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April 2002
* Music: Lili
Afshar in San Francisco
* Palestine: March on Washington DC
* Conference: CIRA in Atlanta
* Women: Annual Iranian women's conference
in Denver
* Rights: Mehrangiz Kar in DC
* Art: "Cross-Cultural Expressions"
in New York
* Art: Evolving Perceptions Exhibition
in Washington DC
* Music: Novin Afrouz in San Francisco
* Music: Desert Dreamsn of Light,
San Francisco
* Festival: Iranian arts and literature
festival
* Film: "Maryam" in San Jose
* Documentary: "Sir Alfred of
Charles de Gaulle Airport" in New York
* Play: Mohsen Yalfani in Paris
* Afghanistan: Taghi Amirani and Roxane
Zand in London
* Music: Sima Bina in Toronto
* Music: Fariba Mizban in San Francisco
* Play: Antigone in Australia
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* Palestine: March on Washington DC
From: unitedwemarch.org
The "War on Terrorism" Breeds More Terror
The White House promises a war without end. Under the pretext of strengthening security,
our democratic rights are being further eroded, hundreds of people have been "disappeared"
into jails and prisons, and corporate interests are shamelessly trying to use this
crisis to their advantage. It is clear: unless we, the people of this country, rise
up and come together now, the future for us and for people around the world is very
bleak. But united, as we have done in the past, WE CAN MAKE CHANGE! There is an alternative!
Join us on April 20th to demand:
* A U.S. foreign policy based upon social and economic justice, not military and
corporate oppression.
* An end to racial profiling and military recruitment targeting youth of color and
working class youth.
* Government funding for programs to benefit the economic victims of the 9-11 attacks
and the recession.
* An end to the degrading and secret imprisonment of immigrants.
* Increased funding for non-military-based financial aid for education
* Full disclosure of military contracts with universities.
10:30 AM Rally at the Washington Monument
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* Conference: CIRA in Atlanta
20th Annual CIRA conference which will be held at the Emory University in Atlanta
Georgia during April 26-28, 2002
The 20th Annual Conference of the Center
for Iranian Research and Analysis: Human Rights Discourse and the Prospects of
Change in Iran
April 26-28, 2002
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
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* Women: Annual Iranian women's conference in Denver
Click here
to get full program in PDF format
Thanks to Elham Gheytanchi
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* Mehrangiz Kar in Washington DC
Alliance for the defense of human rights in Iran present a meeting in Washington
DC on Human rights in Iran
Speaker: Ms. Mehrangiz Kar, a prominent human rights activist in Iran
With the presence of a representative from Amnesty International
Date: April 20, 2002
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: The Ward Building, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington DC
At the intersection of Nebraska Ave. and Massachusetts Ave.)
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* Art: "Cross-Cultural Expressions" in New York
CIMA Presents:"Cross-Cultural Expressions" April 20 through May
25, 2002
Opening reception : Saturday, April 20, 2-5pm
Organized by Center for Iranian Modern Arts, New York (CIMA), "Cross-Cultural
Expressions" features four talented Iranian-American artists-- Zahra Farmanfarmaian,
Amir Fallah, Roshan Houshmand, and Reza Kassai -- whose work is focused on issues
of hybridity, transglobal identity and multiculturalism.
Zahra Farmanfarmaian creates mixed-media projects designed as three-dimensional
travelogues. Each piece of work is a record of the artist's site-specific experiences
and interactions. Through the use of locally available resources and culturally familiar
materials, her experiences are depicted in what becomes a journal or travelogue.
Amir Fallah produces works influenced by the narrative power of comic books and characterized
by underlying humorous commentary. Gated suburban communities, strip malls, graffiti-like
text phonetically sounded out in Farsi, Abstract Expressionism, Middle Eastern patterns,
logo designs, and Islamic architecture are combined together in images that leave
traces of a story without revealing the end.
