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. Background Delivering humanitarian aid in conflict situations has always been difficult. Syria is proving to be no exception.…
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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…
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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…
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Mazen Darwish, one of Syria’s most prominent human rights activists, gave a speech about his experience in Syria before and after the revolution as a human rights advocate. Afterwards, Darwish was interviewed by the Norwegian journalist and author Åsne Seierstad. Mazen Darwish is a Syrian lawyer and free speech advocate, and the president of…
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Last year, SPACE organized The Question of Syria engaging Norwegians in the struggle of Syrians through panels that focused on the political situation, civil society activism, as well as artistic and cultural practices. This year, the unprecedented scale of violence, the military intervention by Russia as well as the diplomatic stalemate have seriously compromised the…
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“We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us”. Jo Cox Today, 22 June, Jo Cox would have turned 42. Our gift to her, her family and all those who loved and cherished her, will be to come together to show the world there is more that unites…
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On May 22, SPACE and the Nordic Black Theatre/Cafeteatret organized a concert by the Franco-Syrian band Bab Assalam, with Khaled Aljaramani (Oud & vocals), Mohanad Aljaramani (Percussion & vocals) and Raphaël Vuillard (Clarinet). Bab Assalam played a blend of Eastern and Western music that had the audience cheering and shouting after every single piece, and…
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SPACE and Kunstplass [10] organized a cosy art night on May 20. Shereen El Feki, author of Sex and the Citadel: Intimate Life in a Changing Arab World, started the night by introducing and reflecting on the case of the Egyptian author Ahmad Naji who was sentenced to two-year prison for “violating public modesty” in Egypt.…
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Join us for an intimate concert of Jazz-influenced, Sufi-inspired music with Bab Assalam Bab 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…
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Join us for an informal art gathering at Kunstplass [10]! Sulafa Hijazi, Syrian visual artist and director, will present some of her work and talk about the concept behind it, before and after the revolution. After that we will listen to readings from “The Guide for Using Life” written by the Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji…
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