BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//masahat - مساحات - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:masahat - مساحات X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://masahat.no X-WR-CALDESC:Events for masahat - مساحات REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Oslo BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20140330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20141026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20150329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20151025T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20160327T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20161030T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:20170326T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:20171029T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20161010T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20161010T214500 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20161010T170000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200925T202049Z UID:967-1476126000-1476135900@masahat.no SUMMARY:The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble DESCRIPTION:  \nIn collaboration with Film fra Sør\, we invite you to a unique experience with a screening of the documentary “The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble”\, a mini-concert by the virtuoso Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and an exciting panel discussion about music as a universal language. \nThe question of “What is the role of music?” is the starting point for the Silk Road Ensemble\, a group of musicians from around the world who have joined forces to discuss\, compose and play music\, led by the world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The Silk Road Ensemble is an attempt to build bridges across cultures\, foster dialogue and show the music’s liberating power. The film about the Silk Road Ensemble is an audiovisual portrayal of music as a lingua franca. \nIn the film we join the ensemble on an incredible journey in the world of music\, where we get to see and hear tones and instruments from around the globe. Several of the ensemble members have fled their homeland in order to play the music they are passionate about. This is the case for Kinan Azmeh who will come to Oslo to play a mini-concert and participate in a conversation with Abazar Hamid “fribymusiker” in Harstad\, and Alexandra Archetti\, Festival Director of Oslo World Music Festival. Jan Lothe Eriksen from SafeMUSE will moderate the panel. \n  URL:https://masahat.no/event/the-music-of-strangers-yo-yo-ma-and-the-silk-road-ensemble/ LOCATION:Grønland kirke\, Grønlandsleiret 34\, Oslo\, 0190\, Norway CATEGORIES:Film,Musikk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/145946786456fdb658bfdb7.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20161001T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20161001T220000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20161001T160000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211130T135442Z UID:978-1475344800-1475359200@masahat.no SUMMARY:A space to think and imagine Syria DESCRIPTION:Kvelden begynner med såkalte lynforedrag – «lightning talks» om arbeidet\, lidenskapene og aktivismen til de syriske gjestene våre. Formålet med disse foredragene er å vekke fantasien vår og inspirere oss – kan vi forestille oss et annet Syria? Publikum er invitert til å bruke kvelden og det åpne rommet til å bli kjent med talerne våre\, til å ikke bare stille spørsmål\, men også diskutere\, dele historier og opplevelser og se for seg nye muligheter. Etterpå vil den syriske billedkunstneren Razan Sabbagh holde en visuell kunstperformance til Qanun-spilleren Ziad Khawam’s musikk. Interaksjon gjennom delte betraktninger\, samtaler og livemusikk skaper et åpent og levende rom. Velkommen!\n\n\n\nThe evening will open by so-called “lightning talks” by the different speakers about their work\, passion and activism. These talks are meant to inspire us to imagine Syria differently. The audience is invited to use the open space to engage with the speakers\, not only to ask questions\, but also to debate\, tell stories and identify new possibilities. Syrian artist\, Razan Sabbagh will afterwards have a visual arts performance with some action painting\, fused to the music of the Qanun player Ziad Khawam. The vibrant space counts on your interaction through shared reflections\, conversations and live music.\n  \n18:30: Lightning talks: Five short talks by: Karam Nachar\, Marcell Shehwaro\, Iyad El-Baghdadi\, Mohammad Al Saud and Bissan Fakih\n19:30: Poetry reading in Russian by Ivo Spira: Extract from “Requiem” by Anna Andreevna Akhmatova\n20:00 – 20:30 Live drawing by Razan Sabbagh and music by Ziad Khawam \nThis event is part of The Question of Syria 2016 – Syria are… URL:https://masahat.no/event/a-space-to-think-and-imagine-syria/ LOCATION:Ingensteds\, Brenneriveien 9 \, Oslo\, 0182\, Norway CATEGORIES:Musikk,Samtale,Visuell kunst ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/ingensteds.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160930T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160930T200000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160930T163000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T093617Z UID:908-1475260200-1475265600@masahat.no SUMMARY:The Syrian International DESCRIPTION:The idea of a Syria International intends to refocus attention on the agency of Syrians in their struggle and consequently to demand international solidarity and acknowledgement of their rightful and just cause. \nThis panel assesses the isolation of Syrian civilians by identifying those who neglect them\, as well as those rare people who are determined to support them. The intent is on identifying the possibilities for building on existing Syria International solidarity movements around the world\, as well as on questioning the extent to which humanitarian and political efforts to support Syria’s civilian population can be improved and augmented. \nWhy should the world be interested in Syria at all? Is the world interested\, at what level? What are the existing internationalist networks that work with and for Syrians today\, and how effective are they? How can Syria inform a radical critique of classical forms of postcolonial\, anti-imperialist\, and left-wing oppositional movements? \n \nBendik Sørvig is the author of a book on the Syrian uprising which will be published in Norwegian in early 2017. His professional experience covers journalism\, development work and humanitarian aid in Syria and the Middle East throughout the last two decades. \n\n \nRobin Yassin-Kassab is co-author of ‘Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War’ and author of the novel ‘The Road from Damascus’. His journalism and book reviews are collected at www.qunfuz.com \n\n \nLeila Al Shami is a blogger and activist who has worked with the human rights movement in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. She was a founding member of Tahrir­ICN\, a network that connects anti­-authoritarian struggles across the Middle East\, North Africa and Europe. Leila is the co­-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War. \nThe panel is moderated by Bissan Fakih. \n \nBissan Fakih is the Deputy Campaign Director of The Syria Campaign where she runs campaigns related to the protection of civilians in Syria. Her work has focused on breaking the sieges\, supporting the White Helmets and elevating the voices of civilians in Syria trapped between Isis and Assad. \nFor more information on “The Question of Syria – Syria Are…”\, please visit this page. URL:https://masahat.no/event/the-syrian-international/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Syria-International.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160930T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160930T181500 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160930T150000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211130T140634Z UID:902-1475254800-1475259300@masahat.no SUMMARY:Keynote Speech by Mazen Darwish DESCRIPTION:Mazen Darwish\, one of Syria’s most prominent human rights activists\, will give a speech about his experience in Syria before and after the revolution as a human rights advocate. Afterwards\, Darwish will be interviewed by the Norwegian journalist and author Åsne Seierstad. \n  \n \nMazen Darwish is a Syrian lawyer and free speech advocate\, and the president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression\, founded in 2004. In 2011. News organizations\, including Reuters and the Associated Press\, have described Darwish as one of Syria’s most prominent activists. Mr Darwish was imprisoned by the Syrian regime from February 2012 to August 2015. He was awarded the 2014 PEN International Pinter prize and the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on World Press Freedom Day. \n  \nFor more information on “The Question of Syria – Syria Are…”\, please visit this page. URL:https://masahat.no/event/keynote-speech-by-mazen-darwish/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/mazen-010.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160930T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160930T140000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160930T100000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T093205Z UID:920-1475236800-1475244000@masahat.no SUMMARY:Roundtable: Politics of Humanitarian Aid in Syria DESCRIPTION:On September 30\, the Syrian Peace Action Centre (SPACE)\, the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS) and Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) will host a roundtable discussion on the Politics of Humanitarian Aid in Syria. This event is for invited guests. \nBackground\nDelivering humanitarian aid in conflict situations has always been difficult. Syria is proving to be no exception. This panel aims to examine the contesting reality of politics and humanitarian principles with regards to aid distribution in Syria. \nDespite their remarkable resilience and determination\, Syrian aid workers are often criticized by international actors for lack of compliance with humanitarian principles — specifically for mixing politics with humanitarian work. Additionally\, Syrian aid organizations are perceived to be lacking the institutional capacity\, skills and operational standards to respond to such complex humanitarian emergencies. Against the changing battle lines and shifting alliances on the ground and between external powers\, UN agencies and international NGOs are faced with a difficult task as they start to establish and expand their partnership with local actors operating in areas where international staff has no access. \nConversely\, Syrian civil society groups have repeatedly expressed skepticism and mistrust towards some international aid organizations\, especially the UN agencies\, for the way they are implementing humanitarian principles. This criticism has materialized into a report published by the advocacy group The Syrian Campaign in June 2016\, as well as a comprehensive investigation by The Guardian published in August 2016. The report accuses the UN of jeopardizing their impartiality\, neutrality and independence by working closely with the Syrian government and concentrating their largest humanitarian efforts in the government-controlled areas. \nNotwithstanding the Syrian cross-border response’s heavy dependence on local aid groups\, Syrians deplore being used as subcontractors rather than equal partners\, bearing an unfair share of risks and lacking contextualized and flexible funding approaches adopted by donors. \nIn the conflicting perceptions about the possibilities and limits of humanitarian aid\, local Syrian discourse remains disconnected from its international counterparts. Such a disconnect has a negative impact on the civilian population and fosters mutual distrust among key humanitarian actors. This has culminated in 73 Syrian aid groups announcing the suspension of cooperation with the UN on 8 September\, 2016. \nNorway has been at the forefront to both provide and politically coordinate humanitarian assistance for Syria. Moreover\, its principled and trust-based approach enables the Norwegian donor community to mediate between actors representing the different sides of the debate\, and to leverage accountability of all relevant stakeholders. \nThe roundtable panel will try to address these questions: \n\nHow is it possible to maintain a neutral and impartial space for humanitarian aid in Syria?\nHow do politics influence the priorities of the largest UN assistance operation in decades? Whose responsibility is it to enforce and adhere to the humanitarian principles?\nWhat role can Norwegian donors and organizations play to restore the trust between Syrian aid organizations and UN agencies?\nHow can Norwegian donors and organizations strike the balance between strengthening and institutionalizing their Syrian local partners to fulfil their (often politically-loaded) vision\, while ensuring adherence to international humanitarian standards?\n\nProgramme\nPresentation: Bissan Fakih (The Syria Campaign) \nPresentation: Reinoud Leenders (King’s College London) \nPresentation: Marcell Shehwaro (Kesh Malek) \nComments: Kathrine Raadim (Norwegian People’s Aid) \nComments: MFA representative (tba) \nChair: Marte Heian-Engdal (PRIO) \nNote: Participation in this event will be by invitation only.