Arab women to explore modernity's impact on the arts

Everything from literature to the cinema will be discussed at an upcoming festival in Tunisia, as Arab women grapple with how modernity has altered their artistic fields.

By Houda Trabelsi for Magharebia in Tunis – 14/04/10

To celebrate the success of the arts in the age of modernity, Arab women in fields ranging from literature to the cinema will meet on Thursday (April 15th) in Tunisia.

Participants in the 15th annual Festival of Creative Arab Women, set to unfold over two days in Sousse, will discuss how modernity has affected arts and literature.

"Ever since the foundation of the festival in 1996, the most important goals have been to shed light on creative outputs by Arab women," Mestiri told Magharebia. She also expressed the hope that the festival will continue to forge bonds between female Arab artists and allow them to benefit from each other's experiences.

Thirty female artists from Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Palestine and Kuwait are scheduled to attend the festival.

Tunisian First Lady Leila Ben Ali and the Arab Women Organization are officially sponsoring the gathering, which will spotlight submissions from students in order to mark "International Year of Youth" activities. Students will also be invited to discuss the impact of the on child development, Mestiri said.

Artists and writers will present papers on a variety of cultural topics to stimulate discussion of modernity and the arts.

Tunisian poet and sociology researcher Amel Moussa will focus her talk on how modernity should be embraced by artists, as it calls for turning the page on the past. This change, Moussa said, opens up a wide berth of creativity for female artists.

Also representing Tunisia, Saniye Shafie will give a talk on the presence of women in her country's cinema, while Iraqi director Aida Chlifer will discuss the impact of modernity on women working in Arab cinema as a whole.

Emirati journalist and poet Berouin Habib is scheduled to present on how the media has played a critical role in ushering in a new era of modernity.

Loubena al Kentar, who as Syria's first female opera star went on to found the Classical Arab Singing Band, will present on the consequences of Arab creative modernity.

The festival will include a field trip to the landmarks of old-town Sousse and a soiree featuring male and female poets from Tunisia and other countries. Participants will also attend a forum on the role of creative women in refining public tastes.

Tunisian singer Lamia Erriahi is scheduled to perform at the event.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/14/feature-03.

Moroccans divided over Parliament leader's re-election

Politicians and everyday citizens were eager for a new face to lead the House of Representatives.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 14/04/10

Senior Moroccan statesman Abdelwahad Radi's return last week to the presidency of the House of Representatives is prompting some fellow legislators and ordinary citizens to question the political process.

The 75-year old, a Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) parliamentarian since 1963, has already served twice as leader of Morocco's lower house; his election on Friday (April 9th) marks his third turn.

Some Moroccans wonder if there is a lack of viable candidates for the sensitive position, which ranks third in national protocol, after the prime minister and the king.

To political science expert Said Bouchat, the process of selecting who fills the post was undemocratic because various political agendas, such as preparations for the 2012 legislative elections, were a factor.

Some USFP members had hoped Radi would honor earlier promises to limit himself to party management. They regretted that he had not conceded the House presidency to another politician.

Up until the election, in fact, many people, including members of the press, thought former Education Minister Habib El Malki was going to be the USFP choice.

But USFP political bureau member Abdelhadi Khairat believes that the position requires a senior and experienced man who can create the desired consensus within the majority and the opposition.

"There is no one more qualified than Radi to be President of the House of Representatives, which is still a very sensitive position requiring a charismatic leader," Khairat said.

Radi's experience, however, raises the issue of his age.

"A few people in their fifties are still waiting their turn to assume responsibility. The 'turn-taking' practice must be eradicated in favor of young people in their thirties and forties," said one political leader who preferred to remain anonymous.

"Those in their fifties must give up the seat if we are to create real politics," he added. Younger Moroccan citizens also commented on Radi's age.

"It is disappointing to see young people having no room in the political agenda," student Salim Bamousse told Magharebia.

The USFP should have chosen "someone who is younger and dynamic", he added, "especially since the party is full of young members of the Parliament, both men and women."

To ensure democracy, bank employee Asmae Noumairi told Magharebia, Morocco must change its political culture.

"There has never been a female speaker of the Parliament in Morocco, even if many female parliamentarians have been recognized for their legislative efforts," she said.

"Female ministers have also shown they were very competent," Noumairi added. "We do not know why women are not chosen by their parties."

MP Fatima Moustaghfir is also frustrated that a female was not considered for the position.

"Doesn't USFP have competent women and young candidates besides the experienced Abdelahed Radi, whom I greatly respect? I would love to see a female candidate, even if she would not win the presidency," she said.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/14/feature-02.

Moroccans form group to fight for free speech

International rights watchdogs claim a decline in Moroccan press freedoms, and members of the media and civil society are rallying to their defense.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 14/04/10

Moroccan journalists, activists and university professors have launched a new organization to defend free speech for the press and the public.

