Past Events Sponsored by INEAS

An Archive of our Work Since 1994

2000s

Haifa Zangana interviewed by Wafaa' Al-Natheema click picture to see interview

* Have you had your doubts about the war on Iraq?

* Curious about Iraqi women’s rights before and after the war?

* Do you want to explore the status of the Iraqi Resistance?

In this dialogue coinciding with Women’s history month and the fifth anniversary of the war on Iraq, you will sample Iraqi women’s knowledge, struggle and humor face to face.

Presented by Wafaa’ Al-Natheema. Sponsored by the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies (INEAS), with support from the Cambridge Peace Commission

Watch another 7-minute interview with Haifa Zangana about Kurds and the war.

Intensive Arabic Workshop I
Saturday & Sunday, September 15 & 16, 2007

Arabic Script Chart © Wafaa' Al-Natheema

Learners will practice Arabic reading and writing, vocabulary and simple grammar, and will be able to read and write words and phrases at the completion of this workshop. This two-day workshop is designed for beginners who had no prior knowledge of Arabic. The workshop teaches the alphabet, letter connection (script), pronunciation, vowels, definite and indefinite nouns and adjectives as well as reading and writing exercises.

LEARNERS ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE AND DO HOMEWORK.

Registration Fee: $125 (including 2 books and 3 CDs) Discounted rates for INEAS Members

Registration deadline: Monday, September 10

Location: Cambridge (The address and directions will be emailed upon registering).

Intensive Arabic Workshop II
Saturday & Sunday, September 22 & 23, 2007
This two-day workshop is designed for those who completed Workshop I or those who have limited knowledge of Arabic reading and writing. It will cover simple rules of hamza, feminine nouns and adjectives, prepositions and prepositional phrases, pronouns and introduction to sentence structure.

Registration Fee: $125 (including 2 books and 3 CDs) $100 for those who took Workshop I

Registration deadline: Monday, September 17

Intensive Arabic Workshop II
Saturday & Sunday, December 2 & 3, 2006
[Same as above]

Intensive Arabic Workshop I
Saturday & Sunday, May 27 & 28, 2006
[Same as above]

Intensive Arabic Workshop I
Saturday & Sunday, October 8 & 9, 2005
Location: 186 Hampshire St. Cambridge, Mass.
3rd floor
[as above]

Music of Mauritania's Malouma - Griots, African Rhythms & Arabic Lyrics
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Embracing modern tunes yet spiritually traditional, Malouma performs with a unique melt of African and Arabic rhythms gracefully interweaving blues-accented music with Mauritanian folk, Afro-pop and melodic Arabic lyrics. A singer, composer, lyrics writer, musician and women's rights advocate, Malouma is Africa's DIVA.

We are honored to have Malouma present this workshop highlighting Griots, traditional instruments in Mauritanian music, various African rhythms, Arabic lyrics and concluding with a popular song followed by a question/answer period. FREE to the Public.

Location: 22 The Fenway Room F12, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA. campus map
Time: 7:30pm

Co-sponsored by:
Institute for Near Eastern and African Studies (INEAS)
The Ensemble Department at Berklee College of Music
Women’s History Month at Berklee

RSVP for the FREE workshop to 617-864-6327
or INEAS_1994@yahoo.com

"The Art of Screen Writing:
Imagining and Interpreting Unknown Worlds"
Saturday & Sunday, November 20 & 21, 2004

A Conference for Screenwriters source: Liverpool John Moores University

Films to be shown:
* The Olive Harvest - Hanna Elias
* Beautiful Kid - Michael Carty
* Baghdad . . . in Four Days - Wafaa' Al-Natheema
* The Other Arabs - Wafaa' Al-Natheema
* Nazrah: A Muslim Woman's Perspective - Maliha Masood
* Forget Baghdad - Samir

Panel Discussion:
Filling The Void: Missing Genre, Asian-Muslim films for the American audience

Location: University of Massachusetts UMASS/ Boston , Media Auditorium, Healey Library, Lower Level (LL) directions
Co-sponsored by:
Institute for Near Eastern and African Studies (INEAS)
William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences at UMASS/Boston
The National Writers Union, Boston Chapter

Go to "Art of Screen Writing" Event Page

"Golden August: Unprecedented Cultural Episodes "
August 12th-28th, 2004

In one month, Golden August, right before our TENTH ANNIVERSARY, INEAS is presenting three UNIQUE cultural events and a series of educational workshops.

