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Nakba at 73: what lies ahead?

Published at 31 12,,, 21 2021

To commemorate Nakba Day, Casa Árabe and the Diplomatic Mission of Palestine in Spain present this conference with Hanan Ashrawi, political and civil society leader, academic and Palestinian activist. She will be speaking with José Vericat on May 17 at 6 p.m. at our headquarters in Madrid. The event will be broadcast live on Youtube and Facebook Live. 1948 marks the start of the Nakba, “catastrophe” or “disaster” in Arabic, when more than 700,000 Palestinians had to flee from their lands, and hundreds of cities and towns were destroyed or forcibly depopulated. Since then, many UN Resolutions have been disregarded by Israel, which has carried out the construction of illegal settlements and deepened its occupation of the Palestinian territories. Against the odds, the Palestinian people have refused to forget and give up the right of return and have continued to resist throughout the decades. In this conference, organized with the cooperation of the Diplomatic Mission of Palestine in Spain, Hanan Ashrawi will talk about the deep legacy of the Nakba, but also about current Palestinian affairs in the light of the recent crisis in Jerusalem and Gaza. She will also tackle the prospects for future elections and reform in Palestine and the role of the European Union. Hanan Ashrawi will be joining the event through an online connection from Ramallah and will engage in a dialogue with José Vericat, Senior Adviser at the European Institute for Peace. Presented by: Musa Amer Odeh, Ambassador of Palestine in Spain and Pedro Martínez-Avial, Director General of Casa Árabe. Hanan Ashrawi is a distinguished Palestinian leader, legislator, activist, and scholar who served as a member of the Leadership Committee and as an official spokesperson of the Palestinian delegation to the Middle East peace process, beginning with the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991. Making history as the first woman to hold a seat in the highest executive body in Palestine, she was elected as member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 2009 and most recently in 2018. She resigned in 2020. In 1996, Dr. Ashrawi was appointed as the Palestinian Authority Minister of Higher Education and Research. She was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council representing Jerusalem in 1996, and she was re-elected for the “Third Way” bloc ticket in 2006. As a civil society activist, she founded the Independent Commission for Human Rights (1994), MIFTAH, the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (1998) and AMAN, the National Coalition for Accountability and Integrity (1999). She serves on the advisory and international boards of several global, regional and local organizations, and she is the recipient of numerous awards from all over the world, , including the distinguished French decoration, “d'Officier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur” (2016), and several academic accolades, including eleven honorary doctorates from universities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Arab world. José S. Vericat is Senior Adviser at the European Institute for Peace. He’s a seasoned Middle East expert with more than two decades of experience working in conflict zones. Before joining the European Institute of Peace, he was the Carter Center’s Israel-Palestine Country Representative and Field Office Director promoting viable peace between Israelis and Palestinians and inter-Palestinian reconciliation. Previously, he was a Middle East advisor at the International Peace Institute (IPI) influencing policy-making at the UN headquarters, an EU official working on security sector reform in Palestine, and a prize-winning journalist covering the Second Intifada and the Iraq war. He has a PhD in Oriental Studies from Oxford University and an MA in International Relations from Columbia University. More information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/nakba-at-73-what-lies-ahead Photo: Montecruz Foto. Palestine Nakba Day demo in Berlin

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Aula Árabe 3.16. Post-Petroleum Museum and soft power, between crisis and “second life”

