Author Archives: Arab America

They were touted as Lebanon’s answer to reality TV icons the Kardashians, but the stars of “The Sisters” have been dismissed as not only unrepresentative but even worse — boring.
In the sleek apartment where their show is filmed, Alice, Nadine and Farah Abdel Aziz teeter around on high heels, in full make-up at all times.
They defend their show as a realistic glimpse into their lives, and a chance to show how smart Lebanese women are.
But Lebanese viewers seem to disagree, criticising the series for focusing on a small sliver of the upper class and failing to provide the whiff of scandal that animates the infamous “Keeping up with the Kardashians” US reality show.
“The Sisters” began in March with much fanfare and local media coverage.
It usually features the slender siblings in Beirut’s most expensive restaurants, designer shops, and beauty salons, often with friends, each visit usually documented with a selfie or two.
“We want people to see what Lebanese women are like,” says Alice, 26, the trio’s self-appointed chief, her tiny figure draped in a bright blue cut-off top and dazzling jewelry.
And the sisters do represent a segment of Lebanon’s most ostentatious wives and daughters, who enjoy similarly extravagant excursions and designer styles.
But they say they still respect the Middle East’s conservative values, which rule out the discussions of body parts, boyfriends and sex that spice up the Kardashians’ hit series.
“They live in a certain environment, and we live in a certain environment. Their lifestyle is really different,” Farah, 22, said of the Kardashians.
Lebanon, a multi-confessional country of four million, is considered among the most liberal in the Arab world with women generally free to wear revealing attire and alcohol widely available.
But parts of Lebanese society remain deeply conservative, and female representation in politics is minimal: only four of Lebanon’s 128 members of parliament are women.
– ‘We aren’t perfect’ –
Alice curates the “Style in Beirut” Instagram page, where she posts photos of glamorous outfits to nearly 200,000 followers.
Nadine, 23, is a professional model and is often seen exercising, while Farah, a recent graduate, is working towards becoming a news anchor with the help of her life coach.
“Do I look good? Does the lighting look good on me?” Farah asks Nadine in an impromptu photo shoot in Beirut’s downtown, carrying their fluffy white puppy, Stella.
“We want to show people that we aren’t perfect,” Alice explains in accented English.
“The message isn’t just to be beautiful, to go out, fashion, and that’s it… People can see how smart Lebanese women are, how they don’t have to rely on their parents,” she insists.
But that claim is rejected by many Lebanese women, who say the show ignores educated, hardworking, and down-to-earth women.
In the show’s first episode, Nadine is late to pick up an exasperated Alice from the airport because her car runs out of petrol.
“Whenever we have any problems, Daddy is always there to fix them for us,” Nadine says to the camera, asking her father to send their driver to collect her.
That has frustrated Lebanese activists who are eager to see more representative depictions of the country’s women in the media.
“We try to fight this stereotype picture of Lebanese women, and they always manage through shows and movies to keep showing it,” says Reem Kaedbey, 27, an activist and researcher on governance.
“The majority of Lebanese women can’t afford this lifestyle.”
– ‘It’s an insult’ –
“It’s an insult to everything women have tried to accomplish during recent Lebanese history,” says Sareen Akharjalian, a programmer and cartoonist who mocked the sisters on her website.
With many Lebanese women holding challenging jobs, “this show mocks our entire being,” she said.
The Abdel Aziz sisters are unfazed by the criticism and say upcoming episodes will feature new career developments.
Already, Farah has tried her hand at TV presenting, while Alice is preparing to launch a fashion line for dogs.
Ultimately though, the show’s undoing appears to have been the lack of scandal that is central to the success of “Keeping up the Kardashians”, which focuses on the lives of sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe, and is now in its 10th season.
Kaedbey for example admits the Kardashians are a “guilty pleasure” for her, but says “The Sisters” is boring by comparison, plagued by “bad acting”.
The station that airs “The Sisters” did not respond to requests for viewer figures, but online views on YouTube have gone from 242,000 for its first episode to just 18,000 for its ninth.
“Being attractive helps, but it’s not what keeps people on the air… We’re left with story lines that can’t really go in depth,” says May Farah, a media professor at the American University of Beirut.
“If we can’t have that, if we just have them talking about fashion, is it really going to captivate an audience?”

