09 March 2014

Cultural Exchange: We Did It Our Way



MELA 5, DAY FOUR: 9 MARCH 2014, PART II


The Culture Exchange evening is an opportunity for MELA friends to share history, culture and traditions, and to cement understanding among the region's up-and-coming leaders of their respective national identities.



Gearing up for a fabulous evening of music, dance, drama and poetry, a whirligig of colors and cultures.



Yemen, Oman, and Saudi Arabia: desert brothers, lords of the Arabian Peninsula.



Ladies of the Levant and Egypt: old style meets modern fashion.



Rafal and Elham's stylishness is timeless.



One Lebanese, one Jordanian, one Qatari, one Emirati from Oman, one Kyrgyz and two Americans. Where else but MELA?



The American team of facilitators model the way  and prove they have nothing to fear but fear itself  with a performance of dance styles across the last century that soon has the whole company dancing along.




– Flower children Susan and Meade.



Bill was born to be Tiny Tim. 






– Phil is the disco king.



Abba!






The Omanis invite us on stage to celebrate baby Farhat's 1-year birthday, Omani-style.



For many of us, this is probably a once-in-a-lifetime, not-to-be-missed opportunity to pour endless streams of popcorn on Farhat's head.



A demonstration of old-style Omani medicine – in this case, how a traditional healer (Mohammed Al Shuaili, with a disturbingly evil cackle) would use a poultice for a football injury – reminded us of the joys of modern hospitals and anesthetics. 



Switzerland makes an appearance! Ernst asks rhetorically what his nation is famous for, and hands out delicious free chocolate. Those who had been hoping for luxury wristwatches or gold bullion manage to mask their disappointment.



The Saudis offer a presentation of famous ancient and modern sites and architectural styles in Saudi Arabia. They top it off with a gorgeous show of clothes styles from various areas of the kingdom.



Nahla and Abdelrahman re-enact a famous scene from the 1964 Egyptian movie Bayn al-Qasrayn (after Naguib Mahfouz's novel Palace Walk), then show the original clip for comparison. The audience concurs that Nahla and Abdelrahman's superior performance deserves the Oscar!



Mohamed's presentation opens our eyes to the extraordinary history and civilization, unique nature, and all-round breathtaking beauty of Yemen.




The Jordanians teach us about their land's ancient cities and traditions, refute stereotypes that they don't have a playful sense of humor, and shine a light on the special position that the Jordanian king has in the society.



The members of the combined Syrian-Lebanese-Palestinian-Iraqi contingent share their songs and music...



... and stage a wedding procession and dance. Congratulations Mounib and Arwa!



The Qataris describe their country's wholesale transformation during the last few decades with justified pride.




Talal Hajjar (MELA 3, and volunteer staff member for MELA 5) wraps up the evening with a slap-up rendition of "My Way."



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