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In February 2016, The Middle East Institute co-hosted a panel discussion exploring the value and impact of the arts in conflict zones. The panel was organized with the Media Lounge at the College Art Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
To try and understand his choice to give up a tenured position at a university in the U.S. and join the underground PLO in Beirut, his daughter, the filmmaker, made a documentary that traced her family’s journey through Palestine’s 20th century history.
Narrated by Mike Farrell, Valentino’s Ghost exposes the way America’s foreign policy agenda in the Middle East influences Hollywood and mainstream media portrayals of Arabs and Muslims.
“Sixty years after her grandparents’ exile from Jaffa, Soraya (Suheir Hammad) leaves Brooklyn to live in her homeland. Discovering that her family’s bank account was frozen after the Arab-Israeli War, she becomes determined to reclaim her birthright, through whatever means necessary.
“….a beautiful young Palestinian woman defies Israeli soldiers and struts through a check-point as if it were the catwalk of a fashion show; Santa Claus is chased up the sun- drenched hills of Nazareth by a gang of knife-wielding school kids; Israeli police use a blindfolded prisoner to provide directions to tourists in Jerusalem; and a female ninja descends from the sky, holding the map of ‘Palestine’ as her battle shield.”
Conceived by Jennifer Heath of Baksun Books and Arts in Boulder, Colo., and co-curated by Dagmar Painter of Jerusalem Fund Gallery Al Quds in Washington, D.C., the exhibition began touring in 2013 and will remain on the road until 2018.”
The symbol known as the Hamsa, or Hand of Fatima, in Arab and Middle Eastern culture, is also a potent symbol in cultures around the world, from Asia, Africa, Latin America and even to the tribal cultures of Native Americans. This exhibition will explore the origins, symbolism and interpretations of this potent design with objects from all these cultures, with examples and an audience-interactive lecture.
Each film in the “It’s Not Just Documentaries Project” organized by the Community Media Center of Gaza addresses a particular aspect of the suffering among civilians and the violations of their rights during and after the 2014 Israeli aggression, which the IDF named “Operation Protective Edge.”
This multimedia installation explores the history of one American family’s 166-year engagement with the Middle East, using mixed media collages, super-8 video and archival material to tell the story of a rich and evolving relationship between America and the Arab world.
Through educational events, humanitarian support, and cultural preservation, the Jerusalem Fund is helping build the movement for Palestinian liberation.
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