ArabishWay

SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival 2019) - Yommedine
2019-05-20 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival 2019) – Yommedine (Egyptian director and About Egypt)
Bashay, the protagonist of Yomeddine, is that rare cinematic character you may never have seen onscreen before. A lifelong resident of a leper colony north of Cairo, where he married and made a life as a garbage collector, he decides one day to search for the family who left him there as a child. With his young friend Obama (like “the guy on TV”) and his donkey Harby, Bashay sets out on his journey in a film that is part road movie, part buddy comedy, and part affecting neorealist drama. The bittersweet story is told with clear-eyed candor, but also with sly humor and warm humanity. “Yomeddine” is Arabic for Judgment Day, referenced here by characters who hope one day to be judged by their inner worth rather than their outward appearance. In this remarkable first feature, director A. B. Shawky revisits the leper colony where he earlier made a documentary short, and met Rady Gamal, the charismatic non-professional actor who plays Bashay. Shawky’s documentary roots and Gamal’s performance both contribute to the film’s naturalistic style, enhanced by Federico Cesca’s cinematography (Patti Cake$, SIFF 2017 and Dead Pigs, SIFF 2018).
– Justine Barda
Director Biography
Egyptian/Austrian director A.B. Shawky met the lead actor for Yomeddine at an Egyptian leper colony that had been the subject of an earlier documentary short he made while a student in Cairo. He expanded the idea into a nonfiction film for his thesis for NYC’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Showtimes and locations can be found here: https://www.siff.net/festival/yommedine
Friday, May 17, 2019 – SIFF Cinema Uptown, 8:30pm
Monday, May 20, 2019 – AMC Pacific Place, 4:30pm

Cookbook Club Potluck Supper: Zaitoun
2019-05-19 18:00 - 20:00 | the Pantry, 1417 NW 70th Street, Seattle, WA, 98117
Cookbook Club Potluck Supper: Zaitoun

We don’t need an instructor to show us how to sit around the table and eat a meal together! So we’re breaking out of the class format in this installment of our cookbook club potluck suppers, where we’ll all explore a new cookbook together. This time around we’ll be cooking from “Zaitoun: Recipes from the Palestinian Kitchen”, written by Yasmin Khan. You cook a recipe from the book, and we’ll pour the wine (and do the dishes!). We’ll be in touch before the potluck so you can sign up for your favorite dish.

World Language Story Time King County Library - Arabic
2019-05-18 15:30 - 16:15 | King County Library System – Kent, 212 2nd Ave N, Kent, WA, 98032, United States
World Language Story Times
Ages 2 and older with adult.
Learn the Arabic alphabet and words through stories, songs and games.

This event occurs weekly!

Arabic Story Time

Saturday, May 18, 2019 (3:30PM – 4:15PM)

SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival 2019) - Yommedine
2019-05-17 20:30 - 22:30 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N,, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States

Convergence in Verse: Da’, Laser, Rivera, Schlegel, and Tahat
2019-05-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Join us for a reading of five poets—Laura Da’, Jessica Laser, Rob Schlegel, Dujie Tahat, and Philadelphia poet laureate Raquel Salas Rivera—who are gathering at the crossroads of language, geography, community, and self.

Dujie Tahat is a Filipino-Jordanian immigrant living in Washington state. His poems have been published or are forthcoming in Sugar House Review, Nashville Review, The Southeast Review, Shenandoah, Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, The American Journal of Poetry, and elsewhere. Dujie has earned fellowships from the Richard Hugo House and Jack Straw Writing Program. He serves as a poetry editor for Moss and Homology Lit and cohosts The Poet Salon podcast. He got his start as a Seattle Poetry Slam Finalist, a collegiate grand slam champion, and Seattle Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champion, representing Seattle at HBO’s Brave New Voices.

SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival 2019) - What Walaa Wants
2019-05-17 13:30 - 15:30 | AMC Pacific Place, 600 Pine St suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival 2019) – What Walaa Wants (About Palestine)
Growing up in Balata, a refugee camp in the West Bank, Walaa dreams of being a police officer with the Palestinian National Authority, the entity governing the Palestinian territories. This documentary follows her progress over five years, from ages 15 to 21, as she pursues that goal. She’s got her work cut out for her; rebellious and headstrong, she is often at odds with those around her. She doesn’t adapt easily to the discipline of basic training or the tough love of her commanding officer. At home, a complicated relationship with her mother poses its own challenges (she was 7 when her mother was sent to prison, convicted of helping a would-be suicide bomber). And the outside world in which she lives her daily life is one of uncertainty, repression, and violence. But despite these obstacles, Walaa is tenacious; she is charting her own path and struggling to follow it. With remarkable access to her subject at home, at school, and at work, in interactions with family, friends, and colleagues, filmmaker Christy Garland tells the story of a young woman determined to take charge of her life.
— Justine Barda

Showtimes and locations can be found here: https://www.siff.net/festival/what-walaa-wants
Friday, May 17, 2019 – AMC Pacific Place, 1:30pm
Tuesday, June 4, 2019 – AMC Pacific Place, 9:30pm
Wednesday, June 5, 2019 – SIFF Cinema Uptown, 4pm

AMANDA COBA: COOKING CLASS: MOROCCAN FAVORITES
2019-05-16 18:30 - 21:00 | Book Larder, 4252 Fremont Ave N, Seattler, WA, 98103, United States
AMANDA COBA:
COOKING CLASS: MOROCCAN FAVORITES
MAY 16 2019: 6:30 – 9:00PM

Hands-on class. Includes dinner.
Morocco’s fertile, diverse land and location at the crossroads of Africa and Europe combine to create one of the world’s most interesting, and delicious, cuisines. Join our Culinary Director Amanda Coba, who spent time working in a small Berber village on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast, for a night filled with Moroccan culture and traditional foods.
Menu includes: Beef kefta tagine with tomatoes and lemon; khobz (Moroccan bread); mint carrot salad; zelouch (twice-cooked eggplant salad); msemen with butter and honey; mint tea.
Class is limited to 12 students. Please note that class reservations are non-refundable.

World Language Story Time King County Library - Arabic
2019-05-13 11:00 - 11:30 | King County Library System – Redmond, 15990 NE 85th Street Redmond WA 98052, Redmond, WA, 98032, United States
World Language Story Times
Family program, all ages welcome.
Come for an interactive Story Time in Arabic that includes Early Literacy fun with books, songs and finger plays. Speakers of all languages welcome.
This event repeats every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Redmond Library.

Arabic Story Time/أوقات قراءة القصة العربية

Monday, May 13, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)
No story time on Memorial Day

Monday, June 10, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)
Monday, June 24, 2019 (11:00AM-11:30AM)

Monday, July 8, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)

Monday, July 22, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)

Monday, August 12, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)
Monday, August 26, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)

World Language Story Time King County Library - Arabic
2019-05-11 15:30 - 16:15 | King County Library System – Kent, 212 2nd Ave N, Kent, WA, 98032, United States
World Language Story Times
Ages 2 and older with adult.
Learn the Arabic alphabet and words through stories, songs and games.

This event occurs weekly!

Arabic Story Time
Saturday, May 11, 2019 (3:30PM – 4:15PM)

Arabic Story Time
Saturday, May 18, 2019 (3:30PM – 4:15PM)

ArabishWay Story Time
2019-05-05 11:00 - 11:30 | Third Place Books – Seward Park, 5041 Wilson Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
I will have 30 minutes of stories, games and songs in Arabic (along with highlighting my book These Chicks/ هالصيصان). It will be very hands on and interactive!
Plus, Third Place Books – Seward Park has a great coffee shop next door so plan to arrive a little early, grab a coffee and meet me there.
Great for all ages but content generally geared towards 18 months – 3 years old.

World Language Story Time King County Library - Arabic
2019-05-04 15:30 - 16:15 | King County Library System – Kent, 212 2nd Ave N, Kent, WA, 98032, United States
World Language Story Times
Ages 2 and older with adult.
Learn the Arabic alphabet and words through stories, songs and games.

This event occurs weekly!