\n\nSpeakers\n \nBissan Fakih (Deputy Director\, The Syria Campaign) runs campaigns related to the protection of civilians in Syria. Her work is focused on breaking the sieges\, supporting the White Helmets and elevating the voices of civilians in Syria trapped between ISIS and Assad government forces. She is the author of the report accusing the UN of taking sides inside Syria\, which involved dozens of interviews with current and former UN staff and humanitarian workers inside Syria. \n  \n \nReinoud Leenders (PhD\, SOAS) is Reader in International Politics and Middle East Studies in the War Studies Department at King’s College London. His work deals with the political economy of corruption\, authoritarian governance\, refugee issues\, and conflict in the Middle East including Syria. He has been studying the UN’s handling of money and local partnerships in Syria. Leenders contributed to The Guardian’s recent investigation about the tens of millions of US dollars funneled by the UN to companies and agencies owned by or directly linked to Syrian regime officials. \n  \n \nMarcell Shehwaro (Director\, Kesh Malek) manages Kesh Malek\, a Gaziantep-based Syrian organization with over 300 staff members inside Syria\, running advocacy and educational projects in Aleppo and Idlib. Shehwaro participated in many regional and international conferences and panel discussions about education\, activism and the Syrian civil society\, including the NGO conference that preceded the Supporting Syria London conference in February 2016. URL:https://masahat.no/event/roundtable-politics-of-humanitarian-aid-in-syria/ LOCATION:PRIO\, Hausmanns gate 3 \, Oslo\, 0186\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/politics-hum-aid.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160929T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160929T200000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160929T163000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211130T140421Z UID:890-1475173800-1475179200@masahat.no SUMMARY:Misreading Syria: Sectarian Secularism DESCRIPTION:Persistent claims that the Syrian regime is “non-sectarian” result from a failure to distinguish between sectarianism as an explicit ideology\, and sectarianism as an often unspoken technique of power. Whereas the Assad family has generally purported to act in the name of “national unity”\, and accordingly minimised discursive expressions of sectarianism\, its actual practices throughout the last five decades have consisted in the systematic manipulation of sectarian divides for the purpose of regime survival. \nThis panel will discuss sectarianism and secularism in Syria by revisiting the nature and policies of the Syrian regime pre-2011 as well as the trajectory of the Syrian revolution from day until the present day. The panel will also reflect on the discourse and ideologies of the different political and armed groups involved in the conflict. \n  \n \n  \nBjørn Olav Utvik is Professor of Middle East Studies and Head of the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages at the University of Oslo. \n  \n  \n\n  \nMarcell Shehwaro is Director of Kesh Malek; a Syrian grassroots organization. The organization has over 300 staff working in northern Syria. Marcell is a renowned activist who was at the forefront of the peaceful protests since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011. She lived in the opposition-controlled Aleppo neighborhoods for almost two years before she had to flee to Turkey. Based in Gaziantep\, she keeps a strong contact with the activists and aid workers who are still in her home city\, Aleppo. Shehwaro has participated in various key conferences about civil society\, justice and activism in Syria. \n  \n\n  \nThomas Pierret is a Lecturer in Contemporary Islam at the University of Edinburgh.  He earned his PhD in Political sciences at Sciences Po Paris and the University of Louvain\, and he occupied postdoctoral positions at Princeton University and the Zentrum Moderner Orient\, Berlin.  He is the author of Religion and State in Syria. The Sunni Ulama from Coup to Revolution (Cambridge University Press\, 2013). \n  \n  \n\n  \nThe panel will be moderated by Bendik Sørvig. \n \nBendik Sørvig is the author of a book on the Syrian uprising which will be published in Norwegian in early 2017. His professional experience covers journalism\, development work and humanitarian aid in Syria and the Middle East throughout the last two decades. \n  \n  \n  \n  \nFor more information on “The Question of Syria – Syria Are…”\, please visit this page. URL:https://masahat.no/event/misreading-syria-sectarian-secularism/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/assad-praying.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160929T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160929T180000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160929T150000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T092944Z UID:880-1475168400-1475172000@masahat.no SUMMARY:Syria: between political catastrophe and cultural resilience DESCRIPTION:While the Syrian war seems to embody all that is complex\, alien\, and thus incomprehensible about the Middle East\, the five-year-old brutal conflict can in fact be explained through a set of global historical factors that emanate from the world made by Europe in the wake of World War One. This talk will shed light on some of these global factors and their local manifestations\, all while emphasising their inherently contradictory nature: destabilising Syrian politics to the point of disaster\, while generating much cultural angst and productivity. \n  \nKaram S. Nachar is the executive director of AlJumhuriya.net\, an online magazine that covers Syrian politics and culture. He is also a Lecturer at the Department of International Relations at Isik University\, Istanbul. Prior to assuming these two positions\, Nachar worked on a PhD in Modern History at Princeton University\, with focus on Cultural and Intellectual History of Modern Syria and Lebanon. He also holds in a Masters in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University\, and B.A. in Political Science from the American University of Beirut. \nModerated by Rana Issa \n  Rana Issa is a literary historian focusing on Levantine and translated literatures. She is interested in the relationship between literature and power. Rana is based in Oslo and is a co-founder of SPACE. \nFor more information on “The Question of Syria – Syria Are…”\, please visit this page. URL:https://masahat.no/event/syria-between-political-catastrophe-and-cultural-resilience/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cinema-1950s.