October 1989, Page 57

Bulletin Board

Announcements

Charles Warren Hostler has been named ambassador to Bahrain. Hostler heads his own investment company in San Diego and previously served as deputy assistant secretary for Africa, Near East and South Asia in the Department of Commerce.

Mark Gregory Hambley has been named ambassador to Qatar. Hambley presently is consul general in Alexandria, Egypt, and has served in Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Tunisia and Libya.

James R. Cheek has been nominated as ambassador to the Sudan. A former chief of mission and charge d'affaires in Addis Ababa, Cheek presently is diplomat-in-residence at Howard University.

Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, received an award from the National Association of Arab Americans in honor of Saudi Arabia's crucial efforts in encouraging the United States-Palestine Liberation Organization dialogue.

The director of the Office of Personnel Management has approved the inclusion of the United Palestinian Appeal in the list of organizations eligible for funds in the Combined Federal Campaign, the US government's annual charity drive.

The Smithsonian National Associate Program is sponsoring two foreign study tours to the Middle East: Istanbul and the Aegean, Sept. 27-Oct. 9; and Red Sea Passage, March 1-12, 1990, to Egypt and Jordan including Luxor, Cairo and Petra. For details, telephone (202) 357-4700.

The Intifada at the Movies

The Jerusalem Film Festival broke new ground recently when it previewed several films with the intifada as the major theme. The biggest hit was a Palestinian film, The Shelter, by a young Arab director Rashid Mashrawi, which won a $10,000 prize for best short film of the festival. The film examines the relationship between two Arab workers in Tel Aviv.

Another prize winner was Green Fields, about an Israeli family living in the occupied West Bank. An unusual aspect of this film is that the Arab actors never speak, thus invoking a controversial film technique that illustrates the gap between how Jews and Arabs approach the image of the Arab on film.

Another short film, Don't Get Involved, was directed by Jorge Jonathan Weller, an Argentinian, who compares the Israeli internal security forces to the recent military dictatorship in Argentina.

A half-dozen intifada films are expected to be shown at local theaters in Israel in the coming months. According to the Washington Post, "Public reaction to movies about the intifada has been mixed, but all agree that the new movies tell a lot about how Israelis and Palestinians see themselves and each other."

Upcoming Trade Fairs

The following trade fairs are scheduled for November: Casablanca Book Fair; Sharjah Book Fair; Baghdad International Fair; Istanbul International Communications Exhibition; and Dubai Gulf Food Exhibition.

Conferences and Exhibitions

"Inside Ancient Egypt," Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. A new permanent exhibit "recreates" a tomb, a stretch of the Nile, and other aspects of time and place, emphasizing hands-on displays.

The 23rd annual meeting of the Middle East Studies Association will be held Nov. 15-18 at the Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The program features three days of panels, workshops and special sessions, as well as a reception at the Royal Ontario Museum. A highlight of the annual banquet will be the announcing of the winners of the Malcolm Kerr Dissertation competition. For information, contact the MESA Secretariat (602) 621-5850.

The Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation will present a conference and project seminar entitled: "The Arab Gulf States: Investment Opportunities for the 1990s," Oct. 13-17. Investment opportunities for American companies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will be discussed. The conference will meet Oct. 13 at the Holiday Inn Crown Center in Washington, DC, and the project seminar will be held Oct. 16-17 at the Westin Hotel in Chicago. For information, contact Clark W. Fisher, OPIC, (202) 457-7056.

Lectures

Remaining programs in the Middle East Institute's fall lecture series include Oct. 11, "Iraq After the War," by Dr. Frederick W. Axelgard of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Nov. 1, "Iran's Economic Agenda," by Dr. Patrick Clawson of the Foreign Policy Research Institute; and Dec. 13, "Internal Threats to Stability for the Gulf States" by Dr. Emile A. Nakhleh of Mount Saint Mary's College. Programs begin at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free to MEI members and there is a $5 charge for non-members.

The Smithsonian Institution's Campus on the Mall is offering a course of eight lectures entitled "The Middle East and the United States: Current Issues," coordinated and moderated by Peter D. Constable, former US Ambassador to Zaire. Course tuition is $85 to Middle East Institute and Smithsonian Resident Associate members, and $120 for non-members.

Islamic Art Market Booming

The bi-annual spring Islamic art sales at Sotheby's in London achieved record results, according to Middle East magazine. Ottoman glassware, ornate daggers, antique jewelry and hand-crafted pottery were sold for thousands of pounds. Islamic manuscripts, comprising Korans and individual Koranic pages, attracted particular interest. A magnificent Safavid Koran, produced around 1550 in Iran, was sold for 115,500 pounds, establishing a new world record sale price for a single, complete Koran.

Employment

The Washington office of Amnesty International USA seeks an intern for Middle Eastern/European Affairs in its Washington office, 608 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., Washington D.C. 20002. Duties include monitoring congressional and private human rights activities and answering requests for information on human rights in the Middle East/Europe. To apply, call Brian Best at (202) 544-0200.

The Centre for European Languages and Translation (CELT) at King Saud University's College of Arts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, has announced faculty openings for teachers in English as a second language. Requirements include a bachelor's or master's degree in English plus a minimum of two years of university-level TESL experience or six years of elementary/secondary TESL experience. For more information, contact: Dr. Ibrahim S. Dabaan, CELT, College of Arts, King Saud University, PO Box 2456, Riyadh-11451, Saudi Arabia.