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A Survey of Cultural Practices in Jordan 2009 - 2010

Contents
Acknowledgements Executive Summary Introduction Part One Report on the Survey Cultural Practices: Cultural Practices: Cultural Practices: The Performing Arts The Visual Arts The Literary Arts 7 21 32 35 45 2 3 4

Cultural Organizations and Institutions Conclusions and Main Findings

Part Two Survey Materials (CD Attached) Individuals Surveyed Organizations and Institutions Surveyed Annex 1: Annex 2: Annex 3: Sample Questionnaire for Individual Practitioners Sample Questionnaire for Organizations and Institutions Sample Questionnaire for Educational Institutions

Acknowledgements The surveys contained in the present report were carried out by Mr. Gregor Meiering and Alexia de Tillesse under the overall authority of the UNESCO Amman Office between January and September 2009. UNESCO would like to thank all the individuals and institutions that kindly agreed to be interviewed for the present report.

DISCLAIMER The views expressed in the interviews do not necessarily reect the views of UNESCO.

Executive Summary
This publication consists of the findings of a survey of cultural practices in Jordan carried out by UNESCO. It takes the form of a summary report on the survey followed by the interviews themselves. It is hoped that these materials, drawing on interviews carried out in narrative form, will be of value to those working in the cultural field in Jordan and in the wider Arab world. The survey itself is wide-ranging in terms of the number of individuals and organizations interviewed and the range of topics investigated. It contains an enormous amount of data from diverse areas, which have been gathered under the headings of the performing, visual and literary fields. While the survey does not present quantitative data, certain trends or issues emerge, focusing on the following areas: Training and education Professional status Audience Funding Public and private sector support Trends and developments

The survey is intended as a snapshot, or mapping, of cultural practices in Jordan, and it does not seek to offer recommendations. However, main findings, grouped under the headings listed above, are suggested at the end of the introductory summary report. It should be emphasized that these findings, extrapolated from the interviews, are based on the words of those contributing to the sample, and they are not intended as a guide to policy or as a definitive account of the areas investigated. Nevertheless, it is hoped that they may provide food for thought in designing future cultural initiatives in Jordan, as well as a work of reference for all those interested in the Jordanian cultural field.

Introduction
This publication presents the findings of a survey of cultural practices in Jordan, part of a cultural mapping of the country, carried out by UNESCO in 2009/10. It consists, firstly, of a report on the results of interviews carried out with Jordanian cultural practitioners, including artists, actors, musicians, writers and filmmakers, and cultural institutions, among them state institutions, professional associations, private production companies and art galleries, together with a set of conclusions bringing together main findings from across the various sectors surveyed. In the second part of the publication, the interview materials themselves are reproduced, allowing readers of the report to refer to the words and opinions, lightly edited, of practitioners in the Jordanian cultural field. It is hoped that these materials, together with the preceding summary report, will be of value to all those working in the cultural field in Jordan, or in the wider Arab world, and in need of reference materials on that fields nature, extent and present opportunities and challenges. In conducting the survey, carried out by UNESCO in personal interviews over several months between 2009 and 2010, some 80 leading figures in the Jordanian cultural field were identified, together with some 50 leading institutions. Examples of the questionnaires used in interviewing individuals and institutions are given in Annexes 1, 2 and 3. While every effort was made to detect trends and issues that it is hoped will be of use to policy-makers and others in supporting and developing the cultural field in Jordan, this did not come at the expense of the first-hand experience of those concerned, whether practitioners or the managers of institutions. Interviewees were asked both about their own direct experiences of working in the cultural field in Jordan, for example about their educational backgrounds, beginnings in the field, and experience of building or managing a career, as well as about the facilities offered by the wider environment, the question of public support and audience, and the changes that might be made to improve or develop cultural life in Jordan. It is hoped that this first-hand element in the survey materials, very far from a set of statistics or numbers, will also provide food for thought for those working in the Jordanian field or in analogous fields elsewhere. In deciding upon the shape of the survey and the individuals and institutions to be interviewed a broad definition of cultural practices was used and one in line with international benchmarks. However, the emphasis tended to be on contemporary forms of cultural practice, rather than on traditional, or heritage or crafts-based definitions. UNESCO has defined culture as the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group, including not only arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs (World Conference on Cultural Policies, 1982), and cultural practices can be taken as being the manifestations of such a society or social group, notably with regard to traditional and customary practices. However, the approach here has been to look

chiefly at the Jordanian creative industries, rather than at the countrys wider culture, as a way of analyzing the countrys contemporary cultural field. Guidance has been taken from similar exercises undertaken elsewhere, for example in the United Kingdom, where in a series of Creative Industries Mapping Documents, produced in 1998 and 2001 by the UK governments Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the aim was to measure the economic contribution of the creative industries to the country and to identify the opportunities and threats they faced.1 The definition of creative industries used in these Mapping Documents was those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property. While they included advertising, architecture, the art and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, music, the performing arts, publishing, software and computer services, and television and radio, the reports authors noted that sectors such as tourism, museums, galleries, heritage and sport, excluded from their report, could also be considered in relationship to the creative industries, though their complex nature made any comprehensive definition difficult. In the present report on the Jordanian cultural field, certain areas covered by the UK Mapping Document have been excluded, most notably traditional crafts, since it was felt that these, together with their close relationship to other sectors, would require a further dedicated study. However, many of the industries covered by the UK mapping exercise, among them art, film, music, the performing arts and literature, have been examined in the Jordanian field, which is divided into the three main segments of the Performing Arts, the Visual Arts and the Literary Arts in the report that follows. In line with the narrative character of the survey materials, it has not been possible to present information in quantitative form, though it is hoped that the first-hand experiences of Jordanian cultural practitioners, as reflected in the present report, will provide much food for thought to readers and a cross-cutting snapshot of the countrys cultural field. While the present document focuses on cultural practitioners and institutions, being the supply side of the creative industries, a complementary approach would be to look at audience expectations of the cultural field and demand for cultural products. The question of audience being raised throughout the present report, audience surveys could also provide a basis for targeted public policy interventions in the Jordanian cultural field.2

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Creative Industries Mapping Document, Department of Culture, Media and Sport, London, 2001, p. 4 Cp. Arts in England 2003, UK Arts Council, London, 2004

Part One Report on the Survey

1. Cultural Practices: the Performing Arts The performing arts in Jordan bring together musicians, dancers, actors and other performers, together with the public and private-sector institutions that support them, such as venues like performing arts centres and theatres and training and educational institutions like theatre and drama schools and music conservatories. Like other cultural sectors in Jordan, the performing arts sector is divided between what might be broadly termed a traditional sector, focusing particularly on traditional forms of music and dance and often being centered in the countrys rural areas and among populations of Bedouin origin, and a more modern sector centered in the capital Amman and involving forms of practice only more recently developed in Jordan, such as formal theatre and film. The survey interviewed some 40 individual practitioners working in Jordans performing arts field, including musicians, theatre, film and television actors, and dancers, as well as a selection of representative institutions, both from the public or state-supported sector and from the private sector. Music Music in Jordan has strong Bedouin roots, with the countrys traditional music being performed on instruments like the stringed rabab, the flute, or hand-held drums. More recently, influences from abroad have started to appear on the Jordanian music scene, with immigrant communities like the Circassians or Chechens bringing characteristic musical forms with them. In addition, over the past two decades in particular there have been far-reaching changes in the types of music played in Jordan and the forms of training available, as a result of a growth in international partnerships and influences. Today, there is a varied patchwork of styles of music played in Jordan, including modern Arabic pop music, both electronic and rock in derivation, traditional western classical music and traditional oriental music. Ten musicians were interviewed as part of the survey, the majority of them full-time, representing different styles of music from contemporary pop to western and oriental classical. On average the interviewees had been involved in music in some way for over a decade. The majority of them had not studied music formally, with those who had often doing so abroad. Music was often something that interested the musicians when they were young, either through contacts made at school or university or in some cases as a result of family influences. Few of those surveyed had received support from their families when they decided to make music their careers; those who had received support had done so when there was a musical background in the family. Issues covered in the survey included training and education, professional status, networking, audience, funding, facilities, media access and public and private-sector support.

