Artists, poets, lyricists and storytellers gathered together at the El Cajon Library at a remarkable event, jointly sponsored by the Iraqi Center for Dialogue and the San Diego County Library on March 5. A Babylonian Literary Marbad & Art Show allowed around a dozen artists to share their passion and talents of the spoken word. Poetry, in another language, is nearly impossible to translate, but with the help of a translator, he was able to provide me with the basic ideas each lyricist had to offer.
Artists, poets, lyricists and storytellers gathered together at the El Cajon Library at a remarkable event, jointly sponsored by the Iraqi Center for Dialogue and the San Diego County Library on March 5. A Babylonian Literary Marbad & Art Show allowed around a dozen artists to share their passion and talents of the spoken word. Poetry, in another language, is nearly impossible to translate, but with the help of a translator, he was able to provide me with the basic ideas each lyricist had to offer. But in many cases, the translations were unnecessary as it was obvious through body language, tone and expression, what many of these artists were saying with the remarkable flow of words. Like an Italian opera, you do not have to understand all of the words to comprehend the story, and such was the case in this.
Poetry, especially, is nearly impossible to translate to any other language without removing the heart and meaning of the idiom of the orator.
Within the beautiful flow of their own dialect, you could feel the passion, sorrow and determination of these talented poets. With poem and prose you could hear and see the empowerment of a young woman determined to make a difference in this world and new life. In others, you felt the sorrow of leaving the beauty of their homeland and the many martyrs that helped them find a way to a place of freedom. And others spoke the international language of love, friendship and harmony between two people. Truly, a remarkable experience to witness.
Art on display was a diverse combination of artists from Iraq, America and the Netherlands. Utilizing all mediums, this display is a wide array of the abstract impressionism, expressionism, surrealism and eastern style. The sculpture exhibit is a beautiful portrayal of lines and symbols that make your eyes travel around to see all of the angles, curvatures and lines.
Consulate General of the Republic of Iraq Los Angeles Basha Al-Jarba joined the joint efforts of the library and Jawdat Alobeidi, founder of the Iraqi Center of Dialogue in making this opening reception and exceptional event. Although the poetry and prose is not something that can be heard, the art is still on display at the El Cajon Library. It is a trip worth making and the variety of artistic styles gives a little bit of something great for any art lover.
