The Question of Syria 2016 - Syria are.. (Brochure)

Syria are..

Oslo, September. 29 - October. 1

The Question of Syria

General Information SPACE - Syrian Peace Action Centre

Website: www.space-org.no Event website: syria-are.space-org.no Facebook: facebook.com/SyrianPeaceActionCentre Twitter: @actcentre Instagram: instagram.com/spaceoslo Email: info@space-org.no

All events are free of charge

Map of Venues

Litteraturhuset: Wergelandsveien 29, 0167 oslo Ingensteds: Brenneriveien 9, 0182 Oslo

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Table of Content 01 General Information 02 Welcome to The Question of Syria - Syria are..

03 About the Syrian Peace Action Centre 05 Speakers 07 Syria: between Political Catastrophe and Cultural Resilience 08 Misreading Syria: Sectarian Secularism 09 Keynote Speech by Mazen Darwish 10 The Syria International?

11 A Space to Think and Imagine Syria 12 Program 13 The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

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The Question of Syria Syria are..

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 chances of the Syrian people in achieving their rightful ambitions to live in a democratic and free Syria.

Syrians today are around the world, feeling increasingly isolated and cut off from the social and family networks that any society usually has.

Today there is no longer one Syria with one meaning. We use the title “Syria are..” to reflect the multiple “Syrias” being created everyday.

Who are Syrians, and what do they want, and what are they doing?

We invite you to engage with our participants in this three-day event to try to address these basic questions in an attempt to come to terms with the level of destruction that scorches through Syria.

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SPACE Established in May 2015, the Syrian Peace Action Center (SPACE) is a non-proďŹ t, independent association that focuses on creating common spaces for Syria with the aim of combating the violent fragmentation the people of Syria are undergoing. SPACE emphasizes the role of the people in political questions. We believe that the question of Syria can only be answered democratically, and that any narrative that excludes the people is ultimately an endorsement of undemocratic and inhumane processes.

In 2011, for the ďŹ rst time since decades Syrians have reclaimed the public space and started constructing their narratives, gains we believe are irrevocable and are building blocks for a democratic Syrian society.

www.space-org.no 04

Speakers Bendik Sørvig is the author of a book on the Syrian uprising which will be published in Norwegian in early 2017. His professional experience covers journalism, development work and humanitarian aid in Syria and the Middle East throughout the last two decades.

Bissan Fakih is the Deputy Campaign Director of The Syria Campaign where she runs campaigns related to the protection of civilians in Syria. Her work has focused on breaking the sieges, supporting the White Helmets and elevating the voices of civilians in Syria trapped between ISIS and Assad.

Bjørn Olav Utvik is Professor of Middle East Studies and Head of the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages at the University of Oslo.

Karam S. Nachar is the Executive Director of AlJumhuriya.net, an online magazine that covers Syrian politics and culture. A Lecturer at Isik University, Istanbul. Nachar holds a Masters in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from Oxford University. He also worked on a PhD in Modern History at Princeton University, with focus on Cultural and Intellectual History of Modern Syria and Lebanon.

Leila Al shami is a blogger and activist who has worked with the human rights movement in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East. She was a founding member of Tahrir-ICN, a network that connects anti-authoritarian struggles across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Leila is the co-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War. 05

Marcell Shehwaro is Director of Kesh Malek, a Syrian grassroots organization. Shehwaro is a renowned activist who was at the forefront of the peaceful protests since the outbreak of the uprising in 2011. She lived in the opposition-controlled Aleppo for almost two years before she ed to Turkey in 2014. Based in Gaziantep, she participated in international conferences about civil society, education and activism in Syria.

Mazen Darwish is lawyer and the president of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. Darwish was arbitrarily detained by the Syrian regime from February 2012 to August 2015. He was awarded the 2014 PEN International Pinter prize and the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

Robin Yassin-Kassab is co-author of 'Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War' and author of the novel 'The Road from Damascus'. His journalism and book reviews are collected at www.qunfuz.com

Thomas Pierret is a Lecturer in Contemporary Islam at the University of Edinburgh. He has his PhD in Political sciences at Sciences Po Paris and the University of Louvain. Pierret is the author of Religion and State in Syria: The Sunni Ulama from Coup to Revolution.

Rana Issa is a literary historian focusing on Levantine and translated literatures. She is interested in the relationship between literature and power. Issa is based in Oslo and is a co-founder of SPACE.

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Syria: between Political Catastrophe and Cultural Resilience Speaker: Karam Nachar Discussant: Rana Issa Location: Litteraturhuset. Room: Nedjma Date & time: September 29, 17:00

While the Syrian war seems to embody all that is complex, alien, and thus incomprehensible about the Middle East, the ďŹ ve-year-old brutal conict 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 on some of these global factors and their local manifestations, all while emphasising their inherently contradictory nature: destabilising Syrian politics to the point of disaster, while generating much cultural angst and productivity.