On Monday 28 March, the sixteenth conference of the Aula Árabe Universitaria programme will take place in Madrid, given by the art curator Morad Montazami. The session will also be available on Casa Árabe's Youtube channel in Spanish and English. After the invasion of Iraq by the United States and its allies, the National Museum of Iraq was looted in 2003. In the ensuing chaos, over fifteen thousand items were stolen from Baghdad's collections of ancient artefacts, not even counting pieces pilfered from archaeological sites in the vicinity. 16 years after the theft, more than half the loot has since been tracked down, recovered and returned to the museum's collection, where the items can now be viewed by the Iraqi public. The first photographs of the damage show Iraq's pre-Islamic cosmopolitan heritage (Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian etc.) reduced to dust and ashes. In enlightening contrast, the “digitized” version of Mesopotamia and pre-Islamic arts at the Louvre Abu Dhabi represents a reenacting mirror of that archaeological heritage. Crossing the looks of archaeologists, 3D engineers, as well as the customs agents who contributed in recovering the objects, how can we account for soft power museums and nomadic collections in this critical context ? The curator, editor and art historian Morad Montazami will be giving this conference, organised by Casa Árabe in collaboration with the Degree in History of Art and the Master's Degree in History of Spanish Art, UCM. Presented by Susana Calvo, lecturer in History of Art at the university. Moderated by Nuria Medina, Casa Árabe's Cultural Programmes Coordinator. Morad Montazami is an art historian, a publisher and a curator. As director of the platform Zamân Books & Curating, he is committed to transnational studies of Arab, Asian and African modernities. He published several essays on artists such as Zineb Sedira, Walid Raad, Latif al-Ani, Bahman Mohassess, Michael Rakowitz, Éric Baudelaire... He was a curator for Bagdad Mon Amour, Institut des cultures d’Islam, Paris, 2018; New Waves: Mohamed Melehi and the Casablanca Art School, The Mosaic Rooms, London; MACAAL, Marrakech; Alserkal Foundation, Dubai, 2019-2020; Monaco-Alexandria. The Great Detour. World-Capitals and Cosmopolitan Surrealism, Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, 2022. Photo: Joanne Farchakh-Bajjaly, National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad: the looted museum, 2003. Copyright JFB Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/post-petroleum-museum-and-soft-power-between-crisis-and-“second-life”-from-the-iraqi-national-museum-of-baghdad-to-the-louvre-abu-dhabi Credits for the images shown in the presentation: Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeckin collaboration withMedia Farzin.Detailof Alexander Calder’sperformingmobile Orange Fish (1946) atthe TehranMuseum of ContemporaryArt, 2008. Fromthe series‘Cultural Diplomacy: An Art WeNeglect’ (detail), 2007–09. Photo:Ehsan Behmanesh.CourtesyofGalerie Martin Janda, Vienna Collection Petite Planète, éd. Seuil, numéro Iran, 1957 Design graphique et concept de Chris Marker M. Nakhai, Le Pétrole en Iran, éd. Félix, 1938 Anonymes, Faculté des Beaux-arts de l’Université de Téhéran occupé par les groupes étudiants marxistes, 1970-1980 modernité Musée de la Défense sacrée, Téhéran, 2014, Photo Sajed Avini Musée de la Défense sacrée, Téhéran, 2014, Photo Sajed Avini Joanne Farchakh-Bajjaly, Pillages du Musée de Bagdad, 2003 Catalogue du Musée de Bagdad, Département des antiquités, 1975-1976 Catalogue du Musée de Bagdad, Département des antiquités, 1975-1976 (salle centrale) LostTreasuresfromIraq database, Universityof Chicago, Oriental Institute, 2003-2008 Vues d’exposition Bagdad mon amour, Institut des cultures d’Islam, Paris, 2018 LatifAl Ani (Irak), HatjeCantz, 2017 LatifAl Ani, publié dans Iraq Petroleum, années 1970 LatifAl Ani (Irak), HatjeCantz, 2017 Mohamed Melehi, Biennale de Bagdad, 1974 JilaDejam, TehranMuseum of ContemporaryArt, Iran, 1977-1979 Louvre Abu Dhabi, Emirats Arabes Unis, 2017- Manifestation contrele mal logementdevantle muséedu Louvre, Paris, 2019

Published at 59 22,,, 22 2022
Aula Árabe 3.15. Skin in the Game: Being a local Middle Eastern woman journalist

