Karibu Tanzania Exhibit Opens March 2 at World Beat in Bahrain
28 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Eye Candy - Art, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: Art, Bahrain, events, Exhibits, Lena W Dajani, Spring of Culture, Tanzania, travel, World Beat Fitness
Hunting Ghosts in the World’s Largest Prehistoric Cemetery
24 Feb 2013 5 Comments
in Food for the Mind - Books, The Most Interesting Roosters - People Tags: Bahrain, culture, Deonna Kelli Sayed, Dilmun, famous cemeteries, ghosts, Muslim, paranormal, Paranormal Obsession, So You Want to Hunt Ghosts, third culture kids
Bahrain’s ghosts have been around since – well – since words were first scratched into clay. Back in 1890, writer J.T. Bent described Bahrain’s inner desert as a “vast sea of sepulchral mounds.”
One of the world’s largest, Bronze Age, cemeteries, the Sumerians called ancient Bahrain, Dilmun, the place where no man or woman cried or felt sickness. The legend was the neighboring countries sent their dead to Bahrain to live out their eternity in Paradise.
Today, the 170,000 burial mounds are believed to be the final resting place for five centuries of island inhabitants and not the neighboring countries’ relatives. Whether or not the dead were locals, the island still carries their ghostly memories.
Funny enough, these ghosts leave their mark on the island’s transient, expatriate population.
Writer and cultural commentator, Deonna Kelli Sayed, was one resident whose years living on the island impacted her life in ways she may not have anticipated. Although we never had a conversation about the island’s ghosts during our writing classes, it was while living in Bahrain that Deonna became fascinated with ghost hunters.
After she and her family moved back to the USA, she literally began following the Syfy Channel’s paranormal investigators and documenting her experiences.
Her adventures and interest in culture led to her first book, Paranormal Obsession where she investigated America’s interest in the paranormal since 9/11.
But her second book, So You Want to Hunt Ghosts: A Down to Earth Guide, is the one you might want to consider if you are interested in investigating for yourself whether or not ghosts are real. The book “explains how to conduct historical research on your case, how to properly document your discoveries, and how popular media and ghost hunting TV shows have impacted the modern paranormal community.”
Deonna Kelli Sayed is a fascinating Global Citizen. She talks about her first paranormal experience in New York, her multi-cultural family and living in Bahrain in this January 2013 interview on That’s Some AmericanMuslim Life.
A Taste of Africa In Bahrain
23 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Eye Candy - Art, Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: Art, art exhibits, Bahrain, Karibu Tanzania, Lena W Dajani, Middle East artists, Spring of Culture 2013, Tanzania, travel, World Beat Fitness Center
During the Spring of Culture, Lena W Dajani, an artist and my friend, is having her first solo exhibit at World Beat Fitness starting March 2, 2013.
Karibu Tanzania is Swahili for “Welcome to Tanzania”.
The beauty of Tanzania’s vibrant landscapes and people are the subject of Lena’s first solo exhibit. Between 2008 –2010, Lena and her family lived in Dar Es Salam. She immediately fell in love with the city, its idyllic setting on the Indian Ocean and tropical landscape. From Dar Es Salaam, the family explored the shores of Zanzibar, sailed the Indian Ocean, and took numerous safari trips to the country’s national parks. Traveling through the Ngorongoro Crater, Manyara, Serengeti, Amani, Saadani, Bongoyo, Mbudya and Ruaha reserves, she captured the family adventures. This exhibit was created from her thousands of photos.
Lena was a member of Artist Seana Mallen’s Awali Arts. Under Seana’s artistic guidance, her painting developed from a hobby to a commitment to create unique artwork drawing from her global experiences. A busy mother, she currently works with watercolor and acrylic painting that allows her to quickly and effectively re-create and capture her impressions.
Private collectors in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Tanzania have purchased Lena’s paintings. She created a line of greeting cards and has presented her art work in several local exhibitions.
- Bahrain International Garden Show (2007 & 2008) with the Awali Arts
- Desert Designs, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia (2007)
- Art House Open Studios, Bahrain (2008)
- BAPCO’s 2012 First Annual Art competition, Bahrain (2012)
Karibu Tanzania will continue through March at World Beat. However, if you can, on the opening day, stop by to meet and chat with Lena. Her conversations range from Islamic art, Edward Tingatinga’s paintings, African safaris, Bali artists, high-tea in London, camping trips in Oman, Middle East politics, recipes from Gourmet magazine or family tennis tournaments in the south of France. Her passport may say American, but she is a true Global Citizen and her art is inspired by global culture.
You can LIKE Lena on FACEBOOK.
SPRING OF CULTURE 2013
20 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Island Tales - Expatriate Living Tags: Bahrain, Bahrain National Theater, events, expatriate, Il Divo, Il Divo in Bahrain, Kennedy Center, Spring of Culture 2013, Yanni in Bahrain
March and April are fantastic months to be in Bahrain. The weather is comfortable and the Spring of Culture is taking place.
