Free Events
Exhibit: Photography: Youssef Nabil: CinemaThis exhibition of Egyptian photographer Youssef Nabil's work, created especially for the festival, celebrates the characters, celebrities, and themes of sex and death that run through the shifting scenes of his life's film. |
Exhibit: Jewelry: Azza Fahmy: InspirationsCreated especially for ARABESQUE, this exhibition of Egyptian jeweler Azza Fahmy's work forges together Arab tradition and completely original aesthetic innovation. |
Exhibit: Calligraphy: Hassan Massoudy: Desire to Take WingIn this exclusive exhibition, world-renowned Iraqi artist Hassan Massoudy uses vibrant color and large stylized characters to show how the written language can be both light and weighty, ancient and new. |
Exhibit: Multimedia "Exploratorium"With a 3D film commissioned especially for ARABESQUE, this multimedia exhibition uses cutting-edge technology to explore the Arab contributions to society during the Golden Age of Enlightenment. |
Exhibit: Visual Arts Installation: Lara Baladi: Roba VecchiaLebanese artist Lara Baladi's installation, Roba Vecchia, presents image fragments of the artist's work recomposed with photographs into a shifting array of kaleidoscopic images |
Exhibit: Visual Arts Installation: Breaking the Veils: Women Artists from the Islamic WorldFrom the Permanent Collection of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman, this exclusive installation crosses mediums, nationalities, and cultural norms to show the growing voice of women artists in the Islamic world. |
Exhibit: Fashion: Brides of the Arab WorldWith examples from all 22 countries in the League of Arab States, this collection of more than 40 elaborate and colorful wedding dresses puts the transition from traditional to contemporary style on display. |
Exhibit: SoundScape: SOUKDeveloped especially for the festival by Egyptian Grammy Award–winning sound engineer Alaa El Kashef, SOUK brings the sounds of the bustling streets of Cairo to visitors walking through the exhibitions and the Souk. |
Exhibit: Souk (Market)This vibrant marketplace showcases an extraordinary representation of the arts and handicrafts from the Arab world. |
Oud Knights with Amina and Shayma: When Oud SpeaksTraditional oud players from Bahrain, the female duo of Oud Knights with Amina and Shayma has played at music festivals around the world. |
Al-Farah Choir: Damascene JasmineBased in the Lady of Damascus Church in Syria, more than 100 children of the choir perform Byzantine, Muslim, and Arab songs. Tue., Feb. 24, 2009, 6:00 PM Free Millennium Stage Performance in the Eisenhower Theater |
Chabab Al Andalous Rabat Orchestra with Mohammed Bajeddoub and Bahae RondaThe orchestra from Rabat, Morocco seeks to preserve the traditions and artistic heritage of Andalusian music. The musicians perform traditional songs and chants using Arabic poems and traditional instruments. |
Amine and HamzaAward-winning Tunisian brothers, oud player Amine and qanun player Hamza M’Raihi play classical Middle Eastern music, as well as their own compositions. |
K'NAANHailing from war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, hip hop artist K’NAAN grew up during the Somali civil war. Despite speaking no English, he taught himself hip hop and rap diction. Critics have said K’NAAN has “a sound that fuses Bob Marley, conscious American hip hop, and brilliant protest poetry.” |
Nawal: Voice of ComorosNawal, the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known as “The Voice of Comoros,” performs her acoustic roots-based fusion, which is rhythmically compelling and beautifully lyrical. |
Coopérative Théâtrale Hammou Boutlélis: Married Man on VacationAlgerian theater company Coopérative Théâtrale Hammou Boutlélis presents a humorous one-man show written by Mourad Senouci and performed by Samir Bouanani. It’s the hilarious account of the transformation of a man who doesn’t truly appreciate his wife until she goes on vacation. Performed in Arabic with English surtitles. |
Tami Meekoo: Remedies for an Injured Iraqi SoulSixteen year old Iraqi classical pianist Tami Meekoo began to play the piano at the age of five. His talent has taken him to many venues around the world. His program includes works by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, Ravel, and others. |
Rami Khalifé and Francesco Tristano: Pop Art – Duo PianoClassically trained Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé creates compositions and improvisations in a variety of styles and genres ranging from classical to contemporary, jazz, and world music. He performs his non-traditional program, an exciting and dynamic production, with his Juilliard colleague Francesco Tristano. |
Bnet Houariyat: Voices of MarrakechHailing from the region of Marrakech, Morocco, the five women of Bnet Houariyat perform traditional Berber songs and dances that reflect the multiple facets of Islam and the female condition. Hauntingly beautiful, the harmonies, melodies, and rhythms in the songs transport you to another world. The themes explore the cultural traditions and the reality of these extraordinary women. |
"Women Writing Men, Men Writing Women"Authors on this panel discuss the challenge of writing from the perspective of another gender and how they see literature as a way to create a dialogue between men and women in the region. |
"Migration, Exile, and the Search for Identity"Panelists discuss the physical and existential trauma of migration and exile that is exemplified by the Palestinian experience of diaspora, but also witnessed among other Arab populations. |
