February 15 2021

ورحل مُريد البرغوثي

قبل هجوم كورونا على العالم بأسابيع، كنت في إحدى المكتبات العامة أستعير بعض المراجع، وكالعادة ختمت زيارتي بالتوجه لركن الكتب المستعملة التي تعرضها المكتبة للبيع، والتي يذهب ريعها لتجديد موارد المكتبة ورفوفها. وكانت دهشتي _وفرحتي_ لا تُقاس عندما رأيت هذين الكتابين، جنبا إلى جنب، كعصفورين يدفئ واحدهما الآخر. ودون تفكير التقطتهما من كومة الكتب، ودفعت ثمنهما: 50 سنتا للكتاب الواحد.
دولار واحد لكتابين قيّمين يحملان في صفحاتهما ما تتجاوز قيمته ملايين الدولارات من التراث والتاريخ والمشاعر ورائحة تراب فلسطين.
قبل يومين فقط، كنت قد انتهيت من قراءة كتاب مترجم للألمانية بعنوان (IKIGAI)، أي الهدف الذي تعيش من أجله والذي يحرك داخلك كل يوم ويدفعك للحياة. وفور انتهائي منه، وجدتني أبحث عن أي كتاب على رفوفي أشتم فيه عروبتي وفلسطيني، فأخذت عصفوريّ ووضعتهما على طاولتي لأبدأ في قراءتهما. وفي الأمس وجدت يدي تضم أحدهما لأعرف بعدها بساعات، بأن ذاك العصفور قرّر التحليق بعيدا عن دنيانا ليلحق بعصفورته.
رحم الله رمزا من رموز الأدب العربي الفلسطيني، #مريد_البرغوثي، ورحم زوجته الروائية #رضوى_عاشور. الله يصبر ابنهم الشاعر الفذ #تميم_البرغوثي.
Category: Arab Societies, Art & Literature, Books, Palestine | Comments Off on ورحل مُريد البرغوثي
October 29 2016

World Of Threads Festival: a Showcase of Everything Beautiful

Last week, and after dropping off my older son at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community & Cultural Centre (QEPCCC) for his rock-climbing class, I thought I’d take the little one to the library in the same building to read him some books and give him the pleasure of having me chasing him around like a mad woman.
To my surprise, there was no library, there was a nice stand of books to read and share, a nice machine for picking and returning books from other branches, which I found super practical and awesome, but what would I do with my little boy for an hour and a half? After trying the lovely waiting area in the centre’s lobby, and losing hope in keeping Arkan entertained, I thought I’d take him for a walk in the many lovely hallways of the building.
They were all beautifully decorated with magnificent and extremely creative art pieces, so elegantly displayed, and really tempting to look at. I got really curious, so I read the small tags next to the pieces and the signs throughout the whole place, and that’s when I found about the ‘World of Threads Festival‘.

The festival is a not-for-profit initiative, run by volunteers Dawne Rudman (Festival Chair & Curator) and Gareth Bate (Festival Curator & Designer). It’s an exhibition of contemporary fibr and textile art, featuring innovative work submitted by hundreds of artists from around the world.

Fortunately, I was able to enjoy a huge part of the exhibition in the preparation phase, all galleries are officially open to the public today Oct. 29th, and till Nov. 27th. Admission is free.

I found the display area that presented the ‘Late in the Season’ group show to be stunning, and fell in love with this particular piece made of natural beeswax, it looked so realistic, and in real life, with the effect of light, it just took my breath away… unfortunately my mobile camera failed to capture the beauty -and the full size- of this amazing wall-to-floor piece.

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I also liked the Catwalk & Kimono Road, again, couldn’t take a decent shot of the whole corridor with my rather humble mobile camera, but here’s a glimpse:

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Here are some of the many pieces that caught my eye. Loved the attention to detail and the apparent hard work put in each piece.

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Masks
Masks
The Day After
The Day After
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Uncle Mike
Category: Art & Literature, Canada | Comments Off on World Of Threads Festival: a Showcase of Everything Beautiful
September 30 2016

Celebrate ‘International Translation Day’ In Style

It’s September 30th, a day that is having more importance and a growing number of celebrators every year. A day that is gaining more popularity and is helping spread more awareness about one of the world’s oldest and most important professions: translation.
Translators are awesome. They help humanity cross borders without moving an inch, they connect cultures and pass on civilization from one generation to the other.
Translators Rock!