Roshan Houshmand collects samples of real life; real objects such as flowers, strips
of fabric, postcards and maps ... remnants with which to reconstruct, in plastic
form, the memory, the poetry and the spirit of her reality. Collecting and reconstructing
layer upon layer of fabric, texture, color, image, object, and memory, her work becomes
a poetic response to life.
Reza Kassai's whimsical and humorous paintings depict a bridge between the two dynamic
cultures that have influenced him. Kassai's "Random Thoughts" is an ongoing
project that takes different directions with the flow of time. His work has a childlike
whimsy and flair which suggest comments, opinions, and the use of words in several
languages.
M.Y. Art Prospects, operated in New York City's Chelsea district since 1999, is please
to stage this new exhibition following our first collaboration with CIMA last September.
At that time, in the immediate wake of the 9/11 tragedy, the CIMA-organized
"Alchemy" exhibition became a focal point for cultural dialogue.
Gallery hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 11-6 & by appointment
M.Y. Art Prospects
135 West 29th Street, 10th Fl. (bet. 6th & 7th Ave.)
New York, NY 10001, USA /
Subway: 28th St. (1, 9, N, R) and 34th St. (B, D, F, N, R, Q, S, W)
Tel. (212) 268 7132 Fax. (212) 268 7147
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* Art: Fifth Annual Evolving Perceptions Exhibition
Call for Art
Fifth Annual Evolving Perceptions Exhibition
Opening: Fall 2002/Winter 2003
Washington, D.C.
Evolving Perceptions' annual exhibition was developed in 1996 in order to promote
works of contemporary art by talented Iranian and Iranian-American artists living
in the United States and Canada.
If you are an artist, living and working in the U.S. and Canada, we invite you to
submit your work for consideration. We welcome all subjects and themes especially
interested in works that deal with healing, identity, concepts of peace. The following
media are welcomed: Painting, drawings, printmaking, small
? scale sculpture, mixed media, photography, computer-based works, installation,
animation, video. Please note for works that require video and computer equipment
that these must be provided by the artist. All installations will need to be thoroughly
explained, including total space requirements and any use of electrical equipment.
Please submit the following:
1- At least 10 slides (labeled with title, medium, size)
2- Resume
3- Artist Statement (please talk about either your relationship
with
art or the specific body of work you are submitting for entry-
500 words or less) 4- SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) to return your slides
Please submit information to:
EP Annual Exhibition
Maryam Ovissi
P.O. Box 70954
Chevy Chase, MD 20813
202-607-0754
DEADLINE: JUNE 1, 2002
ARTIST NOTIFICATION: JULY 1, 2001
EXHIBITION: FALL 2002/WINTER 2003
Evolving Perceptions (EP) is an artist run organization based in Washington DC. EP
is dedicated to promoting art by Iranian and Iranian-American artists, offering educational
opportunities to learn about visual culture, integrating artists into the community
at large and creating a support community for Iranian and Iranian American Artists.
Please inquire for more information.
Contact
Maryam Ovissi at 202-607-0754
Sara Barzmehri at 301-610-5260
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* Music: Novin Afrouz in San Francisco
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* Music: Desert Dreamsn of Light, San Francisco
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* Festival: Iranian arts and literature festival
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* Film: "Maryam" in San Jose
Media Contact: Grace-Sonia Lee
(408) 998-3022
MARYAM
A Film by Ramin Serry
San Jose's Debut Screening of MARYAM
April 18, 2002 at 7:30 pm
Camera 3 Cinemas, 288 S. 2nd Street, San Jose
Admission is Free
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* Documentary: "Sir Alfred of Charles de Gaulle Airport" in New
York
We are having a screening of "Sir Alfred of Charles de Gaulle Airport"
at Anthology Film Archives April 17th at 6pm. If you didn't get a chance to see last
month at the Arab/Iranian FF, this is your chance! And please tell your friends to
come.
