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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, September-October 2008, pages 50-51 Northern California Chronicle Egyptian American Society Honors Consul General and Mrs. Abderahman SalaheldinBy Elaine Pasquini
THE EGYPTIAN American Society for the San Francisco Bay Area hosted a June 29 farewell dinner honoring Ambassador and Mrs. Abderahman Salaheldin prior to their August return to Egypt from California, where the ambassador has served as his country’s consul general for the Western United States since 2004. More than 150 friends, diplomats and members of the Northern California Arab community gathered at Palo Alto’s Illusions Fayrouz Dining and Entertainment to honor the popular diplomat and his extraordinary wife, Dr. Thoraya Elkhadrawy. Guests enjoyed a video presentation by Dr. Ossama Hassanein recapping Salaheldin’s life and accomplishments over the past four years. The ambassador thanked the audience for their friendship, support and for helping make his tenure in California “a very inspiring and rewarding experience.” He also praised his hardworking staff at the consulate, the Press and Information Bureau, and Economic and Trade Office. Following the formal presentations, guests danced to the music of singer and keyboardist Sami Ehsad.
Afaf El-Mazariky (1950–2008)Egyptian diplomat Afaf El-Mazariky died of cancer June 2 at the age of 58. At the time of her death she was Egypt’s ambassador to Denmark. From 2000 to 2004 El-Mazariky served in San Francisco as consul general to the Western United States. She previously served in the Egyptian Embassy in Tokyo and in consulates in Montreal and Chicago. The gracious ambassador is remembered by her friends in Northern California for her enduring efforts to strengthen Egyptian and American relations and her commitment to global peace. In 2002 she was instrumental in bringing the magnificent “Eternal Egypt” exhibition to San Francisco’s Palace of Legion of Honor. “Notions of Expression: Artwork of the Young Arab-American”
“Our goal is to cultivate artistic talent within our community and promote freedom of expression,” Jamie Elmasu told the Washington Report at the June 28 opening of the second annual “Notions of Expression: Artwork of the Young Arab-American” exhibit at San Francisco’s Workspace Limited Gallery. Passionate about promoting Arab-American artists and determined to introduce their works to a larger audience, the young curator organized the first “Notions of Expression” exhibit in 2007 (see May/June 2007 Washington Report, p. 54). The diverse collection of oil paintings, pencil drawings and photographs showcased the outstanding talent of Bay Area Arab-American artists aged 17 to 35. While influenced by their individual autobiographical underpinnings, many works transcended the artists’ heritage and moved freely between traditional and contemporary subjects, styles and ideas. Vibrant, bright colors characterized several of the eclectic pieces, including Laila Al-Marashi’s “Flower on Easter Lane.” Contributing artists included Anise Nasser, Reem Al-Sheikh, Michael Elmasu, Riwan Khalil, Leila Louis, Faris Elmasu, Jennifer Zeidan, Dylan Harrarah, Abid Mogannam, Samar Nassar, Noor Ali-Hassan, Laila Al-Marashi, Susu Attar, Sammer Ezzat, Areej Bazzari, Reem Bazzari, Amira Soliman, Tarik Kazaleh, Sadek Baroudi and Jamie Elmasu. On July 1 the exhibition moved to Berkeley’s Mudraker’s Café on Telegraph Avenue, where it was on view through the end of August. Sunbula Empowers Women During Hard Economic TimesFor 18 years, the Jerusalem-based nonprofit Sunbula (see November 2006 Washington Report, p. 41) has been helping women in the West Bank and Gaza improve their economic condition by selling their handmade art and handicraft items. (One U.S. nonprofit organization which sells Sunbula crafts in the United States is Palestinian Arts and Crafts Trust, or PACT. For more information visit <www.middleeastbooks.com/pact>.) Sunbula executive director Shirabe Yamada discussed the group’s progress and current projects with the Washington Report this past summer at the Sunbula Craft Shop, located in the St. Andrews Church of Scotland Guest House in Jerusalem. “We are having an extremely difficult situation with the groups in Gaza,” the former San Francisco resident said. “Because of the Israeli blockade, the two women’s groups we work with have a difficult time getting basic materials to make their crafts.” After the Israeli air force bombed Gaza’s power plant two years ago, Sunbula purchased a generator so the women could run their sewing machines. But the generator requires fuel, which is difficult to obtain or non-existent. On the West Bank, the fair-trade organization works with 14 women’s craft-producing cooperatives. They also encounter problems because of the ongoing Israeli occupation, checkpoints and apartheid wall. “Many communities are really being affected by the wall,” Yamada said. “We work in two villages in Hebron near the wall. Since Israel built the wall on large portions of confiscated Palestinian agricultural land, the farmers’ income has been eroded. Sales of handicrafts have become important in the households where men are not working.” Sunbula is beginning to work with a community of Muslims from India who have been living in Jerusalem’s Old City for centuries. “Because they are a minority within a repressed minority, the Gypsies face tremendous social and economic challenges,” Yamada explained. Money from sales of their brightly colored pottery, wood paintings and embroidered items are a welcome boost to their poor economic situation. For more information and to view the online craft market, visit <http://www.sunbula.org/sunbulashop/index.php>. Muayad Alayan on New Film “Lesh Sabreen?”
Filmmaker Muayad Alayan traveled to San Francisco in June to complete post-production work on his latest film, “Lesh Sabreen?” (“Why Sabreen?”). The 23-year-old Palestinian is no stranger to the city by the bay, having received his degree in film production from City College of San Francisco in 2005. Prior to leaving Jerusalem, Alayan met with the Washington Report in the beautiful garden courtyard of the American Colony Hotel to discuss his latest work-in-progress, as well as his projects with the Bethlehem Media Center and Dar al-Kalima College. “Lesh Sabreen?” dramatizes the financial, political and social struggles facing a young man and woman and their attempts to solve their dilemmas—by establishing a viable career for him and avoiding an arranged marriage for her. The 20-minute love story and social commentary was filmed in Beit Safafa, West Jerusalem’s only remaining Palestinian neighborhood. Alayan recounted the difficulties in making films in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), including raising funds—he attended a party at San Francisco’s Bollyhood Café to raise funds to complete the film—assembling experienced crews, and moving cameras and equipment around the area. Filming at the shopping mall in Malha—an historic Palestinian village, now a West Jerusalem suburb famous for the area’s most frequented mall—required an Israeli permit with all the bureaucratic red tape involved, he said. Alayan is also working with the International Center of Bethlehem, particularly focusing on projects to improve the lives of youths and the elderly living in the Bethlehem area. For more information on Alayan’s films visit <http://www.pacine.net/index.htm> and <http://www.leshsabreen.com>. Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance journalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
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