INEAS In the Media
Cambridge Chronicle Thursday, August 12, 2004 Page 17
Hot Happenings on our side of the Charles
Golden August Begins Tonight
By Amanda McGregor
Look no further than tonight's event to see what happens when poetry and activism become music.
The Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies kick off its "Golden August" series this evening at 7 at Zeitgeist Gallery where performance and peace activism mingle into harmony.
The event, which is the first of three this month, features Boston musicians Veronique Epitor and David Rovics. "[The events] will meld ethnic backgrounds, music genres and poetry," said Wafaa' Al-Natheema, INEAS founder. "We're trying to send out a statement for our 10th anniversary to reward the public and to celebrate 10 years."
During next week's event on Aug. 19, patrons will be whisked through Cambridge on "the only cultural tour of its kind," from art galleries and the mosque, to local Moroccan restaurant Argana. Topping off the evening will be Saudi Arabian poet Nimah Nawwab and Tunisian musician Brahim Sassi. "He is probably the only Arab to play the Indian sitar," said Al-Natheema, who is originally from Baghdad, Iraq. "It is a very unique thing."
The summer's events aim to raise funds for the nonprofit INEAS, particularly for the ambitious screenwriting workshop coming up in November to be held at Umass-Boston. The symposium is designed to build an international network of people interested in documentary and political filmmaking.
"You see the stereotypes in Indiana Jones or the terrorists within Asia and Africa," Al-Natheema, "but you don't see much in Hollywood as far as [accurate or objective] coverage of the Near east and Africa.
"This will benefit and inform so many talented actors and screenwriters with talent but who lack finances, the background or the connections."
Through Arabic workshops, education and outreach, music and art performances, INEAS aims to educate people worldwide about Asia, North Africa, and the Near and Middle East, said Al-Natheema.
______________________________________________________________Comments and Corrections by INEAS
1. The following quote, "[The events] will meld ethnic backgrounds, music genres and poetry," said Wafaa' Al-Natheema, INEAS founder" has an error. It should read, "…will melt ethnic backgrounds, music genres…….."
2. The reporter misquoted Al-Natheema in, "We're trying to send out a statement for our 10th anniversary to reward the public and to celebrate 10 years." Al-Natheema said, "We're sending a statement for our 10th anniversary to be rewarded and to reward the public while celebrating 10 years."
3. Al-Natheema said, "He is probably the only Arab to play the Indian sitar" She realized later that the Tunisian sitar player was not Arab, he was Berber.
4. The quote, "This will benefit and inform so many talented actors and screenwriters with talent but who lack finances, the background or the connections" is very weak and it made not much sense. Wafaa' meant to say that the conference will benefit and inform about so many talented screenwriters, producers and actors who are from various backgrounds and who lack finances and/or the connections!
5. In the last paragraph, the reporter wrote, "…..INEAS aims to educate people worldwide about Asia, North Africa, and the Near and Middle East" She forgot to include that INEAS intends to educate people worldwide via email. Also she used the Near and Middle East together, which is redundant. Both phrases (Near and Middle) are used to mean the same area and are politically and geographically incorrect.
The
Monadnock Ledger (NH) Thursday July 30, 1998
Lyceum Speaker praises unsung heroes of Arab Learning
by Kerry Hickox, Monadnock Ledger Staff
PETERBOROUGH - Although most Americans would not recognize their names, Arab Scholars Abu Ali al-Hasan bin al-Haytham played important roles in the technological advancement in civilization.
"I like those that are the unknown soldiers, that have done so much but no one has heard of them," said Wafaa' Salman, who spoke Sunday at the fourth of this year's Monadnock Summer Lyceum Lectures.
Born and raised in Iraq, Salman has degrees in civil engineering and political science. She is founder and president of The Institute of Near Eastern and African Studies.
Abu Ali al-Hasan bin al-Haytham born in 965 A.D., was among the first to recognize that the true arrangements of the planets had not yet been discovered, Salman said. "He played an important role in stimulating Arab astronomers in surpassing Ptolomy."
She said he included discussions of Euclid and other great European thinkers in his numerous volumes on mathematical, physical, and metaphysical questions.
