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Syria: Words in freedom
April 21, 20177:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Spanish and Arabic, with simultaneous translation.
Casa Árabe has organized this activity to form part of the twelfth edition of the Autonomous Region of Madrid’s Book Night.
The event, arranged with the cooperation of the Association of Support for the Syrian People, will consist of a recital of poetry about Syria, as both subject and object, through verses by poets of Syrian origin Nouri al-Jarrah, as well as Assem al-Bacha, a Syrian sculptor, poet and writer, and Eduardo Ballán, a Spanish-Syrian human rights activist, doctor, engineer and writer. Presented by Nuria Medina, Casa Árabe’s Culture Coordinator.
In this evening with poets and artists of Syrian origin, there will be an initial presentation by Eduardo Ballán, author of the book Siria, Primavera y los jazmines (Syria, Spring and Jasmine, 2013), who will be reading us a selection of his poems, in which the passion and vigor of his poetry holds such a presence. Then another poetry reading will follow, this time through the words of Syrian sculptor and artist Assem al-Bacha, who was the Director of the Cultural Department of the “El Legado Andalusí” Foundation from 1999 to 2001. Assem al-Bacha will be will be presenting his verses to us in relation with his visual art works, through an audiovisual show that places a highlight on the connections between different art forms. Closing off the event will be Nouri al-Jarrah, the celebrated poet and director of The Center for Arabic Geographical Literature-Exploration Prospects. He will be giving a reading of some of his most famous poems in Arabic. His verses will mark the end of this event filled with Syrian voices and lyrical works.
Recital information sheet
In this evening with poets and artists of Syrian origin, there will be an initial presentation by Eduardo Ballán, author of the book Siria, Primavera y los jazmines (Syria, Spring and Jasmine, 2013), who will be reading us a selection of his poems, in which the passion and vigor of his poetry holds such a presence. Then another poetry reading will follow, this time through the words of Syrian sculptor and artist Assem al-Bacha, who was the Director of the Cultural Department of the “El Legado Andalusí” Foundation from 1999 to 2001. Assem al-Bacha will be will be presenting his verses to us in relation with his visual art works, through an audiovisual show that places a highlight on the connections between different art forms. Closing off the event will be Nouri al-Jarrah, the celebrated poet and director of The Center for Arabic Geographical Literature-Exploration Prospects. He will be giving a reading of some of his most famous poems in Arabic. His verses will mark the end of this event filled with Syrian voices and lyrical works.
Recital information sheet
Illustration by Assem al-Bacha for the book by Eduardo Ballán, “Syria, Spring and Jasmine” (2013).
Nouri al-Jarrah. Born in Syria, al-Jarrah has resided in London since
1986 after being forced to emigrate because of the regime’s repression
in the early eighties. He holds a distinguished position in the world of
Arab poetry. He has had a dozen poetry books published, including The
Boy (1982), Ode to a Voice (1990), and The Seven Days of Time (2016), as
well as many others. His poems have been translated into several
languages.
Assem al-Bacha. A sculptor, poet and writer, al-Bacha is one of the most important contemporary Arab sculptors and has lived in Spain since 1987. He studied at the Damascus School of Philosophy and Fine Arts, later (1977) having earned his university degree at the Surikov Advanced Institute of Plastic Arts in Moscow. He was a style proofreader for the Arab Section at the EFE News Agency.
Eduardo Ballán. A Spanish-Syrian human rights activitist, Ballán has lived in Spain since 1989. He is the son of Syrian emigrants. With a PhD in Road, Channel and Port Engineering (1997, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), he is a professor at the Universidad Camilo José Cela’s Advanced School of Architecture and Technology. He is the author of the book Syria, Spring and Jasmine.
Assem al-Bacha. A sculptor, poet and writer, al-Bacha is one of the most important contemporary Arab sculptors and has lived in Spain since 1987. He studied at the Damascus School of Philosophy and Fine Arts, later (1977) having earned his university degree at the Surikov Advanced Institute of Plastic Arts in Moscow. He was a style proofreader for the Arab Section at the EFE News Agency.
Eduardo Ballán. A Spanish-Syrian human rights activitist, Ballán has lived in Spain since 1989. He is the son of Syrian emigrants. With a PhD in Road, Channel and Port Engineering (1997, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid), he is a professor at the Universidad Camilo José Cela’s Advanced School of Architecture and Technology. He is the author of the book Syria, Spring and Jasmine.