Every year, I try to share one of the many great aspects of being a translator, as well as the countless challenges that face one.
This year, I’m not in the mood for any serious-talking, so, for a change, I decided to share with you a fun and cheerful idea to celebrate today.
If you know a translator/interpreter, and you really want to make their day, how about you surprise them with one of these very thoughtful and extremely cool gifts: Awesome gifts for translators/ interpreters.

And if you’re a translator yourself, why don’t you try out this quiz: Mind your languages! Then, treat yourself to whatever makes you happy, because, you deserve it!
Happy Translation Day everyone! Hoping that we’ll be more appreciated and valued, hoping we wont be underpaid and overworked forever, and wishing that those of us who work in conflict areas will always be safe and sound.

Category: Art & Literature, Cool Stuff, Media, International | Comments Off on Celebrate ‘International Translation Day’ In Style
September 29 2013

International Translation Day 2013

So it’s September 30th again, every translator is reminded to be proud today, to cherish the gift of knowing more than just one language, to be able to put this knowledge into something as helpful and as important as translation.

While almost everyone nowadays is bilingual by default, it takes a lot more than just speaking another language to be a translator. Skills aside, the most important thing I do believe is key to being a translator, is passion. You need to love everything about a language, be driven by this unstoppable desire to break the codes of languages just for the love of conveying a message, to help people around the world communicate, to bridge cultures, and be the link between two so different parties, or maybe two very similar ones that just happen to speak very different languages.

Translation is not just a profession, it’s power, it’s responsibility, it’s dedication, it’s energy, it’s art, it’s science, it’s logic, it’s creativity… it’s the determination to make this world a bit more beautiful, more colorful, a bit clearer, easier, and a lot more fun.
And as Paul Auster puts it:
“Translators are the shadow heroes of literature, the often forgotten instruments that make it possible for different cultures to talk to one another, who have enabled us to understand that we all, from every part of the world, live in one world.”

And since it’s a special occasion, I would like to remind all translators that nothing compares to the joy of helping someone in need. This year, try to be a more generous and more thoughtful translator. Volunteer to do some translation work for a charity in your community, reach out to poor individuals who need a translator so bad but can’t afford one, make the life of a sick person more hopeful by translating their documents for free… do anything to invest in this incredible gift of yours, and brighten the world one task at a time.

Happy International Translation Day to all the hard-working translators out there!

Category: Art & Literature, Charity & Human Aid | Comments Off on International Translation Day 2013
September 26 2011

Remembering & Missing Edward Said

“My argument is that history is made by men and women, just as it can also be unmade and rewritten, always with various silence and elisions, always with shapes imposed and disfigurements tolerated.” – Edward Said

Yesterday marked the  8th anniversary of the passing of Edward Said, the Palestinian literary theorist, the esteemed University Professor of English and comparative literature, and most importantly the advocate for Palestinian rights, and the most powerful political voice Palestinians had.

Edward Said was an influential scholar, whose  incorruptible beautiful mind and whose big brave heart charmed us all. I -and so many others like me- were impressed by his genius work, his diverse talents,  and his significant impact on spreading awareness of the Palestinian cause and the Middle Eastern conflict.

So here we are remembering you Edward Said, the humanist, the extraordinary intellectual; here we are remembering your inimitable courage to fight for all that is virtuous.

RIP Edward Said…

Category: Art & Literature, Media, International, Palestine | Comments Off on Remembering & Missing Edward Said
October 13 2009

<div style=”direction:rtl;text-align:right”>هيفاء بيطار: تميّز في الكتابة، وجرأة في الطرح</div>

Category: Arab Societies, Art & Literature, Books, Posts in Arabic | Comments Off on <div style=”direction:rtl;text-align:right”>هيفاء بيطار: تميّز في الكتابة، وجرأة في الطرح</div>
April 21 2009

Yasmeen Ayyashi: Exploring the form or formlessness of an identity

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January 30 2009

“The Shoe” Monument

UPDATE: “Shoe-throwing monument removed from Iraqi orphanage“… No surprising news I guess!

“Assisted by children at the home, sculptor Laith al-Amiri erected a brown replica of one of the shoes hurled at Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by journalist Muntadhir al-Zaidi during a press conference in Baghdad.

The shoe monument, made of fiberglass and coated with copper, consists of the shoe and a concrete base. The entire monument is 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) high. The shoe is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) long and 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) wide”.