I didnt study music because when I went to university, I was frustrated at seeing the music department so empty I registered in the faculty of computer science instead and met musicians outside.
Final questions asked respondents to consider developments affecting the cultural field in Jordan or those that could improve their professional situation. (a) Training and education: Many of those surveyed expressed concerns about the availability and quality of musical training and education in Jordan, with most being selftrained as a result of playing in bands or through non-formal education. In part, this may reflect concerns about the difficulties in making a career as a musician in Jordan, something raised by a majority of respondents who felt the need to have an alternative career, and academic or other qualification, given economic uncertainties about working in the musical field. However, it may also reflect the idea that existing academic and other institutions are not providing music education relevant to the needs of creative practitioners. As one respondent put it, I didnt study music because when I went to university, I was frustrated at seeing the music department so empty I registered in the faculty of computer science instead and met musicians outside. Musicians interviewed who had a formal musical training often acquired it abroad, for example in Paris or Baghdad, though these musicians also worked in sub-fields requiring extensive training, such as western classical or oriental music. One respondent, director of the Jordanian Symphonic Orchestra and Arab Academy of Music in Amman, underlined the fact that both institutions were comparatively new, having been established only within the last decade or so, and that consequently there was some way to go in raising the professional status, training and salaries of classical musicians. As far as training in pop and other styles of fusion or contemporary music was concerned, training was likely to be through building contacts with other practitioners, notably abroad. (b) Professional status: Almost all of those surveyed expressed concerns about the professional status of musicians in Jordan and the difficulties involved in following music as a career. Most said it was not possible to live from being a musician and that consequently music was a part-time career, with predictable consequences on professional standards and musical quality. In some cases, this may be a result of the type of music played, commercial music having higher monetary rewards and therefore releasing musicians from the need to find work elsewhere. Classical music, whether western or oriental, has greater needs in terms of venues and rehearsal space, rehearsal time in particular being negatively affected by the part-time status of many musicians.

As far as production and distribution of contemporary styles of music were concerned, among them pop, but also music for television and films, many respondents stressed the lack of suitable production and music-management companies in Jordan, with much of the funding and professional expertise coming from abroad. In this regard, one respondent remarked that he funded his music by writing music for Gulf television series, while another said that there are no production companies, no distributors [in Jordan] and people dont look kindly on music. In classical music, where private-sector involvement is minimal and funding is supplied by the state, similar concerns exist. One respondent, trained in classical music, said that she was planning to move to Lebanon where musicians had a higher professional status. Another said that whereas musicians who were members of national orchestras were paid well and had high professional status in other Arab countries, this was not the case in Jordan, where it was necessary for musicians to have other jobs or careers in order to live, though this could also be changing. (c) Networking: Most musicians used personal networks, often hosted or developed by the Internet. The perception was that the musical scene in Jordan was still small, and that consequently everyone knows each other. Musicians stressed the need to develop networks abroad, given the limited size of the Jordanian audience and the need to develop an international profile. There was little or no mention of state professional networks, most musicians depending on personal contacts. (d) Audience: Linked to the reluctance of many musicians to make music a career, given the economic uncertainties surrounding it, and the concerns about professional status, were concerns about audience. While this was less likely to be a concern for musicians specializing in popular music, or music directed at younger audiences, even here respondents said that the audience was not as wide as it could be, with a heavy bias towards relatively wealthy and urban sectors of society and towards West Amman. Concerns of this sort about audience were linked to the structure of Jordanian society, with cultural barriers existing between different segments of the population, they said. Concerns about audience were higher among musicians not playing youth-oriented or contemporary forms of music. Here, the perception was that classical music was necessarily subsidized by the state, given its limited audience, and that the younger generations were not being sufficiently encouraged, perhaps through education or work in schools, to appreciate classical musical forms. The director of the Jordanian Symphonic Orchestra was optimistic that public policy interventions could grow a larger audience for classical music in Jordan, though the single classical practitioner questioned said that she was pessimistic about audience expectations in the country. (e) Funding: Funding emerged as an almost universal concern, with most musicians, whatever the kind of music played, stressing that music was an uncertain and economically precarious career. However, once established it was possible to find funding, at least for concerts and concert tours, usually from private promoters and often from concert promoters based outside Jordan and notably in the Gulf. 9

(f) Facilities: Linked to concerns about funding were concerns about facilities, notably about equipment and rehearsal and performance venues. Sound equipment was expensive and not readily available, respondents said, and performance venues needed to be booked on an ad hoc basis and could be expensive, meaning that there were considerable pressures towards performing more commercial music. The classical musicians interviewed mentioned the use of state facilities, presumably because of the absence of private promoters in this sub-field. The state facilities were described as good, if expensive, but there was a need for a new opera house. (g) Media access: Jordanian musicians have easy media access, though there were concerns that TV and radio stations, conscious of the need to increase ratings, are most concerned to promote popular and commercial music, not covering other, less popular styles. One concern may also be the small size of the Jordanian domestic market and audience, and the concomitant need to promote Jordanian music regionally and internationally, in order to reach larger and wealthier markets in the Gulf. (h) Public and private sector support: Support for popular styles of music comes mostly from the private sector, while the public sector supports traditional, notably western and oriental classical, forms. As far as popular forms of music were concerned, respondents stressed the difficulty of making music a career in Jordan, given the uncertainties surrounding popular success, and therefore the ability to hire venues, pay musicians and conclude concert and recording contracts.

70% of my time is spent on working and only 30% is spent on music. I would like to reverse these figures.
Classical music, having a smaller audience and high costs, depended on state venues and funding for support, though the director of the Jordanian Symphonic Orchestra and Arab Academy of Music in Amman said that public support was insufficient at the moment to support full-time careers, though this could be changing. (i) Trends and developments: Funding, training and professional status and standards formed the core of many respondents answers. Some said that Jordan, being a small country with limited markets, needed to look more to the wider Arab world, particularly for audiences and talented musicians; other said that the government could do more to stimulate the industry, notably by setting up a dedicated Music Fund or by supporting festivals and other types of events, which could serve as important networking opportunities and put the country on the musical map.

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Venues, facilities and training should be improved. The financial and professional situation of musicians should be ameliorated. New and experimental styles of music should be given greater media access, notably on TV. Production and music-management companies should encourage Jordanian talent in a longer-term way, rather than focusing on one-off concerts. One Jordanian musician spoke for many when he said that 70% of my time is spent on working and only 30% is spent on music. I would like to reverse these figures. The classical musicians interviewed stressed the need to grow an audience for this form of music in Jordan, possibly by enhanced state intervention and also by greater media attention. Present state support was described as insufficient.

Theatre Theatre is a comparatively new development in Jordan, and it has been largely state-led, with the ministry of culture and other state agencies supporting Arab and international theatre, for example through the International Theatre Festival, and establishing and subsidizing various theatres and other institutions. However, the audience for theatre is still restricted in Jordan, and most performances take place in Amman. Ten individuals were interviewed for the survey, including stage and television actors, directors and teachers of drama and theatre. Theatre as an institution in Jordan, as in many other countries, is divided into a commercial sector putting on popular plays, with significant cross-over into television and film, and a state-supported sector putting on plays for smaller audiences with less cross-over into mass cultural forms. Of the individuals interviewed, many said that there was a need for greater government intervention to develop the latter sector, while sometimes ruefully admitting that in order to live from their work they had had to appear in more popular material. Again, issues covered in the survey included training and education, professional status, networking, audience, funding, facilities, media access and public and private-sector support. Final questions asked respondents to consider developments affecting the cultural field in Jordan or those that could improve their professional situation. (a) Training and education: Many respondents had studied theatre formally at university in Jordan or abroad, though this was by no means always the case. Many stressed the idea that theatre, being an economically sometimes precarious career and one not always well viewed by society, was not acceptable to their families as a choice of a career. As a result, many had studied other subjects and come to theatre later in life or through informal means. Some respondents said that changes in Jordanian society over the past quarter century had meant that it was now more acceptable for a young man or woman to follow an acting career, or a career in theatre as a director or producer. However, conservative trends in society did not necessarily approve of theatre as a career, even as the expansion