The Freedom of Press and Speech Organization will also work to influence the development of laws affecting the media, the group’s founders said at its inaugural press conference Saturday (April 10th) in Rabat.

"What drove us to create the organization is that freedom of press and speech are under attack through the harassment of journalists and bloggers, and the prosecution of a few of them, which has recently been a common practice by the regime," preparatory co-ordinator Mohamed el Aouni said.

"In addition, there's a need to protect progress in the area of freedom, and to find a comprehensive approach to defending free speech, instead of different media outlets defending it individually," Aouni said, adding that Morocco "has to accept progress in society that lets it work freely and without any interference by the regime".

Moroccans have witnessed a string of cases involving free speech issues, including a defamation suit connected to Khadafi and the imprisonment of blogger Boubaker Elyadib. International rights watchdogs such as Reporters Without Borders claim that Morocco has seen an overall decline in press freedoms.

"Any addition to the work of defending human rights, especially defending free speech, is always good,” National Moroccan Press Union general secretary Mohamed Siraj Eddaou said after the event.

"But it's essential to adopt an effective methodology and a clear vision to deal with this obstacle-laden field, whose members are in constant conflict with the state," he said, adding that "the general trend in Morocco is towards political tolerance … [h]owever, there might be partial disagreement between the two sides on specific issues".

"We don't live in a country where [our] rights are respected and the Constitution is upheld; there's a potential to suppress whoever is calling for freedom and human rights," Moroccan Human Rights Association head Khadija Riyadi told Magharebia.

"But that shouldn't drive us to self-censorship. Instead, individuals and groups should organize and defend their rights," she said, adding that the new organization "must add quality to the field of human rights through its focus on defending freedom of speech, which is a broad field full of violations".

"The organization has a lot to do," Riyadi said, “especially since its establishment takes place in a period when two journalists are in prison: Abdelhafid Sriti, the al-Manar Channel correspondent in Morocco, and Driss Chahtane, editor of the weekly al-Mishaal".

The Freedom of Press and Speech Organisation should also address the media’s role in society, blogger Moustapha el-Goumeri said.

"The new organization can correct … the current national dialogue between the press and society, which should have been between the parties in conflict, the press and the state,” he said.

"Furthermore, it can bring things back to normal, and also defend such prisoners of conscience as journalists and bloggers," added el-Goumeri, who is a member of the group.

Abderrahim el-Amari, a group member and professor of political communications at the University of Montreal, told Magharebia that such groups "can be effective as long as they represent the interests of civil and political society, and as long as they continue to be independent from state agencies".

"That depends on the direction [the group's] leaders are taking," he said. "Its objectivity will ensure its success in serving the great principles of freedom of speech, and the mission of the press, which is to raise awareness."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/14/feature-01.

NATO chief calls for joint missile defense with Russia

Brussels - NATO and Russia should set up a joint missile- defense screen to boost their security and mutual trust, NATO's top official said Wednesday, a week after Russia and the United States signed an historic deal on nuclear-arms control.

The question of missile defense has divided the Cold War foes ever since former US president George W Bush enraged Russia by launching plans to site interceptors in Central and Eastern Europe.

"The US and Russia now clearly see eye-to-eye on a range of security issues and we should use this new momentum to take further steps to enhance our common security.

Together, NATO and Russia should explore cooperation on missile defense," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an online video message.

"This is the most significant step we can take to integrate Russia more fully in Euro-Atlantic security," he added. "We would develop trust and prevent hostility between NATO and Russia."

The shared system would be "a security roof which would give real security to our people," he said.

Relations between NATO and Russia have been an uneasy balance between cooperation and criticism.

The two sides work together to fight Afghan drug smuggling and their warships cooperate to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

But NATO fiercely criticized Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia, while Russia sees NATO's willingness to take in former Soviet states such as Georgia and Ukraine as a direct threat to its security.

In 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for a new security pact around the Northern Hemisphere to boost security and outlaw any power "enhancing its security at another's expense."

NATO states gave the proposal a cool reception, with some saying it was a Russian attempt to gain a veto over NATO enlargement.

Russian officials have yet to comment on Rasmussen's ideas.

Separately, NATO officials said that member states were to discuss ways to revive talks with Russia on limiting the deployment of conventional weapons in Europe, in a further sign of the momentum generated by the signing of the nuclear weapons treaty.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318743,nato-chief-calls-for-joint-missile-defence-with-russia.html.

ISS astronauts struggle with faulty cooling system

Washington - Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) were on Wednesday struggling with a faulty valve on a newly installed ammonia tank, NASA said.

The new tank, which was installed Sunday by visiting Discovery astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson, is vital to keeping the station's cooling system working.

"Mission control was having a problem activating the new ammonia tank. A stuck valve in one of the nitrogen pressurization lines is thought to be the problem," NASA spokeswoman Katherine Trinidad said.

"The closed valve won't allow nitrogen to pressurize the ammonia system that cools the station," she said, adding that the station crew was not in any danger and the joint mission with Discovery astronauts was continuing as planned.