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160522T203000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160522T223000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160522T183000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T094525Z UID:514-1463949000-1463956200@masahat.no SUMMARY:Salam to Aleppo – Concert with Bab Assalam DESCRIPTION:Join us for an intimate concert of Jazz-influenced\, Sufi-inspired music with Bab Assalam \n  \nBab Assalam (the gate of peace) is the meeting of two Syrian musicians\, Khaled Aljaramani (oud and vocals) and his brother Mohanad Aljaramani (percussion and vocals) with French clarinetist Raphaël Vuillard. They have been playing since 2005\, with initial support from the French Cultural Centre in Aleppo. Since then\, they have played in the Middle East\, Africa and Europe. They have had outstanding concerts in the Opera House in Damascus\, Aleppo Citadel\, Kuwait International Festival\, Summertime in Nantes\, among others. \nBab Assalam was born in Syria\, but today\, the two Syrian brothers live in exile\, in Lyon\, but their voyage towards the gate of peace\, towards Aleppo\, will continue. \nListen to Bab Assalam songs on Spotify. \n \nThis concert is part of the Syrian Cultural Caravan – Oslo 20 – 22 May. For more information\, please see: https://masahat.no/syrian-cultural-caravan/ URL:https://masahat.no/event/concert-bab-assalam/ LOCATION:Caféteatret\, Hollendergata 8\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0190\, Norway CATEGORIES:Musikk ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/TRIO2-e1536691353171.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160520T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160520T213000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160520T170000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210227T212722Z UID:757-1463770800-1463779800@masahat.no SUMMARY:Art night at Kunstplass [10] DESCRIPTION:Join us for an informal art gathering at Kunstplass [10]! \nBy Sulafa Hijazi \nSulafa Hijazi\, Syrian visual artist and director\, will present some of her work and talk about the concept behind it\, before and after the revolution. \nAfter that we will listen to readings from “The Guide for Using Life” written by the Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji who was given two-year prison sentence for “violating public modesty” in Egypt. \nThen we will turn to cinema and watch short films from Syria curated by the Syrian Cultural Caravan\, including “A Silent Cinema (2001)” by Mayer Al-Roumi\, “Step by Step (1978)” by Ossama Mohammed and “Blue-Grey (2002)” by Mohamad Al Roumi. \nInvite your friends on Facebook! \n— This event is part of the Syrian Cultural Caravan URL:https://masahat.no/event/art-night-at-kunstplass-10/ LOCATION:Kunstplass\, Akersgata 1\, Oslo\, 0158\, Norway CATEGORIES:Film,Visuell kunst ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/sulafahijazi.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160520T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160522T180000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160520T090000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210227T212001Z UID:636-1463742000-1463940000@masahat.no SUMMARY:Syrian Cultural Caravan DESCRIPTION: URL:https://masahat.no/event/syrian-cultural-caravan/ LOCATION:Youngstorget\, Youngstorget\, Oslo\, 0181\, Norway CATEGORIES:Visuell kunst ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/SyrianCaravanThum.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160218T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160218T190000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160218T170000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200925T204039Z UID:447-1455818400-1455822000@masahat.no SUMMARY:Why is Russia Bombing Syrians? - HRHW 2016 DESCRIPTION:The Syrian sky is crowded with jet fighters from different corners of the world. While none of these is contributing to solving the Syrian conflict\, Russia has been specifically accused by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of targeting civilians\, using cluster bombs and committing atrocities that amount to war crimes. \nIn September 2015 Russia started its military intervention in Syria to allegedly fight ISIS\, but numerous reports suggest otherwise. Who is Russia targeting in Syria? How is the Russian intervention shaping the humanitarian and political scene in Syria? What are the implications of Russia’s support of Assad on stability in Syria\, the region and Europe? Can stability and security be established without committing to accountability and justice and safeguarding the basic rights of the Syrian people? What guarantees a lasting peace in Syria? \nPanellists: \n\nKai Kverme: Former researcher at the Center for Islamic and Middle East Studies\, University of Oslo\nIbrahim Olabi: Founder of the Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP)\, an organisation engaging with actors in Syria to promote compliance with International Humanitarian Law\nJohn Peder Egenæs: Secretary General of Amnesty International Norway\n\nThe panel will be moderated by Tine Gade\, Senior Lecturer in Middle East Studies at the University of Oslo. \nSee the full program of Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Festival on www.hrhw.no URL:https://masahat.no/event/why-is-russia-bombing-syrians/ LOCATION:Cinemateket\, Dronningens gate 16\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0105\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Russia-panel-e1454508721888.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160218T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20160218T180000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20160218T160000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200925T204026Z UID:443-1455814800-1455818400@masahat.no SUMMARY:Syria Shorts: Portraits from Dystopia - HRHW 2016 DESCRIPTION:Love during the Siege \nThey come in sinking boats. They hide in asphyxiating underbellies of trucks. Their lives are destroyed and their suffering left them with lack of means and choices. But along with the piece of land upon which they live\, they have access to a camera\, and some of them are making films. Through an hour of short films\, this session will introduce the daily struggle to survive and to resist by ordinary Syrian civilians. Through a mix of documentary and poetic expressions\, these films have been produced by people who dare to continue to hope\, to love\, and to stay alive. \nMeet Um Wassim and her family in their daily struggle to continue to live and love under the siege in the film Love during the Siege. Listen to Abu Al Tayeb\, in Sage\, narrating this period of uncertainty where only the sage tea is left to the Palestinians as a rite of belonging. Go on a walk in the streets of Damascus with Azza through a camera hidden in her purse\, in A Day and a Button. Follow the journey of the Syrian-Armenian opera singer Kevork from Armenia to Syria to Lebanon\, in the film 1915. \nThe films will be introduced by the Syrian Peace Action Centre (SPACE). \nSee the full program of Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Festival on www.hrhw.no URL:https://masahat.no/event/syria-shorts-portraits-from-dystopia/ LOCATION:Cinemateket\, Dronningens gate 16\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0105\, Norway CATEGORIES:Film ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Love-during-the-siege.