Go for the Convertible ya Samsoum

we're seeing your bald patch, your stomach and we're hearing the CDs you're playing anyway :-P



s7ee7 ittlayen 3'achacha ama fannanine when it comes to cars! A77ayti wbarrah...

Jan Garbarek - Twelve Moons

Jan Garbarek is the saxophonist behind the mesmerizing sounds in Anouar Brahem's Madar album.

She went by...

Abdel.Halim.Hafez.-.Fatet.Ganbena

Here we are crossing the streets of Tunis heading back to work after a copious lunch. He's already married in his early thirties while I'm still (a poor) single in my early twenties.

Here comes the young black lady in a soft and graceful pace from the opposite direction. He began to sing "mosrara wsamra wsa77ara" [ he changed the song's lyrics on purpose ]. I chide him but he keeps his voice up to make her hear. I dunno whether it was some magical effect, his nice voice or something in between, but he definitely pushed the right buttons and she smiled sweetly and may even have gotten a little redder - I can't really tell since she was black anyway! And contrary to Abdel7alim's song, I knew that he was the one and not me!

Anyway, 7abibati won't - necessarily - be "zinjiyya" like Sidi Ali Riahi's :-) It's not that I'm racist (otherwise I wouldn't be a chocoholic!). It's just that I don't have any preferences nor do I like to set restrictive conditions in advance.

You can say I prefer to navigate by vision :)


Tunis, April 2005

How Could you not love London when you watch this?!!

A Trip To A Vibrant Part of the World...

Couldn't put it down better than the "Beijing Boy":

China isn't a country - it's a different world. Unless you have a couple of years and unlimited patience, it's best to follow a loose itinerary here, such as following the Silk Road, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province.

From shop-till-you-drop metropolises to the desert landscapes of Xinjiang, China is a land of cultural and geographic schisms. It's not that it has completely done away with its Maoist past - it's more that the yin of revolutionary zeal is being balanced by the yang of economic pragmatism.




Ni Hao China, I'm coming...

قنطرة

As a Tunisian Fulbrighter, I was so jubilant to discover Kantara, a Tunisian-American group that epitomize the cross cultural exchange, openness and tolerance through art.

Kantara is a celebration of melodies, colors and perfumes across the Atlantic from Tunisia to America. The rhythms bring a well balanced mix of two seemingly different yet harmonious styles. Kantara is a call for acceptance and diversity. Kantara is just what the humanity needs: not walls but Bridges.

I interviewed Kantara’s lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Brennan Gilmore via e-mail in late February and would like to thank him and his mates from this tribune on behalf of all Tunisian Fulbrighters and Plusers here in the US.

Undoubtedly, between Tunisia and America, it is much more than mutual understanding and respect.

After the interview, you'll find a mini-documentary on this amazing group during their mini-tour in Italy.




Let’s begin from the start. How did the idea come up in the first place? How did the group get together?

Kantara was born in Sidi Bou Said in the fall of 2005. I met Riadh Fehri in the summer of 2005, and knew that he was renown in Tunisia for his music and his work at the Sidi Bou Said conservatory. Riadh and I began to jam informally and over the months began to compose and arrange together. At first we hadn’t planned to create a new group. I played guitar with the last performance of Riadh’s Minaret et la Tour project,and following this we decided it would be interesting to develop a group that fused Arabic and Appalachian music. We played our first performance in Italy in November 2005, and were joined by Lassaad Hosni on darbouqa and bendir, and Amel Boukhchina, who sang. In March 2006, we played our first concert with the current line-up, including Ann Marie Calhoun on violon, Brian Calhoun on guitar, and Zack Blatter on bass, in addition to the Tunisian musicians. This concert took place at the Theatre Municipal in Tunis .


Tell us more about your music? How did you find that fine balance between two seemingly different musical styles whether in terms of instruments or rhythms?

Our music brings together Appalachian and Tunisian traditional folk melodies. However, we also compose much of our own material, using this fusion as a base, and we are influenced by musical styles not limited to these genres. Our compositions and arrangements take elements unique to each musical tradition, but create a sound that is entirely new. For example, we use Appalachian harmonies, with Arabic melodies, or Tunisian rhythms with Appalchian songs. Finding the balance is an ongoing process, and we only arrive at that balance after much experimentation. When the whole group is satisfied with the arrangement, then we’ve found the balance. Every musician does what comes natural in their respective traditions with an ear to opening their perspective to the music of their counterpart. When we work together we try to compliment, not overshadow, each other.