Source: en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com

A new scholarship program announced at the Cannes Film Festival hopes to help more Arab women break into filmmaking.

The Hani Farsi Graduate Scholarship Fund will pay for three aspiring filmmakers to study directing at the University of California at Los Angeles’ School of Theater, Film and Television.

The first recipients are scheduled to begin master’s degree studies in September through the program, a partnership between UCLA and the Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation.

Film producer Hani Farsi, who set up the charitable foundation named for his Saudi philanthropist father, said Tuesday that the program was the “first step in a call to action, which we hope will lead to a positive change for women in the film industry and in my part of the world.”

The relative lack of female directors in global cinema is a hot topic at Cannes, where just two of the 19 features competing for the Palme d’Or are by women.

Source: english.alarabiya.net

Israeli-Finnish relations are reported to be strained after Finland prevented the Jewish National Fund from participating in the exhibition of non-governmental organisations held annually in the capital, Helsinki, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.

The newspaper pointed out that the exhibition, which is funded by the Red Cross and the European Union, will be held next week and will focus its activity on both Africa and the Middle East.

Maariv added that the Jewish National Fund had permission to participate in the exhibition, however it recently received a notice prohibiting it from joining because of “the existence of question marks on the legitimacy of its activities”.

In the wake of this, two Jewish organisations announced they would be boycotting the exhibition.

Vice-Chair of ICAHD Finland (Finnish branch of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) Syksy Räsänen, who campaigned for the JNF to be excluded from the exhibition, wrote on Facebook: “I am very satisfied with the decision as a victory for the BDS movement.”

The newspaper said the Finnish decision sparked anger in Israel. The Israeli ambassador in Helsinki spoke with Finnish officials in the foreign ministry, but they responded that “it is a private event that the Finnish foreign ministry has no impact on” despite the fact that the ministry is one of the sponsors.

In the wake of the Finnish response, the Israeli ambassador accused Finland of anti-Semitism.

Source: www.middleeastmonitor.com

The Cannes Film Festival is currently underway in France, and the world’s sexiest stars are streaming in like ants for screenings of the latest hot films. Hollywood artists fill the air, and this year, Lebanon’s beloved beauty queen and actress Lamitta Frangieh is brushing shoulders with celebrities from all around at the A-list event.

Lamitta shared a picture with her husband, Lebanese businessman Fredy Makhraz, from the French city. The 34-year-old star appeared stunning in a casual white and blue suit combo that was matchy matchy with her man. She wore white pants with a blue jacket, while his jacket was white, and his pants blue. Their sun-kissed faces showed they had been enjoying being out and about in the beach town.

The two lovers are no stranger to France. After competing in the Miss World competition back in 2005, Lamitta took up modeling in Paris. She and her partner traveled to the capital city again last year to say their vows in a small family wedding, and now they’ve returned to the country to attend the glamorous festival. What a romantic first year of marriage!

Source: www.albawaba.com

Presented at The International Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival ‘Dégradé’ by the Palestinian twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser is set in a hair salon in Gaza where thirteen trapped women chat, argue and eventually boil over.

Outside chaos reigns.

Tarzan Nasser is one half of the twin team: “This movie is a metaphor for something, like the salon is a metaphor for Gaza, outside the salon is a metaphor of the whole bad situation that all the Palestinians face, the Gazans live it. When we started to write this script, we wanted to say something about Gaza, but how?”

His brother Arab Nasser answers the question: “It is the situation we decided to talk about, life in general. We as Palestinians need to export it, to show our lives to others, my brother believes there is a big misunderstanding about our lives.”

The cast mixes some of the best known actors in the Arab world with a number of unknown performers.

Hiam Abbas, starred in ‘The Visitor’ and ‘Exodus’: “I was very interested in this story. I read it and thought how will they turn a months filming into a day in the life of thirteen women, It is not easy to do, but it is something really very beautiful and very rewarding.”

