1. Conferences and debates

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Lecture by the Gazan journalist Wael Al Dahdouh at Casa Árabe in Cordoba Play

Lecture by the Gazan journalist Wael Al Dahdouh at Casa Árabe in Cordoba

Published at 16 04,,, 24 2024
The Gazan journalist Wael Al Dahdouh, head of the Al Jazeera office in the city of Gaza and a point of reference for Palestinian and Arab world journalists, will be giving a conference on Monday, April 8 at Casa Árabe's headquarters in Cordoba. The session, organised by the Chair of Conflict Resolution at the University of Cordoba with the support of the Cordoba Provincial Council, will take place on the occasion of Al Dahdouh being awarded the 17th Julio Anguita Parrado International Journalism Prize in the city of Cordoba. The session can be followed live on Youtube in Spanish and Arabic. The jury of the 17th Julio Anguita Parrado International Journalism Prize, organised by the Andalusian Union of Journalists, meeting at the Rectorate of the University of Cordoba, has unanimously decided to award this prize to the Gazan journalist Wael Al Dahdouh. With this award, as well as distinguishing Wael Al Dahdouh's professional career and commitment to the defence of human rights, the jury wishes to give explicit recognition to Gazan journalists, who are suffering extreme violence in the Israeli offensive. In this regard, the jury highlighted that 75% of the journalists killed in 2023 worldwide were from Gaza. Wael Al Dahdouh became known worldwide as a result of his coverage for Al Jazeera after his family was intentionally bombed by Israel on 25 October 2023, killing his wife, son, daughter and 18-month-old grandson. Al Dahdou was in Gaza City on the same day to report on the latest developments when he was informed of his family's death. Hours after that attack, al-Dahdou was back on the air, despite the pain, this time to be interviewed by a colleague, just as he had interviewed so many others before. Dahdouh was also injured in December, when an Israeli strike hit a school in Khan Younis where he and his colleague, Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa, were reporting. Abu Daqqa was killed in the attack. On 7 January, Dahdouh's eldest son, Hamza Dahdouh, also a journalist and cameraman for the Qatari television network, was with other journalists on a road between Khan Younis and Rafah when he was killed by Israeli drone strikes. Just a day before his death, Hamza had shared a post on X praising his father's perseverance. "You are patient, so don't despair." Wael Al Dahdou has since become an icon of the resistance of the Palestinian population of Gaza and how journalism has been a key element in showing the resilience and dignity of a people suffering a massacre unprecedented in history. They call him "Al-Jabal", which in Arabic means "the mountain", for standing tall as tragedy descends on him in the course of the war. Al Dahdouh, 53, was born and raised in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza City. He comes from a Palestinian farming family, according to Al Jazeera. He was still in high school in 1988 when he was arrested by Israeli forces for his involvement in the first Palestinian intifada that broke out in Gaza before spreading to other Palestinian territories. He received his high school diploma inside prison. After spending seven years in Israeli prisons, Al Dahdouh graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1998 with a degree in journalism and media. He tried to travel abroad to complete higher studies, but Israel repeatedly prevented him from leaving Gaza. Eventually, he was able to enter Al-Quds University in Abu Dis in the West Bank, where he obtained a master's degree in Regional Studies in 2007. Dahdouh worked for several local media outlets, including the daily Al-Quds, the Voice of Palestine radio channel and the Sahar satellite channel. In 2003 he joined regional broadcasters, working briefly for Al-Arabiya before joining Al Jazeera. Since 2004 he has reported for the pan-Arab network and runs its Gaza bureau. Dahdouh has reported extensively during each successive Israeli war against the besieged enclave. In 2013, he received the Peace Through Media award at the International Media Awards in London. Photo: Wael Al Dahdouh

