by Natasha Tynes | Oct 31, 2005 | Media watch
The Associated Press finally picked up the story about Jordan’s banning "Al Shatat" program. This particular paragraph caught my eye:
Waleed al-Hadidi, Mamnou’s board chairman, stated that the series "was stopped for technical, not political reasons." He declined to say if the Jordanian government had pressed him to stop broadcast, but maintained that the series, which his firm had bought for $1.25 million and aired as part of an experimental broadcast, is likely to be shown again following the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the station goes into regular broadcast.
Source: [AP via Aljazeera or Haaretz]
It seems Mr Al-Hadidi is insisting that the show was stopped for "technical reasons," although the official Jordanian statement pointed out that the show was stopped after the intervention of "responsible Jordanians."
I think it’s about time that officials in Jordan stop giving contradictory, illogical statements. After all, we are supposed to be living in the age of transparency. In this global age, nothing can be kept secret, as average citizens have access to alternative media sources like the internet, international publications and satellite dishes. Relying merely on the government-controlled press is becoming a thing of the past. So Mr Al-Hadidi, a message: Please don’t underestimate our intelligence.
by Natasha Tynes | Oct 29, 2005 | Metro Daze, The cook in me
Thursday night was a special night. Beisan, whom I’m gonna start calling the "great cook," invited us over to try her wonderful magloubeh. Oh my God, it was divine. I don’t even remember when the last time was that I had magloubeh before Thursday. I could not believe my eyes when I saw this wonderful dish laid upon the table. Naturally, I attacked the dish, paying little attention to table manners or the people around me. I ate and ate until eternity.
The great cook, pleased with my gluttony, decided to send me home with even more magloubeh. It even tasted better when I had it at work for lunch Friday. That day I realized how much I miss Arabic food. Sadly, my cooking skills are somewhat limited. I can cook bamya and some other fairly easy American dishes like a few casseroles, chili and meat loaf.
But now I have a new challenge before me. I’m going to learn how to make magloubeh. Everybody assures me it is very easy. We’ll see. It is a challenge I’m excited to take. Still high on magloubeh, I decided to make a pact: I’m will not deprive my future children from the joy of magloubeh. I’m going to learn how to make it fantastically and pass it on into future Tynes generations. Beisan, thank you for your wonderful food and for reminding me how much I miss divine Arabic delicacies.
by Natasha Tynes | Oct 28, 2005 | Media watch
Here is the latest development in the Mamnou channel controversy.The new network took the controversial show al-Shatat off the air. In the US, the Jordanian Embassy released this statement.
It has come to our attention that a controversial program entitled "Al-Shatat" or "The Diaspora" has been broadcast from an independent/private channel entitled "Mamnou’" operating from the Media Free Zone in Jordan, which is not subject to Jordanian Law. The program itself was not broadcast from any Jordanian channel.
"Al-Shatat" drew concerns for inciting hate. Accordingly, the program has been stopped from the private channel as of Tuesday, October 25th 2005. The stoppage was only done through personal intervention of responsible Jordanians.
The Free Media Zone broadcasts different programs through 84 different channels and more channels are expected to emerge from the zone in the near future. The Government of Jordan does not monitor or control the content of any program broadcasting from the free zone, whether it is cultural, political, or otherwise. This is in accordance with the agreement between the government of Jordan and the Media Free Zone which is, in turn, affiliated with the Arab Media Company ART.
Frankly, I’m pleased. I hated to see Jordan’s name associated with inflammatory shows that incite hatred.
by Natasha Tynes | Oct 26, 2005 | Film, Metro Daze
Last night we made our way to the Jordanian Embassy in DC to attend the screening of a short film entitled The Kitchen Conqueror created by Jordanian-American movie maker Shereen Abd Al-baki. Before the screening she delivered a short lecture explaining her pioneering movie making method, which she has dubbed "design cinema" because of her design background and directorial style.
Her concept introduces design elements into movie making as a narrative tool, creating a colorful portrait for each frame of the film. She applied this idea to The Kitchen Conqueror, which tells the story of a Jordanian-American woman struggling to make the famous Arabic dish Magloubeh in her tiny Los Angles apartment. While in the process of purchasing ingredients for her festive meal, Shereen, who plays the protagonist, contemplates her identify as an Arab as well as inner conflicts that stem from being injected with elements of both East and West.
The movie played like a series of contemporary paintings joined together to tell a story of Orient meeting Occident. It was the first time I’d heard about the ‘design cinema’ concept. It found it extremely intriguing. Kudos to Abdul Baki for her efforts in revolutionizing movie making with a unique artistic vision.
by Natasha Tynes | Oct 25, 2005 | Political mayhem
An Israeli club DJ who has helped make ethnic Arab music the hottest late-night trend in fashionable nightspots in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the 26-year-old Tel Avivian said to himself ‘if Arab music has become so popular among Israelis, then bringing Arab DJs to Israel will be even better.’
So last week, Einhorn made history of sorts by bringing together Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli DJs under one roof in Jerusalem in the name of coexistence and a common love of fusing together traditional Arab music with club rhythms.
Bridge For Peace featuring Einhorn, Palestinian DJ Khalil from Ramallah, and Jordanian DJ Kalice from Amman, drew over 800 people to Jerusalem’s bursting after-midnight dance club Haoman 17, where Israelis gyrated to the dizzying sounds of the ancient/modern music.
Source: [Israel 21C]
Why I am not surprised that this was not reported in the Jordanian press? I guess journalists shy away from covering these kinds of stories for fear of being labeled "normalizers." I believe these initiatives should be highlighted in the local and the international press as it shows that in spite of the bloody mayhem taking place in our region we can still co-exist peacefully and even create music.
An Israeli club DJ who has helped make ethnic Arab music the hottest late-night trend in fashionable nightspots in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the 26-year-old Tel Avivian said to himself ‘if Arab music has become so popular among Israelis, then bringing Arab DJs to Israel will be even better.’