"From the eight century to the end of the 14th, Arab science was the most advanced science, far surpassing the Europeans and China," Salman said.
Despite the work of Abu Ali al-Hasan bin al-Haytham and other Arab scholars, the world does not know much about them. "What has been published and paid attention to is mostly done by crediting the non-Arab Muslims," Salman said, explaining why her audience would not recognize the names of the 27 Arab scholars she had listed on a handout.
Part of the reason for the world's ignorance has to do with the Mongol and Ottoman invasions of the Arab world.
"The Arab world came under very horrible occupation," Salman said, speaking of the Mongol invasion and the fall of Baghdad in 1250 A.D.
The invaders turned the rivers in the capital purple, Salman said. "That is the mixture of blood and ink, of how many people they killed and how many libraries they destroyed." she said.
"There are a lot of question marks in that part of the history," Salmon said. Many of the Arab scholars left no record of their work, making it impossible for historians to know much about them. For example, Abu Al-Hakam Al-Dimashqui died at 100 years of age without leaving any records of his long medical career. His son Al-Hakam Al-Dimashqui also died without leaving any work behind, Salman said.
"The recording has not done well, so we don't know much about them," Salman said of these and other Umayyad Era scholars.
Nevertheless, history does indicate that Arab science was influential in the ancient world, Salman said. Several popes employed Arab doctors, who were known for there advanced medicine, she said.
Many people are unaware that Christopher Columbus took a couple of Arab Astronomers with him on his voyage to America, Salman said.
When asked by her audience how the non-Arab world can do a better job of recognizing Arab achievements, Salman said, "The key element is education. I think the more you know about it, the less foreign it becomes."
Salman advised her audience to travel to Arab countries or research Arab history in the library. Recognizing that not everyone has the time or money for these activities, she suggested talking with Arab Americans. "I think you are quite lucky because you are in the country that has everybody else," Salman said.
Answering an audience question about the right of Arab women, Salman said, "Arab women before Islam had equally if not more rights than any man."
Women could marry as many husbands as they wished and children took the Women's name, she said.
"Then comes Islam with the accusation of it being the religion that encouraged polygamy, which it didn't," Salman said. Islam actually limited polygamy, she said. It restricted the number of wives a man could have to four unless he was extremely wealthy. It also required men to ask permission of their current wives before they took another, Salman said.
"Sometimes they would not get that permission," she said.
After Islam, women could own businesses. The introduction of that religion also put a stop to the common Arab practice of killing female infants, Salman said.
Then came centuries of Mongol and the Ottoman occupation. "Both men and women had no rights."
In the 20th Century, women's situations vary from place to place, Salman said.
"I know many will have the image of veiled women in Saudi Arabia," she said. Although the numbers of Arab women who were veils has increased in the 1990s, veiled women remain a minority, Salman said adding, "Clothes should not be in the list of rights. You could be wearing shorts or a veil and still have no rights."
In the workplace men and women are on level ground, Salman said.
"There's no such thing that women are paid less," she said adding that she was shocked when she came to the United States She could not believe the most advanced country in the world still has a problem paying men and women equally for equal work.
"I have no idea how women are quiet about it. If it happened in the Arab world, there would be a revolution," Salman said, adding that it's never a good idea to mess with Arab women "Arab women are a pain in the neck," she said.
Salman said American women have fewer rights in other ways as well. She mentioned the practice of a woman taking her husband's name when she marries.
"To me this is like a property," Salman said. "It changes its name according to the owner."
Salman's lecture will be rebroadcast on WEVO, New Hampshire Public Radio, at 9 p.m. Monday.
The
Washington Report on the Middle East April, 1998
Institute Promotes Arab/Muslim Culture By David
Johnson
Her pink shoes moving rapidly, Wafaa' Salman rushed along the corridor, obviously not wanting to waste a minute. The 37-year-old Iraq native explained that she had three appointments that evening in far-flung locations in Greater Boston. But it was also clear that Salman tolerated, even enjoyed, the hectic schedule as part of her mission to educate people about the varied cultures of the Middle East.
