An Improvised Arabian Nights
An Improvised Arabian Nights
July 10 & 11, 2009 8 p.m.
Magic Theater
Building D, Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA 94123
MAP
Purchase tickets online from Brown Paper TIckets
“What a strange and wonderful story!”
-One Thousand and One Nights
An Improvised Arabian Nights invites you to experience the untold stories of magic, heroes and wanderers from a bygone era. Engage with actors and watch them create stories in the style of Shahrazad right in front of your eyes. An Improvised Arabian Nights is a long-form* improv performance brought to you by some of the Bay Area’s most celebrated improvisers and classical Arabic musicians. Our heroes and heroines inhabit an exciting world filled with Genies, Robbers, Viziers, Magical creatures, Kings, Princesses, Demons, Fishermen, Merchants, Ghouls… and more. Each evening’s show is created entirely in the moment without any script. Don’t miss the untold tales of the Arabian Nights!
Two nights only – each night new and completely different from the one before!
Cast: Basel Al-Naffouri, Rafe Chase, Gerri Lawlor, Tim Orr, Regina Saisi
Music: Joshua Raoul Brody and members of Aswat Ensemble
Lights: Pam McLeod
Directed by: Basel Al-Naffouri
Book Release Reception and Evening of Music and Food
ZAWAYA is pleased to invite you for an evening of music, food, presentations, and book reading & signing; celebrating the release of a new book: Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists, by Zawaya’s president, Professor Fayeq Oweis. Saturday, January 26, 2008, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Mudrakers Cafe, 2801 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley
The book, the first of its kind, features 100 Arab American artists. Some local artists who are featured in the book will be attending the reception. Bring your copy of the book or buy one there and have it signed by the author and local artists.
The Work of Mohammed Al Sadoun
ZAWAYA Proudly Presents a New Art Exhibit:
The Work of Mohammed Al Sadoun
Reception: Thursday June 21, 2007
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Exhibit runs through July 21, 2007
At the Arab Cultural & Community Center
2 Plaza Street, San Francisco, CA 94116
Tel: 415-664-2200
Mohammed Al Sadoun is an Iraqi painter and conceptual artist. He holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University and has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. His work involves using unconventional materials and concepts including burning books, doors and furniture. His choice of such objects is “both testimony and silent protest against aggression in all its forms, including global dominance.” Al Sadoun explores many issues including the war on Iraq, the destruction of homes in the time of war, protesting the censorship, the lack of freedom of expression and human rights in the Middle East. He is also a researcher and a historian of modern Arab art, especially contemporary Iraqi art, and has given numerous lectures and presentations about the subject at academic institutions and cultural centers.
ZAWAYA, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Arabic Music, Art, Poetry, Literature, Theater, and Culture through instruction and presentation.
For more information, contact ZAWAYA
Reading and Book signing by Dr. Mohja Kahf
Dr. Mohja Kahf is a poet, a novelist and an associate professor of Comparative Literature at University of Arkansas.
Dr. Kahf will be reading from her poetry volume ”E-Mails from Scheherazad” and her Novel “the Girl in the Tangerine Scarf”.Both books will be on sale at the event for book signing.
Refreshment will be served.
Plenty of free parking. Donations to defray cost are welcomed at the door.
For further info email nabila@zawaya.org
Film – Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said
The ACCC and ZAWAYA present
Out of Place: Memories of Edward Said
A Film by Sato Makoto
Out of Place traces the life and work of Edward Said (1935-2003), the Palestinian intellectual who wrote widely on history, literature, music, philosophy and politics. Filmed in Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and the U.S., Out of Place is a fascinating biographical film on one of the most acclaimed cultural critics of the postwar world. It is an engaging examination of the cultural and political issues to which he devoted his life.
When: February 15, 6:30 pm
Where: 2 Plaza St. San Francisco, CA, 94116
For more information call (415) 664-2200 ext. 19
Or e-mail ddahdah@arabculturalcenter.org
or info@zawaya.org
The Musical Instruments of ASWAT
The qanun (also spelled kanun, kanoon) is a 75-stringed zither used in Near Eastern Music. The sound box is trapezoidal in shape; it somewhat resembles the autoharp, but is larger. It’s played with small picks attached to the forefingers of either hand. A long bridge on the right-hand side of the instrument rests on goat – or fish-skin covered windows in the top of the instrument; on the left hand side, each course of strings passes over a series of small brass levers that are used to make microtonal changes in pitch. The word qanun means “law,” and the word exists in English in the form of “canon.” In Near Eastern music, the instrument lays down the law of pitch for other instruments and singers; the qanun player is often the leader of the orchestra.