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of the media landscape, notably television, but also opportunities for stage acting, had greatly increased professional opportunities. (b) Professional status: Respondents stressed that acting, and also possibly directing and producing, were not seen as high-status activities in Jordan, though this had been changing with the introduction of increased funding for Gulf-produced television series. It was only possible to live as an actor in Jordan, respondents said, if an individual had other activities that could supply a revenue stream, such as teaching drama, scriptwriting, television acting or directing, or even entirely separate professional careers. Individuals working in theatre itself, as opposed to television, where there were significant economic opportunities and increasing funding, were most likely to suffer in this regard. (c) Networking: Respondents were often members of the official networks, notably those provided by the syndicate and the ministry of culture, though most stressed the need for personal networking, particularly in finding television work in the Gulf. The respondents said that they often used ministry or municipal facilities, notably theatres and rehearsal spaces, but their wider relations with the public sector was not necessarily good. Networks could also be built from participating in national and international festivals and by attending festivals abroad. Respondents noted the role played by foreign cultural centres and exchange and other arrangements in this regard, as well as the role played by actors groups and other ad hoc forms of association outside state structures. (d) Audience: There was a clear division between respondents working in popular forms, notably television, which had a large and growing audience, in Jordan and abroad, and those working in stage theatre, which, outside festival times, may have only a small and socially elite audience restricted to urban areas and West Amman. As one actor put it, the theatre is divided into two parts: the commercial part where uneducated people go, which is entertainment designed to make people laugh, and the theatre that has some kind of serious message... which fails to find an audience. Some respondents located the problem of audience in the fact that theatre was a comparatively new form of art in Jordan and one that was losing out to television. Others said that only theatre people and their friends came to the theatre performances, stressing the urban and Amman-based bias of theatre in Jordan. Many wanted to see further initiatives undertaken by the state, both through the ministry of culture and the ministry of education, to grow an audience for theatre in Jordan.

The theatre is divided into two parts: the commercial part where uneducated people go, which is entertainment designed to make people laugh, and the theatre that has some kind of serious message... which fails to find an audience.
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(e) Funding: Funding was available for television work, notably from Arab production companies based in the Gulf. Funding for theatre was described as precarious or nonexistent, with the state playing the leading role. The lack of funding has had knock-on effects on standards of professionalism, many stage actors working at best part time in theatre, and rehearsal times being limited. While venues are available through state networks, funding for productions is not always available, causing directors either to fund productions themselves, working through informal actors groups, or to approach foreign cultural centres, among them the French Cultural Centre and Goethe Institute, for funding. (f) Facilities: Facilities seemed to be good and sufficient for most directors needs, with many respondents citing public-sector institutions such as the Royal Cultural Centre and the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre as being available to theatre performances and rehearsal needs, as well as a handful of private-sector theatres. However, theatre spaces and performances were described as being largely confined to Amman, at least outside festival periods. As one respondent put it, a television and theatre actor, everything is available except for funding. There are actors and set designers and good stage decorators, but the funding is not available. That is why the quality of the work is declining.

Its our job to find [an] audience, but we need help. We need media support. Jordanian TV doesnt care: Iraqi TV and Lebanese TV attended my last performance, but not Jordanian. Why?

(g) Media access: Respondents described television work as being plentiful and often of high quality, with new channels, many of them based outside Jordan, increasing the demand for Jordanian productions and serials. In stage work and art theatre more generally, the picture was darker, with the public authorities not being encouraging of experimental work, or of work put on outside Amman, and there being little money available for advertising. Given the restricted audience for theatre in Jordan, commercial media stations and publications tend not to cover theatre performances, making it difficult for directors to reach new audiences. The standard of theatre criticism was described as being low, certainly lower than in other Arab countries, and Jordanian television was described as not covering Jordanian theatre. As one director put it, its our job to find [an] audience, but we need help. We need media support. Jordanian TV doesnt care: Iraqi TV and Lebanese TV attended my last performance, but not Jordanian. Why? (h) Public and private sector support: Funding for commercial television work was described as being plentiful, often flowing from new TV channels established in the Gulf. Funding 13

for theatre plays from the private sector seemed to be very limited and limited to commercial plays. Public-sector funding seemed to make up the lions share of the funding for new productions in Jordanian theatre, as well as in the organization of national and international festivals and events. However, aside from the funding made available for the theatres and performance spaces, production funding seemed to be more strictly limited, meaning that actors and directors either funded their theatre work through morelucrative television or commercial work or sought funds from foreign cultural centres. As one television and stage actor put it, while theatre work is difficult in all the Arab countries, in Tunisia and Egypt its easier, since there is an interest and a culture of theatre. The governments there support many theatre companies, spending more than 100 million on theatre. Here, the government gives peanuts. (i) Trends and developments: Respondents said that they would like to see enhanced efforts to grow an audience for theatre in Jordan, which had diminished, some said, in recent years due to the advance of television and foreign film. One way of doing this would be through improved education, with the state making more efforts to teach theatre in schools. Another would be through improved media coverage and support. Some respondents were markedly pessimistic about prospects for theatre, seen as an elitist or irrelevant form of art and one not enjoying serious state support. Commercial theatre, often of poor quality, was seen as thriving, as was television drama, notably Gulffinanced serials, but these things were not seen as serious forms of dramatic expression. Theatre elsewhere in the Arab world was seen as being in a better situation, notably in Egypt, and many respondents wanted to see enhanced international contacts. While one respondent, a theatre and TV director, said that he felt desperate about prospects for theatre in Jordan, others stressed the need to bring the theatre closer to ordinary peoples lives as a way of growing an audience for it. This could happen, one actor and director said, if more Jordanians wrote plays on Jordanian subjects, these then being professionally staged at affordable ticket prices to encourage the widest possible audiences. Dance Dance in Jordan, like music, has strong local roots, with the traditional style of folkloric dancing, the dabkeh, being performed by amateur troupes across the country, as well as by a national troupe in Amman. In addition to such traditional forms, immigrant communities, notably the Circassians, have also introduced their own traditional forms of dance to Jordan, and over recent decades more modern styles of dance, including ballroom, but also hip-hop and RnB, have been introduced into the country, resulting in a varied patchwork of styles with different levels of institutional and other forms of support.

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Ten respondents were interviewed as part of the survey, either professional or semi-professional dancers or dance instructors or others involved in the teaching or management of dance. Many of those interviewed worked in folkloric dance, still the most popular style, though others worked as directors or choreographers of longer dance performance pieces, a form of dance that has been developed in Jordan over recent decades. Issues covered in the survey included training and education, professional status, networking, audience, funding, facilities, media access and public and private-sector support. Final questions asked respondents to consider developments affecting the cultural field in Jordan or those that could improve their professional situation. (a) Training and education: Dance, perhaps even more than most other art forms, requires a long period of training, though most of those interviewed said that they had trained either part-time, or informally, or abroad. One respondent said that there are no schools in Jordan for professional dance, presumably meaning that it was still difficult to study dance full-time and with a view to a professional career as a dancer. Even for those most dedicated to it, dance was something pursued informally along with other formal studies, presumably because of the precarious economic status of dance as a career. (b) Professional status: Respondents stressed the fact that professional dance does not really exist in Jordan, in the words of one dancer and dance-teacher surveyed, meaning that dancers do not enjoy a secure professional status. Most, perhaps all, are amateurs, though exceptionally dedicated ones, and most, perhaps all, have other work that constitutes their professional careers, often as dance teachers. Dance was a hobby in Jordan, one respondent said, pursued either out of a love for it, or as a way of strengthening and reinforcing national or communal heritage and culture. The latter seemed to be a particular consideration for Circassian dance, while folkloric dance was linked to Jordans national intangible heritage and culture. However, the society as a whole had difficulty accepting the idea that dance could also be a legitimate professional activity or career. (c) Networking: The respondents said that contacts were mostly personal ones, built up through dance performances in Jordan and abroad. However, certain institutions, notably the Performing Arts Centre, also played an important role as nodal points within the network of those working in the dance field in Jordan, either as a performing or rehearsal space, or as a space towards which people naturally gravitated. (d) Audience: The respondents stressed that, aside from traditional Jordanian folkloric dance, and the heritage styles of dance practiced by certain communities in Jordan, notably the Circassians, the audience for dance in Jordan was limited. Contemporary dance, and dance as a performance art made up of longer pieces, was seen as a new development in Jordan and one that had not yet necessarily found a large audience. As a result, the audience for contemporary dance performances, often limited to Amman, could be a private one, made up of the dancers friends and families. Many respondents 15

