Name: Arabic Arts & Culture Series with Jamal Saeed
Start: 2019-03-26 18:30:00
End: 2019-03-26 21:00:00

Join Arabic author, activist, editor and visual artist, Jamal Saeed for a thoughtful and insightful cultural community experience. Over the course of three evenings, dive into the rich history and contemporary landscape of Arabic language, writing, music, and arts. Develop a deeper understanding of Arabic culture, and foster new relationships within the Kingston community.

Jamal Saeed received his Bachelors of English Literature at Damascus University, in Syria. Sharing his incredible story with us, Jamal spoke of his time as a Prisoner of Conscious, which was a result of his passion and dedication to cultivating the fields of short story, poetry, calligraphy, and painting with his community. A fearless creative, Jamal highlights his resourceful painting projects on cigarette boxes using the mixed pigment of fruits, fruit skins (especially pomegranates), olives, and date cores, during his 12 years in prison.

Over his lifetime Jamal has written a collection of short stories, including, “Sun’s Crazy Girl” published in 1993, and edited countless books during his time as a Production Director in The New Pioneers publishing house in Damascus, from 1993-2014. He has designed hundreds of book-covers for publishers in Syria and Lebanon, and translated multiple books from English to Arabic. In addition, he has regularly translated articles for the Specialized Translation Center and Syrian European Documentation Center. Jamal currently resides in Kingston, ON with his wife and children.

We invite you to purposefully explore and broaden your knowledge of Arabic arts and culture with us at the Tett Centre for Creativity & Learning this season. During this hands-on introduction series, learn common Arabic greetings and phrases using rhythm and writing, practice calligraphy with various geometric shapes, and engage in group discussions and storytelling.