that specific part Arabic culture. Hopefully all you teachers out there might able to incorporate something like this into your classes, be them Arabic, music, history, or literature.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 1.15;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Max Dugan</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 13.800000190734863px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenyon College, '14</span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 15.199999809265137px; line-height: 13.800000190734863px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Summer Intern at Al-Bustan</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12716875897759649775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-60415126663152540442014-06-25T14:21:00.001-07:002014-06-27T10:05:21.449-07:00Collaborative Learning at Al-Bustan's Arab Arts & Culture course<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This has been a busy week for
a group of educators at the Albert M. Greenfield Intercultural Center at UPenn.
From 9:00am until well past dusk, Arabic language and music teachers have joined together to participate in Al-Bustan’s Arab Arts &
Culture course. Although I am neither a teacher nor a musician, I, too, have spent the week learning Fairouz lyrics and Arab rhythm in my capacity as researcher/volunteer with Al-Bustan. And what an amazing week it has been!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Al-Bustan's course is designed to
facilitate collaboration and cross-disciplinary approaches to education, both
topically and methodologically. Guided by the shared theme of Arab music, the course teaches participants several ways to incorporate Arab music and cultural content into their curricula--and their classrooms. It is also a crash course in Arab music history, with a focus on the Egyptian and Lebanese cultural contexts and the careers of iconic singers Um Kulthum and Fairuz. And who better to teach than Hanna Khoury, Kinan Abou-afach, Hafez Kotain, and Hicham Chami, members of Al-Bustan’s Resident Takht Ensemble? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Hanna Khoury leads the music teachers and members of the <i>takht</i> ensemble. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the mornings, Abou-afach, a professional musician and educator, guides the Arabic language educators in the rhythms of Arabic poetry, which he learned from his father in Syria, himself a poet. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Specifically, the teachers are learning to recognizing patterns and meters (</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">al-bahar/buhur</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">) in poetry so that they will be able to compose short songs using poetry in their classes. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the afternoons, Chami, a graduate student of ethnomusicology and Islamic Studies, leads
discussions on how to integrate music into Arabic curricula. Discussions have ranged from the challenge of selecting appropriate, or culturally representative, music for different audiences to the usefulness of music as an instrument of language learning. As a culminating exercise, the educators split into groups to design a lesson plan, which they will present on Friday. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, the
Arabic language teachers work with Khoury on a number of Arabic songs, which
they will perform as a choir at the end of the week with the accompaniment of
the music teachers and the <i>takht</i> ensemble. Khoury also teaches music educators the theory of Arab music,
from the tetrachords and scales to its unique rhythms and </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">maqamat</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The teachers, many of whom are multi-instrumentalists, are also learning several pieces of music, which they hope to use with their students. And, finally, Ali Kotain instructs both music and Arabic language teachers in the basics of Arab percussion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Kinan Abou-afach shows the Arabic teachers the rhythms of Arabic poetry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Hicham Chami listens as the Arabic teachers design a lesson plan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In spite of their separate coursework, there is still much space for
collaboration and conversation between the two groups, who start and finish
each day together. In the mornings, the educators gather for lectures
on Arab culture from scholars such as Marwan Kraidy, Alon Tam, and the
instructors Hanna Khoury and Hicham Chami. In the afternoons, the choir and
instrumentalists rehearse together before dinner, which provides another
opportunity to unwind, network and learn. Students have also connected over Hazami's homemade breakfasts, lunches on the patio, and catered dinners, not to mention during the evening's extracurricular activities, which have included a <i>dabke</i> lesson, a film, and more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What strikes me as
particularly unique and special about this course is just such opportunities:
For educators -- with different approaches, focuses, even disciplines – to join
together and learn practical skills relevant to their classrooms but also to gain