Of course, it is fun to see big names like Bocelli, but what I love about Spring of Culture is we get to see lesser known, but amazing, performers from around the world. There will be lecturers from Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen and Tunisia; dancers from Cuba and India; an international poets panel; and family events by creative teams from Scotland, Italy, Lebanon and Australia.
The government sponsors much of Revealing Bahrain’s month-long, extravaganza of art, music, dance, poetry, and children’s programs. Except for the ten ticketed shows, most events are FREE to the public.
A new addition to this year’s line-up is the newly opened Bahrain National Theater that reminds me of the Kennedy Center. Il Divo, the Mahler Orchestra and Yanni will be performing there. The Cuban dancers be performing at the beloved Arad Fort where every year we encounter a new parking experience.
Spring of Culture is more web-savvy this year. Their updated website is a huge improvement. And you can LIKE them on FACEBOOK and keep up on Tweeter.
A big congratulations to Sheikha Mai, who with strength and finesse, single-handedly deals with the opposing voices. Thanks to the Ministry of Culture team for once again highlighting all that is good about living in Bahrain.
18 Feb 2013 1 Comment
in Island Tales - Expatriate Living
This blog has amazing and artistic photos of everything. If only our desert was this beautiful.
Desert Air – a book of stunning aerial photographs of deserts from around the world, documented by George Steinmetz. /// From top to bottom:
Tschad / Teguidda-n-Tessoumt, Niger / Pacific Coast, South Peru / Dead Sea, Israel / Algerie-Oasis, Algeria / Sand dune, Peru
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One Billion Dance to Break the Chain – February 14 2013
13 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
in Island Tales - Expatriate Living, Where the Corn Grows - Iowa Tags: Ames, break the chain, Dance, des moines, events, freedom, Iowa, spirituality, Valentine's Day, violence and rape, women and children
Fill your Valentine’s Day with love for all people on the earth. There are at least, two opportunities tomorrow February 14th in Bahrain to teach your children the power of dance. Join one billion other people in the world move towards freedom from violence and rape. Dances are being held everywhere including Ames, Iowa and several in Des Moines. You can find a dance near you by checking out the map at One Billion Rising.
8:45-11 World Beat Fitness is holding a dance workshop featuring African djembes, Egyptian belly dancing and a dance by internally-recognized, multi-cultural choreographer, Valli Batchelor. The event is BD 10 for non-members and BD8 for members. The proceeds will go towards a local center for victims of abuse.
2 pm the Rugby Club has a dance instructor-led event for those that enjoy afternoon activities. The suggested donation is BD 5. The proceeds will also go to a local charity dealing with women affected by abuse.
It is half-term for the schools on the British curriculum. And a great opportunity for us mothers to show our daughters that even while having fun we can help BREAK THE CHAIN and change the world.
Would Jesus Dance with Women or Stand on the Sidelines and Call Them Prostitutes?
08 Feb 2013 8 Comments
in Healing - Self and the Earth Tags: All Saint's Church, Dance, JEsus Christ, Lewis Williams, Mary is the favorite disciple, Mary Magdalene, One billion Rising, Pope Gregory, spirituality
by Lewis Williams
Peter said to Mary, “Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than all the other women. Tell us the words of the Savior that you remember, the things which you know that we don’t discuss because we haven’t heard them.”
Mary responded, “I will teach you about what is hidden from you.”
– The Gospel According to Mary
Dan Brown revealed to the world what the Catholic Church already knew – Mary Magdalene was never a prostitute.
In 1969, the Catholic Church revised 1,378 years of church doctrine to disassociate Mary Magdalene from being a prostitute. It was during the Dark Ages when a man gave Jesus’ most beloved disciple that label. In 591AD, “The Great” Pope Gregory combined the three Marys mentioned in the New Testament into one person. That was where the idea was born. Pope Gregory’s sermon spread and inflicted pain on women.
It seems it was Mary Magdalene who held the answers and teachings the other disciples were not privy to.
Yet despite this “revelation” I ask myself, why is it that many people still call Mary Magdalene a prostitute? Do these men actually fear that women may have inherited Mary’s favored place among Jesus’ disciples?
I wonder who from Princeton will be standing at the corner of Alexander Road and College Road on February 14th? Will they help re-tell Mary’s story, so women will no longer be viewed as deserving of violence or abuse simply because they are women?
My feeling is, on Valentine’s Day, Jesus will be dancing with the women, the spiritual teachers who still practice compassion despite being betrayed and brutalized. They have proven themselves worthy to transmit his teachings. Although we might not recognize him, his spirit will Rise and Lead the dance.
As we dance, I think we should take careful note which male clergy from all denominations, all over the world, use their power to state rape and violence is not acceptable behavior.
Ed Bacon Jr, the rector of All Saint’s Church in Pasadena, will be dancing. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can join them for V-Day.
As a woman, I can say, with certainty, Mary would have taught the other disciples that inflicting Rape and Violence on women was not part of Jesus’ teachings.
Tales of Dragons, Rabbits and Roosters 