said that there was a need to grow an audience for this kind of dance, possibly through enhanced outreach or education, but also through better media coverage. Audience issues of this kind did not affect traditional folkloric dance, which had a strong national audience across social groups. (a) Funding: Funding was an issue for most of the respondents surveyed. The weak professional status of dancers in Jordanian society, together with the few guarantees of permanent employment, meant that most dancers also worked as dance teachers or in other jobs. While resources were good in terms of facilities, these did not necessarily stretch to financing new productions, and respondents described lives made up of a constant search for funds. As one respondent put it, a dancer, choreographer and director, finding funding for dance projects is one of the most difficult things to do in Jordan, with directors and choreographers approaching both the state funding authorities, chiefly the ministry of culture and the Amman municipality, for funds, along with foreign cultural centres, embassies and private-sector sponsors. The lack of professional status and funding seemed to be true over most sub-fields of dance, from contemporary, through belly dancing, to Circassian dance. (b) Facilities: Respondents described facilities as being generally good, notably as a result of institutions such as the Performing Arts Centre, though these were also limited, and this had negative impacts on rehearsal time. Some facilities were free or affordable to use, while others were too expensive for extensive rehearsal to be possible. (c) Media access: Respondents spoke almost as one in saying that, aside from traditional folkloric dance and the dance of certain communities, such as the Circassians, the audience for dance in Jordan was limited and audiences were often mistrustful of contemporary and other forms of dance. Many saw a role for the state in developing the mentality of society in order to make dance a more acceptable and popular art form, notably through introducing dance in schools, but also through raising its profile in the countrys cultural life, while others felt that the media could do more to cover dance and introduce it to new audiences. (d) Public and private sector support: Funding is a perennial problem for dance in Jordan, with respondents asking both for enhanced public-sector funding, as well as for sponsorship arrangements and other forms of financial support from the private sector. (e) Trends and developments: A main issue emphasized by almost all the respondents was the lack of professional dance schools in Jordan, with characteristic knock-on effects on the professional status and career progression of dancers. Dance, aside from traditional folkloric and community forms of dance, was more accepted in society than had been the case some decades ago, but there were still factors preventing the growth of an audience for dance in Jordan and for improvements in the 16

professional status of dancers and the funding of dance performances. One comment, made by a dance instructor and choreographer, indicated that audience issues were related to Jordans broader social make-up, with wealthy young people being interested in hip-hop, as a quintessential western youth style, and the poorer conservative society sometimes not being able to understand dance as a form of artistic expression.

Cinema Recent years have seen a rise in cinema activity in Jordan, in parallel to a growth in television and music production for often Gulf-based audiences. The Royal Film Commission was set up in 2003 in order to encourage filmmaking in the country and to train Jordanian filmmakers, and in 2008 the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts, a graduate school offering a Masters in Cinematic Arts, was founded, both testifying to state-led efforts to develop Jordans film industry. Eleven film-industry professionals were interviewed for the survey, including feature and documentary filmmakers and producers. Issues covered in the survey included training and education, professional status, networking, audience, funding, facilities, media access and public and private-sector support. Final questions asked respondents to consider developments affecting the cultural field in Jordan or those that could improve their professional situation. (a) Training and education: While the recent establishment of the Jordanian Royal Film Commission (RFC) and the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts aims to develop training and education facilities for Jordanian filmmakers and film professionals, all the respondents surveyed were too old to have benefited directly from these new Jordanian institutions. As a result, many of them had followed other courses of study at university, or had studied abroad, notably in the UK or in Egypt. Aside from formal study, many respondents had also undertaken hands-on training with usually foreign production teams, often working in documentary film or other formats. A common complaint was stated by one respondent, a documentary filmmaker, who said that she had studied in London on a UK government scholarship, since its impossible to study in this field in Jordan. Another filmmaker, this time working in feature and documentary films, said that he had started out working in Lebanon, since at the time there was nothing in Jordan for filmmaking. (b) Professional status: Respondents stressed the lack of professional status accorded to filmmakers and film professionals in Jordan, one saying that there was no professional syndicate for those wanting to work in the profession, which was as yet only weakly professionalized. With the exception of the RFC and the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative (AFC), the respondents said, there were no institutions acting to bring those working in the film industry together, with those answering the survey describing themselves as independents.

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Respondents said that working in the filmmaking field was viewed as being a risky career choice, given the weak level of professionalization and the still nascent character of Jordanian cinema. This weak level of professionalization had predictably negative knockon effects on the quality of Jordanian filmmaking, respondents said, as well as on the career prospects of Jordanian directors and others. (c) Networking: Certain institutions, notably the newly established RFC and the older AFC, played a significant role in networking opportunities in what was still a small industry. Most respondents stressed that networks were formed from personal contacts, as well as via the Internet and Web-based social networking sites. (d) Audience: The respondents said that the audience for films in Jordan was segmented according to social background, with audiences in West Amman being sometimes more receptive to Jordanian films, notably art-house films, as well as by forms of support. Jordanian documentary and other films shown on Arab satellite TV channels like AlArabia, also a significant source of funding, had a much greater chance of finding an audience than films projected to audiences in West Amman. A further audience for Jordanian films was film-festival goers, whether in the Arab world or internationally, though this too tended to be a middle-class audience primarily interested in art-house films. One respondent, who had trained in Cairo with Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, said that her audience was made up of people who know me. Given the late entry of Jordanian filmmakers into the Arab and international film market, Jordanian audiences tended to go to see Egyptian or US films in cinemas, rather than Jordanian films, respondents said. The nascent character of the Jordanian feature-film industry had meant that few Jordanian feature-films had been made, with most production tending to be shorter or documentary films commissioned for television or given only restricted screenings at festivals and other events. (e) Funding: While state initiatives such as the RFC seemed to play a significant networking role and provide equipment and facilities, funding for films has tended to come from the private sector, with Arab satellite television commissioning significant Jordanian production. There was, respondents agreed, a lack of Jordanian funding and a lack of public-sector investment in filmmaking. It was difficult, if not impossible, to make a living from filmmaking in Jordan, respondents said, though foreign, especially Gulf, funding could help. In the absence of funding for filmmaking, many filmmakers opted to work in television, with impacts on their careers and ambitions. The lack of funding had stymied efforts by many respondents to make longer, or feature-length, films, hampering the development of a genuine film industry in the country and focusing production on short films and documentaries.

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(f) Facilities: The AFC and RFC provided good facilities and equipment, respondents said, though these community facilities were criticized by one independent producer as being staffed by government employees [who] dont understand what you are trying to do. While respondents were virtually unanimous in praising the facilities made available by the RFC, they were also of nearly one voice in recommending that better financing mechanisms be found to produce Jordanian films, especially feature films. One director suggested that tax revenues be used to support filmmakers, or a tax on the sale of cinema tickets be used to subsidize filmmakers. Another argued for the establishment of a state film fund to support the production of feature films. (g) Media access: We need attention and for people to take us seriously, commented one respondent, a filmmaker, and survey respondents were in general agreed on the need for the Jordanian media to highlight or promote the countrys films and filmmakers more effectively. Public taste was formed by Egyptian films, or by Hollywood productions, and this meant that local film production needed special efforts to be brought to peoples attention. Various respondents said that the media had a duty to promote Jordanian film as a way of countering the dominance of Hollywood cinema and of supporting the local industry. Should it do so, these respondents said, the media may even find that its own influence in society would increase: people were thirsty for local cultural topics and stories, one respondent said, and they wanted to see films that would help them to reflect on Jordanian identity. In addition to media access, the question of appropriate film criticism was also raised. One respondent, a film critic, said that it was important for the ministry of culture to take the lead in improving the public and media discourse on film, as a way of improving the quality of Jordanian production. (h) Public and private sector support: Many respondents wanted to see state funds, possibly raised by special taxes or by a tax on cinema tickets, being used to finance filmmaking. A major lacunae in the Jordanian industry at present, it was felt, was the absence of Jordanian feature-length films, mostly as a result of a lack of financing rather than of professional expertise, with the result that most filmmakers specialized in making documentary or shorter, often low-budget films. While the state-run RFC was a laudable initiative because of the impetus it had given to the development of the Jordanian industry and the excellent equipment and facilities it had made available to filmmakers, the RFC could not fill the funding gap alone. Private-sector funding, often from Gulf-based Arab TV channels, was available for shorter documentary films, but private finance was also still lacking in Jordan, as were the more considerable sums that would be necessary to make feature films. As one respondent put it, a film producer, graduates from the new Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts were going to want to find a job at the end of three years of study. So if there are no 19

funds its going to be a big problem. They will be defeated and stop working on films, or they will leave the country. The new generation will look at them and think, why should I spend four or five years studying something that leads nowhere? All the efforts that we are making today will collapse as a result. (i) Trends and developments: Over recent years, considerable efforts have been made by the state to support the development of the Jordanian film industry, notably through the establishment of the Royal Film Commission and the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. However, funding remains a considerable challenge: we have started the cycle, putting a lot of effort into starting filmmaking in Jordan. But if we dont have the funds to finish the system, everything will crash. Moreover, respondents said, greater efforts should be made to promote Jordanian films abroad, notably at international festivals. Only in this way could Jordan be put on the international cinematic map.