Kinan Azmeh and Ensemble“Engagingly flamboyant” (Los Angeles Times), prize-winning Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh combines solid classical training from the Juilliard school with deep understanding and appreciation of his roots and other cultures. He maneuvers between different genres—from classical and jazz to electronica and Arab music. He performs with his ensemble. |
Salma El Assal and Ensemble: From SudanOne of today’s leading Sudanese vocalists—her voice has been compared to that of Aretha Franklin—Salma El Assal performs with her ensemble contemporary arrangements of traditional Sudanese songs. |
"Literature and the 'Real' Arab World"Some of the Arab world's boldest authors speak about the challenges and opportunities of addressing current political and social concerns. |
"Books and Readers in the Arab World"Noted authors and cultural critics share their perspective on the situation of books and reading and publishing in the Arab world. |
"In Other Words: Expatriate Arab Literature"Arab authors who have found a home in English and French discuss literature that manages to cover vast tracts of time and space and to address multiple audiences in various languages. |
Shakespeare in the Arab WorldThis discussion examines Arab-Islamic interpretations of Shakespeare and why the Bard's stories work so well within a cultural context so seemingly far removed. |
Suheir Hammad: An Evening of Breaking PoemsA Palestinian-American poet, author, and political activist, Suheir Hammad was born in Amman, Jordan to Palestinian refugee parents and immigrated with her family to Brooklyn when she was five. She was discovered by hip hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons when he read her reaction to the 9/11 attacks; he signed her to a deal with HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. She has since performed her poetry around the world. |
"Arab Literature and the World of the Spirit and the Imagination"Novelists and poets address the role they assign to fantasy and the magical as a means of creating relevant art. |
"Containing Multitudes: A Conversation with Arab American Writers"Arab American writers of different generations and national backgrounds discuss their writing process, their relationship with their audiences, and their role as cultural bridge-builders. |
"Poetry, the Diwan of the Arabs in its Fourth Millennium: A Tribute to Mahmoud Darwish"A panel of Arab poets discusses the state of their society's most venerated art form and pay tribute to the legacy of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. |
Hoba Hoba Spirit: Hayha MusicMaking their U.S. debut, this reggae, rock, and gnawa (a mixture of African, Berber, and Arab religious songs and rhythms) band is based in Casablanca, Morocco. Hoba Hoba Spirit is one of the region’s hottest groups. |
A Literary Celebration: Ahdaf SoueifAuthor Ahdaf Soueif provides insight into how to approach cultural differences and contemporary issues in our world today. |
Elmaz Abinader and the Country of Origin Band: Country of OriginIn this one-woman show, three generations of Lebanese-American women tell stories of the challenges of living in two worlds and trying to fit in one without erasing the other. Musical director Tony Khalife leads the Country of Origin Band. |
Tamim Al BarghoutiTamim Al-Barghouti’s “In Jerusalem” became something of a street poem. The poem, which describes an aborted journey to the city, became the basis for number of performances around the world. |
Nathalie HandalThis multimedia evening features Handal reading her poetry; a monologue about a woman storyteller, traditionally a male-only role; and a short film. |
Arab Arts & Culture Forum: "Visions, Inspiration & Big Ideas"In this public forum, some of the Arab World's leading cultural visionaries examine the forces that are inspiring and shaping contemporary Arab society. |
Oriental Music EnsembleOriental Music Ensemble of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music-Palestine performs classical and contemporary Arab music for oud, nay, clarinet, qanun, and percussion. |
Ahmed Fathi: Contemporary Musical RevelationsRenowned singer and oud player Ahmed Fathi is one of the symbols of Yemeni song. |
RUM – Tareq Al Nasser Musical Group: EyaThis ensemble from Jordan explores Oriental and Western traditions to form a new listening and imaginative experience. |
Djamel Laroussi: 3MaraboutsDjamel Laroussi and his band combine both western and North African rhythms based on traditional desert music from the Sahara. Although the emphasis is Algerian there is a strong understanding of reggae, jazz, hard rock, pop, soul, and funk. |
Presenting Underwriter
HRH Foundation
Major Contributors
A. Huda and Samia Farouki
The State of Kuwait
The State of Qatar
The United Arab Emirates Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Additional support is provided by the Ministry of Culture and Information, Kingdom of Bahrain; the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center; The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development; the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art; Alice and David Rubenstein; Saudi Aramco; the Ford Foundation; Elizabeth and Michael Kojaian; Elaine and Steve Wynn; Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and Mr. Smith Bagley; The Laura Pels Foundation; and the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.
Presented in cooperation with the League of Arab States.
