|
Levantine Cultural Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization, is the Los Angeles nexus for Middle Eastern/North
African and Mediterranean cultures. We look to new ideas and forms
of expression from artists, writers, iconoclasts and visionaries,
both in the region and abroad. Turkish
novelist Orhan Pamuk wins Nobel
Prize for Literature. Los
Angeles Times on Levantine Cultural Center & The Sultans
of Satire. Read The
Daily Pilot or the Persian
Mirror on The Sultans of Satire. Times
story on the Andalusian music of the Tangier Orchestra.
Tax-deductible contributions support
our programs for Middle East peace & cross-cultural
understanding.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Imagine a bridge linking the many cultures of the
Levantfrom Morocco in the west to Afghanistan to the east
(yes, we're stretching the very definition of the Levant, land of
the rising sun in the eastern Mediterranean, to encompass the geopolitical
Middle East).
Imagine an oasis of harmonious coexistence, right here in Los Angeles,
where artists illumine our minds and entertain at the same time.
You have imagined Levantine Cultural Center.
We strive to be an oasis of cultural exploration, peace, exchange
and understanding. Devoted to the Middle East and the Mediterranean,
Levantine Cultural Center, headquartered in Los Angeles, serves
as a crossroads between contemporary arts and traditional cultures.
We present or cosponsor programs that celebrate the music, dance,
poetry, literature, film and video, painting, sculpture, new media,
new ideas, and the oral histories of this fascinating, diverse region
of the world. From the the cultures of the Levant to the Arab spirit
of Al-Andalus, from Greece and Turkey to North Africa, from the
cultures of West Asia, including Iran and Pakistan to the Gulf States,
the Center expressly includes and honors the many cultures of this
vast region.
Country list.
Perhaps what makes Levantine Cultural Center most unique is that
we celebrate both majority and minority cultures, rather than taking
a nationalistic approach, so you will find here that most everyone
is represented, including Armenian, Bedouin, Kabyl, Kurdish and
Sephardi/Mizrahi cultures. Our programs are welcoming and inclusive;
as a result, audiences at our events are extremely diverse.
Bilad al-sham is one definition of "Levantine" as
it referred to Syria in days gone by when it was interconnected
with Lebanon and Palestine; another is El Helaal el khaseebthe
Fertile Crescent. The Levant we embrace embodies as much the imaginary
worlds of Naghib Mahfouz and Edmond Jabès as it does the
spirit of poets Rumi, Adonis and Darwish. Into the mix come the
dancers and musicians who cross-pollinate with each other, whether
they are of one religion or another, one nationality or anotherregardless
of the politics of their respective governments. Here is a list
of all the countries whose cultures are included...
Levantine Cultural Center, founded in 2001 as a not-for-profit arts
organization, seeks to create or support innovative programs focusing
on the expression of artists and writers, performers and philosophers,
dreamers and visionaries. Many Levantine cultures are under-represented
in American life, and often misunderstood. We are organizing to
support gallery exhibits, lectures, performance art, live concerts,
public dialogue, festivals, book groups, conferences, workshops,
film and video screenings, oral history and radio recordings, new
media productions and much more. You can help by becoming a sponsor.
Read why we
Advocates for Middle East Peace and Seek New Stakeholders.
For details on past, present and future programs, please visit
our calendar.
Read an early Los Angeles
Times feature about us.
Levantine
Cultural Center welcomes you to join us in exploration, debate
and friendship!
What
do we mean when we say Levantine?
Who is our audience? An alternative to FAQs. See
also Wikipedia's page.
Visit the North African Music
Glossary
Learn
more about a poetry event Levantine Cultural Center hosted
with poets Nathalie Handal, Dima Hilal, Elmaz Abinader and
Deema Shehabi. See the
Arab poets page.
Back to Top
|