A Year to Celebrate Arab-American Cultural Contributions

By Betsy Barlow

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Kahlil Gibran in the United States. It is a natural opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Arab Americans to literature and the arts. With a little imagination, programs can be promoted in local libraries and bookstores as well as at schools and colleges.

Marcel Khalife is planning a tour in October to celebrate the Gibran centennial, with locations and dates to be announced.

A group of organizations in southeastern Michigan is planning a series of events celebrating 100 years of Arab-American contributions. Sponsors to date are the Detroit Institute of Arts, the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses), ACCESS (an Arab community organization in Dearborn), and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) in Flint.

Poems will be written by contemporary Arab Americans on themes dealt with by Gibran in The Prophet.

Approximately 70 of Gibran's drawings and paintings from the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences in Savannah, Georgia will be on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) in November and December. Other groups who wish to bring Gibran's art to their areas should contact Pamela King, Curator, Telfair Academy, P.O. Box 10081, Savannah, GA 31412; phone (912) 232-1177. Costs are charged for packing, transit and insurance.

The DIA plans to enrich the occasion with lectures and family workshops on two weekends. The family workshops at the museum will enable parents and children to look at paintings by Gibran on various topics and to make their own drawings or paintings on the same theme. They also will have a quiet space to reflect on some of Gibran's poetry, and then write their own poems on the same topic.

ACCESS is organizing two evenings of music and poetry. The music will be played by a group under the direction of Ali Jihad Racy, called the Kahlil Gibran Project, which combines Arab with American musical traditions. The poems will be written by contemporary Arab Americans who will focus on themes dealt with by Gibran in The Prophet.

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor will offer a conference in November on contributions of Arab Americans to literature. University of Michigan, Flint professor of history Joseph Rahme will exhibit some photographs of Bisharri, Gibran's home town in Lebanon, taken in the 1920s. The University also will offer workshops in two locations on Gibran and the contributions of Arab Americans.

Toronto filmmaker Eleza Haddad is producing a video on Gibran's life and contributions which is expected to be ready for viewing in late October. Parts of the video will be filmed in Lebanon. Those interested in showing the video should contact Ms. Haddad after Aug. 15 at Bery Productions, Inc., Toronto: (416) 241-2775.

Ala Fa'ik of Ann Arbor is writing a one-man play, based on the writings and letters of Gibran, which he expects to produce in December. Others interested in producing the play may write or phone the author c/o the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. To obtain a complete program of events in southeastern Michigan, contact (after Sept. 15, 1995) the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, 144 Lane Hall, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290: phone (313) 764-0350; fax (313) 764-8523.

Teaching Materials on Islam

In the June issue of the Washington Report we listed on page 76 some Muslim organizations that offer to help teachers find Muslim speakers and/or review teaching materials. In this issue we would like to mention some videos and books that may help teachers give a more accurate portrayal of Muslim people.

Available once again in either English or Arabic is Moustapha Akkad's interpretation of the early days of Islam, "The Message." This video seemed to have dropped from sight for a while, but now is available from Trancas International Films, 1875 Century Park East, Suite 1145, Los Angeles, CA 90067; phone (310) 553-5599. This is an epic production (172 minutes, with a 45-minute documentary on the making of the film), and includes experienced and well-known actors such as Anthony Quinn, Michael Ansara and Irene Papas.

Trancas also is offering "Lion of the Desert," also produced by Moustapha Akkad and with Anthony Quinn and other well-known actors, in either English or Arabic. This story of Libyan resistance to Italian subjugation in the early 20th century raises questions of which society was civilized and which practiced terror. The film, based on the life of the resistance leader Umar al-Mukhtar, is a welcome antidote to the pro-colonial bias present in most Western films and videos. Each video is available for $40 plus $5 shipping and handling from the above address. Each includes a short documentary about the film's production.

The 1994 "Great Decisions" video included a unit on "Islam and Politics" with John Esposito, now director for the Center on Muslim-Christian Relations at Georgetown University, and Mary Jane Deeb, director of the Omani Program at American University and now editor of the Middle East Journal. Under 15 minutes in length, the program can be used as a good discussion starter. The video, though produced with a limited budget, is far superior in content to the expensive but biased video "Islam and Democracy," which seems to have been produced in order to instill fear of Islam into the hearts of Americans. The Great Decisions series is available from the Foreign Policy Association, 470 Park Avenue South, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10016; phone (212) 481-8100.

Professor Kent Kimball at the University of Utah hit on a brilliant plan for developing a video about the Muslim community in his state. With the help of his PBS station, he combined interviews with local Muslims with some news clips to introduce Islam and the Muslim community to their neighbors in Utah. The video, about 13 minutes long, has been used in schools and community groups to promote understanding. This is a concept other groups might adapt to produce short programs to promote understanding of local Muslim communities.

The second part of the three-part AMIDEAST video "Introduction to the Arab World" remains an excellent overview of Islam for the classroom. Basic facts about the Arab world are presented with good photography in 15 minutes, which leaves time for classroom discussion and questions. AMIDEAST also has presented a number of units for teaching about Islam and the Arab world which previously have been sold as units and now are collected in one volume. All the units are well researched and presented with class activities. The units on Colonialism in the Arab World, the Islamic Resurgence, Women in the Arab World, and Islam and Democracy are particularly useful. Contact AMIDEAST at 1730 M St., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036-4045; phone (202) 776-9600; fax (202) 822-6563.

For the middle school grades, AWAIR has several items listed in its catalog dealing with Islamic cultural contributions. Books that are fun for students include Introduction to Tessellations, by Dale Seymour and Jill Britton, and Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art,by Issam El-Said and Ayse Parman. To get a catalog, contact AWAIR at 1400 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 9, Berkeley, CA 94709; phone (510) 704-0517.

Another source of reliable books for the classroom is a mail order children's book company, Nick of Time, 2063 Main Street #420, Oakley, CA 94561; phone (510) 754-7750; e-mail: nickbooks@aol.com. Sandra Kelly, the president of the company, drew our attention to Umm el Madayan, about a typical North African city through time, and A 16th Century Mosque, by Fiona Macdonald and Mark Bergin, which highlights mosques built by the architect Sinan for Suleyman the Magnificent. Contact her for their catalog.

Betsy Barlow is the outreach coordinator of the University of Michigan's Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies.