Film Festival
QUEENS OF SYRIA: A FILM AND FUNDRAISER AGAINST THE MUSLIM BAN
Resist the USA Travel Ban and support Syrian civilians and refugees.
Directed by Yasmin Fedda, “Queens of Syria” is a documentary that tells the story of fifty Syrian women living in exile in Jordan. In 2013, they came together to create and perform their own version of The Trojan Women, an Ancient Greek tragedy about the importance of women’s voices during war.
What followed was an extraordinary moment of connection across millennia. The women, refugees of Syria’s ongoing war, find their own stories reflected in the play’s narrative about queens, princesses, and everyday women, uprooted; enslaved; and bereaved by the Trojan War. The performance provides the Syrian women with the space to express their experience of loss, exile, and even hope in the face of war.
The screening was preceded by two short films: Jude Chehab’s Thyme (Lebanon, 2016) and Warith Kwaish’s Nation Without a Homeland (Syria/Iraq, 2015).
Panel discussion and film screening of “Women on the Frontline: THEIR STORIES”.
HIVOS, the leading NGO of the Women on the Frontline (WoF) program, will screen three short films depicting the experiences of women’s rights advocates in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, highlighting their remarkable perseverance and resilience.
Five years ago, women emerged as key players in the Arab uprisings. Their hope that the uprisings would give birth to democratic transitions throughout the region appears to have been diminished, particularly in the face of violent conflicts and great challenges.
Yet, against all odds, countless women and men continue to fight unabated for an inclusive society based on peace, equality and human rights. WoF supports these women and men while emphasizing the importance of gender equality in achieving meaningful change.
HIVOS, l’ONG qui coordonne le programme « Women on the Frontline (WoF) » présentera trois courts métrages qui dévoilent les expériences de militant(e)s défendant les droits des femmesen Syrie, en Iraq et au Yémen.
Il y a cinq ans, les femmes ont assumé le rôle d’acteurs clés dans les soulèvements arabes. Leur espoir que ces soulèvements donneront le jour à des transitions vers la démocratie dans la région semble s’être estompé, particulièrement face aux conflits violents et aux énormes défis auxquels elles sont confrontées. Cependant, contre toute attente, d’innombrables hommes et femmes continuent de lutter sans relâche en faveur d’une société inclusive fondée sur la paix, l’égalité et les droits humains. Le programme « WoF » aide ces hommes et ces femmes tout en mettant l’accent sur l’importance de l’égalité entre les sexes pour apporter des changements concrets.
Youth Connect Networking and Art Education
This program began in 2013 and continues to engage newcomers and local students in gaining technical, artistic skills and the fundamentals of art.
It provides art education every year, with focus on elements of design in disciplines such as:
Embroidery: Once a traditional craft practiced by village women, Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery has become an important symbol of Palestinian culture. The popularity of embroidery springs from both its beauty and its association with the Palestine of the past. Common patterns reflect the millennia-long history of the land. The designs are derived from sources as diverse as ancient mythology and foreign occupations and date as far back as the Canaanites, who lived in the area over three thousand years ago.
The handicraft also symbolizes the traditional rural lifestyle of Palestine, much of which was lost after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Embroidery was the principal decoration of rural women’s clothing. It was part of a village women’s daily routine and a means of showing off her personal skills and social identity. The patterns, colors, and quality of the dress reflected a woman’s social standing, marital status, and wealth.
Basketry: Basket-weaving has thrived for centuries in the Palestinian farming communities. Using materials that are plentiful in their surroundings, women create various items used in their homes and outdoors, such as baskets, trays, and containers. The women show off their creativity by combining different color twigs – olive, almond, turpentine, etc. – to weave in beautiful designs in each piece.
Dabkeh Dance: We provide training in dabkeh dance of many styles – Lebanese and Palestinian – providing a learning environment that promotes enjoyment, artistic growth, and personal development. Classes are scheduled in blocks of ten weeks during fall and winter semesters.
There is a special focus on youth involvement, development and youth driven activities. Programming accommodates students from age 5 upward.
Where the need and resources exist separate classes for mature students are also offered.
These dance classes are about building bridges, linking the past with the present. Through interesting and motivating activities, we help participants build personality, a deep sense of belonging, and help them be proud of their heritage. Knowledge of these dances enrich young lives and gives back to the community: our youth are culturally engaged and bound by common values that offer a powerful antidote to the rising risks of youth alienation and personal isolation.
Exhibitions & Heritage Collection
Mother Tongue Exhibition
Language is a universal and abstract system of sounds and symbols. Yet, the social, political and cultural context in which a language is spoken greatly affects its development and usages. In ever increasingly globalized societies, our sociolinguistic identity is not often singular. The language we speak at home, or learned as a child – our mother tongue – may not be the same one used in our everyday lives. Mother Tongue invites us to consider the complex relationships that exist between language and identity; how it defines who we are and how it can inform visual artistic practice.
Language Classes
Conversation-Based Arabic Part I & II
The Conversation-based Arabic I & II classes are each 10 weeks in length and focus exclusively on developing speaking and listening abilities with the purpose of engaging in a basic conversation in Arabic.
By the end of the course students will have the confidence to greet people, describe and discuss their environment, communicate emotions and feelings, and talk about general situations. The first section still requires the Alif-Baa textbook used in Beginning Arabic and the second section still requires the Al-Kitaab textbook used in Intermediate Arabic, so these Conversation Practice classes are a great complement to the other Arabic classes we offer.
They can also be taken on their own, with the separate purchase of the textbook, which will provide diverse spoken exercises for the class.
For more information and to register, click here.
Beginning Arabic Parts I & II
The Beginning Arabic I & II classes, are each 10 weeks in length and focus on developing basic communication skills in Arabic. Students will learn Classical Arabic, standard vocabulary and grammar, and colloquial dialect. Although all four areas of language learning will be covered in class (i.e., speaking, listening, reading, and writing), the focus of the Arabic class will center on developing speaking and listening abilities with the purpose of engaging in a basic conversation in Arabic.
By the end of the course students will have the confidence to greet people, describe and discuss their environment, communicate emotions and feelings, and talk about general situations. The courses will use the textbook Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds Third Edition by Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, and Abbas Al-Tonsi. Beginning I will cover Units 1-5 and Beginning II will cover Units 6-10. Students are responsible for purchasing books independently.
For more information and to register, click here.
