Ramzi Salti's Arabology

Interviewing Nadia Ahmad  https://soundcloud.com/arabology/nadiaahmad Arabology is proud to share Dr. Ramzi Salti's interview with Nadia Ahmad  who co-hosts the TV show 'Kalam Nawaem' (the Arabic version of 'The View') on MBC1.  The interview was conducted in English at Stanford on July 21, 2015.  Listen below or at  https://soundcloud.com/arabology/nadiaahmad Nadia Ahmad is an acclaimed Arab Media personality and actress whose experience intersects theatre, film and television. She has performed with great panache on stages in Kuwait, Beirut and New York, winning wide spread acclaim from theatre stalwarts and critics alike. As a producer and director, she continues to develop major musical theatre productions in association with the National Council of Arts and Culture and the Amiri Diwan in Kuwait. As an Activist, Nadia helped co-found the non-profit organization, the Lothan Youth Achievement Center ( www.loyac.org ) in the wake of September 11, 2

Watch the video at https://youtu.be/VMgvU0Kaxqk Dr. Ramzi Salti, Lecturer at Stanford + Radio Host of 'Arabology' on KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM, was recently interviewed by Suad Asfour (AATV) about his teaching, his publications and his radio show.  The taping took place on July 14, 2015 at the ABC TV News/CreaTV  Building in San Jose, California. You can watch the video below or at  https://youtu.be/VMgvU0Kaxqk

Tinariwen solidifies Saharan Blues Tinariwen is a Grammy Award-winning group of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali. The band began in 1979 in Algeria and started to gain a following outside the region in 2001, leading to performances at such world festivals as Festival au Désert and the Roskilde festival in Denmark. They received global acclaim for the release of their Aman Iman in 2007.  Tinariwen's sound features Berber music from northern Algeria, rai music, pop, and Egyptian music. They are also influenced by Dire Straits, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Kenny Rogers and Don Williams.  Their style sounds like a blend between the blues and West African music, Here is one of their hits titled 'TOUMAST TINCHA' ( https://youtu.be/bvFrCulCvgM ) Here is their entire concert at WOMAD ( https://youtu.be/uUS0-0Fv7c8 ) For more info: Tinariwen YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/Tinariwen Ti

Silk Road Rising has been awarded ArtPlace America’s National Grant to support their civic engagement and new play project, Jamil Khoury's Mosque Alert! Silk Road Rising (formerly known as Silk Road Theatre Project) creates live theatre and online videos that tell stories through primarily Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. In representing communities that intersect and overlap, they aim to advance a polycultural worldview. Mosque Alert is an artistic and civic engagement project that dramatizes the difficulties Muslims face across the country (see  https://youtu.be/Ojvgm7r4KU8 ).  Last summer, Jamil Khoury and Malik Gillani—the founders of Silk Road Rising—found the ideal site for their fictional mosque: The Old Nichols Library in downtown Naperville. Working with ten community partners in downtown Naperville, they plan to use Mosque Alert to generate community-wide conversations that will examine fears associated with the building of this fictional mosqu

Golden Thread’s upcoming ReOrient Festival  in San Francisco is well known for innovative, spirited, and thought-provoking theatre from and about the Middle East. With short plays by playwrights from Iraq, Iran, Egypt, England, and the U.S., the latest ReOrient promises to be a one-of-a-kind exploration of this unique region and its theater, stories, and artists. The festival will feature 8 short plays by leading and emerging Middle Eastern writers (see below). The month-long festival of short plays, which will begin on September 10, 2015, will conclude with a FREE weekend Forum, a convening of artists, activists and scholars aimed at expanding the dialogue on theatre and the Middle East . THE PLAYS: LOST KINGDOM by Hassan Abdulrazzak, directed by Michael French When a Lebanese-American FBI agent is called in to interrogate a fallen dictator, a twisted tango ensues that complicates black and white notions of good and evil. PICKING UP THE SCENT by Yussef El Guindi, d

Syrian-American Director Faisal Attrache is currently working on a new short film that deserves much attention and support. Titled 'From the Mountain' this Arab western short focuses on Sultan Basha Al Atrash's fight for freedom against colonial oppression.  Here is the film trailer:

Syiran-American pianist/composer Malek Jandali was honored today as a 2015 Great Immigrant - The Pride of America by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.  Established in 1911, the Carnegie Corporation of New York is honoring a distinguished group of accomplished immigrants who have helped advance and enlighten our society, culture, and economy. Both The New York Times and The Guardian will feature the 38 honorees and their accomplishments on Independence Day, July 4,2015. The 2015 Great Immigrants come from more than 30 countries around the world and represent leadership in a wide range of professions. They include Nobel laureates Arieh Warshel and Thomas C. Südhof; Google Engineering Director Craig Nevill-Manning; Metropolitan Museum of Art Director Thomas Campbell; Atlanta Braves coach Eddie Pérez; Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin; Pulitzer Prize-winners Geraldine Brooks and Anne Telnaes; actress Sofía Vergara; singer Thalía and television game show host Alex Trebek. Last month Ma

Check out this amazing event which is coming up on July 19-25 at Pleasure Point FDC in Santa Cruz, CA. Registration form and detailed schedule at THIS LINK . This is a weeklong celebration of Arabic Music with instruction, workshops, performances in Arabic singing, instrumental music, percussion, and even a bit of dance. Instructors this year include Antoine Lammam for percussion, Elias Lammam, voice, maqam theory, ensemble, Arabic music history and subgenres, rhythms, improvisation and taqsim, Sarah Michael, assistant music director, Janelle Rodriguez, oriental dance, Carolé Acuña, flamenco, and Tina Enheduanna, oriental dance. This year there will be two phases of the week-long event: a two-day Bootcamp for musicians new to Arabic music (less than 3 years experience) on July 19-20; and a four-day intensive for more advanced students of Arabic music. The week will end with an evening of performances for family, friends and the public. There will be additional performance oppor