Cultural Events:

1. When Activism & Poetry Become MUSIC

2. Cambridge: The Only Cultural Tour of Its Kind

3. Nimah Nawwab, Saudi Arabian poet; Brahim Sassi, Indian Sitar player and Wafaa' Al-Natheema, Iraqi poet.

Workshops:

Intensive Arabic Workshop, Level 1

Intensive Arabic Workshop, Level 2

CPR and First Aid Workshops

Go to "Golden August" Event Page

Intensive Arabic Workshop I
January 31 & February 1, 2004, Cambridge, MA
[as above]

"Baghdad Benefits"
January 22nd-30th, 2004
Three musical and educational benefit functions:

1. World Music Unity Day in Cedar Rapids, IA
January 22, 2004

2. Baghdad in Four Days in Iowa City, IA
January 24, 2004

3. Report From Baghdad & Flamenco in Cambridge, MA
January 30, 2004

Farida and The Iraqi Maqaam Ensemble (FIME) in the USA
Saturday May 19, 2001 at 8:00 PM
At the Tower Auditorium/Mass. College of Arts
621 Huntington Ave., Cambridge, MA

Sponsored by the World Music Institute; the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies (INEAS) and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Cosponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Music Study Group, Harvard University; New York State Council on the Arts; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Arab American Institute Foundation (AAIF)
Farida & the IRAQI Maqam Ensemble

World History Symposium
May 5 & 6, 2000
Northeastern University, Boston, MA
INEAS was one of twenty-four organizations that co-sponsored the World History Symposium, held on May 5th and 6th at Northeastern University. The theme of the symposium was "Ethics and Justice: Understanding the Human Condition." During the symposium, we co-offered a workshop entitled, "Africa in the Global Economy: The Struggle for Social Justice, 1941-2000," with the African Studies Center at Boston University. We also offered a workshop on, "Modern History of Iraq: The Birth of a New Genocide."

Hussein Al-Athamy and the Tchalghi Baghdadi [HATB] in the USA
October 14th-November 9th, 2000
Washington DC
Hussein Al-Athamy & the Tchalghi BaghdadiThe Iraqi guru of Maqaam singing, Hussein Al-Athamy with a powerful Tenor voice (with occasional bass) came to the USA to tour Cambridge, MA on Saturday, October 14 and Washington D.C. on Thursday, November 9. Al-Athamy masters the most challenging form of Arabic singing, the Iraqi Maqaam. Al-Athamy was accompanied by a master Oud player, Ali Al-Imam (from the musical school of Munir Bashir) and the young talented Jawza player, Dalia Yakob. A professional video tape of the Cambridge performance is available.
order now

Feminist Expo 2000
March 31st to April 2nd
Baltimore, MD
INEAS co-sponsored this event.

1990s

New England's International Festival
October 1998
Boston, MA
We participated in the largest New England's International Festival, which was held at the Bayside Exposition Center in Boston, MA. Our participation included a three-day information booth providing information on Arabic, Assyrian and Kurdish cultures. We also performed Arabian Stallions featuring actor Michael Nurse as storyteller, Oud player Said Khoory and vocalist Wafaa' Salman.

Cultural Episodes on the East & Africa
March 31 - June 4, 1998
Northeastern University, Boston, MA

Lecture: Arabic Music and Iraqi Maqaams
by Naseer Shemma
Location: @ McLeod Suits/Northeastern University
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 3l 7PM

Concert
Location: The Blackman Auditorium /NU
Date and Time: Thursday April 2nd 8PM

Women, Politics & Social Change in Iran
A talk and a slide show on women in Iran after the Islamic revolution
by Shahla Haeri, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at BU
Date and Time: Thursday April 9

The Religion of the Mandaeans/Sabeans
by Dr. Jorunn Buckley, a Historian specializing in Mandaeism at MIT
Date and Time: Thursday April 23
The talk includes a rarely seen colored film made in Qalat Saleh in the Mandaean ceremonies.
Jebel Barkal, Sudan's Sacred Mountain
by Timothy Kendall, Associate Curator, Dept of Ancient Nubian Art, MFA, Thursday May 7th
A slide show on the recent excavations of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Jesus' Survival of the Crucifixion: Theories
by Joseph Baratta, Ph.D., a Historian of International Organization
Date and Time: Thursday May 21st

Arab Contributions to Civilization
by Wafaa' Al-Natheema, Founder of INEAS,
Date and Time: Thursday June 4

Baghdad Cafe
December 1997
On December 21, 1997, INEAS sponsored a weekly radio program, Baghdad Cafe, every Sunday on WZBC 90.3 FM. The program features music, guests and special reports from around the Arab and Islamic Worlds, Africa, Asia and Europe. The radio program's last episode aired on Sunday February 6th, 2000.
read review

Arabian Stallions
November 1997
The troupe of the Zannobiya Productions performed Arabian Stallions at the Newton Free Library (See the February 1 Boston Globe article concerning this performance and other INEAS programs).The program was performed by actor and storyteller, Michael Nurse; vocalist, Wafaa' al-Natheema and oud player, Said Khoory.

Tuesday Lecture Series
Spring 1997
Between April and May 1997, INEAS co-sponsored a Tuesday Lecture Series with the International Institute of Boston. Three lectures on "The Mandaeans/Sabaeans: An Unknown Minority Religion in the Middle East" by Dr. Buckley, "Living in The US as Immigrants -- The Iranian Experience" by Simin Bakhtiar, and "Anti-Arab Racism and Stereotyping" by Wafaa' Al-Natheema.