As founder and director of the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies (INEAS), in Cambridge, MA, Salman said most Americans are not well-informed about the region. She developed the institute to help rectify the situation. "I thought of it because I felt that the unknown world has not been presented well, the Arabic and Islamic world," Salman explained. "I have not established anything new. But what is so unique about this institute is that it does not promote one certain ethnic group or one certain religion."
She note that in addition to the North African Arabs of the Mediterranean coast, the nations of Mauritania, Djibouti and Somalia have Arab cultural ties which are often overlooked by many Americans. Moreover, there also are many non-Arab cultures in the Middle East, including Armenians, Assyrians, Turcomans, Berbers, Chaldeans and Kurds.
Salman said the aim is to educate and to disseminate facts, not to instill any particular political viewpoint. She said she is always pleased to have made a difference in someone's understanding of the Middle East. For instance, a woman expressed surprise that Assyrians still exist after reading a newsletter report about the Assyrian Convention held in Chicago in 1993. Another reader was interested to learn that women in Arab countries have considerable rights, such as equal pay for equal work and do not change their names after marriage (except, generally speaking, in Lebanon.) "It is educating those who don't know about that part of the world," salman said.
INEAS offers a variety of talks and cultural presentations at schools and libraries. (An account of an INEAS-sponsored speech on Iranian immigrant, held at the Boston Public Library, appeared in "Northeast News," Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Aug./Sep., 1997, p.66.) The institute also produces a quarterly newsletter and hosts a weekly radio show.
In October 1995, the institute sponsored Iraqi musician and composer Naseer Shemma. He is tentatively set to return for another concert April 2 at Northeastern University. Another cultural evening featured poetry by Lamee'a Abbas Amara, also from Iraq.
These and other events sponsored by the institute, as well as educational material, are available on video.
The newsletter contains news, including reports of the situation in Iraq, and covers some local activism. Salman has started a separate newsletter, Al-Wafaa' News, to cover cultural topics, such as accounts of Arab music and art.
The newsletter, which celebrates its eighth anniversary this year, started as a directory of classes and events regarding the Middle East.
INEAS also sponsors a weekly radio program. The show airs live on WZBC, 90.3 FM, the Boston College radio station, from 3 to 5 PM, Sundays. Programming includes interviews, special reports and music from the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
Salman has also created a theater troup, named after Zannobiya, the legendary Arabian queen who led an army to defeat the Romans. Zannobiya produces three educational programs for students. "Arabian Stallions" teaches about Arabian horses, which were instrumental in the spread of Arabic culture; presents a list of English words which came from Arabic; and discusses Arabian queens through music, songs and stories.
"Baghdad Cafe" concentrates on Arabic culture and cuisine, while "Thousand and One Nights" emphasizes literature through acting and music.
In addition to Salman, other officers of the INEAS are Sudan native Khalid Kodi, vice president; Souad Bilcaid, from Morocco, treasurer; and secretary Sargon Donabed, who is partly Turkish and partly Assyrian. In the future, Salman said she hopes INEAS can have its own permanent space, or even its own building.
Salman holds a BS in political science and another in engineering from Northeastern University. She works as a civil engineer on the "Big Dig" construction project which is placing Boston's Central Artery highway underground. In addition, she has founded a company which provides translation and interpretation services. The firm uses free-lancers skilled in a variety of languages and various technical, academic and business subjects. In her free time, Salman tutors students in math and calculus.
For more information on INEAS, call (617) 499-9595, fax (617) 323-5950 or write P.O. Box 809, Cambridge, MA 02142. The E-mail address is INEAS@aol.com
______________________________________________________________Errors & Corrections
1. Salman holds a BS not a BA as indicated in the article.
2. Salman tutors mostly Arabic and English and occasionally math and calculus. The aspect of the language tutoring was neglected from the article and of the tutoring of math/calculus was exaggerated.
3. The new phone number of INEAS is: 617-86-INEAS (864-6327)
The Boston Globe February
1, 1998
Group Teaches Young about Middle Eastern Traditions, Culture
By Donna Milmore
Despite an increasing emphasis on diversity and multiculturalism, American children have little exposure to the rich traditions of Arab and Islamic culture, according to the founders of a school enrichment program designed to address the void.