Both your band and music are a celebration of the Tunisian American long friendship. Your titles (Kantara, larmes, Way faring stranger, Encuentros, Tempérament, Awtar, Middle of the road, Pureté…) convey a message of diversity, tolerance and openness regardless of languages, origins and ethnicities. In your understanding and experience, how can music be an efficient tool in an existing environment where mutual understanding is very much-needed?

We have seen through our experience with Kantara that music is truly the universal language – five members of the group don’t even have a common language to speak with, yet have still become great friends. Our music highlights the beauty of two different cultures, and is an active example of positive collaboration that transcends national or cultural identity. From the reactions of our audiences both in Tunisia and abroad, we have seen that there is a thirst for this message. There has been a focus in the media on anti-Americanism or anti-Arabism, to the point where in the minds of many, the gap has become almost to wide to bridge. Kantara proves on stage that this is not the case. When audiences have left our performances, they constantly remark on the sense of fraternity among the members of the group – the harmony, not just of the music, but of the family of musicians on stage.


Are there any plans to extend the band to more nationalities for the sake of more diversity?

Kantara is a small group, that is focused on combining two distinct musical traditions – Tunisian and Appalachian music. Of course, these musics are themselves derived from diverse traditions – African, Irish, Spanish, Turkish, etc.

Beyond Kantara, Riadh has created several other projects which bring in many more musicians of different nationalities. With Minaret et la Tour, he combined a Spanish guitarist, an American pianist, and Tunisian musicianis. The project Vent 440 combined Kantara, with the Venezuelan-American flute maestro Pedro Eustache and American pianist Tom Rosenkranz, and Tunisian musicians, all backed by the Vienna Opera House Orchestra. This summer, Riadh is planning a similar concert experience with an Italian orchestra and another diverse cast of musicians from around the world. Called “Ouverture”, these concerts are scheduled to take place in Italy and in Tunisia at the Carthage and El Jem festivals.


You have been doing concerts in Tunisia and Italy. When will your public in the States be able to attend your concerts? Any CDs to be released soon?

We are planning our first mini-tour in the U.S. in late May/Early June. Fans can check out details at our website: www.kantaramusic.com. At this time, we are also planning on heading into the studio to record our first full-length CD. In the meantime, four songs from our demo are available for free download from our website.

Would you like to say a word for your Tunisian fans here in America?

Aslaama. We look forward to showing our friends and fans in the U.S. the unique beauty of Tunisian music and culture, and hope to see you at a Kantara concert soon!

مزالي باعث مشروع الديمقراطية في تونس

ولكن ما ذنبي ان اذا كانت المعارضة الحقيقية تنام في فراش الرئيس؟

First True Attempt of TunisianDemocracy
envoyé par jamsoun

المصدر: وثائقي زمن بورقيبة - قناة العربية


مانا قلنا ماكل العام الراجل مظلوم

A Note To Si Ali (my father)

Si Ali hates Japanese cars: mere copycats of German cars with a hasty interior design work and an egg-like overall fragility, he would say.

With all due respect for your "tastes", I'm going for a Toyota Daddy and here's why...

Part I



Part II



Part III



Well! Not quite what you have always been thinking Pa! Japanese did come from a long way since.

Germans: watch out!

A Call For Love & Peace

After the shootings in Virginia Tech this morning, a message of peace and tolerance for god's sake!

This is not the first time and it won't be the last unfortunately. Last month or so, it was here and god knows where the next hit will be.

It's a cow boy country anyway...

I'm happy all my friends there are safe and sound. For them and for all, again, a message of peace, love and acceptance.

Waltz in 7-8
envoyé par jamsoun

ايه و قياسا عليه احنا فين نطلعو بالظبط؟

Good Lesson In Self Assessment
envoyé par jamsoun

When Germans Team Up With Italians You Get This!

And you know what! Jeremy's British humor makes it even better!

Peace & Love :-)

Peace

Peace Now!
envoyé par jamsoun

Peace (Salam) again & Love (Ishq)

4eme episode: zaman bourguiba

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H99W3MBL

Thank God For the Bounty of Hearing!