Arabic Story Time

Saturday, May 4, 2019 (3:30PM – 4:15PM)

Arabic Story Time
Saturday, May 11, 2019 (3:30PM – 4:15PM)

Arabic Story Time
Saturday, May 18, 2019 (3:30PM – 4:15PM)

Culture Fest
2019-05-04 14:00 - 17:00 | UW Tower, 4333 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
Everyone is welcome to join us for an afternoon of art, vendors, performances, and country booths that will transport you to the Middle East and beyond.
Palestinian catering from Daniah’s International Market will be provided to everyone for free.
Admission is free, but a RSVP is required at: tinyurl.com/mesc-maps. Parking in the UW Tower Garage is $5 for the day.
|ALL INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. CHECK THIS PAGE REGULARLY FOR UPDATES.|
Performers (Starting from 2:30PM):
House of Tarab (Arabic songs with Nay and Tabla)
Jafra Dabke
Mourice and Brothers (Arabic songs with Tabla, Oud, and Keyboard)
Babak Daneshvar (Iranian songs with Oud, Bendir, and Tombak)
Seattle Iranian Choir
Vendors:
Piece of Peace (Palestinian)
Yasbina Boutique (Abayas)
Al Sundus (Islamic Apparel)
Nesma Holee (Islamic Jewelry)
The Gem City (Jewelry)
Emesa Designs (Islamic Art)
The Chowk (Kashmiri Scarves)
Michaela Corning (Islamic Apparel)
Zahira Design (Hand Decorated Tiles and Items)
Huma Naaz (Pakistani and Indian Dresses)
ZanaSoaps (Artisan Handmade Soaps)
Thinkernation (Arabic Learning Puzzles)
Shama Farag (Arabic Author)
Noor’s Henna (Henna)
Artists:
TO BE DETERMINED.
Country Booths:
TO BE DETERMINED.
A prayer room will be included in this event. Please message us for any other accommodations.

Mideast Focus Film Series 2019 - Naila and the Uprising
2019-05-03 19:00 - 21:00 | St Marks Cathedral, 1245 Tenth Avenue East, Seattle, WA, 98102-4398, United States
NAILA and the UPRISING
The remarkable journey of Naila Ayesh is documented here. She must choose between love, family and freedom – and chooses all three. She leads a clandestine movement of Palestinian women who play a pivotal role in the First Intifada. They forge a vibrant, non-violent mobilization of Palestinians that continues to this day.
Ramzy Baroud will be our speaker.
The Mideast Focus Ministry will offer its sixth series of films to promote understanding of the situation in Palestine. Our theme this year is “Finding Home”. We will consider various aspects of being a refugee, in Palestine, as well as many other places in this 21st century world. We hope to understand more about the experiences of refugees who seek to make a safe home for their families.

Urdu, Persian & Arabic Calligraphy Workshop with Ustad Ali Rouhfar
2019-05-03 09:00 - 11:15 | Paccar Hall – UW, 4277 NE Stevens Way, Seattle, 98195, United States
Urdu, Persian & Arabic Calligraphy Workshop with Ustad Ali Rouhfar

WHEN
Friday, May 3, 2019, 9 – 11:15 a.m.

CAMPUS LOCATION
PACCAR Hall (PCAR)

CAMPUS ROOM
492

EVENT TYPES
Special Events

FACEBOOK
www.facebook.com…

DESCRIPTION

All are welcome to attend!
Date: Friday, May 3, 2019
Location: Paccar Hall, Room 492
Time: 9:00AM – 11:15AM

Dahr Jamail: The End of Ice (livestream)
2019-04-30 19:30 - 21:00 | WA, United States
Dahr Jamail: The End of Ice (livestream) Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption

Town Hall Seattle and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility present
Dahr Jamail
The End of Ice