“Those orphans who helped the sculptor in building this monument were the victims of Bush’s war,” al-Naseri said. “The shoe monument is a gift to the next generation to remember the heroic action by the journalist.” [Source: CNN, Via: Steve]

My comments:

  1. I couldn’t believe that Bush was elected president.
  2. I was in shock to learn he was re-elected.
  3. I believe Muntathar Al-Zaidi spoke for millions of Iraqis, Arabs, and Americans.
  4. I think jailing him is unfair, Bush is the one who should be behind bars for all the suffering he caused to Arabs and Americans.
  5. I seriously believe that Bush is not the only one who deserved that shoe.
  6. I salute the sculptor and those orphans who wanted to get their voice heard and chose an artistic and civilized way to do so… a way so opposite to what they’ve witnessed and tasted throughout Bush’s war and administration.
Category: Arab Societies, Art & Literature, Media, International | Comments Off on “The Shoe” Monument
January 15 2009

<div style=”direction:rtl;text-align:right”>قصيدة “يا أطفال غزة”، للرّاحل نزار قباني</div>

كسائر قصائده، هذه قصيدة متميزة وجريئة ومُعبّرة للرّاحل نزار قبّاني وجدتها هنا، ووددت أن أشارككم إيّاها، ومن الجدير بالذكر أنّها تُعرف أيضا بقصيدة: “الغاضبون”، وهي جزء من ثلاثية أطفال الحجارة

يا تلاميذ غزة
علمونا
بعض ما عندكم
فنحن نسينا

علمونا
بأن نكون رجالا
فلدينا الرجال
صاروا عجينا

علمونا
كيف الحجارة تغدو
بين أيدي الأطفال
ماسا ثمينا

كيف تغدو
دراجة الطفل لغما
وشريط الحرير
يغدو كمينا

كيف مصاصة الحليب
إذا ما اعتقلوها
تحولت سكينا

يا تلاميذ غزة
لا تبالوا
بأذاعاتنا
ولا تسمعونا
اضربوا
اضربوا
بكل قواكم
واحزموا أمركم
ولا تسألونا

نحن أهل الحساب
والجمع
والطرح
فخوضوا حروبكم
واتركونا

إننا الهاربون
من خدمة الجيش
فهاتوا حبالكم
واشنقونا

نحن موتى
لا يملكون ضريحا
ويتامى
لا يملكون عيونا
قد لزمنا جحورنا
وطلبنا منكم
أن تقاتلوا التنينا

قد صغرنا أمامكم
ألف قرن
وكبرتم
خلال شهر قرونا

يا تلاميذ غزة
لا تعودوا
لكتاباتنا ولا تقرأونا

نحن آباؤكم
فلا تشبهونا
نحن أصنامكم
فلا تعبدونا

نتعاطى
القات السياسي
والقمع
ونبني مقابرا
وسجونا
حررونا
من عقدة الخوف فينا
واطردوا
من رؤوسنا الافيونا

علمونا
فن التشبث بالأرض
ولا تتركوا
المسيح حزينا

يا أحباءنا الصغار
سلاما
جعل الله يومكم
ياسمينا

من شقوق الأرض الخراب
طلعتم
وزرعتم جراحنا
نسرينا

هذه ثورة الدفاتر
والحبر
فكونوا على الشفاه
لحونا
أمطرونا
بطولة وشموخا

واغسلونا من قبحنا
اغسلونا
لا تخافوا فرعون
ولا سحر ةموسى
واستعدوا
لتقطفوا الزيتونا

إن هذا العصر اليهودي
وهم
سوف ينهار
لو ملكنا اليقينا

يا مجانين غزة
ألف أهلا
بالمجانين
إن هم حررونا

إن عصر العقل السياسي
ولى من زمان
فعلمونا الجنونا

اقرؤوا لنزار كذلك: أطفال الحجارة، والحجر الفلسطيني

Category: Art & Literature, Palestine, Posts in Arabic | Comments Off on <div style=”direction:rtl;text-align:right”>قصيدة “يا أطفال غزة”، للرّاحل نزار قباني</div>
May 15 2008

Commemorating Nakba, Part 2: Expressions Of Nakba

I came across this great website: Expressions of Nakba ,which is an online gallery, an international competition and exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nakba: the expulsion and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948. The competition strives to present the extraordinary narrative of a dispossessed people through a diverse range of expressions that interpret the collective identity, historic struggle, and emotional experience of the Nakba for Palestinians.

This site showcases the wining entries from the competition in addition to a wonderful range of selections in the form of visual arts, poetry, essays, music, video and digital media. So make sure you check it out.

[The Memory of Nakba: The Keys, by Anne Paq]

Category: Arab Societies, Art & Literature, Media, International, Palestine | Comments Off on Commemorating Nakba, Part 2: Expressions Of Nakba