On Monday, March 14, we will be hosting a new session of the Aula Árabe Universitaria program at Casa Árabe’s headquarters, to be given by Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim. The activity, which forms part of Casa Árabe’s Women’s Week, can be watched live on YouTube. Being a freelance journalist in the Middle East and North Africa is a dangerous job,especially when considering the degree of impunity that exists in the region. But being a woman adds several layers of difficulty and many challenges more, including sexism, gender stereotyping and sexual harassment. Female journalists who report on their communities’ issues to the international media cannot escape these challenges or the domestic discrimination they face at home; they must also deal with the post-colonial bias shown by their colleagues and the Western media. Through the experience of Syrian journalist Zeina Erhaim, the issues that hinder the careers and lifelong growth of women journalists in the MENA region will be addressed. The event has been organized with the cooperation of the Dual Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Humanities at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and forms part of the program Aula Árabe Universitaria, as well as the activities forming part of Women’s Week at Casa Árabe. Presented by Leila Nachawati, a professor of Communication at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. The event will be moderated by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Relations Coordinator. Zaina Erhaim is an award-winning Syrian journalist who works as a communications and gender expert with some international organizations in the Middle East and North Africa region. She contributed to three books about journalism and women, including Our Women on the Ground. She worked with the IWPR (Institute for War & Peace Reporting ) as a communications manager for eight years. Prior to that, she was a journalist for the BBC. She writes for different media outlets, such as Newslines Magazines, Open Democracy and Al Modon, as well as others. Erhaim holds a Master’s degree in International Journalism from the City University of London. Photo: Zaina Erhaim Más información: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/worked-to-the-bone-being-an-arab-woman-journalist-in-the-middle-east

Published at 09 10,,, 22 2022
Mémoire et actualité de l'art en Mauritanie

À l'occasion de l'ouverture de l'exposition "Mémoires en mouvement. Art contemporain de Mauritanie", nous organisons cette table ronde avec quatre des artistes participant à l'exposition. Malgré la proximité géographique et les liens historiques et culturels étroits entre l'Espagne et la Mauritanie, la réalité de ce pays, qui appartient à la fois à la sphère culturelle arabe et africaine, est peu connue en Espagne et en Europe. Les possibilités de connaître le travail des artistes de ce pays sahélien ont également été très limitées. Pour combler ce manque de connaissances, Casa Árabe et Casa África organisent conjointement l'exposition "Mémoires en mouvement", qui présente les œuvres de onze artistes dans les domaines de l'huile, de la photographie, de la sculpture et de l'installation. Nous accompagnerons l'ouverture d'une table ronde au cours de laquelle nous analyserons le rôle des artistes et des producteurs culturels en Mauritanie et discuterons de questions transversales pour les créateurs de la région, telles que : quels sont les problèmes les plus importants affectant les institutions culturelles et les artistes ? Comment le pays réagit-il à l'intérêt apparemment croissant pour la création en dehors du contexte de l'Atlantique Nord ? Comment les changements technologiques et la connexion mondiale sont-ils déterminants pour la communauté des artistes en Mauritanie ? Comment les artistes et les producteurs culturels se rattachent-ils à la tradition et à la mémoire de leurs cultures ? parmi d'autres questions. La conversation fut menée par la commissaire de l'exposition, Aicha Janeiro, avec la participation des quatre artistes présents à Madrid pour le vernissage de l'exposition : Oumar Ball, créateur d'un univers animal et végétal fantastique à travers des métaux recyclés qui lui vaut le premier prix de la Biennale de sculpture de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) en 2021 ; Malika Diagana, photographe d'origine sénégalaise qui explore depuis deux ans le " Silence de l'humanité " dans son projet photographique en noir et blanc ; Béchir Malum, une artiste du Liberia dont le travail s'inspire des vicissitudes de la condition humaine, de l'impact du changement climatique et des processus migratoires ; et Amy Sow, une artiste multidisciplinaire et "artiviste" qui, par le biais du centre culturel qu'elle a créé, "Arte Gallé", promeut une multitude d'initiatives communautaires visant à sensibiliser, entre autres, à la lutte contre la violence envers les femmes. Photo: Daouda Corera, de sa série "Everyday Nouakchott" Plus d'infos (en Anglais): https://en.casaarabe.es/event/memory-and-the-current-state-of-art-in-mauritania