After nearly a decade overseas as a war reporter, the acclaimed journalist Dahr Jamail returned to America to renew his passion for mountaineering, only to find that the slopes he had once climbed have been irrevocably changed by climate disruption. In response, Jamail embarks on a journey to the geographical front lines of this crisis—from Alaska to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, via the Amazon rainforest—in order to discover the consequences to nature and to humans of the loss of ice.
In The End of Ice, we follow Jamail as he scales Alaska’s Denali, the highest peak in North America, dives in the warm crystal waters of the Coral Sea only to find bleached coral reefs, and explores the tundra of St. Paul Island where he meets the last subsistence seal hunters of the Bering Sea and witnesses its collapsing food web.
Accompanied along the way by climate scientists and people whose families for centuries have fished, farmed, and lived in the areas he visits, Jamail begins to accept the fact that Earth, most likely, is in a hospice situation. Ironically, this allows him to renew his passion for the planet’s wild places, cherishing Earth in a way he has never been able to before.
The End of Ice offers an essential firsthand chronicle of the catastrophic reality of our situation and the incalculable necessity of relishing this vulnerable, fragile planet while we still can.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle. https://townhallseattle.org/
Having trouble with registration?
Our Patron Services line is open a half an hour before each event to provide livestream tech support. Shoot us an email at patronservices@townhallseattle.org, or give us a call at 206.504.2857

Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Cancelled - Majd Mashharawi with Rania Qawasma at Elliott Bay
2019-04-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle, 98122, United States
This event was cancelled. While, Majd had a visa, the Israeli government denied her a permit to exit. Very discouraging but the organizers are working to reschedule this event!
Majd Mashharawi with Rania Qawasma

This late addition to our April schedule helps set out a lively May in motion as Majd Mashhawari is here from her home in Gaza, Palestine where she is an engineer, the CEO of GreenCake, a startup that manufactures bricks from recycled materials, and has also helped develop a off-the-grid solar power kit called SunBox. She will discuss developments and the situation in Gaza, and will be joined in conversation here by Rania Qawasma, Seattle architect, founder of Architecture for Refugees USA and a board member of Architects Without Borders. Fast Company cited Majd Mashhawari as one of the Most Creative People in Business for 2018. https://www.fastcompany.com/person/majd-mashharawi
Co-presented with ARCHITECTURE FOR REFUGEES USA and ARCHITECTS WITHOUT BORDERS

Paint A Lantern - Community Event hosted by Madkour
2019-04-28 14:30 - 17:00 | Crossroads Community Center, Crossroads Community Center 16000 NE 10th Street, Bellevue, WA, 98008, United States
Paint a Lantern!

Join us for the 2nd year of Madkour Real Estate Group’s community event!

FOR ALL AGES

Event will sell out so get your tickets early!

This events is a family event, adults and kids are welcome! They will provide stencils, lamps, colors, and instructions on how to create and decorate your perfect Lamps, Lantern or “Fanous”

Please share and invite anyone that you think might enjoy this!

Each lantern is a separate Ticket. Tickets must be bought before attending event!
Proceeds benefit Helping Hand!

Tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paint-a-lantern-tickets-57145959102?aff=efbeventtix&fbclid=IwAR02gtCI2amJbspMXil3gK4wR6IYNDQO5oYXvAUNBucdwiAIYheVULrjmAk

ArabishWay Story Time - Book Tree in Kirkland
2019-04-27 13:30 - 14:30 | Book Tree, 609 Market Street, Kirkland, WA, 98033, United States
Join us at BookTree on Seattle Bookstore Day (aka Independent Book Day), Saturday April 27th between 1:30 and 2:30 pm for story time and activities with local author Laila Taji!
She’ll be reading her book, These Chicks (هالصيصان), which is a beloved nursery rhyme, well-known in the Levant; much like Hey Diddle Diddle in the States. Laila will also play interactive games and sing songs in Arabic, as well as read her book and others in Arabic and English. It will be great for all ages but geared towards 18 month – 6 year olds.
Laila Taji is an American of Palestinian heritage. She has an MPH in public health from the University of Washington and currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two girls. She loved watching her kids blossom into readers but struggled to make that happen in Arabic since most books are complex and written in formal Arabic. She wrote These Chicks to give her kids an early Arabic reading experience and to connect them with their Arabic heritage.

Poetry Reading with Rajaa Gharbi
2019-04-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Rajaa Gharbi’s Gallery, 4425 41st Ave SW, Seattle, WA, 98116, United States
Rajaa Gharbi

Rajaa Gharbi, a longtime member of the Academy of American Poets, a member of the American Translators Association and PoetsWest, has just released a new poetry book titled Men Aghani Aljousoor (Songs of Bridges) -Selected Poems Translated to Arabic, and Related Paintings. Translated by its author, introduced with an extensive study by Tunisian writer and linguistics scholar Dr. Fatma Lakhdhar, and published in Tunisia by multiple award winner Med Ali Editions, the book was nominated for Tunisia’s 2018 National Book Translation Award.
Please note, this event was originally scheduled to take place at Gallery 110 on March 28th, but has been moved to Rajaa Gharbi’s Gallery on April 25th.
Free admission.

Arabs In Seattle Meetup
2019-04-24 17:00 - 18:00 | WA
This groups is for people in Seattle who are Arab, half-Arab, or their great-great-grandmother was 12.5% from somewhere in the region.
Rotating monthly coffee’s are happening: if you are interested be sure to subscribe on the Meetup Group page.
Location to be determined – check link for updates!

World Language Story Time King County Library - Arabic
2019-04-22 11:00 - 11:30 | King County Library System – Redmond, 15990 NE 85th Street Redmond WA 98052, Redmond, WA, 98032, United States
World Language Story Times
Family program, all ages welcome.
Come for an interactive Story Time in Arabic that includes Early Literacy fun with books, songs and finger plays. Speakers of all languages welcome.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Redmond Library.

Arabic Story Time/أوقات قراءة القصة العربية
Monday, April 22, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)

Radiolab's Jad Abumrad: The Miracle of Indoor Plumbing
2019-04-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Moore Theater, 1932 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad: The Miracle of Indoor Plumbing

STG Presents Radiolab’s Jad Abumrad at The Moore Theatre on April 20, 2019.
JAD ABUMRAD is the host and creator of Radiolab (radiolab.org), a public radio program broadcast on 524 stations across the nation and downloaded more than 9 million times a month as a podcast. Most days, Radiolab is the 2nd most popular podcast, just behind This American Life.
Jad Abumrad did most of his growing up in Tennessee, before studying creative writing and music composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. Following graduation, Abumrad wrote music for films, and reported and produced documentaries for a variety of local and national public radio programs.
In 2002, Abumrad began tinkering with an idea for a new kind of radio program, an openended radio “laboratory.” Radiolab has since evolved into one of public radio’s most popular programs. Abumrad hosts the program with Robert Krulwich and also serves as its lead producer, composer and managing editor. Abumrad employs his dual backgrounds as composer and journalist to create what’s been called “a new aesthetic” in broadcast journalism. He orchestrates dialogue, music, interviews and sound effects into compelling documentaries that draw listeners into investigations of otherwise intimidating topics, such as the nature of numbers, the evolution of altruism, or the legal foundation for the war on terror.
In 2010, Radiolab was awarded the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award and in 2011 Abumrad was honored as a MacArthur Fellow (also known as the Genius Grant). The MacArthur Foundation website says: “Abumrad is inspiring boundless curiosity within a new generation of listeners and experimenting with sound to find ever more effective and entertaining ways to explain ideas and tell a story.” In 2015 the Radiolab episode “60 Words” was awarded a George Foster Peabody Award.
The Radiolab spinoff, More Perfect, a series about untold stories of the Supreme Court, is currently in its 2nd season. The New York Times called More Perfect “…possibly the most mesmerizing podcast.”
Alongside his radio work, Abumrad continues to work as a composer and remixer. His music is currently being performed across the country.

ArabishWay Story Time - Island Books
2019-04-20 18:00 - 18:30 | Island Books, 3014 78th Ave. SE,, Mercer Island, WA, 98040, United States
Local author, Laila Taji will have 30 minutes of stories, games and songs in Arabic (along with highlighting her book These Chicks/ هالصيصان). It will be very hands on and interactive!
Island Books is Mercer Island’s fabulous independent book store!
Great for all ages but content generally geared towards 18 months – 3 years old.

World Rhythm Festival
2019-04-20 11:00 - 22:00 | Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
The World Rhythm Festival is a full immersion in world music, drum and dance. Join us for a festival packed with an amazing range of world music traditions including African, Middle-Eastern, Latin, Indian, Brazilian, North American, and more. Watch talented artists, learn from masters, connect with many vibrant communities and cultures!

Alsarah & The Nubatones at Meany Center of the Performing Arts
2019-04-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Meany Hall – Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater, 4040 George Washington Lane Northeast, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States
As NPR recently raved, Alsarah and her band The Nubatones create “a lavish, joyful, era-spanning sound full of Arabic-language reflections on identity and survival. It’s modern and nostalgic, timeless and new.”
Called “the new princess of Nubian pop” by The Guardian, Sudanese singer, songwriter and ethnomusicologist Alsarah is passionate about the intersection of culture, music and migration. With a spellbinding voice, she blends East African tunes with Arabic sounds and traditions for a one-of-a-kind style she describes as “East African Retro-Pop.”
Presented by University of Washington at the Meany Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets from $37 on sale now: https://meanycenter.org/tickets/2019-04/production/alsarah-nubatones

Im Hussein in Double Trouble
2019-04-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Kirkland Performance Art Center, 350 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, WA, 98033, United States

Gaadet El Nsaa - A Women's Celebration of Algerian Culture
2019-04-13 17:00 - 22:00 | Shoreline Conference Center, 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline, WA, 98155, United States
This event is sponsored by the nonprofit Washington State Algerian Organization (WASTAA). The Women Chapter is part of WASTAA and was just founded a month ago. They are jumping in right away and have planned this wonderful event celebrating the Algerian culture through music, food and more!
Please attend and bring any women who are interested in learning about the Algerian culture.

Please note that this is open to all women, ages 13 and over and no kids.

World Language Story Time King County Library - Arabic
2019-04-08 11:00 - 11:30 | King County Library System – Redmond, 15990 NE 85th Street Redmond WA 98052, Redmond, WA, 98032, United States
World Language Story Times
Family program, all ages welcome.
Come for an interactive Story Time in Arabic that includes Early Literacy fun with books, songs and finger plays. Speakers of all languages welcome.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Redmond Library.

Arabic Story Time/أوقات قراءة القصة العربية
Monday, April 8, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)

Arabic Story Time/أوقات قراءة القصة العربية
Monday, April 22, 2019 (11:00AM – 11:30AM)

Country for Syria - Benefit for Syrian Families in the NW
2019-04-05 20:00 - 23:00 | Stone Way Café, 3510 Stone Way N, Seattle,, WA, 98103, United States
Proceeds will benefit local Syrian refugee families, with support provided through the
Friends of Salaam Cultural Museum Helping Syrian Refugees.
________________________________________________________________
COUNTRY FOR SYRIA IS AN ISTANBUL-BASED INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COLLECTIVE. WITH MEMBERS HAILING FROM THE US, SYRIA, TURKEY, CZECH REPUBLIC, AND FRANCE, IT’S MISSION IS TO HELP REFUGEES AND THOSE AFFECTED BY CONFLICT.The band blends traditional Middle Eastern music with American Country music. The band’s earnings contribute aid to Syrian refugees and those affected by conflict around the world.
Unfortunately, not all members of the group could make it to Seattle due to Trump’s ongoing Muslim ban. However, the show will feature local musicians from the Seattle area and other special guests!
For more information about Country for Syria:
http://www.countryforsyria.com/music/
April 5th, 2019
Doors: 8pm
Suggested donation: $10-15
________________________________________________________________
Country music has its origins in the American Civil War. Now Syria is in the midst of its own civil war. Their music draws parallels between the musical and lyrical themes of Middle Eastern and American Country music to connect personal experiences of conflict and migration from around the world. Both the Country and Arabic musical traditions share themes of migration, love, loneliness, longing for home, patriotism, faith, and relationship to place. Both tell stories through narrative ballads, through pastoral meditations, by praising folk heroes and through the idealization of a lost way of life.
Country for Syria’s musical mission is one of cultural diplomacy and mutual aid. While in today’s climate, Middle Eastern and American cultures are often seen to as polar opposites, Country for Syria seeks to break down those stereotypes through their music, showing how much we really have in common. Money raised online and at benefit concerts goes to refugees and people affected by the conflict. They do this by providing money directly to refugees, and by playing shows whose proceeds go to organizations whose mission is to help those affected by the conflict. They partner with organizations such as Small Projects Istanbul , Safe Place International, Zaatar NGO, the Ad Dar Center , and Clowns Without Borders . The band also makes regular trips to refugee camps and conflict areas to deliver supplies and donations while playing concerts in solidarity.
