Tonight at 8 p.m., Intermedia Arts is showcasing music, drama, poetry, and paintings
by Muslim/Middle Eastern writers and artists.
(2822 Lyndale Avenue S., 612-871-4444)
Tickets are on a sliding scale, $0 - $5.00.
Artists included are Adnan Shati, a painter from Iraq, and Salah Fattah, who I've had
the privilege to interview, of the band Layali Sharq ("Nights of the East").
As someone who has studied Arab culture since childhood, trained as a Middle Eastern
("belly") dancer, and been deeply concerned about American foreign policy, I've been
puzzled as to why Americans, who claim to embrace multiculturalism, still have so many
stereotypes about this vast and diverse conglomerate of cultures called the Middle
East. The events of Sept. 11 have finally given Americans a crash course in Islam but
haven't focused American eyes on the positive aspects of the Middle East. Few people
listen to Middle Eastern music, unless you tune into Radio K (and many people don't
understand that so-called "belly dancing" is NOT a striptease done by women for men,
but a refined performance derived from traditional folk dances and performed by both
men and women).
The performance Intermedia Arts sounds like a step in the right direction.
Kristine Harley
Sheridan
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