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Misreading Syria: Sectarian Secularism Speakers: Bjørn Olav Utvik, Marcell Shehwaro, Thomas Pierret Moderator: Bendik Sørvig Location: Litteraturhuset. Room: Nedjma Date & time: September 29, 18:30

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 the last five decades have consisted in the systematic manipulation of sectarian divides for the purpose of regime survival.

This panel will discuss sectarianism and secularism in Syria by revisiting the nature and policies of the Syrian regime pre-2011 as well as the trajectory of the Syrian revolution from day until the present day.

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Drawing on more than a decade of fighting for human rights in Syria, Mazen Darwish will give a speech on Syria through the lens of a human rights activist, journalist and a former political priosoner. He will reflect on the basis of a sustainable and durable peace in Syria. After his speech, Darwish will be interviewd by Åsne Seierstad.

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The Syria International?

Speakers: Bendik Sørvig, Leila Al Shami, Robin Yassin-Kassab Moderator: Bissan Fakih Location: Litteraturhuset. Room: Wergeland Date & time: September 30, 18:30

The idea of a Syria International intends to refocus attention on the agency of Syrians in their struggle and consequently to demand international solidarity and acknowledgement of their rightful and just cause. This panel assesses the isolation of Syrian civilians by identifying those who neglect them, as well as those rare people who are determined to support them. The intent is on identifying the possibilities for building on existing Syria International solidarity movements around the world, as well as on questioning the extent to which humanitarian and political efforts to support Syria’s civilian population can be improved and augmented.

Why should the world be interested in Syria at all? Is the world interested, at what level?

What are the existing internationalist networks that work with and for Syrians today, and how effective are they? How can Syria inform a radical critique of classical forms of postcolonial, anti-imperialist, and left-wing oppositional movements?

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A Space to Think and Imagine Syria

Location: Ingensteds Date & time: October 1, 18:00-21:00

The evening will open by so-called “lightning talks” by the different speakers about their work, passion and activism. These talks are meant to inspire us to imagine Syria differently. The audience is invited to use the open space to engage with the speakers, not only to ask questions, but also to debate, tell stories and identify new possibilities.

Syrian artist, Razan Sabbagh will afterwards have a visual arts performance with some action painting, fused to the music of the Qanun player Ziad Khawam. The vibrant space counts on your interaction through shared reflections, conversations and live music.

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Program Oslo, 9/29 - 10/1/2016

Time

Venue

Event September 29

17:00

Litteraturhuset. Room: Nedjma

Syria: between Political Catastrophe and Cultural Resilience

18:30

Litteraturhuset. Room: Nedjma

Misreading Syria: Sectarian Secularism

September 30 17:00

Litteraturhuset. Room: Wergeland

Keynote Speech

by Mazen Darwish

18:30

Litteraturhuset. Room: Wergeland

The Syria International?

October 1 18:00

Ingensteds

A Space to Think and Imagine Syria

All events are free of charge.

Event website: syria-are.space-org.no

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The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble

Location: Grønland kirke, Grønlandsleiret 34 Date & time: October 10, 19:00 In collaboration with Film fra Sør, we invite you to a unique experience with a screening of the documentary “The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble”, a mini-concert by the virtuoso Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and an exciting panel discussion about music as a universal language.

The question of “What is the role of music?” is the starting point for the Silk Road Ensemble, a group of musicians from around the world who have joined forces to discuss, compose and play music, led by the world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The Silk Road Ensemble is an attempt to build bridges across cultures, foster dialogue and show the music's liberating power. The film about the Silk Road Ensemble is an audiovisual portrayal of music as a lingua franca.

In the film we join the ensemble on an incredible journey in the world of music, where we get to see and hear tones and instruments from around the globe. Several of the ensemble members have fled their homeland in order to play the music they are passionate about. This is the case for Kinan Azmeh who will come to Oslo to play a mini-concert and participate in a conversation with Abazar Hamid “fribymusiker” in Harstad, and Alexandra Archetti, Festival Director of Oslo World Music Festival. Jan Lothe Eriksen from SafeMUSE will moderate the panel.

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Sponsers

The Question of Syria - Syria are.. crew: Murhaf Fares, Rana Issa, Maya Saud, Knut Eirik Almelid, Åshild Rullestad Eriksen, Zeina Bali.

SPACE crew: Murhaf Fares, Rana Issa, Zeina Bali Event’s designs: Razan Sabbagh

www.space-org.no

Designs and design concept by Razan Sabbagh

Partners

“Sects and dictatorship have divided our people for a long time now, but faith unites them. And so to all those who believe in a better tomorrow for Syria and for the whole world, I say that this is not the end of history, but rather the beginning of an era in which humanity is rid of the scourge of tyranny and terrorism.”

“Syria gave humanity its first alphabet, and her soil is blended with thousands of years of civilization, and she has always accommodated all religions, sects and schools of thought, so Syria will never be a slave to tyranny, nor a vehicle for terrorism.”

Mazen Darwish