Freedom Theatre West, the Middle Eastern theatre company, presents Cynthia Sophiea's one-woman show, Everyone Has Tears (running time 70 minutes, no intermission) for two nights only at the Imagined Life Theater, March 29 and 30, 2013, at 8 pm. With a long career spanning the Broadway stage as well as screen and television, Cynthia Sophiea shines in this very personal performance, fresh from her dazzling success in a preview version in the 2013 Los Angeles Women's Theater Festival. Accompanied by Arabic music, this piece tells the story of a woman—American, Lebanese, Palestinian—afraid to be Arab in America. But she is silent no more, claiming her own voice and giving voice to others rarely heard.. Seating is limited, tickets are $30 for Preferred Seating, $20 General Admission, and there a limited number of member/student priced seats at just $15. Hurry, these shows will sell out quickly. Call 323.413.2001 to reserve by phone, or click above to reserve online.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

For inquiries, please contact Lulwa Bordcosh or Kameron Myles

310.657.5511

HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER HOLDS

PUBLIC DISCUSSION COMPARING CONFLICT IN MALI, SYRIA FEB 23, 2013

[Los Angeles—FEB 6., 2013] In honor of Black History Month, the Levantine Cultural Center will hold a public discussion, “Where Do We Go From Here? Answering Dr. King 46 Years Later: Unpacking and Rebuilding Mali and Syria,” featuring African History Professor, David L. Horne and Political Science Professor,ElieChalala on Feb 23 from 2 – 4 p.m. 

By Jordan Elgrably

Recently, I had the rare pleasure of experiencing Monajat—a concert by the American Iranian Jewish singer, composer and cultural anthropologist Galeet Dardashti. Monajat took place on the campus of UCLA, in the Fowler Museum's Lenoir Auditorium. It was an unexpected fusion of Persian classical singing, piyutim (Hebrew spiritual chanting in a poetic mode), Arab and Persian instrumentation, and jazz-like jamming. The concert was bathed in video projections (prepared by Dmitry Kmelnitsky and Lustre) behind the musicians and on two sides of the audience. The immersion in Iranian and Jewish culture—and Arab and American world music culture—was total.

The Levantine Cultural Center will present the feature film The Other Son Wed., Feb. 20th, 7:30 pm at the Laemmle Music Hall, followed by a film panel. The Other Son is an unusually provocative "switched at birth" tale that captures the essence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. French director Lorraine Levy presides over an excellent international cast (the film is in Arabic, Hebrew, French and English with subtitles) that effectively conveys all the emotion wrought from the pain and joys of family drama. The screening will be followed by film conversation with UCLA professor Gabi Piterberg, former UN consultant and Egypt Today editor Lulwa Bordcosh, and LA Times critic Steven Zeitchik (moderator). This screening is consponsored in a part by the Council on American Islamic Relations of Greater Los Angeles and the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

February's selection for the Levantine Bookgroup is an excellent memoir revealing the life story of Taha Muhammad Ali, poet and author of So What: New & Selected Poems, 1971-2005, translated by Peter Cole. The Levantine BookGroup meets every last Wednesday of each month, and explores literature and non-fiction by writers from the Middle East/North Africa or about the region or its diaspora. The group is open to everyone. 

"Adina Hoffman's biography of the Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali...is a rich tapestry of the personal, the literary and the political, skilfully woven by a sympathetic writer." —Ian Black, the Guardian

"Adina Hoffman has been relentless in her efforts to research the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali, and she possesses a natural gift for storytelling. Her book describes the creation of a literary culture under the harshest circumstances. It is about the triumph of art and decency and memory against tremendous odds, and it breaks open a world about which I knew almost nothing. It's a terrific book, and readers will be drawn to its account of the triumph of the human spirit." —Karl Pohrt, Shaman Drum Bookshop, Ann Arbor, MI

Taha Muhammad Ai was little known until recently—certainly compared to giants such as Mahmoud Darwish or the novelist Emile Habiby. But his life, spanning his people's tragedy (and century, as in the book's subtitle), is captured in this beautiful memoir and brings him vividly to life, even as it illuminates the birth of Israel and its effect on the native Arab population. Read more about Taha Muhammad Aii.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

For inquiries, please contact Lulwa Bordcosh or Kameron Myles

310.657.5511

SCREENING OF AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY, ROAD MAP TO APARTHEID EXPLORES SOUTH AFRICAN AND ISRAELI APARTHEID

THUR FEB 7, 2013 AT THE LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER

[Los Angeles—January 30, 2013] The Levantine Cultural Center and The Friends Of Film Year-Round Festival  present a one-night only screening of the multi award-winning documentary, Roadmap to Apartheid, on Thursday, Feb 7^th at 7:30pm at the LCC, 5998 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles 90035. The screening is cosponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles.