February 2008
A tribute to Nihad, and others!
Back in the mid-1970s, the pioneer Syrian actor Nihad Qal’i quarreled with a drunk officer at a local pub. Theoficer gave him a harsh beating, which left him partially paralyzed. That was big news in Damascus. Unaware of how severe his condition was, Nihad put up with the unbearable pain and went tothe theatre, where along with his co-star Duraid Lahham, they were staging Mohammad al-Maghut’s classic political satire, Ghorba. Qal’i played the character of a lunatic obsessed with traveling toAmerica to escape the ugliness of the Arab World. He is unable to get either a visa or a plane ticket, spending the entire play carrying a suitcase, wandering aimlessly, and waiting for an airplane to fly over his forgotten village, so he can ‘jump on it.’ Unable to cope with the pain, he collapsed during intermission, prompting the doctor to declare to the audience: “Ladies and gentlemen. NihadQal’i performed the first part of this play in partial paralysis!” The audience was stunned—so were the actors who had performed with him on stage. In a standing ovation, the audience cheered for the befallen actor, refusing to collect their money from the box-office, since the rest of the show was canceled.
Face of the Future: Kinda Hibrawi
A young painter of Syrian descendent, Kinda Hibrawi doodles with
words and gives them a soul, a character and dimensions. She brings out the
aesthetics of Arabic calligraphy and expands on its ancient tradition by giving
it a modern twist, after grasping the lush meanings that words hold,
transforming them into vibrant and colorful artwork. Exhibited in group and
solo shows across the US and sought by collectors around the world,
29-years-old Hibrawi’s art work premiered at the 2006 Los Angeles Cultural
Calendar and it is currently represented by the Chiarini Gallery in Santa Ana,
California. Her work is also featured online for the Syrian Culture, Arts and
History Center in Montreal, Canada. Committed to making difference and bringing
beautiful and personalized art to every home, Hibrawi is also running along
with her best friend and partner, Judy Fleenor, their commercial art business,
(Mypopart.com), which specializes in creating affordable, personalized fine art
and prints for the home and office.
Taim Hasan: I dreamt of playing Nizar Qabbani and King Farouk
During the Islamic month of Ramadan, which coincided with September-October 2007, Arab audiences were gripped to their TV screens, watching the historical drama production, “King Farouk.” The life of the controversial last king of Egypt, his overthrow by the Free Officers in 1952, the majestic costumes, the palaces, the plot, and the grand work of the director Hatem Ali all contributed to making “King Farouk” a thundering success. One of the main reasons why “King Farouk” was so popular—and hauntingly realistic—was the memorable performance of its young star, Taim Hasan. Taim, who made it to fame at the turn of the 21st century, had already performed as Syria’s late poet Nizar Qabbani in 2005. He is now among the top ranked actors throughout the Arab World. Enigmatic, handsome, and highly talented, he played the role of Farouk, giving it so much passion to an extent where the image of Taim Hasan and King Farouk have become interchangeable in the minds of Arab viewers worldwide. Acting was never his primary goal, he said, having originally studied law in Syria. Fate, however, brought him to the Higher Academy of Theatrical Arts, where he studied for four years, and started his career in Syrian TV dramas. He does not think of directing at the present, he said, preferring to concentrate on good roles, and has not yet ventured into cinema. When speaking to FORWARD, the 32-year old star came across as a very polite, humble, and ordinary person—very different, in this sense, from the Egyptian King he played on screen. Let us start with “King Farouk.” The role of the last king of Egypt was certainly challenging and aroused a lot of controversy—and admiration—in the Arab World. How were you nominated to play the Egyptian monarch? The director is usually the one who chooses the actors and I was nominated for this role by Hatem Ali. We had worked together before and shared numerous successes; that is why he came to me.
Stand-up Diplomacy!
It’s tough being an Arab in America these days. Security checks
and racial profiling are certainly nothing to laugh about – that is, unless you
are an Arab-American comedian. For the fifth consecutive year, a handful of
Arab-American comedians teamed up for the annual Arab American Comedy Festival
-- under the theme “Arabs Gone Wild”-- for what they call a celebration of
heritage through laughter.
Punishing the Innocent
During the years 2005-2007, the Syrian
Ministry of Health spent 130 million Euro on healthcare products, opening 17
new 200-bed hospitals in rural Syria.
Nearly 50% of the equipment being used were made in the United States.
Due to US-imposed sanctions, however, local suppliers avoided purchasing
American-made products and looked elsewhere for substitutes. End users (being hospital
managers) lost faith in US-products and the ability of US companies to fulfill
their obligations in the Syrian market. The private sector, which currently
accounts for 25% of the healthcare market (estimated to reach 35% by 2009 and
45% by 2010) is also steering away from US-made products
We are still in high demand, with 180,000 students, and 20,000 annual enrollments
Damascus University
is the oldest public university in the entire Middle East.
Even in this highly competitive world, its graduates are still widely
recognized for the caliber of their education. Can you give us a brief
description of the University? What are the challenges that it currently faces?
The Story of Fatina and Adib
On one cold morning in January 1948, a young officer named Adib al-Shishakli came to his wife saying that he was leaving home for a one-week military mission. He took some heavy clothing, bid her farewell, and left.
Sketching their needs!
“You wouldn’t believe it. When
I arrived to Germany
and started looking for my first job, I was panicking. I had one wild question
going through my mind: how would I compete with these professional people with
my very low qualifications? But you know what? I managed!” These were the proud
and relaxed words of Alia Ramadan, describing how she overcame the “fear
factor” that many Syrians face when heading off to the Diaspora. It is a factor
born out of a mediocre education obtained back home, and an environment that
does not support challenge or creative thinking. Alia was once a fine art
student at Damascus
University. After
graduation, she worked for several years with leading local architecture
companies. She then left to Germany,
carrying along her average expertise, and fear from the challenges of working
in Europe. Today Alia works as a designer in
“Der Cs,” a company specialized in unconventional communications and
productions. She quit “fear” by learning, experimenting, exposing herself and
getting involved in this diversified, ever-emerging domain.
The ‘success story’ of DHL Express-Syria
Khulud al-Halabi, a strong minded woman with charm and character, has been the Exclusive Agent and Country Manager for DHL Express-Syria, since 1992. After completing her MBA at EM Lyon in 1977, she worked for 15-years in Paris, irst at the Credit and Loan Department of Banque Libano-Française and later in the Middle East Division of BEFS Engineering. She also founded and managed a company named Logimed sarl, which does specialized market research in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
Gaza plunged into darkness
Israel agreed Monday to relax a blockade of Gaza after fuel shortages
left residents struggling with severe power cuts amid concerns from aid
agencies of a humanitarian crisis.
According to a spokesman from the defense ministry, Israel will allow the entrance of diesel fuel and medications into Gaza beginning Tuesday morning. It closed all border crossings between Israel and Gaza on Friday after days of rocket attacks on southern Israel.