Published at 05 02,,, 22 2022
Retail Islamic finance in Ireland: obstacles and opportunities

This round table discussion analyzes the changes undertaken in Ireland in recent years to allow for transactions based on Islamic finance inside that country. Over the last decade, the Irish authorities have introduced several measures to accommodate and regulate Islamic finance activities under Irish law. These measures have focused primarily on taxing certain Islamic financing structures and have been designed to better align their tax treatment with conventional alternatives. While some shortcomings continue to exist in terms of the current treatment of Islamic finance in Irish law, the measures implemented up to now have been welcomed by the industry and help to position Ireland as an economy where Islamic finance activities are encouraged. According to the results of Philip Lee’s 2019 Islamic Finance Survey, there is an overwhelming desire within the Muslim community in Ireland for Islamic mortgages and other financial products. Based on this survey, Simon O’Neill, a partner in the Banking and Finance Unit at Dublin law firm Philip Lee, believes this is a huge investment opportunity in the market. Moreover, given the context created by Brexit, UK-based institutions may lose some of their ability to conduct business in the EU. In this respect, Ireland offers a stable market and a similar legal system with untapped demand for Islamic finance, while allowing these institutions to continue having access to the other EU27 markets. This discussion analyzes the industry’s current status in Ireland and examine the various Islamic mortgage alternatives available, the current taxation of these products, the current barriers to development for retail Islamic finance in Ireland, the room for improvement, and the opportunities and challenges facing Islamic finance in that jurisdiction. Organized within the framework of the SCIEF-Casa Árabe Observatory of Islamic Finance in Spain. Taking part in the round table are Edana Richardson, a professor of Law at Maynooth University, and Simon O’Neill, a Banking and Finance partner at Philip Lee, with moderation by Gonzalo Rodríguez, director of SCIEF (IE University) and an initial reaction by Olivia Orozco, Casa Árabe’s Training and Economic Coordinator. The SCIEF-Casa Árabe Observatory of Islamic Finance in Spain is a group for analysis and consultation that gathers knowledge about current affairs in Islamic finance. It includes the main experts, consultancies, law firms and banking institutions working in or specializing on this subject in Spain. Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/retail-islamic-finance-in-ireland-obstacles-and-opportunities

Published at 47 18,,, 21 2021
(ENGLISH) 26/10 - RAISA PROGRAM "Different but equal"

(ENGLISH) 26/10 - RAISA PROGRAM "Different but equal" Casa Árabe is hosting a meeting of the “Raisa” program, organized by the Women for Africa Foundation on 26 and 29 October at its headquarters in Madrid. It will be bringing together 20 women leaders from African and Mediterranean countries. Women are diverse in general. So are their approaches, perspectives and demands, and above all the environments in which they live, and this inevitably affects their thinking and actions. But there are many things which, despite physical distance, different cultures, beliefs and situations, unite all committed women. Of course, we all want the inequality gap separating men and women to close, and for women to achieve a status of full citizenship all over the world. As part of the “Raisa” program promoted by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEUEC), which is bringing 20 women leaders from 20 African and Mediterranean countries to Spain, the Women for Africa Foundation is carrying out an activity titled ”Different But Equal.” In this frank, open dialogue with Spanish women who are outstanding in their professions or fields of activity on the keys to their diversity and similarity, they will be presenting their own conclusions to us at Casa Árabe on Tuesday, October 26 at 3:30 p.m. This meeting of the “Raisa” program will also be ending at Casa Árabe on Friday, October 29, at 11:30 a.m. at an event where these 20 leading women will discuss the image they have of our country. Further information: https://en.casaarabe.es/event/different-but-equal

Published at 30 27,,, 21 2021