Yanni live concert
Uploaded by georgevideos

رسالة الى ابنتي

Dear Daughter,

Still remember the moment I took you in my arms as a baby (my baby!) the day you were born. You were rosy, fragile and so tiny. I was so obsessed with your safety that I stopped breathing for a while contemplating you and congratulating myself for being the happiest man on earth. I have to admit that during those very moments, I totally forgot about your mother (you must be saying to yourself that men will always remain kids (yes they will!): a woman comes along and Hop! She makes us forget the other one in a blink of an eye).

Until that day, I thought I knew it all. It turned out that I knew nothing and that fatherhood was such a unique thing to savor.

I’d already chosen your name many years ago. I fell in love with one of the songs of Marcel Khalife and I just named you after it.

Don’t worry. I never sketched your life in advance nor did I picture you wearing this or that hat. Since you have been a child, your mother and I have been striving to teach you some universal values: colors do not matter; no limits, no boundaries but one identity: humans; Diversity, far from hindering us to get along, makes us richer and more open human beings. Freedom is worth everything; Listen up before you speak up; travel is the best book we might ever read.

We didn’t want you to be a copy of me nor of your mother. We might have been inspiring for you, that’s ok but if not, that’s ok as well. Great men and women might take wrong decisions but at the end of the day, they are still great because they decided for themselves. They didn’t let anybody do the job for them. However easy this might seem to you at this stage of your life, you’ll know how much courage and self–confidence are needed to get by such “milestones”. But need no worry! I utterly trust your maturity and brave, Rita.

When I was a kid myself, I used to be a fan of some Greek composer, Yanni. He recalled that his father used to tell him. “If the whole world wants to go left and you feel like going right, just go, it’s no big deal, it’s very easy.” I was proud of you every time we diverged on an issue and you managed to convince me of your point of view while, in order to show that you were right, you didn’t seek to prove that I was wrong.

Remember when you went for the violin while your mother begged you to go for the piano? Remember when you told me you would like to go for Political Sciences as your major? Remember when you asked me for whom to vote and I frowned upon you? It’s just your choice not ours and will always be so. We might have given you the key. Still, you are still the (only) one in charge of picking up the door and opening it.

Now that you’re a graceful young lady and a full fledged citizen, I have something in my innermost being, a vision, (not just a dream) that you and Hend will live in a country where you won’t be judged, hired or promoted by any thing other than you competency and commitment for the job.

My dear little daughter,

Get up early, read a lot but don’t spend too much time in buildings. Books are our best friends. Yet, a bookish education will make you end up like Candide’s Voltaire. Reach out and see the world first hand. Travel my daughter, leave a horizon behind and follow your relentless quest for the horizon ahead.

Ah! One last thing! Bourguiba once said “Happy is the person who can laugh at himself. He will never cease to be amused”.

So keep laughing at yourself my darling, keep being happy and keep the energy flowing around!

3 ans deja, 7 ans deja!

NB: j'ai pas aime du tout l'extrait qu'a choisi Delahnoe, c'est pas innocent du tt! chniyya d'une poussiere d'individus....

C'etait a bord d'une Peugeot 6 Cylindres...

Bourguiba in France
envoyé par jamsoun

نبزة

B&B

B & B
Uploaded by jamsoun

Riglou Oumourkom

http://tanbirra.lightbb.com/TanBIRRA-s-Downloads-c1/Telechargez-f10/Zaman-Bourguiba-p5153.htm

If Only He Performed In Carthage or El-Jem

The Greek kid celebrating the land of Carthage! Can't ask for more!

Mediterranean I am, Mediterranean I remain.

Why Dailymotion Censorship (or any other form of censorship) Will Lead to Nowhere?

An Open Letter to Mr. Scissors!

Dear Mr. Scissors,

First of all, I'm gonna tell you why you 404'ed dailymotion.com: you're so afraid of this new wave of Bourguibism among us. With the spread of all his videos and speeches, all your attempts to erase an era are simply doomed to failure. By dwarfing Bourguiba's image and status as a natural leader and the builder of modern Tunisia, by preventing the Tunisian people from exploring the oeuvre of Bourguiba, you made them even more ravenous to learn as much as possible about him. Too bad for you! Bourjouliyya, you SUCK!