critical skills and knowledges <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">from each other. </i></span>One music teacher in a local school told me that she is here not only to learn about Arabic music but also to help better understand her students, many of whom are Arab immigrants. An Arabic teacher told me that she is here to learn music, which she did not have an opportunity to explore as a youth. For these two women, and hopefully many others, this week provides a unique chance to learn from others with differing, but complementary, skills and objectives. Personally,<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I am thrilled to have made so many new connections to people from whom to learn and grow. What's more exciting than spending a week with people with shared interests and differing experiences? I certainly can't think of much.</span><br />
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The course culminates in a
performance this <b>Friday, June 27th at 7pm</b> at the Iron Gate Theatre on UPenn's campus. We hope you
will join us to celebrate the accomplishments of these educators, the hard work
and dedication of our great faculty, and the end of what has been an extremely
successful and intense week!</span></div>
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- Jane Lief Abell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">PhD student in Anthropology, UPenn </span></div>
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Janehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05538266398906590249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-28349373210004926462014-05-07T14:15:00.000-07:002014-05-07T14:15:34.659-07:00!مع السلامة -- Good bye, Al-Bustan!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> It's hard to believe that today is my last day of the
semester at Al-Bustan. A number of snow days at school, the adjustment of being
back at university in America, and a job I really enjoyed all made the time go
by way too fast—it’s shocking to me that my blog posts reflecting on my time in
Amman and the food were written 3 months ago! But it seems like now, as I leave
for the summer, is a good time to reflect on the past four months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpndWIL8LVQfNpqwowY39ozpZhsuMG__P3Z_DNZ_dtLUo5SEDfSVIyApxuTN0PNXNZQAL3VuLt6fKNgMpNsJJNu2LXi9yuJdPaopiB6B4b-aA-WYwzkADiKMDEpajzwlMzG6sB4hexNN13/s1600/tatreez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpndWIL8LVQfNpqwowY39ozpZhsuMG__P3Z_DNZ_dtLUo5SEDfSVIyApxuTN0PNXNZQAL3VuLt6fKNgMpNsJJNu2LXi9yuJdPaopiB6B4b-aA-WYwzkADiKMDEpajzwlMzG6sB4hexNN13/s1600/tatreez.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite piece of <i>tatreez</i>--I wish I knew how to do this!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I came to
Al-Bustan after seeing a posting on the Student Employment Office website while
I was abroad. It was perfect: a work-study job that was also relevant to my
interests, and with an organization that I had heard about before, from
performing with the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble during my sophomore year.
The first days of the semester found me getting my feet wet at Al-Bustan:
learning my way around the office computer drive, which seems to hold more
files than Google, and beginning to recognize <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the names of the many people that
the organization works with when implementing its programs. I prepared song
sheets and recorded attendance for PAME’s nearly 30-person choir and heard from
Lisa, our Education Coordinator at that time, about the many in-school programs
that we ran. I even saw samples of the artwork she helped with, like the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tatreez, </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">or Arabic needlepoint, that she
made with a class at Northeast High School.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With the first concert of the fall
on the horizon, I helped Morgan, our Marketing and Development Director, with
advertising, and was even lucky enough to meet the Narcicyst while he was here.
I helped Al-Bustan roll out this year’s annual summer camp, mailing out
information about it and recording registrations as they came in. I also
learned from Hazami, the Executive Director, about the many long grant
processes we go through to get funding for these programs. By the time Fathy
Salama came for his residence just two weeks ago, I was entirely overwhelmed by
my classes, but did get to attend his engagement at the Penn Museum--although unfortunately
this time, I didn’t get to meet the artist! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlltd4byDZR1QVvOJaQQPSirvWfery-goBEIReCW5WXM908ZGVwWeO45d4UK5ekGMQOSFCABQJcWr8Jpen5ScGbQ8QB2y2jHAMWGQoy90znRNytpTV2Z3k6MBAfKW16TUW2nM7tFbuW_2X/s1600/henna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlltd4byDZR1QVvOJaQQPSirvWfery-goBEIReCW5WXM908ZGVwWeO45d4UK5ekGMQOSFCABQJcWr8Jpen5ScGbQ8QB2y2jHAMWGQoy90znRNytpTV2Z3k6MBAfKW16TUW2nM7tFbuW_2X/s1600/henna.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing <i>henna</i> for a Al-Bustan project</td></tr>
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Overall, it was a busy but
productive semester for both me and for Al-Bustan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">The biggest thing I learned from my
time at Al-Bustan was the incredible effort that goes into all the programs
that this organization puts on. For being just a few employees--granted, with
an awesome coalition of volunteers—the number of things that Al-Bustan is
involved with is truly impressive. From educational programs in school to the
seasonal concert series to an online music education tool (</span><a href="http://albustanseeds.org/digital/yalli/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Try it here</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">! </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">It’s fun!) that combines the two, the staff does so much to promote the mission
of Al-Bustan, and they provide a warm and welcoming environment to anyone