The kaman is the Arabic violin. In parts of the Middle East, the European violin has replaced the older kamanja as the principal bowed instrument, partly because of its louder tone. However, the Arabic violin is tuned differently — d G D G instead of e a D G — and the playing style is quite different.
The Arabic tabla (known also as darbukka, derbeki, dumbek) is a goblet-shaped ceramic drum with fish- or goat-skin head. Its peculiar shape enables the player to produce an amazing variety of sounds, according to the position on the head and the finger techniques. Once considered a woman’s instrument, it is now the most popular percussion instrument in the Middle East.
The riqq or daff is a small tambourine with a fish-skin head stretched over an inlaid wooden frame, with five sets of brass cymbals spaced evenly around the frame. The classical playing technique of this instrument is extremely difficult; years of practice are necessary to develop the finger strength required.
The tar or bendir is a large daff or frame drum with no cymbals, another member of this family is the mazhar, a large folkloric tambourine with very large, loud cymbals.
The ‘ud (also spelled oud, ut) is the ancestor of the European lute and guitar; it entered Europe through Moorish Spain in the Middle ages. It is thought to have come originally from Persia, where its direct ancestor was a skin-covered instrument called barbat. When a wooden face was put on the instrument, its name became ‘ud or “wood.” The modern ‘ud has ten or eleven strings. It provided the bass sound in a traditional takht or nineteenth-century chamber ensemble. Still extremely popular today, it is the traditional instrument of composers, singers, and theorists.
The nay is a nine-jointed, end blown flute made of cane. It has seven finger holes (one is a thumb-hole on the back) and is one of the most difficult Middle Eastern instrument. A fine player can produce a large variety of liquid sounds and ornaments; it is an extremely soulful instrument.
Book Signing: The Golden Beauty’s Secret
The Arab Cultural & Community Center and ZAWAYA invite you to a reception, discussion, and book signing of The Golden Beauty’s Secret by Dina Saoudi
When: Sunday, November 19 , 2006
Reception @ 4pm, Discussion @ 5pm
Where: The Arab Cultural & Community Center,
2 Plaza St. San Francisco, CA 94116
Suggested Donation for ACCC fund, members $5, non members $10, FREE for STUDENTS
The Golden Beauty’s Secret by Dina Saoudi ISBN: 0-8059-6989-6
Book Summary: Tania Johnson, an attorney with a secret identity as a Lebanese intelligence agent falls in love with the CIA agent, Sam Johnson, who is helping her avenge the murder of her mother. Tania has been lying to Sam for three years, but her deception begins to eat away at her, causing her to reevaluate her intentions.
About the Author: Dina Saoudi was born in 1985 and raised in Amman, Jordan. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Arts from San Francisco Sate University in May 2006. Her book was published in March 2006. Saoudi is currently in the Social Psychology Masters Program at San Francisco State University.
For more information please call, (415) 664-2200 ext. 19 or email, smanneh@arabculturalcenter.org
Saudi Poet Nimah Nawwab Speaks in the Bay Area
Nimah Nawwab
Saudi poet Nimah Ismail Nawwab will be featured at events in the Bay Area from July 31 through August 4, 2005 under the sponsorship of ZAWAYA, a local Arab-American cultural organization. She will read from her 2004 collection of poems, The Unfurling.
Unusual for an Arab poet, Nawwab writes by preference in English. Her work, known for its spare language, keen intellect and soaring spirit, is described as a bridge between East and West. Mohja Kahf, also a poet, says that Nimah Nawwab expresses a highly individualized consciousness that is both Arab and cosmopolitan, both Islamic and humanist.
The events schedules to date are as follows:
- Sunday, July 31, 4-6 p.m., 1167 Nikulina Court in San Jose. Dr. Marwan and Mrs. Nahda Balaa will host a cultural afternoon in their home and garden. The afternoon will feature poetry reading and a book signing by Nimah Nawwab, as well as live Andalusian music, sale of original Yemeni paintings, and refreshment. Donation $5.00. Phone 408 203 0596.
- Thursday August 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 2 Plaza Avenue, San Francisco. The Arab Cultural Center will host an evening including Nawwab’s poetry reading, Andalusian music, refreshments and sale of Robert’s prints of Lebanon and Palestine. For information, call 415 664 2200.
Additional events may be arranged.
Nimah Nawwab combines poetry with art and photography, and has published numerous articles in Aramco World Magazine (some copies of the magazine will be available). Nawwab’s The Unfurling will be available for sale and inscription at both events.
For additional information about events, or to arrange to interview Nimah Nawwab, contact Zawaya at 650 341 3697 or email nabila@zawaya.org
ZAWAYA Newsetter June 2005
JUNE
Aswat, the Bay Area’s Arabic choir, will perform music from Iraq and Palestine on June 18, 2005, at St. Bonifice Church in San Francisco. The concert is a benefit fundraiser for Devi-Ja Croll, Aswat’s violinist, who is battling cancer. For details, see http://www.zawaya.org
Tunisian comic Rachid Mendjeli will conduct mime shows for Arab-American youth at various schools and recreation centers during June. To arrange for a performance, contact info@zawaya.org
AUGUST
Saudi poet Nimah Nawwab, author of The Unfurling, will be the guest of Zawaya in August. Arab-American, Muslim, and poetry/art organizations are invited to co-sponsor the tour and/or to provide locations for appearances. Contact nabila@sbcglobal.net
OCTOBER
An evening of Arab proverbs will be held in October 2005. Up to 30 participants will compete in capping proverbs according to categories (animals, love, children, women) and country of origin (Egyptian, Palestinian, Syrian, etc.) Each proverb may be used only once during the evening’s competition.
The fifth annual Tenderloin Iftar will be held on October 26, 2005. This celebrates the feast following the Muslim month of fasting (Ramadan); it is put on by the local Muslim community for the Muslim community in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. Those who wish to donate or volunteer, contact nabila@zawaya.org
Aswat, the Bay Area’s Arabic community choir, will perform in concert at Mills College on November 19, 2005. This event is sponsored by the Mills College Department of music. Please Contact Mills for ticket information.
FUTURE PROJECT:
ARAB AMERICAN THEATER
An original Arab-American play will be produced by Zawaya, featuring the lives, perceptions, and personal stories of Arab-Americans in the Bay Area. Vignettes featuring dreams, successes, kids, biases and prejudices, weddings, music, and the discrimination we encounter will be scripted and directed by Denmo Ibrahim. Those interested in submitting narratives, performing in the play, or volunteering in any way should contact info@zawaya.org . The play will be performed in the Bay Area in early 2006.
STAY TUNED:
ART BENEFIT FOR ASWAT
To keep the Aswat choir alive and singing, an art sale is planned to raise funds. Nabila Mango, the founder of Aswat, is donating most of her collection of Arabic art collected during 40 years of travel throughout the Arab world. These items include paintings from Yemen; prints from Yemen, Palestine and Egypt; Roberts prints; and miniatures of Maqamat al-Hariri. All pieces are framed and ready to hang. Donation of additional valuable art works to be sold may be arranged by contacting nabila@sbcglobal.net . Serious collectors (seeking items worth more than $150) may arrange a preview by contacting nabila@sbcglobal.net . Date and place for the public sale is not yet determined.
PALESTINIAN ARTS CELEBRATION
A celebration of Palestinian arts will be held during Spring 2006 (date and place to be determined). This event is in the planning stages. It will include art, dance, music, wedding scenes, costumes, poetry, films, and more. If you have something to exhibit, if you want to participate in Dabke, in singing, in the fashion show, or the wedding scene, or if you have ideas to propose, contact info@zawaya.org.
Check ZAWAYA for the latest information and details.
ZAWAYA Events:
In April, Zawaya was honored to host translator and author Dr. Saleh Jallad on a three-day book tour in the Bay Area. Dr. Jallad recently translated “The Fables of Kalilah and Dimnah” from the Arabic manuscript written by Ibn al-Muqaffa’ in the middle of the eighth century. The fables originated in India and arrived in the Arab World via a Persian translation. They were later translated into Greek, Latin and Hebrew, and from there into European languages. Dr. Jallad’s translation is the first complete English translation of the Ibn al-Muqaffa’ script. His project started as a personal quest to make the fables more accessible to his children. He then launched into a research project into the origins and cross-cultural impact of the animal stories about good governance, friendship, deceit, honesty, which led to the 2002 publication of Kalilah and Dimnah, and the first reprint edition in 2004. Dr. Jallad arrived in San Francisco on April 25, when he met with members and friends of Zawaya. During the next three days, he spoke with college audiences at San Francisco State University, UC Berkeley and Stanford. His animated, engaging and informed presentations led to lively discussions with the students of Arabic, Islamic Arts and Philosophy courses. Students were very interested in the processes of translation, the impact of these stories on Western literature and Western imagination, as well as the stories themselves. Dr. Jallad was repeatedly asked to tell his (or his children’s) favorite fables from the book, and he gladly obliged. After publishing his book with Melisinde Press, London, Dr. Jallad is now working on a children’s book edition as well as an animation of the fables. Copies of the book are available from Zawaya, for the reduced price of $25.00.