Let me tell you something else. Blogging is like free market. The entry level is so low that anybody with an internet access can set up his or her blog in a matter of minutes. If in addition he/she masters English, he/she can take his/her voice around the planet and trigger a chain of reactions where thousands and thousands can read him/her, reply and themselves forward the piece of information at hand to even more thousands or millions around the globe in a blink of an eye! Too fast for you, eh? Maybe you should take a break or retire altogether! Maybe you could even join us since you're too good with blogs!

Just look at every online counter at the bottom or on the side of every blog, Mr Scissors! Does it scare you to see all those users from all those countries some of which you haven't even heard of? Yes they’re reading me and they’ll bounce the information back over and over again. So why on earth should you trigger a snow ball in the first place?! Why do you mess up with the bee's hive and then whine about being stung?!! Why the hell are you trying to trim, cut and delete when you don’t have anything to be afraid or ashamed of? Or do you?!

You know! People in the morning no longer log into the routine News web sites “à la Reuters”, “Let’s leave the politically correct news and the diplomatic jargon for a little later!” They say. People just want real time data right from inside the event, from Ground Zero. What better could they turn to than the alternative media? Blogs!

If in addition the blogger has a digital camera with a mic and a couple of free softwares out there then he/she can have at the end of the day a whole newspaper (a blog) where the whole team is himself/herself, may be even doing interviews with people you wish had been rotting in your deepest prison cells. Everyone becomes a reporter. I know it's a nightmare for you but could you censor everyone? I don’t think so but good luck anyway!

Time magazine’s 2006 Person of the Year was You. Yes! It’s you, me, him, her and everybody. This is to highlight the final shift from institutions to individuals. Tom Friedman, the well known globalization evangelist, stated that we are living Globalization version 3.0 where the world is the playground of Super Empowered Individuals, individuals who can spread their ideas and ideology with a couple of clicks away. You can’t win this war by lurking and hiding, you’ll end up wasting your time without getting what you want! It’s like concealing the sun by just covering your eyes or dipping your head into the sand! Welcome to my world Mr Scissors! You can no longer impose your own rules in this new world, remember, it’s the free market and you’re playing against everybody else. So just let the market work on its own, ok? Good!

Dear Mr/ Scissors,

In the past Cold War system [where the world was still split by thick and high walls], leaders forced citizens to compare themselves to their fathers. They would say: are you doing better than your father? Yes? Can you afford to buy bread, milk and tomatoes? Yes? OK then Shut up!

But now (decent and smart) people no longer compare themselves to their fathers. They have so much information; they’re much more open and thus much more demanding. Now they compare themselves to their neighbors everywhere because they can track them all over the world on television, over satellites, on DVDs and through the Internet. They want more than bread, milk and tomatoes; they aspire for freedom and democracy: the two keys to a fast-track society in a 21^st century where dictatorship and all its evils (nepotism, corruption, red tape, censorship, etc) are synonyms of being left behind!

Mr. Scissors,

Have you heard about that game? The “Rock, Paper, Scissors” game where Scissors cut Paper and so they win? It is the game you are playing with us except for a little detail! We are no longer paper! We are everywhere, virtual and elusive (yet brave to look under every rock and speak out!) . Never before or since have we been so ubiquitous, fast and efficient!

Poor you! You remind of the Coyote and the Road Runner! You can not get hold of us like you did for a long time with all the papers you didn’t like, we are no longer waiting for our readers in newsstands where you can buy all the papers you don’t like early in the morning before your citizens can put their hands on! We learned to adapt, it’s us who go to our readers, all over the place, 24/7. We now are E-papers, which turns out to be similar to Rocks…which - by the very same rules of the game - blunt the scissors! You’ve just lost again!

I bet you love the free market Mr. Scissors. You know why! It’s the same market that let you before purchase those sophisticated tools you use to censor my blog! You see it’s a good and a fair game where there’s a fine line between losing and winning!

Still, I think you must be a very smart person! You’re probably using cutting edge (censorship) technology so you obviously do recognize the marvels you can achieve once empowered by technology...and so do we!

Censoring a blog is like trying to raise the Berlin wall again! HELLO! It’s all over since 1989 and I’m NOT sorry you’re losing amigo!

Long time for censors (and scissors), we’re the Bloggers!

امي انتي

Tunisia Presentation
envoyé par aniscarface