So if there are no funds its going to be a big problem. Young people will be defeated and stop working on films or they will leave the country. The new generation will look at them and think, why should I spend four or five years studying something that leads nowhere?

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2. Cultural Practices: the Visual Arts The visual arts in Jordan bring together individuals working in the fine arts, including painting and sculpture, and the applied arts, including craft and other traditional practices, excluded from this survey. An additional sub-field is photography, where there is also a developed Jordanian scene. The survey interviewed some 40 individual practitioners working in Jordans visual arts, including painters, photographers and sculptors. A number of institutions and organizations were also surveyed, among them galleries, professional associations and educational institutions.

Painting Painting in its modern form was introduced into Jordan, as into other Arab countries, in the modern period, there having been little emphasis on image making, and even less on figuration, in the countrys traditional arts and crafts. While Jordan today has an extensive visual arts scene and many established painters, this ambiguous position of the visual arts in the wider Jordanian culture was referred to by various respondents, notably in their comments on audience and growing a larger public for painting and for modern and contemporary art. (a) Training and education: Respondents to the survey emphasized the difficulties attendant upon training as a professional artist in Jordan, many of them having chosen not to study art in a formal manner, given uncertainties surrounding a subsequent career, but instead to follow a different course of academic study as a way of ensuring a future income. While formal art education is available in Jordan, many respondents chose not to follow it as a result of family or other pressures, only later training as an artist, often abroad, or in a semi-formal or part-time manner. As one painter put it, I dont remember a time in my life that I wasnt painting [but] there was no Faculty of Art when I was a student, and my parents didnt want me to study art. They were ok with the idea as a hobby, but not as a field of study.

I dont remember a time in my life that I wasnt painting [but] there was no Faculty of Art when I was a student, and my parents didnt want me to study art. They were ok with the idea as a hobby, but not as a field of study.

(b) Professional status: In the same way, painters in Jordan are weakly professionalized, with many having not been able to study art in a formal manner and later finding it difficult or impossible, to make a living from their art work alone. Many respondents stressed the 21

insecurities attendant on finding a market for work or developing a career, saying that for the first years of their careers at least they had had to work in other jobs in order to fund their work. One comment, made by a now-successful painter, underlined the difficulties in finding private buyers for work or building up a client base, since there are very few collectors in Jordan. While there are public commissions and collections, these tend to be still quite restricted and are only open to artists that have already built reputations. Younger artists, or those still establishing their careers, cannot in the main hope to sell their work to public collections. (c) Networking: Linked to the issue of professional status is networking and the role played by professional associations in Jordan. However, many respondents were critical of the assistance these provided. Art is an unstable job, commented one painter, and our society is not that interested in art. While the professional associations were described as providing some basic services to members, they had not necessarily succeeded in raising the status of artists in society or in improving the public perception of art. Various respondents said that they had not joined, or had joined and then left, the professional associations, preferring to work alone and to build up their own networks. A key aspect of networking as far as private sales are concerned is professional representation and the existence of a developed gallery system. Some respondents praised the role played by public institutions, notably the National Gallery, in providing focal points for the development of artists networks and an art market, while others said that private galleries, though mostly commercial, were open to new work by younger artists. (d) Audience: The audience for art in Jordan, respondents said, was largely restricted to the middle and upper classes of the society and to urban areas of the country, notably West Amman. One young painter said that the audience was always the same crowd and the same faces; the audience is made up of intellectuals and other artists from West Amman. However, other respondents felt that their audience was wider than that, mentioning audiences outside Amman as well as within it and among other strata of society besides the middle classes. Art is not for everyone, one painter said, referring both to the economic resources that are necessary to buy it and the educational level sometimes required to appreciate and understand it. Few of the respondents spoke of the need to grow an audience for art, though many regretted that it was not larger. Some were almost fatalistic about prospects for the visual arts in the wider Jordanian society: our society is a verbal society, and speech is part of our culture this means that we are less visual as a culture, and we dont have visual awareness. Others were interested in developing an audience, and market, for their work outside Jordan, exhibiting in the Arab countries as well as Europe and further afield.

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(e) Funding: Most painters said that they had had to fund their work themselves at the beginning of their careers, in the absence of public or other forms of support. There was considerable insecurity in following an artistic career, respondents said, and few artists could afford to live solely from their work. Respondents said they would like to see more public support for the arts, though this had been gradually developing. While there were private collectors in Jordan, artists also had to exhibit abroad to reach Gulf and other collectors, among whom they could command higher prices. Public collections in Jordan were not emphasized as buying the work of Jordanian contemporary artists, and thereby supporting careers, with the domination of commercial art in private galleries being regularly mentioned. It was not clear to what extent public collections in Jordan bought work by Jordanian artists in order to set prices and develop careers, though it was clear that private collectors in Jordan were limited in number and purchasing power, especially when compared to the Gulf. (f) Facilities: In order to build careers and sell their work, artists need to exhibit regularly, and the respondents were not necessarily unhappy about the private gallery system in Jordan, even though this was mostly restricted to Amman and was largely commercial in emphasis, serving the better-off sections of society. In addition to the private galleries, public institutions also provided an important means for artists to establish themselves with the public, one younger artist saying that he had exhibited maybe 10 times at the National Gallery, Dar al-Funun, Makan, the French Cultural Centre, Zara Gallery and the Royal Cultural Centre. The private galleries were limited in the types of work they would exhibit, however, as well as the prices that collectors expected to pay. One young painter complained of the poor architecture of the existing gallery spaces and the politics that decided on what was exhibited. More seriously, private galleries were conservative in their choice of work, favouring commercially attractive pieces that they could sell. One established artist noted that the galleries here are mostly commercial, which is a problem for my video installations as these do not sell. (g) Media access: Few respondents addressed the question of media access directly. However, many emphasized the speed with which the visual arts scene had developed in Jordan, from the 1970s, when there was nothing, to today, when Amman boasted a range of art institutions and museums, a gallery system, and a wealth of practicing artists.

If the media covers an exhibition, the audience will be larger and more diverse If you invite someone famous, or someone from the royal family, you will have a crowd of people coming, though mostly to see the invitee, not the art.

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These artists were sometimes not well served by the quality of the surrounding discourse on art, however, which had done little to raise awareness among the wider public of art. One young painter emphasized the way in which the media could create, or stymie, reputations: if the media covers an exhibition, the audience will be larger and more diverse If you invite someone famous, or someone from the royal family, you will have a crowd of people coming, though mostly to see the invitee, not the art. (h) Public and private sector support: Respondents said that the financial situation of many artists had improved radically over the past few decades, with Arab funding and Arab residencies [influencing] the growth of contemporary art in Jordan. Some artists seemed to be able to command quite high prices, though more at sales in the Gulf than in Jordan, where the collector base was still limited.

My daughter is at a school very close to the National Museum at the moment, but she has never been taken to the Museum. There is no audience as a result: nobody visits museums or galleries We need to focus more on Jordanian culture. I know a lot of artists that have stopped working because they had to find paying jobs to feed their children.
While the private sector had led the way in developing a gallery system in Amman, public support had given rise to institutions like Dar al-Fanun and the National Gallery, which were important showcases for Jordanian artists and Jordanian art, as well as significant networking centres. However, some artists felt there was a need for the state to play a more proactive role in promoting and supporting Jordanian painters, perhaps by finding ways to support artists at the beginnings of their careers, by improving arts education, or by providing grants and residencies. The state could also play a more significant role in developing an awareness of art among the wider population and in educating people about art, possibly beginning by introducing art onto school curriculums. As one respondent put it, my daughter is at a school very close to the National Museum at the moment, but she has never been taken to the Museum. There is no audience as a result: nobody visits museums or galleries I think it is important that the ministry of culture tries to put Jordanian art in its proper place. We need to focus more on Jordanian culture. I know a lot of artists that have stopped working because they had to find paying jobs to feed their children. (i) Trends and developments: Many respondents stressed the developments in Jordanian art over the past few decades, without feeling that it had necessarily reached larger sections of society. In the main, Jordanian society remained quite conservative, and it could be suspicious of or indifferent to forms of expression originally imported from western societies, such as the modern visual arts. 24

This conservatism was experienced by artists as a lack of freedom in the subjects or images treated, as well as in the difficulties in finding models for figurative work. One significant issue referred to by many painters and sculptors was the conservative, possibly religiously inspired, ban on the depiction of the naked human figure in art. One sculptor commented that my graduation project consisted of nude figures. Three days before the exhibition, I was asked to cover them up, because it is forbidden to show nude statues. You are not allowed to sculpt whatever you want. In the absence of a wider interest in art among the society as a whole, the Amman art scene was likely to remain small and artificial, some respondents felt, to an extent serving markets in the Gulf and elsewhere. In order to create such interest, some artists argued for greater education in the visual arts from school age onwards, while others were pessimistic about the visual arts implanting themselves in a society that is based on script and that follows rules set down in written form. We need doubt and creativity. We need civil rights, and we need the right to doubt.