An engineer by training, Wafaa' Salman founded Cambridge-based Zannobiya Productions to bring traditions of the Middle East into Greater Boston classrooms, libraries, and community centers. Using drama, music, storytelling and humor, the Zannobiya theater troup educates and entertains audiences from fifth grade through high school.
Fans of the production company say Zannobiya is an important "first" for the Arabic and Islamic communities as well as for the general public. While there is no shortage of resources for adults, Salman and others say they are unaware of a similar cultural program designed specifically for children.
Celebrating its second anniversary this month, Zannobiya offers public performances, along with classes and workshops in Islam, Arabic language, music, storytelling, poetry, cuisine, and calligraphy. Salman says they use the magic and mythology of Arabian customs and characters as a teaching tool.
"The Arabic culture has had a tremendous impact on our world," says Salman, a West Roxbury resident. For example, "Many American children do not know the Arabic origin of such words as cotton, algebra, sugar and alchemy."
A native of Iraq, Salman, 37, settled in the Boston area to study civil engineering at Northeastern University. She graduated in 1986, returning to earn a political science degree in 1990. As an Arab and Muslim, she says, she is particularly sensitive to media messages about that part of the world. At the same time, Salman's love of music, art and drama make her acutely aware of the many positive aspects of Middle Eastern culture that she believes are not known in the United States.
Salman suggests that politics and stereotyping interfere with appreciation of Middle Eastern culture. Independent "learning and research" led of Boston's Middle Eastern community and, in particular, her leadership with the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies. The institute sponsors Zannobiya Productions, as well as a lecture series, a quarterly newsletter, and a radio show. Salman hosts the Sunday radio show (90.3 FM) featuring guests and music from 3 to 4 PM.
Salman named theater troupe in honor of an ancient Arabian queen known for her ruthless ambition as well as her beauty. With the determination of the legendary Zannobiya, who once led Arabian soldiers to defeat a Roman army, Salman has worked untiringly to write scripts, recruit volunteers and professionals, and seek funding and engagements for the company.
The group has developed three performances: "Arabian Stallions," which features Arabic songs, storytelling, and oud (lute) playing; "Baghdad Cafe," highlighting Arabic cuisine; and "Thousand and One Nights," combining traditional and contemporary Arabic storytelling and poetry, language, music and calligraphy. A videotape of Zannobiya's First Night performance is available for schools and libraries.
"I've never seen anything like it," says Dr. Sandrine Launois of Arlington, a physician at Beth Israel Hospital who applauded a recent presentation of "Arabian Stallions" at the Newton Public Library. "There are lots of opportunities (in Arabic culture) for adults, but nothing for children," says Launois, a Parisian married to a Moroccan engineer.
In the Newton production, Salman was featured along with Michael Nurse, a storyteller and professional actor, and Said Khoory, an oud player. Their performance impressed Chelsea Gordon, 7, who came with her mother after a library announcement piqued their curiosity.
"I loved the story," Chelsea says. "And, I learned about a new instrument [the oud]." The experience prompted her to write a special entry in a "weekend adventure" journal for her second-grade class at the Franklin School in Newton.
Ellis Donabed agrees. A substitute teachers in Milton, Donabed says she is recommending Zannobiya to parents and teachers. From her own experience as an Iraqi native, she reports that students are usually curious about her background.
It's been a challenge keeping her heritage alive with her own sons, now teenagers, says Donabed.
Salman reports she has tried unsuccessfully to win public funding for Zannobiya and that she was disappointed to learn recently that an Anenberg Challenge Grant was declined, eliminating an eight-week educational series that had been proposed for the R. G. Shaw Middle School in West Roxbury.
"We need more support," says Salman, adding that there is nothing like Zannobiya available in the United States at this time. "This is a unique product. We're going to evolve and expand."
Her efforts, Salman says, will increase Americans' appreciation for the culture and customs of the Middle East. Whether an introduction or a reminder of one's heritage, Zannobiya Productions promises to entertain and educate.
______________________________________________________________
Errors and corrections:
* When the article was published, the radio program, sponsored by the
Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies (INEAS), aired from 3 to 5 PM and not 3 to 4 PM.
* A wrong statement indicating that there are co-founders for the
Zannobiya Productions was omitted because it was untrue.