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150926T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150926T193000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150926T163000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T092907Z UID:154-1443292200-1443295800@masahat.no SUMMARY:Performing Democracy: Syrian Art Practices Today DESCRIPTION:Even before the revolution broke out\, but certainly after it\, artistic practices in Syria often centered around democratizing the access to performative and artistic spaces. In the face of collective political calamity\, a “democratization” of images takes place. This democratization\, as Susan Sontag argued\, turns the Event or calamity into an object that can be possessed. Indeed this is the case\, however the unprecedented scale of the democratization of artistic space in Syria forces us to reflect further on the function of this objectification of the Event. To reflect on this issue\, this panel invites the writer and theater practitioner Mohammad Al Attar and film critic Zaher Omareen to discuss the role of aesthetics in the political struggle in Syria. As Omareen will discuss through his work with “filmer cinema\,” the small mobile film documentaries that are being produced in Syria today shown a remarkable vitality in aesthetic form that puts to question our most basic assumptions about aesthetic value.  Whereas Omareen calls them filmer image makers\, Al Attar subverts the entire theatrical structure by rearranging the relationship between the audience and the actors. As theater becomes democratized to allow the performances of the public at large\, Al Attar reflects on the role of theater in the defiance of despair and in the work of building testimonies. Through their different media and production techniques\, Omareen and Al Attar will reflect on how democracy is performed in Syria today\, and together with them we expect to question such stable constellations as artist\, spectator\, and stage. This line of questioning will bring us closer to Syrian artistic expression and will allow us to reflect on basic\, and enduring concepts about the relationship of art to politics. \n  \nMohammad Al Attar (Damascus\, 1980) is a Syrian playwright and dramaturge. His theatrical works like: ‘Withdrawal’ \, ‘Samah’ \, ‘Online’\, ‘Could You Please Look into the Camera?’\, ‘A Chance Encounter’\, and ‘Antigone of Syria’ \, have been performed in Damascus\, London\, New York\, Seoul\, Berlin\, Brussels\, Edinburgh\, Tunisia\, Athens\, Beirut\, and elsewhere. He has written for numerous magazines and newspapers\, with a special focus recently on the Syrian Revolution. \nZaher Omareen is a Syrian documentarist and researcher\, recently featured in the Victoria and Albert’s exhibition Disobedient Objects and in the British Council – London’s Third Space exhibition. He is co-editor of Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline (Saqi Books\, 2014)\, and his articles and short stories have been published in English and Arabic. He curated several exhibitions of Syrian uprising art in Amsterdam\, Copenhagen and London. He is a PhD candidate in contemporary documentary cinema and new media at Goldsmiths College\, London. \nThe panel is moderated by Rana Issa URL:https://masahat.no/event/performing-democracy-syrian-art-practices-today/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/11948002_10152987089081502_408818771_n.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150926T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150926T180000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150926T150000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T092806Z UID:153-1443286800-1443290400@masahat.no SUMMARY:The Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution DESCRIPTION:“There is no political power without control of the archive\, if not of memory. Effective democratization can always be measured by this essential criterion: the participation in and the access to the archive\, its constitution\, and its interpretation” Jacques Derrida \nSince March 2011\, Syria has witnessed deep cultural mutation; forms of expressions have evolved trying to respond to the eventful Syrian uprising. Artistic and cultural production have been a vital tool of political resistance\, and so is archiving this production. \nWhat is the Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution? What are the characteristics of ‘expression’ in times of tyranny and freedom? How do socio-political and cultural factors affect ‘expression’? How do we see the change on people’s ‘expression’ and behaviour since 2011?  What would be the role of memory in the future? What is the link between justice and memory? \n  \n  \nSana Yazigi is a graphic designer graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Damascus University. She founded the bilingual monthly cultural magazine “The Cultural Diary”\, covering the cultural scene in Damascus and other Syrian cities between 2007 and 2012. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of the website The Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution since 2013. She is also the initiator of ALWAN art therapy initiative for Syrian refugee children in Beirut-Lebanon since 2013. URL:https://masahat.no/event/the-creative-memory-of-the-syrian-revolution/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/creative-memory-conference1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150925T203000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150925T220000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150925T183000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T092722Z UID:152-1443213000-1443218400@masahat.no SUMMARY:Our Terrible Country - Film Screening DESCRIPTION:Our Terrible Country’ takes us on the perilous journey of Yassin Haj Saleh\, a well-known Syrian intellectual and dissident\, and the young photographer Ziad Homsi who travel together in an arduous and dangerous route from the liberated area of Douma/Damascus to Raqqa in northern Syria\, only to find themselves eventually forced to leave their home country for a temporary exile in Turkey. \nWhile Yassin was detained in 1980 at the