Sculpture Like painting, sculpture as a form of art is a comparatively recent development in Jordan, being originally introduced from western European models. The survey interviewed 10 individual practitioners working in sculpture in Jordan. (a) Training and education: Respondents to the survey once again emphasized the difficulties attendant upon training as a professional artist in Jordan. Many described early struggles with family before they were allowed to embark on art as a career, while others described their experience of studying abroad. (b) Professional status: Many of the comments made by interviewees in response to survey questions on painting could also be true of sculptors. Respondents emphasized the difficulty of making a living from their work alone, also adding that sculpture typically requires larger workspaces and more expensive equipment than other forms of art and is particularly dependant on commissions. In a society that does not necessarily value the visual arts highly, such commissions, public or private, can be hard to come by, limiting opportunities to build careers. As one younger sculptor put it, in other countries, you can get commissions from the government for sculpture in public spaces or in architectural settings. Here, sculptures in public spaces are made for free. The same sculptor said that he had left the relevant professional association because it was not useful to me. (c) Networking: Some respondents were sceptical about the value of professional associations, either as a way of enhancing professional status or as a form of networking.

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However, others cited public institutions and educational institutions as being important for networking, in addition to personal contacts. (d) Audience: The audience for sculpture was a narrow one, respondents said, made up of cultured people, such as artists and writers, and rich people and collectors, though many also stressed sculptures potential public role, especially when installed in public spaces, and its capacity to shape an audience. One older sculpture saw public sculpture as a way of shaping and educating a larger audience. The understanding of aesthetics in our society is limited. People are more concerned by concepts, ideas, and asking what a piece means. They dont understand shape, texture and technique, he said, adding that public commissions could bring about changes in peoples aesthetic perceptions.

The difference between the US, England, Palestine] and here in Jordan lies in the critics: there are very good art critics abroad, but we dont have good art critics in Jordan.
The same sculptor criticized Jordanian private collectors, already, as for painting, comparatively few and drawn from the countrys elite, for not having a correct appreciation of sculpture. Many Jordanian sculptors, he said, had been able to build up more promising private markets for the work abroad. When I was in Germany, a man was dying to buy a piece by me at almost any price Here, if I sell one piece, people ask me for another for free. Its like bargaining: people dont understand, and its humiliating for the artist. (e) Funding: Most respondents said they could not live from their work alone, but also had to pursue additional careers, such as teaching, in order to live. In order to fund particular projects, respondents stressed the importance of public commissions, even though these could be few and far between. Materials were expensive, they said, especially for larger pieces, though some used facilities and equipment at universities or elsewhere. (f) Facilities: Many respondents said they had their own workshops and equipment, though others used university facilities. If a sculptor had received a large-scale or public commission requiring significant outlay on materials or equipment, financial or other assistance, in the form of equipment or workshop space, could be forthcoming. However, this also seemed to be lacking in the ordinary run of things. One sculptor responded to the question about facilities by saying that I have my own studio. There are no community facilities here in Jordan. In terms of gallery space for exhibitions and sales of works, respondents said that Amman had an efficient gallery network, both public and private, and that galleries could be hired for group and solo shows. However, it could be expensive to organize and rent space for solo shows, in addition to the many years of work such shows could represent. 26

(g) Media access: Respondents stressed the need to grow a more receptive audience for sculpture in Jordan, and it was possible that the media could play a role here by helping to educate the public about art. One sculptor said that the difference [between the US, England, Palestine] and here in Jordan lies in the critics: there are very good art critics abroad, but we dont have good art critics in Jordan. Better art criticism, notably in the media, could help to raise standards of public discussion about art. One sculptor, of senior generation and also an academic, was highly critical about the level of instruction and understanding of sculpture in Jordan. The art teachers in schools are illiterate, and the decision-makers in the cultural and art fields are illiterate, he commented, adding that there was remarkably little public discussion or understanding of art and sculpture or the roles these things could play in society. (h) Public and private sector support: Regarding public-sector support, sculptors said that educational facilities were inadequate and that there was little public support for sculpture in Jordan, whether financial or otherwise. Sculptors were left to make their own careers, and there were few public commissions and little public policy to support sculpture. As a result, sculpture as a field was only weakly professionalized, with most, if not all, sculptors also having other professions or careers, reducing the amount of time they were able to spend on their work and the professional quality of the results. One sculptor said that even when the state did give public commissions, these went to Arab artists, and not Jordanian ones. Regarding private-sector support, private galleries were available to exhibit work, but it seemed to be easier to find clients abroad than in Jordan, presumably because of the larger collector base, especially in the Gulf. Sculpture was difficult to sell to private clients in Jordan, respondents said, though foreign clients could be more forthcoming. There was some activity regarding private commissions, notably for sculpture to decorate banks and company headquarters and so on, though this was an area that was still in development. There seemed to be little private-sector sponsorship or support for artists careers. (i) Trends and developments: Respondents were sometimes pessimistic about the publics understanding and receptivity towards sculpture, and many claimed that the government was not doing enough, on a public policy level, to enhance the populations awareness and understanding of sculpture. Audiences abroad were more welcoming and more sophisticated, even in the other Arab countries, one sculptor said, and there was more government support for the arts. In Jordan, I am suffocating, he added. The lack of public policy supporting sculpture had led to a disconnect between artists and the public, some sculptors said, with the result that not only was there a lack of appreciation for art, but there was also a conservative-inspired hostility towards it, especially when it involved figuration or the use of nude models. The result had been that artists became discouraged, or worked abroad, or produced work for foreign clients or for

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a restricted circle of Jordanian clients, having become convinced that there was little public interest in their work.

Photography Some of the issues affecting artists working in painting or sculpture also affect photographers in Jordan, notable the weak level of professionalization of the field, the lack of public support for the medium, and the sometimes limited appreciation of photography among the wider population. Ten photographers were interviewed for the survey, with issues covered including training and education, professional status, networking, audience, funding, facilities, media access and public and private-sector support. Final questions once again asked respondents to consider developments affecting the cultural field in Jordan or those that could improve their professional situation. (a) Training and education: As was the case for earlier respondents working in painting and sculpture, respondents answering questions in the photography part of the survey emphasized the difficulties attendant upon training as a professional photographer in Jordan. Many described early struggles with family before they were allowed to embark on photography as a career, while others said that they had had to pursue alternative courses of study, leading to recognized professional qualifications, before taking up photography on either a full or part-time basis. While it appeared that there were informal ways of entering the profession, though photography remained remarkably weakly professionalized with apparently few, or any barriers to entry, formal training seemed either unnecessary or unavailable. Many photographers had never studied photography formally, or had undertaken related fields of study. One respondent said that there is no school to study photography here. As you need a degree, I studied graphic design. Several respondents said that they had studied photography outside Jordan, for example in Beirut, Baghdad, or New York, since there were no possibilities for art studies here in Jordan. (b) Professional status: Even more so than painting or sculpture, photography in Jordan seemed very weakly professionalized, with individuals having no training in photography being able to enter the field without the need for professional qualifications. One result of this had been that photography was not considered to be a secure or economically advantageous career, and most of those interviewed had other professions, sometimes very far removed from photography. A common complaint was that art in this region is not valued, and that family pressures had been against the choice of photography as a career. However, despite the absence of academic or vocational programmes in photography, there had been moves to improve 28

