Palestinian journalists Ziad Abbas and Mohammad Omer visit the University of New Mexico March 30 - April 8. And on April 15, Joel Gordon, director of Middle East Studies, University of Arkansas, will speak as a “professor in the field." Abbas speaks on Tuesday, March 30, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in SUB Ballroom A on the UNM campus. Abbas is a native Palestinian refugee from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.
Photo: Ziad Abbas
Abbas is co-founder of the Ibdaa Cultural Center in Dheisheh where he has served as Executive Director since 1994. He has worked with Palestinian and international media and has participated in the production of several documentary films. He recently completed his master’s of in social justice in intercultural relations from the Graduate Institute of the School for International Training. Currently on leave from the Ibdaa Cultural Center, Abbas is currently working with the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a non-profit organization, in Berkeley, Calif.
Omer, award-winning Gaza correspondent, will speak Thursday, April, 8, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. in SUB Ballroom A. He will speak about daily life under siege in Gaza. Omer will describe his interviews with fishermen, flower growers, farmers, students, journalists, mothers and fathers trying to survive. Omer will discuss how Gazans are coping without electricity, water, fuel, sewage treatment, and adequate health care or building materials. Omer has written for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, The Nation, Inter Press Service News Agency and more.
Gordon, widely published and well-respected scholar in the history and culture of the Middle East, is particularly known for his studies of Nasser and Egyptian politics and film. He presents, “Academia, Boycott, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Perspective from a Professor in the Field,” Thursday, April 15 from 7 – 9 p.m. in Fiesta A&B in the Student Union Building.
Gordon will raise key ethical and strategic issues regarding the place of Israeli academia within and in relation to the occupation of Palestine. Discussion includes the growing controversy of the “academy” as a legitimate target of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. This is an exploration, though one scholar’s lens, to see the interplay between the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and academic freedom and responsibility.
*Films – SUB Theatre
Tuesday, March 30, at 1 p.m., the documentary “To See if I’m Smiling,” will be screened. The film is a look at the actions and behavior of female soldiers in the Israel Army, stationed in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Middle Eastern refreshments will be served.
On Monday, April 5 from 1-1:30 p.m., the 8-minute documentary, “Erased-Wiped off the Map,” will be shown, to be followed by discussion. Filmed inside Gaza during the Israeli siege, the film shows the human cost of the attack and captures the emotions experienced during it.
Following, from 1:45-3:30 p.m., the documentary “Promises” will be shown. The film examines the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict from the perspectives of seven children living in Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Israeli neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The discussion following will focus on an update on children in the region.
From 3:30 – 5 p.m., catch “Rana’s Wedding,” a romantic drama about a Palestinian girl who wants to marry the man of her choice. The film shows the human toll of facing barriers and occupation that have become everyday reality for Palestinians.
From 5-6 p.m., watch “The Battle of Durban II: Israel, Palestine & the United Nations,” a documentary about how the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian Conflict disrupted two successive United Nations World Conferences – leaving scores of victims of racism and discrimination voiceless with their stories unheard. A discussion will follow. "The Battle of Durban II” will be rescreened on Thursday, April 8 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 10 from 7-10 p.m., "Voices From Inside: Israelis Speak" and "Reframing the Issue" will be shown, followed by a talk by co-producer Marjorie Wright, and narrator Hazel Kahan, child of Holocaust survivors. A Q & A discussion follows the two films' showings, in Woodward Hall on the UNM campus.
*Schedule is subject to change. E-mail chandlermuf@yahoo.com for updates.
These events are co-sponsored by UNM’s American Studies and Peace Studies Departments in collaboration with the Coalition for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, World Student Alliance, and the Coalition to Stop $30 Billion. For more information, contact Guida Leicester, at chandlermuf@yahoo.com or call 505-246-2231.
Media Contacts: Carolyn Gonzales, (505) 277-5920; cell - (505) 249-4669; e-mail: cgonzal@unm.edu