Last week NASA extended Discovery's mission by one day to allow the crew to inspect the shuttle's heat shield while still docked at the ISS. Discovery is now slated to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday at 8:54 am (1254 GMT).

The US space agency is scheduled to retire the aging space shuttle fleet later this year after three remaining missions.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318753,iss-astronauts-struggle-with-faulty-cooling-system.html.

Medvedev in Argentina for historic visit

Buenos Aires - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Buenos Aires Wednesday for the first visit to Argentina by a Russian head of state.

Medvedev was to meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner later Wednesday, to sign deals towards "a leap forward in Argentine relations," said Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana.

Fernandez de Kirchner visited Moscow in December 2008. At the time, she signed a strategic association agreement with Russia that was set to be expanded Wednesday.

Medvedev was accompanied by a large delegation including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the president of the Russian Atomic Energy Agency (ROSATOM), Sergey Kirienko, and a group of business leaders.

Later Wednesday, Medvedev was to take part in a Russian- Argentine business seminar in Buenos Aires.

This is the first visit to Argentina by a Russian president in 125 years of bilateral relations.

Bilateral trade showed a surplus of 705 million dollars in Argentina's favor last year.

Buenos Aires is courting Russian investment, particularly for the fields of infrastructure and transport, and it also backs Russia's request to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Medvedev is set to leave Argentina Thursday for Brazil, where he is to take part in the summit of the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China) Friday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318760,medvedev-in-argentina-for-historic-visit.html.

Civil war feared in Kyrgyzstan amid political deadlock - Feature

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Ulf Mauder

Bishkek/Moscow - Fears of civil war gripped Kyrgyzstan amid a political deadlock on Wednesday, a week after anti-government riots toppled the Central Asian nation's authoritarian president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and left more than 80 people dead.

Bakiyev, 60, was in his home village in the south of the country, where he took refuge, and under guard by heavily armed supporters. In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, interim leader Roza Otunbayeva called on Bakiyev to surrender.

Efforts at international mediation were under way since an attempt to arrest Bakiyev risked sparking another bloodbath.

In view of the many protesters killed and more than 1,600 injured, the Kyrgyz people will not allow Bakiyev and his family to go unpunished, said Otunbayeva, whose government has stripped him of his immunity.

Bakiyev and his brother Zhanysh Bakiyev, who headed the security service, are alleged to have ordered snipers to fire at protesters last Wednesday. The snipers, from an elite police force, are said to have aimed straight at heads from rooftops.

Many Kyrgyz have become disillusioned after a week under Otunbayeva's leadership. On the streets of Bishkek, in blogs and by telephone, people are saying good riddance to Bakiyev but have little hope of things improving with him gone.

There have been increasing complaints that the country's new leaders are more concerned with distributing government posts than improving the lot of the populace. Provisional ministers are already publicly proposing relatives for the jobs.

On the other hand, many people note a sense of freedom they have missed since the 2005 "Tulip Revolution" that ousted Askar Akayev, Bakiyev's predecessor. Kyrgyz news media say that they are now able to work without interference from Bakiyev's secret police.

Bakiyev, ironically, who was responsible for the instruments of repression in Kyrgyzstan and who always shunned contact with independent journalists, has been phoning Western media daily to get out his side of the story.

"I was always one with the people," Bakiyev has insisted in interviews and appearances in his home village. Accused of nepotism, electoral fraud, repression of the political opposition, torture and even political killings, he now sees himself as a victim.

Bakiyev's opponents repeatedly warned him not to let his family pressure him into turning the country into a military dictatorship. The Kyrgyz, many mired deep in poverty, finally gave vent to their anger with mass protests, resulting in a bloodbath.

"I don't fear an investigation of what happened by an international commission," Bakiyev said in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalalabad region.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) suggests calling in just such a body under the auspices of the European Union or United Nations.

"An investigation by independent observers can be an important steppingstone toward freedom in the region," Andrea Berg, Central Asia researcher for HRW, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Mars Sariyev, a well-known Kyrgyz political scientist, said the new leadership had two weeks at most to establish order in the roiling country.

"If people feel the many deaths were in vain, they'll look for new leaders," he remarked, adding that Bakiyev's fate needed to be resolved soon.

Kyrgyzstan's northern neighbor, authoritarian-ruled Kazakhstan, currently holds the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and could therefore serve as a peacemaker. It has responded calmly to the unrest across its border.

Uzbekistan, however, a dictatorship and Kyrgyzstan's neighbor to the west, is completely sealing itself off for fear the trouble could spread.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, speaking in Washington after attending the nuclear summit meeting called by President Barack Obama, not only warned of possible civil war in Kyrgyzstan. Given the instability in Central Asia and strong terrorist networks in the region, he said, it could also become a second Afghanistan.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318762,civil-war-feared-in-kyrgyzstan-amid-political-deadlock--feature.html.