professional standards and to create a field along more professional lines, notably through the foundation of the Photographic Society in Amman in 1994. One of the founders of this organization described it as an important step forward in the professionalization of the field, though we still need to improve photography in Jordan and to make it more professional. (c) Networking: Linked to the development of professional associations was the issue of networking, with respondents saying that the development of photographers associations and societies had led to enhanced networking opportunities. These associations had helped to raise standards, sale prices, and enhance opportunities for exhibitions. Nevertheless, some respondents said that they were not satisfied with existing networks and used their own, often made up of personal contacts. (d) Audience: The photographers interviewed came from different sub-sections of the field, from commercial and media photography, mostly for magazines, to art photographers putting on occasional exhibitions in galleries in Amman. However, as was the case for others working in the artistic field, photographers said that in the main the audience was a heavily urban one, often limited to West Amman, and that it was drawn from the upper levels of society. One comment, typical of many, was that the audience is always made up of rich people from West Amman. I always invite Princess Alia al-Faysal, so a lot of people come to my openings. However, this was only true of art photography; as far as photography for media purposes was concerned, the audience was made up of the readers of illustrated magazines, with some respondents also building up an audience abroad, notably among the English-speaking readers of magazines such as National Geographic. It was not clear from respondents answers whether there was a significant collector base among those coming to photographic exhibitions in Jordan, or whether they could expect to sell their work. One respondent said that he would like to see the development of more private collectors, currently lacking, while others said that there was little perception of photography as a form of art in Jordan, it being seen as being basically for documentary or utilitarian purposes, such as for illustrating news or magazine reports. (e) Funding: Most photographers surveyed had other sources of income or careers, some approaching photography essentially as a hobby. More professional photographers worked for news organizations or magazines, meaning that they were full-time employees, only exhibiting their own work on the side. Most said that they had their own equipment and facilities and they funded their work themselves. There did not seem to be any public interest in supporting residencies or grants for photographers to develop their careers, one photographer saying bluntly that you cant live from art photography. People are not interested in buying photographs, and not a lot of people consider photography to be an art.

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(f) Facilities: Respondents said that they had their own equipment and networks in the main, though some also praised the equipment that could be hired from the RFC. While some mentioned Dar al-Tasweer and the Photographic Society, others were critical of what they saw as the failure of previous generations to establish proper professional associations in Jordan. One said that I have my own studio, and I have never used community facilities. I dont think there are any, actually. However, respondents seemed to have experienced few obstacles in holding exhibitions or building at least part-time careers, some having exhibited significantly abroad as well as in Jordan. This may indicate that gallery networks in Amman are reasonably open to newcomers and are networked internationally. (g) Media access: One main complaint from respondents to the survey was that photography as a field in Jordan was weakly professionalized and that there was little public interest or appreciation of photography as an art. Appreciation and interest could be greater abroad than it was in Jordan, possibly indicating, as with the other visual arts, a lack in media coverage of the cultural field or limited media penetration of the society as a whole. (h) Public and private sector support: Regarding public-sector support, main complaints included the lack of a coherent cultural policy to support photography and photographers in Jordan, and notably the lack of educational and other institutions providing training and professional qualifications for photographers, making the field weakly professionalized with few barriers to entry. Funding was a perennial problem, with photographers having additional or alternative careers. However, there did seem to be some public interest, with members of the royal family having lent their names, and added visibility and prestige, to some photographic ventures. Private-sector sponsorship seemed to be lacking, though many photographers worked in the private sector within the context of their regular careers as news or magazine photographers. (i) Trends and developments: Photography, like the other modern and contemporary visual arts, was a new development in Jordan, respondents said, and it was one that was still not fully appreciated or understood by some sections of society. The familiar division between East and West Amman, between urban and rural areas, and between upper and lower strata of society also operated where photography was concerned, respondents said, making the audience typically restricted and affluent and not reaching out to wider sections of society.

We need a proper association, a place you can go to exhibit and talk.

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In order to change this situation, some respondents argued for greater state involvement, possibly through education, but also through the setting up of dedicated educational institutions to teach photography, as had been done for film and other areas. There should be more public money made available to support photographers and more support given to exhibit, they said.

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3. Cultural Practices: the Literary Arts The literary arts in Jordan bring together creative writers working in prose and poetry. Like in other Arab countries, prose forms such as the novel or short story are comparatively recent additions to literature in Arabic, poetry having a longer and usually more prestigious pedigree. The present survey includes interviews with individuals working both in prose and poetry, as well as with institutions dedicated to the promotion of Jordanian literature and professional associations.

Literature Five writers were interviewed for the survey, with issues covered including training and education, professional status, networking, audience, funding, facilities, media access and public and private-sector support. Final questions again asked respondents to consider developments affecting the cultural field in Jordan or those that could improve their professional situation.

Writing in Jordan is not a career: its something you do in your leisure time. No writer in Jordan can live from writing, or maybe only a couple can.
(a) Training and education: Respondents to the survey emphasized the difficulties attendant upon deciding upon a career as a creative writer in Jordan, many of them having chosen not to study literature or creative writing in a formal manner, given uncertainties surrounding a subsequent career, but instead to follow a different course of academic study as a way of ensuring a future income. While literary studies are available at university in Jordan, being one possible route into a literary career, many respondents chose not to follow them as a result of family or other pressures, only later taking up creative writing, at least initially in a semi-formal or parttime manner. One favored route into literary writing appeared to be journalism, though writers came from a variety of academic and other backgrounds. (b) Professional status: Like in other Arab countries, writers in Jordan are weakly professionalized, most, if not all, having other sources of income or careers. As one respondent to the survey typically put it, writing in Jordan is not a career: its something you do in your leisure time. No writer in Jordan can live from writing, or maybe only a couple. Respondents said they were members of professional associations, among them the syndicate and Pen, and these could help to build careers. Public support was available in 32

the form of ministry of culture sabbaticals for writers, and there was a perception that the professional situation of writers was improving, even if few writers could afford to abandon parallel careers. There seemed to be little in the way of literary agents, with writers apparently arranging their own contracts with publishers. (c) Networking: Networking opportunities were provided by various professional associations, as well as by the ministry of culture and the Amman municipality. However, some respondents said that they were suspicious of the official networks, or that they did not use them. (d) Audience: Respondents said that the audience for their work was limited, being made up of a small community of cultured people, usually urban and based in West Amman. Outside of this restricted audience, there was a perception that few people read literary works, with various reasons being given for this. One reason was that literature may not be relevant to peoples concerns, while another was that ordinary people in Jordan did not have the money or the leisure time to read literature. It was felt that if literary works could be adapted for television, then this would find them an additional and wider audience. My dream is to find a book of mine in everybodys hands throughout the Arab world, but unfortunately people dont read, said one respondent. While the audience in Jordan may be limited, some respondents mentioned a wider audience in the Arab world, the idea being to reach this audience by publishing abroad, notably in Beirut or Cairo, as well as, or instead of, in Jordan. (e) Funding: Respondents were unanimous in the view that literary writers, even the most successful, could not live from their writing in Jordan. It was therefore necessary for writers to fund their work by having other, possibly unrelated, careers, though journalism was a popular choice. It was felt that this situation had changed somewhat in recent years, with public policy now being more open to providing grants and other forms of financial support, such as state-sponsored sabbaticals, to writers. However, these were still restricted in number and value. Some mention was made of state support for publication of literary works, though again this appeared to be limited. There did not appear to be any significant private-sector support, with writers apparently arranging their own contracts with publishers and distribution agreements. Little or no mention was made of literary prizes or awards. Copyright issues were not mentioned, and there was no direct mention of earnings, though these appeared to be very limited. Presumably, as with other areas of the cultural field in Jordan, local earnings can be supplemented by foreign ones, notably from the Gulf. (f) Facilities: The state provided various facilities for writers, notably for readings and other kinds of outreach or publicity events. There was also a small poetry festival, though 33

there did not appear to be larger state investment in the literary field, in the shape of book fairs or literary festivals, which could raise the profile and prestige of literary works, or state literary awards or prizes. (g) Media access: Many of the respondents worked in journalism, though even those writing on cultural matters in the Jordanian and Arab newspapers seemed pessimistic about the capacity of the media to increase readership for literary works. One respondent, a journalist with the London newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, said that people dont read a lot in Jordan, [since] there is no culture of reading in Jordan. Nevertheless, enhanced media coverage of literary matters could help to grow an audience for literature in Jordan, it was felt. In addition, increased state support for writers could help. (h) Public and private sector support: Respondents said that though state support had been growing, more needed to be done to enhance the professional status of writers and to grow an audience for their work. The state could make more funds available for professional development and publication, could send writers abroad on retreats and exchange programmes, and could assist in translation, such that writers could reach broader, non-Arabic-speaking audiences abroad. There appeared to be no significant private-sector support for writers. It was felt by several respondents that publishing opportunities were limited in Jordan, with Beirut and Cairo offering greater opportunities and better production and distribution for literary works than Amman. Censorship was described as being a significant problem in Amman, whereas this did not exist in Beirut. (i) Trends and developments: Respondents mentioned the conservatism of the surrounding society as being a challenge for writers, as well as the lack of interest among the wider public for literary writing. As a result, some respondents felt there was a lack of connection between writers and the wider environment, as if they were writing for a small and restricted public and not impacting on the wider society. Censorship, whether formally exercised by the state authorities or informally by social pressures, was felt to be a problem by several respondents, notably issuing from certain religiously inspired red lines. In general, writers said that they wanted to reach out to wider audiences, in the Arab world through better distribution and publication agreements, and in the wider world through translation.