This is a rare opportunity to see Gaza beyond the violence where the camera lens provides a clearer picture of the reality of life in the Gaza Strip.

Source: www.albawaba.com

e Water & Orange Blossoms” (Running Press, $30), the debut cookbook by Maureen Abood, evokes both her Lebanese-American heritage and her life as a cook, writer, photographer and blogger in Michigan. It is an intensely personal book, filled with evocative family tales of life, love, legacy. It is also a practical cookbook with especially broad appeal given America’s ongoing hunger for Mediterranean flavors.

Maureen Abood’s book “Rose Water & Orange Blossoms” is a mix of traditional Lebanese recipes and dishes she developed, hence the book’s subtitle: “Fresh & Classic Recipes from My Lebanese Kitchen.” (Michael Tercha, Chicago Tribune)
“The stories have always been really important to me. I can’t extricate them from the cooking. It all goes together,” says Abood, speaking by telephone from Michigan, where she divides her time between East Lansing and Harbor Springs. “I love thinking about the connection of food and memories, and I think a lot of people think that way.”

Certainly, the cookbook offers ample opportunities to craft family meals from which memories are made. It is a mix of traditional Lebanese recipes and dishes she developed, hence the book’s subtitle: “Fresh & Classic Recipes from My Lebanese Kitchen.”

“I’m making use of traditional Lebanese ingredients like mint, cinnamon and flower water in new ways,’’ she says.

Asked for one must-do recipe in the book, Abood points to the hushweh, a chicken-rice pilaf with butter-toasted almonds.

“No matter who I make it for people want the recipe,” she says, noting pine nuts can substitute for the almonds. “That dish is a standout.”

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Abood is also very excited by her kibbeh recipes. Most people, she says, think this Lebanese signature bulgur wheat recipe is only made with raw meat — and it can be (Abood shows you how to do it safely) — but she offers other variations, including a vegan tomato kibbeh, which she says is on par with the meat version.

Some of Abood’s recipes have a distinct Midwest-Middle East vibe, such as Great Lakes whitefish fried in a chopped pistachio crust; roasted leg of lamb paired with a salsa made with pomegranate molasses and black cherries; and baked eggs with spinach, labneh (a thick yogurt) and sumac.

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“I hope the book, number one, will get people to go into the kitchen and try Lebanese recipes and cook for families and friends,” says Abood, who sees food as a “great equalizer” and a “great communicator” that can be “a way to understanding.”

“We do so much around the table, so much happens to our relationships around the table,” she says, adding she hopes the book will be “a bridge to understanding for people who may not know that much about Lebanon, the Middle East or Lebanese-Americans. In doing that, I want to present the really rich, distinctive, positive elements of our culture.”

More of Abood’s writings and recipes may be found on her blog, also titled “Rose Water & Orange Blossoms,” at www.maureenabood.com.

Source: www.chicagotribune.com

Dubai: Malek Jandali may only have been alive for four decades but the award-winning composer insists he feels ancient, having revived some of the oldest melodies from his war-torn Syrian homeland.

“I’m 8,000 years old,” said the pianist, in the middle of a world tour he hopes will spread “peace and freedom” three years after leaving Syria just as war was tearing it apart.

A winner of the 2014 Global Music Awards gold medal, Jandali has for years sought to uncover ancient melodies for modern audiences but says he is now focused on the future, both in terms of composition and for the land of his upbringing.

Born in Germany, Jandali grew up in the central Syrian city of Homs, once dubbed the “capital of the revolution” by activists, before winning a scholarship to study in the US.

Soon after Syria’s uprising started in March 2011, the 42-year-old pianist and composer performed at a demonstration in front of the White House.

His initiative prompted pro-regime armed groups to attack his elderly parents in their home in Homs. They later fled to the United States.

Jandali said it was this attack that helped him discover “the soft power of music”.

“The Syrian people are paying a very heavy price,” he told AFP in Dubai during a tour stopover.

Jandali is aware that music alone can do little to alter the situation on the ground, but “it’s raising much-needed humanitarian aid and much-needed awareness”.