age of twenty\, and remained imprisoned for 16 years\, he is also one of the few intellectuals who participated clandestinely in the Syrian uprising since its earliest days in 2011. However\, by mid-2013\, Yassin has to leave Damascus together with his wife Samira for the liberated city of Douma in the Eastern Ghouta\, where he meets the young filmmaker Ziad Homsi. \nGiven their encounter\, the idea of a filmed portray on Yassin develops between Ziad and Ali Atassi\, a Syrian filmmaker based in Beirut. But quickly\, a deep bond develops between the Syrian intellectual and the photographer from two different generations\, based on which Ziad decides to accompany and film Yassin on a difficult and dangerous journey towards Northern Syria. And thus\, the initial portray of Yassin turns into a film about the relationship between two generations who have been involved\, each in their own way\, since the beginning of the Revolution\, and reveals respectively their hopes\, deceptions and defeats. \nEn route to liberated Raqqa\, Yassin discovers that his hometown is under the control of the extremist Islamist organization ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)\, the organization that had kidnapped his two brothers.  Upon Yassin and Ziad’s arrival in Raqqa\, Ali joins them as to capture the developing relationship between the two. But given the brutality of both\, the Syrian regime and ISIS\, Yassin finds himself compelled to abandon his home town and to flee to Istanbul\, his place of reluctant and temporary exile\, while Ziad is arrested by ISIS on his way back south to Douma\, spending more than a month in prison\, after which he\, too\, leaves for Turkey. \nLiving in Turkey\, Yassin continues to pursue his reflection and analysis of Syrian political life. In exile and during the shooting of the film\, Yassin learns that his wife\, Samira Khalil\, was abducted in Douma on 10 December 2013\, at the same time as the human rights lawyer Razan Zeitouneh and two other activists. \nThe shooting of the film took more than a year in a number of regions in Syria and Turkey. The film\, and the fate of its characters\, represents the stages of the Syrian Revolution\, from its pacifist beginnings to its militarization\, the bombardment and destruction of cities by the Syrian Regime\, and the emergence of extremist Islamist currents and their quest to take hold of the revolution.\nProduction: Bidayyat Inhouse production\nProduction Year: 2014 \nSource: Bidayyat URL:https://masahat.no/event/our-terrible-country/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Film ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Our_terrible_country_2.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150925T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150925T200000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150925T170000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T093059Z UID:151-1443207600-1443211200@masahat.no SUMMARY:Narratives of Survival DESCRIPTION:One of the most important formative experiences for the Syrian youth in the past four years is the emergence of an active civil society. The concept of civil society in Syria was virtually nonexistent before 2011 under the Assad’s dictatorship. But as the Syrian uprising started\, the explosion of self-expression mediums turned with time into a multitude of active\, cross-cutting grassroots groups that sprung up throughout Syria. Faced with an increasingly complex reality\, these groups had to change their proactive course to reactive in response to the pressing humanitarian needs of the local communities while having to survive Assad’s bombs from the sky and extremists’ threats on the ground. All of this means that Syrians have gained\, and are still gaining\, a significant experience that is worth sharing\, developing and supporting\, and that the active civil society is yet another manifestation of the on-going uprising. \nThis panel provides a general snapshot on life at the local level during the conflict in Syria. In between state-failure\, war economy and a “conflict society”\, triggered by the country’s dire humanitarian crisis\, multiple actors have stepped in to fill in the void. These include Youth Networks\, civil society organisations\, Local Councils\, Sharia-based institutions\, Muslim Brotherhood affiliates\, Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party structures\, and the jihadist groups\, Jabhat al-Nusra and Daesh (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – ISIS). The discussion will build on a case study of civil society activism and local governance dynamics in Aleppo from years 2011-2014. In particular\, the experience of a grassroots Syrian organization\, “Kesh Malek” will be highlighted as an example of the coping strategies and changed strategic directions that the Syrian civil society actors were forced to adopt in light of the rapidly changing context in Syria. \n  \n \nMarcell Shehwaro is an activist and blogger from Aleppo and the Executive Manager of Kesh Malek Organization. Through her organization\, Shehwaro is working on promoting children’s rights in the seven schools that the organization runs in Aleppo. She initiated with other activists the coalition of “Shamel” for Syrian civil society organizations. Shehwaro has a bachelor’s degree in Dentistry\, and a master’s degree in Human Rights and Cultural Diversity from the University of Essex\, UK. Shehwaro has published a series of blogs on Global Voices capturing her life in Aleppo after the revolution and until she became exiled in Turkey. \n  \nRana Khalaf is independent researcher and consultant. She is also a research fellow with the Centre for Syrian Studies at the University of Saint Andrews. Her current research focuses on conflict\, governance\, civil-society\, youth and the neoliberal peace; it geographically concentrates on the non-government controlled parts of Syria. The co-founder of two civil society movements\, Rana has been heavily involved in grassroots work. This has supported her authorship of several key publications on Syria that seek to bridge the gap between academia and the world of civil society\, activism and policy-making. For more information\, visit her Academia Page. \nThe panel is moderated by Christian Ruge. URL:https://masahat.no/event/narratives-of-survival/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/11401040_967709173264009_835688962141622203_n.