Thanks,
Hamid and Melissa
Sir Alfred of Charles de Gaulle Airport
© 2001, 29 minutes, documentary
A film by Hamid Rahmanian and Melissa Hibbard
Synopsis: Mehran Karemi Nasseri, who now goes be the name "Sir Alfred",
has been living in the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. For the past twelve
years he has been waiting for the document that would allow him to leave. Unlike
the story that has been told in the world press of a man trapped in the underground
terminals of an airport, dubbed the, "strangest case in immigration history",
this documentary examines the life of a man whose only aspiration is to be somebody
else.
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* Play: Mohsen Yalfani in Paris
PLUS FORT QUE LA NUIT
(Trilogie d'une révolution)
de Mohsen Yalfani
Traduit et mise en scène par Tinouche NAZMJOU
du 2 avril au 11 mai 2002
Théatre Clavel
3, Rue Clavel, 75019 PARIS
Réservations : FNAC, Virgin, 01 45 27 16 64
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* Afghanistan: Taghi Amirani and Roxane Zand
in London
THE DISPOSSESSED: THE CASE OF IRAN & AFGHANISTAN
A PERSIAN REQUIEM A NOVEL BY SIMIN DANESHVAR, TALK AND BOOK SIGNING
BY TRANSLATOR ROXANE ZAND.
THE DISPOSSESSED
A BBC FILM BY TAGHI AMIRANI
WEDNESDAY 17 APRIL 2002, 6.15-8.30pm
ASIA HOUSE
MEMBERS FREE, NON-MEMBERS & GUESTS £5 EACH
105 Piccadilly, London W1J NJ Tel: 020 7499
In the last few months we have been inundated by media images of bombings in
Afghanistan. One image stood out, those of the dispossessed. We have invited Taghi
Amirani, an Iranian film-maker, and Roxane Zand, a writer and translator, to present
this evening looking at the subject.
On the 9th November 2001, Taghi Amirani entered Makaki, a Taleban-controlled refugee
camp near the Iran-Afghan border. Within four days Kabul fell and ripples of change
reached Makaki. What was to be a film about the day to day lives of refugees turned
into a remarkable record of ordinary Afghan people caught between the Taleban and
American bombs. Using selected clips, Amirani will talk about his experiences of
making this film.
APersian Requiem is a novel set in the Persian town of Shiraz in the last
years of World War II and chronicles how the occupying army upsets the balance of
traditional life and throws the local people into conflict. It helped shape attitudes
of a generation that contributed to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Roxane Zand was
born in Tehran and studied at Harvard University and Oxford University.
The current exhibition at Leighton House is Aneh Mohammad Tatari: A Dance for God
- Raqsi Baray Khoda.
At Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Road, London W4.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM ASIA HOUSE ON
TEL: 020 7499 1287
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* Music: Sima Bina in Toronto
SIMA BINA & DASTAN ENSEMBLE - Persian Folk Music -
Saturday, April 27, 8pm
Small World Music presents an evening of Iranian folk music featuring some of the
genre's finest artists on Sat., April 27, 8pm at the George Weston Recital Hall,
5040 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario.
Tickets are $30-$50, at Ticketmaster 416-870-8000.
SIMA BINA was born in Khorasan, in northeastern Iran, an ancient cultural
crossroads where Afghan, Persian, Turkish and Kurdish customs and music have co-existed
for centuries. In the heart of this multi-faceted folk tradition, Sima Bina started
her career on Iranian radio at the age of nine, under the direction of her father,
Ahmad Bina - a master of Iranian
classical music and poet. After graduating from Tehran University in 1969, Sima Bina
continued and perfected her knowledge of classical Persian radif, under renowned
master teacher Davami.
Since 1979, alongside her classical studies, Sima Bina has focused on extensive research
on Persian folk songs, collecting, recording, writing and re-interpreting popular
regional music. By travelling to remote places throughout Khorasan, Sima has been
able to gather and revive a collection of almost forgotten songs and melodies. Rejecting
the notion that a professional vocalist must leave popular music to folk singers,
while devoting their career to 'serious' music, she has gained a unique position
in the history of Persian music.