His latest album “Syrian Symphony”, released in January, contains melodies “inspired by the chants of the Syrian people” during their protests against President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.

“I was always trying to… involve my own Syrian identity which is now being targeted… destroyed,” he said.

“My duty as an artist is to preserve and present it in the most elegant way.

“I don’t comprehend politics or religion,” said the pianist, a twinkle in his intense brown eyes. “My message is of peace, unity, humanity and justice.”

Although he is accompanied by Syrian oud player Abdul Rahim Al Siadi and US cellist Laura Metcalf, Jandali still complains about restrictions imposed due to the political climate at some venues.

“During my world tour, I faced many disturbing incidents of censorship, such as deleting the word ‘free’ from my (tour) title: ‘Voice of the Free Syrian Children’ in some countries,” he said.

His award-winning work Emessa was played at the funeral of American war reporter Marie Colvin, who was killed in Syrian army shelling on Homs in 2012.

“I went to the church and I heard my music, the music of Homs” played at the funeral. “I still get goosebumps.”

When asked about extremist organisations that have emerged from Syria’s war, such as Daesh, Jandali insisted that “the Syrian people have throughout history, and even today, embraced all religions and all cultures.

“We have synagogues, we have the oldest churches on Earth where you can still hear the prayer in Aramaic (the language thought to have been spoken by Jesus Christ).”

Among the tracks in his latest album is Samai Al Nahawand, written by 19th century Muslim scholar Shaikh Ali Al Darwish.

“This is the true Syrian shaikh, who was a composer spreading music and documenting and preserving his rich Syrian identity through music,” he said.

For Jandali, Darwish represents the “real” message of Islam – “peace.”

Despite the war that has cost more than 220,000 lives, Jandali still sees “a much more beautiful Syria” in the future.

“What we are seeing today is the rebirth of the Syrian identity,” said Jandali. “People are dancing, funerals are becoming weddings, people are celebrating heroes rather than mourning them.”

While he “loves” his US citizenship and the freedoms that come with it, he remains rooted – both emotionally and through his work – in Syria.

“My memories, my grandfather’s grave, my home. I live in Homs,” said Jandali.

“I know they kicked us out, I know they destroyed my home. I know they are trying to eradicate my true cultural identity, but we are becoming a much more beautiful Syrian symphony today.”

Source: gulfnews.com

Syrian American hip-hop artist Omar Offendum may be residing in Los Angeles, but he certainly hasn’t forgotten about the civil war raging back in the Middle East.

Saudi-born with Syrian roots, Offendum was raised in Washington. But his identity as an Arab immigrant stuck with him, seen through his latest album titled “SyrianamericanA.”

“In the beginning of the Arab Spring there was a lot of hope, idealism and euphoria surrounding these revolutions,” he said in an interview with Public Radio International. “We were pushing back against the fatalism of our parents’ generation.”

With the Syrian war also came more of a spotlight on his work, Offendum said, as he began gaining more attention as a Syrian artist. That’s when he decided the medium of music could become a pretty powerful tool.

“Apathy is not an option,” he told PRI. “I think we have privilege here and I try and recognize that as a sense of responsibility. My focus is just to remind people that beneath all the political posturing and all the conspiracy theories and all the proxy wars that are taking place, there’s very real human suffering.” 

Source: www.albawaba.com

Salt Lake City, UT – Palestinian solidarity activists attended a vigil, May 15, commemorating the Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” the genocidal expulsion of Palestinians by the Zionists. From 1947 to 1949, Palestinians were killed and pushed from their homes in the drive to create Israel.

The Utah Anti-War Committee organized the event in solidarity with Palestine. Alyssa Ferris spoke about the great injustice of the Nakba. “People have been forced off their land, out of their homes and are treated like second-class citizens.” She pointed out that the repression extends beyond the borders of Palestine, stating long time Palestinian American leader “Rasmea Odeh has faced political repression by the U.S. government for her community organizing and Palestinian solidarity.”

Ferris then led people through various chants including, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “Free, free, Palestine,” and “Viva, viva Palestina.”

Source: www.fightbacknews.org