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150925T170000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150925T183000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150925T150000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T092634Z UID:150-1443200400-1443205800@masahat.no SUMMARY:What Kind of Support Do Syrians Want? DESCRIPTION:The picture in Syria today looks increasingly gloomy\, especially for those watching from afar. What was widely recognized as an uprising for shared humanitarian values\, is no longer seen as such. As the situation became intractably complicated\, faulty generalizations and simplifications emerged\, and the gloomy picture was\, consequently\, obscured. Nonetheless\, many Syrians still believe in the revolution and ask for support from their counterparts around the world. \nHow would we define the situation in Syria today? Are there still any revolutionary characteristics in the middle of the ongoing war and all regional and international interventions? Did the revolution manage to change something in the society? Can we talk about positive change when we are faced with the destruction we see in Syria today on all levels? What kind of support do Syrians living inside Syria\, in refugee camps and in exile\, want? \n  \nMohammad Al Attar (Damascus\, 1980) is a Syrian playwright and dramaturge. His theatrical works like: ‘Withdrawal’ \, ‘Samah’ \, ‘Online’\, ‘Could You Please Look into the Camera?’\, ‘A Chance Encounter’\, and ‘Antigone of Syria’ \, have been performed in Damascus\, London\, New York\, Seoul\, Berlin\, Brussels\, Edinburgh\, Tunisia\, Athens\, Beirut\, and elsewhere. He has written for numerous magazines and newspapers\, with a special focus recently on the Syrian Revolution. \n\n\nRana Khalaf  is independent researcher and consultant. She is also a research fellow with the Centre for Syrian Studies at the University of Saint Andrews. Her current research focuses on conflict\, governance\, civil-society\, youth and the neoliberal peace; it geographically concentrates on the non-government controlled parts of Syria. The co-founder of two civil society movements\, Rana has been heavily involved in grassroots work. This has supported her authorship of several key publications on Syria that seek to bridge the gap between academia and the world of civil society\, activism and policy-making. For more information\, visit her Academia Page. \n\n  \n\nYassin al-Haj Saleh   is one of Syria’s most prominent intellectuals and political dissidents. In 1980\, while studying medicine in Aleppo University\, he was arrested by Hafez al-Assad regime because of his political activism. He remained in prison for 16 years (1980–1996). He returned to medical school upon his release\, graduated in 2000\, but never practiced medicine\, instead he turned to writing. Yassin al-Haj Saleh writes on political\, social and cultural subjects relating to Syria and the Arab world. He has authored and edited five books about Syria. He is a co-founder of the Syrian online periodical “al-Jumhuriya” and the Syrian Cultural House in Istanbul “Hamisch”. He is a recipient of the Prince Claus Award for 2012. \n\nThe panel is moderated by Ziad Majed. URL:https://masahat.no/event/what-kind-of-support-do-syrians-want/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/CKbS-sjW8AAfnZb.jpglarge.jpeg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150924T173000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150924T204500 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150924T153000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T094205Z UID:136-1443115800-1443127500@masahat.no SUMMARY:Palestinization of Syrian Refugees - Panel and film DESCRIPTION:The situation for the refugees has become increasingly present in the Norwegian and European media over the last weeks and months. However\, the debate about the refugees is still being repeatedly depoliticized and reduced into a question of numbers only.\nIn this debate we will take as a point of departure the assertion that the influx of refugees is not the core of the problem; rather it is the outcome of a distorted world order.\nWe want to approach the discussion about the refugees by posing critical political and moral questions about the current global state of affairs\, immigration laws and the grave injustices that contribute to worsening the crisis\, with a special focus on the Syrian refugees’ case and the European and Norwegian response to these questions.\nWhy is the metaphor Palestinization of Syrian refugees relevant? What are the historical commonalities between the Palestinian refugees and Syrian refugees today? How do the refugee laws in neighboring countries affect the living conditions of Syrian refugees? How is the political debate in Norway framing the issue of Syrian refugees? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in the panel. \nHanne Heszlein-Lossius Medical doctor currently an intern doctor at Haraldsplass sykehus in Bergen. Henne also has a bachelor in journalism. She was part of a group of health care workers who started “Helsehjelp for papirløse” i Bergen\, a medical centre that provides medical care for immigrants in Bergen (papirløse innvandrere)\, also working there as a volunteer doctor. She started the Facebook page “Har du plass til en ekstra i hjemmet ditt” in May 2015 as a response to the ongoing debate on how Norway should help Syrian refugees. \n\n\nLine Khateeb is a Norwegian-Palestinian and was in the period 2008-2012 head of the Palestine Committee of Norway. The last three years she has been working in the Norwegian Organisation for Asylum seekers (NOAS)\, giving legal assistance and guidance to asylum seekers and doing policy work. She has a master in Middle Eastern studies from the University of Oslo. \n\n\nŞenay Özden is a cultural anthropologist and a researcher from Turkey. Her research areas include international migration\, refugees\, Turkish state’s refugee policies\, politics of humanitarian aid. She has numerous articles and reports published on Syrian refugees in Turkey. She is one of the founders of the Syrian Cultural House in Istanbul\, “Hamisch”. \n\nYassin al-Haj Saleh is one of Syria’s most prominent intellectuals and political dissidents. In 1980\, while studying medicine in Aleppo University\, he was arrested by Hafez al-Assad regime because of his political activism. He remained in prison for 16 years (1980–1996). Yassin al-Haj Saleh writes on political\, social and cultural subjects relating to Syria and the Arab world. He has authored and edited five books about Syria. He is a co-founder of the Syrian online periodical “al-Jumhuriya” and the Syrian Cultural House in Istanbul “Hamisch”. He is a recipient of the Prince Claus Award for 2012. \n\nThe panel will be moderated by Jørgen Jensehaugen. \n\n\nThe panel is followed by a screening of On the Bride’s SideA Palestinian poet and an Italian journalist meet five Palestinians and Syrians in Milan who entered Europe via the Italian island of Lampedusa after fleeing the war in Syria. They decide to help them complete their journey to Sweden – and hopefully avoid getting themselves arrested as traffickers – by faking a wedding. With a Palestinian friend dressed up as the bride and a dozen or so Italian and Syrian friends as wedding guests\, they cross halfway over Europe on a four-day journey of three thousand kilometres. This emotionally charged journey not only brings out the stories and hopes and dreams of the five Palestinians and Syrians and their rather special traffickers\, but also reveals an unknown side of Europe – a transnational\, supportive and irreverent Europe that ridicules the laws and restrictions of the Fortress in a kind of masquerade which is no other than the direct filming of something that really took place on the road from Milan to Stockholm from the 14th to the 18th of November 2013. URL:https://masahat.no/event/palestinization-of-syrian-refugees-debate-and-film/ LOCATION:Cinemateket\, Dronningens gate 16\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0105\, Norway CATEGORIES:Film,Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2014-09-04-bride-590.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150924T123000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150924T140000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150924T103000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250308T094055Z UID:130-1443097800-1443103200@masahat.no SUMMARY:Assad’s Jihadist Allies DESCRIPTION:While Media and western observers have mainly focused on the Sunni Jihadists moving to Syria to fight Assad or to join the “Islamic State” and fight Syrian opposition factions\, other Jihadists – Shi’a ones – have been deploying in larger numbers in the country to defend Assad and “protect” his regime.\nWhether from Iraq\, from Afghanistan and Pakistan\, or from the well-trained and equipped Hezbollah of Lebanon\, the Shi’a fighters were mobilized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and sent to fight in most strategic battles around Damascus the capital\, in Deraa in the South and in Aleppo in the North.\nWho are those “Shi’a Jihadists”? Why do they fight to defend the Assad regime? What are the ideological and political justifications for their fight? How does Iran recruit them? And What are the consequences of their “presence in Syria”? \n\n\nZiad Majed is an associate professor of Middle East Studies and Comparative Politics at the American University of Paris. He is the author of “Syria\, the orphaned revolution” (2013 in Arabic and 2014 in French). \n\n \nFacebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/928071150573226/ URL:https://masahat.no/event/assads-jihadist-allies-panel/ LOCATION:University of Oslo\, Eilert Sundts hus Blindern \, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0316\, Norway CATEGORIES:Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/unnamed.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="masahat":MAILTO:info@masahat.no END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150212T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Oslo:20150212T220000 DTSTAMP:20260405T180923 CREATED:20150212T170000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20200925T202325Z UID:159-1423764000-1423778400@masahat.no SUMMARY:Syria Differently – The third Syrian narrative DESCRIPTION:“Syria Differently” – The third Syrian narrative.\n12 February 2015 18:00 at Litteraturhuset \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nWith the picture of the Syrian struggle being blurred and the focus being shifted to Islamic extremism only\, it is important to bring back to the scene the increasingly neglected aspects of the Syrian ‘conflict’. “Syria Differently” provides an alternative image of Syria and the Syrian ‘conflict’ with thematic interest in the daily lives of ordinary civilians and their experience of the destruction of their country. \nProgram: \n18:00 We Cannot Go There Now\, My Dear (43 mins)\n19:00 Panel with Ziad Majed and Maren Næss Olsen (55 mins)\n20:00 The Immortal Sergeant (73 mins)\n21:30 False Alarm (58 mins) \nWe Cannot Go There Now\, My Dear\nA documentary film by Carol Mansour (2014) \nPalestinian refugees living in Syria have been severely affected by the war. Thousands have fled Syria seeking refuge in Lebanon becoming double-refugees. It is the second or even third time that they lose everything and find themselves once more homeless and stateless. \nThis film tells part of their story; where memories are awakened between one exodus and the other\, while loss invades everything striking the very self. A story where lives are continuously being rebuilt and improvised awaiting the return. \n \nPanel with Ziad Majed and Maren Næss Olsen:\nCovering Syria: images\, terminology\, and the role of Media \nA discussion about how most Media outlets covered Syria in the last three years\, and how this coverage influenced the emotions and the political stances of large segments of the public opinion in different western countries. \n \nZiad Majed is an Associate Professor at the American University of Paris\, teaching Middle East studies and writing on Lebanese\, Syrian and Arab affairs as well as on political Islam\, political transitions and crises. \n  \nThe Immortal Sergeant\nA documentary film by Ziad Kalthoum (2014) \n \nAfter he completed his mandatory military service\, the filmmaker was held in retention as the revolution unfurled in his country. His military rank was that of a sergeant. During these times\, he would go back to his home\, located in the middle of Damascus city\, take off his military uniform and return to his normal life\, working as an assistant director with the filmmaker Mohammed Malas. To make sense of this schizophrenic situation\, he decides to take his camera and start shooting a ‘making-of’ that will eventually go beyond Malas’ film. \nFalse Alarm\nA documentary film by Firas Zbib (2014) \nIt is a documentary about revolution\, exile\, death\, hope\, victory and defeat. Told by young Syrians\, filming each other’s journeys and holding on to their cameras like they were the only proof of existence\, it is a story about a country that has become unrecognizable to its own inhabitants. \nThe documentary follows them through the laughter and the tears\, until it is no longer clear whether they are happy to have found their freedom or sad that the revolution no longer resembles them. www.falsealarm-movie.com \n \nSponsor:\n \nPartners: URL:https://masahat.no/event/syria-differently-the-third-syrian-narrative/ LOCATION:Litteraturhuset\, Wergelandsveien 29\, Oslo\, Oslo\, 0167\, Norway CATEGORIES:Film,Samtale ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://masahat.no/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/146-matteo-vegetti-syria-ball-seller.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR