Nawal Al Zoghbi- Weekly Report #3

Nawal AlZoghbi, a Lebanese pop vocalist, has been performing Arab music for over 25 years. She was born on June 29, 1972 in Byblos, Lebanon. “Starting with the year 1994 and until 2002, Nawal released an album almost every year reigning as the number one female pop star of the Arab world for 8 consecutive years. She also participated in several commercials to include Pepsi, LG, Classy Lenses, and Bonja Bags. “Nawal Al Zoghbi was the first Middle Eastern artist to ever be in an advertising campaign. “In 2000 Al Zoghbi signed a 5-year contract with international company Pepsi, she made various television ads for the drink using her songs which led to her success, becoming the best-selling artist in the Middle East,” She has been awarded countless awards for her success. Some of these awards include; best Arabic Singer, best Arabian Artist, best Lebanese Female singer of the year, etc. Some facts about her include she has sold over 50 million albums, she was one of the first Arabic singers to appear in music videos, and Al Zoghbi is the oldest born among three brothers and one sister. She had three children with her former spouse. “Al Zoghbi began singing at an early age, despite familial opposition to the lifestyle of a musician.” In 1996, Nawal released one of her most successful albums, named "Habeit Ya Leil." Thanks to Nawal, she inspires other Arab musicians to pursue their dreams because if she can do it, so can anyone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nawal_Al_Zoghbi

http://www.jango.com/music/Nawal+al+Zoghbi/_full_bio

Reflection 2- Islamic Spain

I enjoyed Dr. Deveny's lecture today on Islamic Spain. I found his lecture to be interesting and insightful. However, I found that 90 minutes was not enough time to cover the material, and for me to grasp a solid understanding. A lot of the information was new to me, so it was a lot to take in. I think it would be beneficial to have another lecture on Islamic Spain because I enjoy the topic. I enjoyed the song Dr. Deveny played for us. I find the music to be beautiful, and I know the upcoming concert will play similar music, so I look forward to that as well. I find it interesting how similar the Arabic and Spanish language are to each other. I am also studying Spanish, and I did not know how related Arabic and Spanish words are. I was also surprised to hear that Spanish originated from Latin because I thought this was mostly true for the English language. At the end of his lecture, I really enjoyed looking at the architecture in Spain. I find it amazing how people can create such amazing pieces of art, and I hope one day, maybe when I study abroad, I can look at the architecture in person.  I thought the term sheet he handed out was helpful because there are a lot of terms that I am unfamiliar with, and they are good to know especially when learning about the Arab World. Overall, I had a positive experience and wouldn’t mind learning more about Islamic Spain.

Weekly Report 2- Naguib Mahfouz

Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian novelist, playwright and screenwriter, was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the First Arabic writer to win literature’s highest award. He was born in Cairo in 1911. Mahfouz began writing at the age of 17. He is the author of 40 novels and collections of short stories, several plays and more than 30 screenplays. Mahfouz supported President Anwar el-Sadat's peace treaty with Israel, and despite his popularity, his books were banned in many Arab countries because of his support for the peace treaty. Mahfouz has an interesting view of life and deeply cares for issues in society and write to express his feelings to inspire or uplift others. However, his writing can be gloomy, but emphasizes change. Mahfouz has always been a socially committed writer with a deep concern for the problem of social injustice is an incontestable fact. Clearly, Mahfouz’s work is controversial as countries have banned his book, but I get the impression that he has a lot of support from community members and the public in general. I imagine his support comes from his character, because he has shown a concern for others, and his writing can inspire others. Mahfouz passed away recently, but I believe he left an important mark on history, and has proven that Arabic writers can be just as successful, and can help change the world. One thing I found to be amazing is that there was a total of 150 writers who were nominated for the award, so this shows how high the competition was, which shows how hard one must work to receive the award, especially an Arabic Writer.

Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/14/books/88nobel.html

https://middleeast.library.cornell.edu/content/naguib-mahfouz-biography

Syria

I read an article from Al Jazeera on 3 February 2018 titled, “North Korea arming Syria, Myanmar. UN Report”. I found this article to be insightful and interesting. I did not know the relationship status between North Korea, and was surprised to see that North Korea had been selling weapons to the government of Syria and Myanmar, and had been exporting banned materials such as coal, iron, and steel. In addition, according to the report, “Pyongyang has been assisting Syrian President Bashar al- Assad’s government in developing its nuclear weapons programme, and has provided Myanmar’s army with ballistic missiles.” The United States has pushed for tough sanctions against North Korea, therefore, this causes a greater conflict because when governments work together, more can be accomplished, and greater damage can take place. I’d be curious to know how long the North Korean government and Syrian government have been working together, and what affects it could have on other governments. Part of the article talks about crimes against humanity committed by North Korea and Syria, including reports of chlorine gas being used against civilians in Syria. Because Syria and North Korea do not treat their people, or other countries well, this shows us that nuclear attacks are not out of the question. The article is shorter in length, but I believe it raises an important concern. I would be interested in reading more about what this could mean for the United States and what steps can be taken to intervene.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/north-korea-arming-syria-myanmar-report-180203064444145.html