By Elaine Pasquini
from The Northern California Chronicle
May 2004
ALWAYS A national leader in the fields of art, music and literature, San Francisco is home to an abundance of talented Arab-American artists, writers and performers. A Feb. 15 reception at the Catharine Clark Gallery on Geary Street provided Bay Area residents a unique opportunity to meet several of these artists and view their work.
San Mateo-based Zawaya, a non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting Arab arts and culture, sponsored and organized the show, entitled, Arab Artists: Their Words and Works. Arab cartoonists were well represented at the event. Algerian-American Khalil Bendib discussed his latest editorial cartoon book. Egyptian artist, illustrator, and cartoonist Hassan Fedawy displayed his “Cartoons of the Middle East ,” while in a small side gallery Fayeq Oweis gave a Power Point presentation on the works of the late Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al-Ali.
Beautiful watercolors titled “Old Doors with Calligraphy” by artist Nahda Balaa adorned the walls of the gallery, along with “Fusion of Arabic and Far Eastern Spirituality” acrylics by Lebanese-American artist Yasser Dib.
Performance artists Denmo Ibrahim and James Asher entertained the crowd with their interview-based work, “In the Shadows of 9/11.” And as the afternoon lapsed into evening, Yusra Benhalim read poetry and Saed Muhssen and Vince Delgado played classical Arabic music on the oud and percussion instruments.
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ABOVE: Zawaya members (l-r) Alice Nashashibi, Fayeq Oweis, Haya Shawa Benhalim, Denmo Ibrahim, James Asher, Nabila Mango and Khalil Bendib (photo E. Pasquini)
Zawaya’s board of directors is a virtual who’s who of the vibrant Northern California Arab-American community. Officers and board members include Nabila Mango, Haya Shawa Benhalim, Shahdan Shazly, Jess Ghannam, Ferial Kardosh, Duraid Musleh, Maher Sabry, Margaret Titus, Fayeq Oweis, Youmna Chlala and Alice Nashashibi.
Zawaya president Nabila Mango has been one of the Bay Area’s most energetic and leading activists for many years. In 1999, the professor of Arabic at San Mateo College founded ASWAT, the San Francisco Bay Area’s only community ensemble performing classical and folk Arabic music. The Palestinian-born Mango is a recipient of the Arab Educational and Cultural Award for outstanding contributions in arts and education. For more information visit the Web site or e-mail info@zawaya.org.
Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance photojournalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area