Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, September-October 2008, pages 57-58

Music & Arts

Levantine Center Program

Levantine Center panelists (l-r) Naser Musa, Jordan Elgrably and Noa Baum (Staff photo S. Twair).

“A Land Twice Promised” was the title of Noa Baum’s June 21, 2008 presentation at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles—the third program in a series on coexistence sponsored by Levantine Cultural Center. Adding a multi-ethnic touch to Baum’s monologue was the innovative music of Naser Musa, a Jordanian vocalist and master of the 'oud of Palestinian heritage. 

In "David and Fatima," the Montague and the Capulet clans become the Aziz and the Isaacs, setting the stage for a battle of the two faith.

Most people might not think there's a lot of room for humor when discussing the Middle East, but former journalist Jordan Elgrably has put together a group of Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i comedians who think otherwise.

Coming to the Irvine Barclay Theatre on April 29, the Sultans of Satire will parody their own Arabic, Persian and Turkish cultures hoping to offer audiences a fresh and funny perspective on the Middle East in their Laugh for Peace Comedy Benefit.

Patrons of the Newport Beach Central Library have never had to flee from bomb blasts en route to picking up their reading materials. But in a special program Saturday afternoon, the library paid tribute to a city where culture comes with a higher risk.

Most people wouldn’t imagine it possible to gather comedic material from the Middle East. The Sultans of Satire, however, have been doing just that to rave reviews since 2005. Boldly going where few can, the troupe features comedians with roots in the region and benefits the Levantine Center’s efforts to promote peace, diversity and understanding.

"Our music is not about coexistence," said Tamer Nafar, the self-assured leader of Palestinian hip-hop group DAM. "There's a few steps that come before peace."

Nafar, 27, addressed an audience of roughly 200 people during "Poetry of Peace," a hip-hop and cultural jam benefit for the Levantine Cultural Center at USC's Bovard Auditorium on Nov. 17.

The Middle East may seem an unlikely place to inspire comedy these days, but seven comedians of Middle Eastern ancestry will be in Riverside on Sunday to make jokes about airport searches, head coverings and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The show, Sultans of Satire, is making its Inland debut after more than two years of performances in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

I recently went to an extremely engaging event called the Sultans of Satire stand-up comedy show with chock full of witty comics of Middle Eastern descent. This hilarious show is every second Thursday of the month at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, which is owned by Jamie Masada who is of Iranian descent. The show started in 2005 and is in it's 17th edition. This event is sponsored by the Levantine Cultural Center and was created by Jordan Elgrably, one of the founders and the artistic director of the center.

By Elijah Wald, Special to the Times

Sheikh Ahmed Zaitouni still laughs when he recalls his first attempts to play music: "My brother played a sort of two-stringed instrument we call a gimbri," he says, speaking through a translator from the Conservatory of Tangier, Morocco. "I was 14 years old, and I used to watch how he played, and then when he was away from the house I would steal his instrument and play on it."

By Mark Sachs, Times Staff Writer

You know, the funny thing about the Middle East is ...

As comic premises go, following through on that line would seem to be about as tough an assignment as there is these days. Yet nearly a dozen comedians of Arab, Iranian, Turkish and Moroccan-Israeli heritage will take on the challenge Saturday night at USC's Bovard Auditorium, joining forces for "The Sultans of Satire," a showcase benefiting the Levantine Cultural Center, which explores Middle East and Mediterranean issues.