ALL VIDEOS IN THIS CATEGORY

  • The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aidShow video

    The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid

    Casa Árabe and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with the cooperation of Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger) and Save the Children, have organized a round table discussion titled “The Regional Dimension of the Syrian Refugee Crisis (I): Socio-economic impact and humanitarian aid.” The objective was to analyze and make evident the regional dimension of the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian conflict, as well as the socio-economic impact it is having on the neighboring countries. It included interventions by Michael Kingsley-Nyinah, director of the UNRWA office in Syria; Jean-Raphäel Poitou, geographic director for the Middle East at Acción contra el Hambre (Action against Hunger); David del Campo, director of International Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at Save the Children, and a representative of Doctors Without Borders (pending confirmation). The debate was moderated by the journalist Carla Fibla. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-syrian-refugee-crisis-socio-economic-impact-and-humanitarian-aid
    Published at 54 11,,, 15 2015
  • Geopolitics and Arab Societies: Keys to upheavalShow video

    Geopolitics and Arab Societies: Keys to upheaval

    On the occasion of the presentation of the books “Islamic State: Geopolitics of chaos” and “What Is Left of the Arab Uprisings?: Activists, changes and essentials,” three journalists analyzed the current situation. The round table included talks by Reem Khalifa, an activist and founder of the newspaper Al Wasat in Bahrain; Javier Martín, delegate of the Efe Press Agency in North Africa and author de “Estado Islámico: Geopolítica del caos” (“Islamic State: Geopolitics of chaos”) and David Perejil, a journalist and the editor of “¿Qué queda de las revueltas árabes?: Activistas, cambios y claves” (“What Is Left of the Arab Uprisings?: Activists, changes and essentials”). The event was presented by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for the Governance Area at Casa Árabe. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/geopolitics-and-arab-societies-keys-to-today’s-upheaval
    Published at 05 22,,, 15 2015
  • The sacred art of Kufic calligraphy: an aesthetic reflectionShow video

    The sacred art of Kufic calligraphy: an aesthetic reflection

    Valérie González, an expert on Islamic visual culture, gave this conference in Casa Árabe. One of the most important forms of artistic expression in Islam is Kufic calligraphy. It was precisely in this form of writing that God’s word in the Qur’an was taken down with devotion at the beginnings of Islam’s history. Valérie González analyzed the role played by writing and calligraphy, and more specifically Kufic writing, as artistic paradigms in Islamic logocentrism at this conference. She examined masterpieces of Kufic calligraphy used in different media, such as books, architecture and objects created by artists, to show how the sacred human act of setting down Divine Revelation in writing gave rise to a sublimating visualization that transcended beyond just religious art. A special emphasis was placed on the Samanid ceramics of the tenth and eleventh centuries, whose wonderful calligraphic decoration blurs the border between the ordinary and the extraordinary, so deeply rooted within the West’s aesthetic consciousness. More info: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/the-sacred-art-of-kufic-calligraphy-an-aesthetic-reflection
    Published at 27 22,,, 15 2015
  • #ArabSpring four years later. Session 4Show video

    #ArabSpring four years later. Session 4

    Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 4: ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS “Creativity and spaces for freedom.” Malu Halasa, writer and editor of the book “Syria Speaks” “The walls speak: art in the streets.” Anahi Alviso, a researcher at the Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa (CEFAS) “People’s theater and collective memory.” Jaouad Essounani, director of the company Dabateatr Moderated by: Nuria Medina, Coordinator of Culture and New Media, Casa Árabe More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues
    Published at 06 17,,, 15 2015
  • #ArabSpring four years later. Session 3Show video

    #ArabSpring four years later. Session 3

    Seminar on “Citizen entrepreneurship, political participation and artistic expression among Arab youths.” SESSION 3: MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS “The importance of discontent: Arab faces and perceptions of injustice.” Middle East Center, associate researcher, Carnegie-Middle East Center “Activism and human rights.” Mohammed al Maskati, consultant and defender of Human Rights, The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights “Mental health in countries affected by conflicts.” Sally Toma, psychologist, therapist and activist. Kazeboon Moderated by: Leila Nachawati, a professor of Communication at the Universidad Carlos III and co-founder of the portal Syria Untold. More information: http://en.casaarabe.es/event/arabspring-cuatro-anos-despues
    Published at 04 17,,, 15 2015