interested in learning about or participating in Arab arts, culture, and
language. I encourage all of our readers to attend our events, check out our
Facebook and Twitter, and even volunteer if you have the time, so you can more
fully understand the important work that Al-Bustan is doing within the
Philadelphia community and become more engaged with such a dynamic
organization. I’ve truly enjoyed my time here and hope to be writing to you all
again in the fall!</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507697453991615892noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7395099290084448861.post-78718098601527621152014-04-25T13:07:00.006-07:002014-04-26T14:48:53.792-07:00An Evening with Fathy Salama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> On April 23rd, Egyptian composer/pianist Fathy Salama came to the Penn Museum to share his
music and his thoughts as a lead-up to his concert this Sunday. The dimly-lit
room and Ancient Egyptian artifacts were the perfect backdrop for a man and his
music so enigmatic and worldly. His engagement in the Sphinx Gallery featured
samples of his music, improvisation with several guest musicians, and his opinion
on the current state of music in Egypt.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXKStPxHlI6TGK-y1PuHiASdd3KBHl63f7D9nnBN0tPsBIHstd630XTdW7gAT6RC6sPxwGC4u3MaZ2Zt7G2cyskCSVmNxZwhCNuv6VrMCVDLjncq_SWpj1AHcnFNA4VqlWfHNt9sA9g6-/s1600/fathy.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXKStPxHlI6TGK-y1PuHiASdd3KBHl63f7D9nnBN0tPsBIHstd630XTdW7gAT6RC6sPxwGC4u3MaZ2Zt7G2cyskCSVmNxZwhCNuv6VrMCVDLjncq_SWpj1AHcnFNA4VqlWfHNt9sA9g6-/s1600/fathy.PNG" height="295" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fathy gets ready for the event!</td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fathy
was educated in classical music but heavily influenced by Egyptian greats, like
Umm Kulthum and Mohammad Abdel Wahab, as well as Western classics like the Beatles and
the Rolling Stones. For a while he was a member of the commercial scene,
composing for Arab musicians in the 80s and writing music for movies and
soundtracks, but he left what he felt was a static environment in order to create
his own ensemble, Sharkiat, and produce the type of music he wanted to. For a
while, he was able to make a profit from this music only in Europe, but he has
now grown to more popularity in Egypt and the Arab world. And that isn’t to
slight his international fame: Fathy is the only Arab artist to have won a
Grammy, for his 2004 collaboration album with Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fathy
gave fascinating insight into the intricacies of Arabic music. He described an
emphasis in Arabic music on melody and rhythm rather than harmony, and
described the complex tetrachords that make up the Arabic </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">maqamat</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, or
musical modal system. Likening it to how a normal piano can play one half step
(the black key) in between white keys, he explained an even further division of
those notes in the Arabic system that pianos are not capable of playing, which therefore must be
</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">produced on string instruments. And indeed, his improvised piece with Hanna
Khoury, Al-Bustan's musical director and violinist, and Hicham Chami,
the guest </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">qanun</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (what’s a </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">qanun? </i><a href="http://www.maqamworld.com/instruments.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">See here</a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">!)
player, could be recognized even by an untrained ear as an unusually complex piece of
music. I can't say I could identify the tetrachords, but I certainly enjoyed what I was listening to!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlfzXZHxHhTo2Vs1v542DbNo1-6BNXtxXETjX387dAKiIZHR4nyu55hEYQkr5FB_VTK2PSbLAOeqYnOqN2lj6zbo3hjd1GduYKgKV0B4XalwqZlbfs-OE7dDNB1hwBEriq7OepvqAFDUy/s1600/the+ensemble+performs.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlfzXZHxHhTo2Vs1v542DbNo1-6BNXtxXETjX387dAKiIZHR4nyu55hEYQkr5FB_VTK2PSbLAOeqYnOqN2lj6zbo3hjd1GduYKgKV0B4XalwqZlbfs-OE7dDNB1hwBEriq7OepvqAFDUy/s1600/the+ensemble+performs.PNG" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ensemble performs</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: center;">Also interesting was his perspective on Egyptian music today. Fathy spoke about the new pop music emerging from his homeland post-revolution; he criticized the simplification of Arabic traditions into machine-fed chords and rhythms that could be paired with catchy lyrics to produce something that everyone will listen to. He had more respect for pop music that built off of the Western style and added an Egyptian touch; at least these artists, he remarked, did something themselves! He wasn’t optimistic about the prospects for music, saying that the next generation of Egyptians lacks a true appreciation of classical Arabic music and its intricacies and suggesting that this will get much worse before it gets better. His views were bleak and his criticism harsh, but there are few more qualified than he to share them both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fathy
provided a little-heard voice from the Egyptian music scene as well as a great
personal story, regardless of ethnicity or profession, of self-determination and
commitment to one’s own vision. I would recommend him to any jazz lover who
wants to expand his horizons beyond the traditional; his music promises not to
disappoint!</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16507697453991615892noreply@blogger.com0