Since 1993, Sima Bina has been invited to present her folkloric repertoire in festivals
all over the world, including the 1997 Varlden Norden in Norway, ´99 WDR Weltmusik
Festival in Bonn, the Raza 2000 Festival in Utrecht, and Músiques del Món
2000 Barcelona. After thirty years of devotion and dedication to Iranian folk music,
Sima Bina can now see the rewards of her meticulous work, as her music becomes increasingly
known worldwide.
With melodies that reflect the stark, beautiful landscape in which they originated,
the music of Sima Bina and Dastan Ensemble is a rich and timeless experience. The
simple, heartfelt songs, which have been sung for generations in praise, feast and
mourning, have the ability to reach across cultural boundaries and touch the contemporary
listener.
Since their founding ten years ago, the DASTAN ENSEMBLE has established itself as
one of Iran's most distinguished musical groups. The ensemble includes some of the
country's finest virtuoso instrumentalists and have performed at major festivals
worldwide and have numerous recordings to their credit. The group's instrumentalists
include HAMID MOTEBASSEM on tar, the lute which is the primary melodic instrument
of Persian music, HOSSEIN BEHROOZINIA on barbat (oud); kamanche (spike fiddle) player
SAEED FARAJPOURI; and percussionists PEJMAN HADADI and BEHNAM SAMANI.
"Dastan Ensemble found an elegance that made the music levitate Everything they
played had a transparency and delicacy." - New York Times, December,
1997.
Alan Davis
Small World Music
29 Gwynne Ave.
Toronto
M6K 2C2
Canada
416 536-5439
fax: 536-2742
www.smallworldmusic.com
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* Music: Fariba Mizban in San Francisco
Oganice Groove, the psychedelic funk band from San Francisco, featuring Fariba
Mizaban, spontaneous singer and dancer, will have an album debut party in Last Day
Saloon on Wednesday April 17th. So, come one, come all, and let's have a great time.
Location:
Last Day Saloon
406 Clement St.
San Francisco
415-387-6343
Wednesday April 17th
9-9:45 PM
$5
Our segment starts promptly at 9 and is continued with other bands performances.
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* Play: Antigone in Australia
Directed by Jamshid Malekpour and Shala Mirbakhtyar, Shiraz Theatre, National
Multicultural Festival, Kingston Bus Depot Markets, 13-15 February.
Reviewed by Christa de Jager
The Shiraz Theatre's adaptation of Antigone gave the audience a rather heated and
intense take on this 5th century BC Greek tragedy by Sophocles.
Directors Jamshid Malekpour and Shala Mirbakhtyar staged this play in the Kingston
Bus Depot Markets, where the mostly bare surrounds were a perfect background for
the 'collision' between Kreon and Antigone and underscored the angry, cold and unsympathetic
tone of the production.
Collision is exactly the right term to use for the confrontations around which this
production is built. The conflict between the various characters has the same brittle,
sickening quality as steel impacting steel. The outraged dialogue evokes the same
sense of inevitableness as that moment when the crash becomes a certainty.
In this production's opening scene the audience was transported by minibus through
a wilderness of human waste. Peering through the side windows we caught a glimpse
of what is never shown in the play: Antigone hanging by the neck, a woman wailing,
and Haemon's body lying to one side, pierced by his own sword. The audience then
made their way to long rows of seats, to watch this powerful classical tale.
What followed was a series of strong and innovative images which were a curious mixture
of the cinematographic and theatrical. The beginning and ending of the play worked
particularly well, with the opening image very reminiscent of film. The last image
was, on the other hand, very theatrical, with the chorus unrolling metres of red
material, covering the remaining players and, symbolically, the whole city of Thebes
with the blood of the victims. No one is left untouched as this great tragedy unfolds
which, in the end, destroys not only Antigone and Kreon, but also Kreon's wife and
son. But of course, with the destruction, comes the purge to restore the balance
and harmony of the city of Thebes.
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