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Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences

the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution

 PRESS RELEASE:

ARTS AND CULTURAL LEADERS SEMINAR MEETS FOR FIRST TIME IN US-ISLAMIC FORUM

2006 U.S.-Islamic World Forum

These were the  key  themes  discussed  in  the Arts and Cultural Leaders Seminar,  which  included rock and hip  hop musicians,   actors, filmmakers,  art  collectors, novelists,  and  private foundations  which fund  the arts.  Participants  from  Pakistani rock  musician to Yemeni  filmmaker  Bader Ben  Hirsi remarked on  how  unusual it  was  for  cultural  figures to  participate in a conference  that focused on political  affairs.  Martin Indyk  and Peter  Singer, co-convenors of the conference confirmed that  this  was a first.  They  also  pronounced the meeting an  “incredible  success” and plan  to include the Arts and Cultural Leaders in future years.

Participants agreed that music  is the universal language.” Music,  culture,  sports is what makes  us  want to know  the other”,  commented  Salman  Ahmed, founder of the popular  rock ban “Junoon”.  He  and British Muslim  singer  Sami  Yusef  told of  playing to  mixed  crowds  of  tens  of thousands,  which included  people of all faiths.  American Muslim hip hop  musician Ali  Shaheed Muhammad explained the  global  reach of hip hop, “People  identify with the struggle.  It doesn’t  really  matter  where you come from,  we all have  the  same  story”.

The  storytelling power  of the  arts  was another  theme.  Novelist Amy  Tan,  who  has  written about  Chinese-American  identity  learned that her novels have  helped  young women  in Qatar and Palestine  as they  have  struggled with issues of  culture  and  identity. 

Participants  agreed that the  stories told in  films had  great potential  to reach millions of people and could contribute to increasing understand between the  west and the Islamic world.   Bader Ben Hirsi and Ahmad  Abdali,  director and producer of  “A New  Day in Old Sana’a”, wanted to introduce  Yemen with a  story about  normal  people.  They   succeeded  despite  many  obstacles,  including having to  defend  the film before the Yemeni Parliament, and have won  the  best film awards at  the  Cairo film festival.

Still  participants lamented the difficulties of making and distributing films within the Islamic  world, despite  the current Renaissance in filmmaking.   “It is heartbreaking that  our  own  films  are ghettoized within our  own culture”.  More than  90%  of  what is in on TV  in Arab  countries is American.  Michael  Nozik,  producer  of  “Syriana”  wondered,  “How do  you  create  a model for  young Muslims to express themselves?”  He  noted the need to  find  economic markets for  young  Islamic filmmakers and artists.

Collector of  Islamic art,   Nasser David Khalili  noted  that “People in the west need to recognize  Islamic  cultures and  the Islamic world  needs to learn  about themselves.”  He  advocated using  art and culture to introduce  both the  west and the Islamic  world to  the  breadth and depth  of achievements in art and  design,  which are largely unknown. Jane Alexander,  actress and former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts in the United States,  noted that  designs everywhere,  from  kitchens  to evening  gowns,  originated  in Islamic art,  but no one knows it. 

Session  coordinator Ambassador Cynthia Schneider noted that artists play  a  valuable  role by looking  reflectively and  critically  at society.  Alexander  summed up  the potential  of  the  arts  to contribute to building  bridges between  cultures,  “Art  persuades”.

 

 

 

 

 
 
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