Using art in the battle for hearts and minds
from The Daily Star
By Brooke Anderson
Special to The Daily Star
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Political stereotypes often dictate Americans’ images of Arabs. But one relatively new organization based in San Francisco hopes to put a human face on Arabs through art. Established just over four and a half years ago, in January 2000, Zawaya (which translates as “corners”) is a platform for artists and musicians – it has its own choir, called Aswat (“Voices”) – and works to bring all corners of the Arab world to audiences in America.
Aswat began a year before the general organization of Zawaya. There are approximately 20 singers, but that number can increase to nearly 50 before an out-of-state performance, laughs Nabila Mango, founder of Zawaya, recalling an invitation to perform in Seattle two years ago.
Mango, a Palestinian originally from Jaffa, formed this organization to give Arab artists a platform to present their art to the general public. The idea, she says, “stemmed from the fact that over the past several years it has become harder to communicate with Americans about Middle East politics.” She believes that art is an easier medium to communicate.
“We found that we could reach a lot of Americans through art,” Mango says. Yet she acknowledges that, “A lot of our programs are politically loaded but not openly political.”
For example, Zawaya recently hosted a book reading by London-based Palestinian political activist and author,Ghada Karmi, who wrote “In Search of Fatima,” the story of the life of a Palestinian woman.
The group brought Karmi to universities and radio shows.
“This puts a face on the Palestinian story,” Mango says, pointing out that, “whether we like it or not, it’s political.”
Last May, Zawaya presented an Arab-American rapper called Iron Shaykh whose songs are also politically charged – he is a Palestinian Lebanese.
Zawaya, however, is not only about music and literature – nor is it just about Arabs educating non-Arabs about their rich culture, according to Faweq Oweis.
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To his surprise, many Palestinian-Americans and other Arabs learned about writer and artist Khalil Gibran and cartoonist Naji al-Ali – two icons of the Arab world – for the first time through Zawaya.
In fact, getting Arab-Americans acquainted with their own culture is one of Zawaya’s primary goals. ”
“We worry about our youth,” says Mango. But, she adds smiling, “After our events the kids leave feeling proud to be Arab-American.”
Saed Muhsin, an oud player and director of Aswat, is delighted to see that Arab culture is finally reaching people from outside and inside the community alike. While on stage, he can see older Arabs lip synching to traditional Arab folk music. For Westerners, he thinks Arab music can be an innocuous introduction to Arab culture, and can help them overcome prejudices they might have.
“Ultimately, we have to become part of the community at large,” Muhsinn says, “So, playing for non-Arabs is crucial.”
Vincent Delgrado, a Mexican-American percussionist, has been playing Arab music for over 40 years. He began by playing in a group called the Haji Babi Trio in 1962, with an Iraqi and a Lebanese. At that time, it was the first Middle East music group in northern California. Since then, he has made four CDs (with a second group called al-Jazaer), and has become a successful performer of Arab music.
Delgrado believes that playing with Aswat, though not financially rewarding, is more important because of the backlash happening against Arabs all over the world. He recently played traditional Arab music at a conference in the US between Arabs and Americans.
“Twenty-five years ago, if there was an Arab cultural event, it was mainly for Arabs,” recalls Delgrado. Today, he says, most of their audiences are non-Arab.
Still, the audiences that Zawaya reaches might be people who are already well informed and interested in the Middle East. Many of the non-Arabs who attend Zawaya presentations and Aswat performances tend to be Americans who have lived in the Middle East or who study the region.
Lionel Traubman, who hosts regular Jewish-Palestinian dialogue groups at his home, said, after an Aswat performance in San Jose, California, “What I always wish for Arab and Palestinian events is that the larger community be invited. … I am a Jew, and this brings us closer, breaks stereotypes and shows the beauty and intelligence of these cultures.”
Copyright (c) 2004 The Daily Star