Thursday Lecture Series
February 1997
Our Institute sponsored a Thursday lecture series, which ended in April, and held at the Boston Public Library. Lectures were given once a month and covered a variety of subjects. On January 30, Afaf Stevens gave a lecture on "The Baha'i Faith and The Evolution of Islam". On February 13, and in celebration of Valentine's Day, Wafaa' Al-Natheema gave a talk on "Love Songs and Poetry in Arabic Culture". The lecture drew a much larger than usual Thursday evening audience. "Living in The US as Immigrants-- The Iranian Experience" was the topic of the lecture given by Simin Bakhtiar on March 27. On April 24, the final lecture, "History of Music and Musical Instruments" was given by Wafaa' Al-Natheema. The lecture's content was previously aired on WZBC and WMBR, and is currently available on cassette (to be made available on our products page).

Arabian Stallions
December 1996
Storyteller Hussein El-Ali; Oud player Sai Matta and vocalist, Wafaa' Al-Natheema also performed Arabian Stallions twice at 2:00 PM and 4:15 PM on Tuesday December 31 during the FIRST NIGHT festivities in celebration of the New Year. It was a greatly successful family show. A video tape of the performance was produced and made available for schools and libraries.
Video: A professional video tape of the First Night performance is available for schools and institutions (to be made available on our products page).

November 1996
On Saturday November 9, George Capaccio, Said Khoury and Wafaa' Al-Natheema performed the same program at the Boston Public Library (BPL). Over 70 people attended the afternoon performance despite the bad weather and gave mostly positive feedback.

June 1996
On June 13, 1996, the Zannobiya Team of INEAS performed Arabian Stallions at the West Roxbury Branch Library. The team included Oud player, Abla Shuqair ; storyteller George Capaccio and vocalist Wafaa' Al-Natheema. Those who attended indicated that it was entertaining, informative and humorous.

Zannobiya Productions Launched
February 1996
In February, 1996, we began organizing The Zannobiya Productions, our school enrichment programs to introduce students (grades 5-12) to Arabic and Islamic cultures through music, language, poetry, songs and storytelling. Such arrangement included designing brochures, researching the educational material, writing and editing the script of the performances, rehearsals and publicity. A team comprised of talented and professional individuals was established to perform three programs, Arabian Stallions, Baghdad Cafe' and Thousand and One Nights. The goal is not only to perform these shows, but also to offer a follow-up classes, residencies and workshops to educate students, teachers and parents about the Arabic, African and Islamic cultures at junior and high schools as well as other institutions.

Naseer Shemma at MIT
October 1995
On Thursday, October 19, Naseer Shemma gave a lecture on Arabic Music and Maqamat at MIT and on Saturday October 21, he performed solo on the oud (or lute) at the First Church Congregational in Cambridge. His performance was one-of-a- kind.
Review: The Boston Globe indicated, "...His concert Saturday night was both intellectually fascinating and deeply moving, one of the most striking solo performances to come through Boston in recent years."
Video: The concert is available on video tape. order now

Thousand & One Nights
August 1995
In order to fund Naseer Shemma's concert, we organized and hosted Thousand & One Nights which was celebrated with music, art, talks, film clips by director, John Gianvito, storytelling by George Capaccio, piano playing by Silvard Kool, a lecture on Iraqi art with slides by Wafaa' Al-Natheema. The evening took place at the Newton Art Center on August 5, 1995. Few days later, we were approved for tax-exemption status and the struggle to solicit funds resumed again.

Naseer Shemma Arrives
We filed for tax-exemption status, while working on another major event. A month earlier, we began our regular contact with Tunisia to arrange for the performance of a famous composer and oud player. In May 1995, we managed to find a law firm that was willing to work on Naseer Shemma's visa. After a bitter and a long waiting period of five months, Naseer Shemma, an Iraqi composer and oud player, finally arrived in Boston on October 14, 1995.

Letter and Phone Campaign to Lift the Embargo
Winter 1995
We were active in an educational and humanitarian campaign to lift the embargo against the people of Iraq. We held a talk arranged with the help of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in Boston. In March of 1995, we organized a letter/phone campaign with the Peace and Justice Committee of the Christ Episcopal Church in Needham. We urged, helped in and funded the writing of letters and making phone calls to the White House and the UN. More than 80 letters were sent to Clinton and the UN following these two events including a letter sent directly by the Peace & Justice Commission to President Clinton.

INEAS' First Event
October 1994
The poetry evening featuring Lamee'a Abbas Amara took place at the Islamic Center of New England in Sharon, Mass., and was highly successful. It included dinner and music followed by poetry recitation in Arabic by Lamee'a Abbas Amara, a famous Iraqi poetess, with its English translation recited by Wafaa' Al-Natheema.
Video: This poetry event is now available on video tape: order now