Arab American National Museum
On May 5, the Arab American community celebrated the grand opening of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the first museum of its kind in the United States that is dedicated to Arab Americans, their culture and contributions to American society. The museum is a project of Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), the largest community organization in the United States.
The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is a 38,500-square-foot, three-story museum that contains hundreds of artifacts the document and celebrates the life and contributions of Arab Americans in many fields. The main floor of the museum contains three sections:
Coming to America: Documents and showcases Arab immigrants to America from the year 1528 when some of them were brought here as slaves to present time. Includes living quarter of Naji Daifullah, Yemeni immigrant who was killed while leading a farm-workers protest in 1973 in the fields of California.
Living in America: Celebrates the lives of ordinary Arab Americans: rich and poor. It includes installations of different professions of Arab Americans
Making an Impact: Celebrates notable Arab Americans who made an impact on shaping the United States: political, scientific, literature and arts.
CURRENT EXHIBIT:
In / Visible art exhibition runs May 19th – Oct. 30th. This is the first museum exhibition of contemporary art by first and second generation Americans of Arab heritage. Zawaya board members congratulate the Arab American National Museum on this historic achievement.
Zawaya board member Fayeq Oweis designed the Museum Entrance and the inside of the dome. For more information, check his web site at www.oweis.com
Arab American National Museum
AANM Logo
On May 5, the Arab American community celebrated the grand opening of the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the first museum of its kind in the United States that is dedicated to Arab Americans, their culture and contributions to American society. The museum is a project of Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), the largest community organization in the United States.
The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is a 38,500-square-foot, three-story museum that contains hundreds of artifacts the document and celebrates the life and contributions of Arab Americans in many fields. The main floor of the museum contains three sections:
Coming to America: Documents and showcases Arab immigrants to America from the year 1528 when some of them were brought here as slaves to present time. Includes living quarter of Naji Daifullah, Yemeni immigrant who was killed while leading a farm-workers protest in 1973 in the fields of California.
Living in America: Celebrates the lives of ordinary Arab Americans: rich and poor. It includes installations of different professions of Arab Americans
Making an Impact: Celebrates notable Arab Americans who made an impact on shaping the United States: political, scientific, literature and arts.
CURRENT EXHIBIT:
In / Visible art exhibition runs May 19th – Oct. 30th. This is the first museum exhibition of contemporary art by first and second generation Americans of Arab heritage.
For more information about the museum, visit its web site at http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/
Zawaya board members congratulate the Arab American National Museum on this historic achievement.Zawaya board member Fayeq Oweis designed the Museum Entrance and the inside of the dome. For more information, check his web site at www.oweis.com
San Francisco Bay Area Arab Artists
Afternoon Chat by Khalil Bendib
Fayeq Oweis
Khalil BenDib
Nahda Balaa
Said Nuseibeh
Hassan Fedawy
Youmna Chlala
Yasser Dib
Denmo Ibrahim
ZAWAYA Plans Original Drama
Zawaya, a non-profit Arab-American cultural organization in the Bay Area, is planning to write and perform an original drama in the English language to showcase the Arab-American experience. This theatrical production will be presented on February 26, 2005. For this, we need your help. YOU, the true Arab Americans, will supply the subject matter with your own stories.
How can you do this? You have choices.
You can write (up to three pages) or speak on tape (up to five minutes).
You can use English or Arabic.
You identify yourself or be anonymous.
You can audition to play yourself, or Zawaya can train someone to play your part.
What should you tell us about? Dreams, attitudes, true-life experiences from your life in America. A special memory from back home. You may want to share journal entries or creative writing.
As a starting point – to set you thinking but not to limit your thinking – consider these questions:
- What stereotypes – true or false – have you had to live with?
- Have you faced discrimination in school, workplace, job selection and advancement, and social interactions?
- How do Americans perceive you as an Arab-American, and how have they shown you that perception?
- Have you found unlooked-for support when least expected?
- What do you like and dislike about being an Arab-American? About the Bay Area Arab-American community?
- About juggling two cultures?
ZAWAYA will stitch your stories together as vignettes, interwoven with song and dance and poetry. The dramatic production will be professionally directed by Denmo Ibrahim and Maher Sabry, and coordinated by Nabila Mango and Haya Shawwa.
Arab Artists: Their Words and Works
Arab Artists: Their Words and Works
Catherine Clark Gallery
49 Geary
San Francisco CA
February 15th, 2004
2:00-8:00pm