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4. Cultural Organizations and Institutions In addition to the 80 or so individuals interviewed within the framework of the survey, a further 50 or so leading organizations and institutions were also interviewed. These included publicsector institutions and non-profit organizations, professional associations, galleries and venues, and private-sector organizations and companies. Some educational institutions were also interviewed, as were funding organizations and certain media organizations, such as radio stations and magazines. These 50 institutions and organizations provide a snapshot of the broader cultural field in Jordan, displaying its contours from an institutional and organizational perspective, rather than from the perspective of individual practitioners as in the first part of the survey. The report is organized under the broad categories of public-sector institutions and non-profit organizations, professional associations, theatres, galleries and venues, educational institutions, media organizations and private-sector companies. In each case, the same basic questionnaire was used, with occasional variation, reproduced in Annex 2 below. This focused on the origins, funding, policies and networking, successes and trends and prospects of the institution or organization concerned. Summary observations taken from the relevant surveys are given for each organization or institution, with greater detail being given in the interviews themselves.

Public-sector Institutions & Non-Profit Organizations Among the public-sector institutions interviewed for the survey were public museums and galleries, funding institutions, venues and cultural centres. As was the case for the earlier individual surveys, the names and texts of these interviews with these are reproduced in Part Two of the present publication. Issues covered in the survey included origins, funding, policies and networking and successes of the institution concerned, while final questions asked respondents to consider present trends and future prospects. (a) Origins: Among the public-sector institutions, many of them had been founded to make up for a perceived lack in public provision in the arts, or as an act of deliberate public policy, for example the foundation of the Royal Film Commission in 2003 with the intention of promoting the film industry in Jordan. Initial impetus for the establishment of non-profit organizations did not necessarily come from central government: civil society has been active in founding and running arts institutions, as is clear from the example of the Performing Arts Centre, founded in 1987 and developed in 1996 on the back of EU grants, and the Amman municipality has also been active in establishing and funding cultural institutions at a local level. (b) Funding: Funding for public-sector institutions was a mix of public funding, from either central government or the municipality, and private donations and fundraising. While some institutions relied wholly on central or local government support, others were 35

obliged to seek funds themselves, either through grant proposals to various donors, or through revenue-yielding activities, such as classes or educational and other activities. Private-sector sponsorship seemed to be restricted in Jordan, with large companies not playing a major sponsorship role in the arts, though the Childrens Museum seemed to have had some success in raising money from private donors. (c) Policies and networking: Most institutions and organizations were founded to develop the cultural landscape in Jordan, the state and municipal authorities playing a leading role in cultural development. A paradigm case of this kind of public policy intervention was the Royal Film Commission, designed to promote the production of Jordanian films and the development of a Jordanian film industry, though other organizations were set up in association with NGOs in order to develop certain areas or meet defined demand, usually with the help of public funds. Institutions play a significant educational role, especially for the comparatively disadvantaged, as well as a significant role in preserving and enhancing the countrys heritage, whether visual, as in the National Gallery, or literary, as in the House of Poetry, a kind of poets association. Public policy regarding cultural development was set out in the interview with the Greater Amman Municipality, which funds many of the institutions surveyed. Civil society interventions were aimed at making up for perceived lacunae in public provision, such as the Arab Fund for Art and Culture, founded in consultation with 40 corporations, cultural organizations, individuals and major donors to be where the ministry is not and to take the kind of cultural risks not promoted by the public authorities. (d) Successes: Many respondents saw survival as being in itself a form of success, with others citing particular advances, such as capacity building in the film industry (the RFC) or organizing events relating to Ammans being designated the Arab City of Culture in 2002 (the Amman municipality). (e) Trends and prospects: Public institutions interviewed listed goals for the future that included increased networking, notably with the Arab world, efforts to increase audiences and participation, and particular fundraising goals. Funding remained a significant concern for many institutions, with respondents saying that with more money they could increase and improve their activities.

Professional Associations Professional associations exist to promote the interests of their members, as well as to regulate professional conduct, decide on entry and certification, and to raise professional standards. They have subsidiary roles in raising public awareness, networking, and organizing awards or prizes. In Jordan, as in other Arab countries, the professional syndicates seem to be self-regulating, though sometimes linked to the state, and membership of them is designed to confer professional status. Six professional associations were interviewed as part of the survey, some of them having 36

particular gender-related or community purposes (the Arab Alliance for Women in Music and the Ahli Club, respectively) and special links to civil society. (a) Origins: In many cases the associations started with a particular agenda in mind, whether to improve the standing of women in music, the opportunities open to filmmakers, or the status and professionalism of photographers, etc. Some of the associations are wellestablished, the Ahli Club being founded in 1944 and the Writers Association in 1974, with others being much more recent. (b) Funding: Funding comes from members subscriptions, grants from the public authorities, fundraising events and grants and donations. There were complaints that levels of funding were never enough. (c) Policies and networking: Policies aim to regulate professional conduct, decide on entry and certification, and to raise professional standards, as well as to raise public awareness, network and organize events, exhibitions or awards. In some cases, the association had a special and particular role to play, for example by promoting the interests of women in music, or the culture and history of Jordans Circassian community. Another aspect of professional associations is to provide members with certain defined benefits, such as a license to practice or professional recognition, as well as certain other benefits, such as social security payments or health insurance. The cultural professions in Jordan being weakly professionalized, the professional associations do not appear at present always to be in a position to do this, possibly owing to lacunae in the legal framework, though they do in some cases provide defined benefits such as health insurance by arrangement with the public authorities. Writers associations and photographers associations, among others, also have a significant networking role, since they are likely to be the first port of call for associations in other countries and the interlocutors of other Arab and international unions, for example (for writers) PEN. (d) Successes: Respondents cited improving opportunities and professional conditions for members among their successes, as well as certain particular events, often involving networking with other groups of countries. (e) Trends and prospects: Funding was cited as a perennial concern by every association surveyed.

Theatres Theatre in Jordan, as in other Arab countries, is divided between a serious theatre, often subsidized or directly controlled by the state, and a commercial theatre that is more popular and is privately financed and controlled.

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In the Middle East, culture is often seen as being for cultured people alone, and because of the religion and mentality its not always easy to reach a popular audience.

Four theatres or theatre groups were surveyed in the present survey, three of them receiving significant public subsidy and one of them directly controlled by the state. (a) Origins: Respondents had differing accounts of how their organizations had been established, but a common theme was the desire to create an independent space in which experimental or alternative work could be developed and performed. (b) Funding: Funding came largely from public sources, whether in Jordan or abroad, with significant amounts coming from foreign public donors in at least one case. Otherwise, ticket sales seemed to make up only a small part of revenues. There seemed to be little if any private-sector sponsorship of the serious theatre. (c) Policies and networking: In each case, the policies of the theatres interviewed were to create a space in which serious theatre could be performed, necessitating subsidized status given weak ticket sales. Another aim was to raise the profile of Jordanian theatre locally and internationally, the state theatre sector organizing the International Theatre Festival, at which Jordanian artists could network and perform, and the subsidized theatre groups aiming to build contacts throughout the Arab world and beyond. Information about audiences was sometimes vague and may not always correspond to the reports made by individual actors and theatre practitioners earlier in the survey. (d) Successes: Respondents cited survival as being their greatest success in many cases, though the development of an audience for theatre was cited on several occasions as having been a great success, notably by the public-sector theatre surveyed. (e) Trends and prospects: In the Middle East, culture is often seen as being for cultured people alone, and because of the religion and mentality its not always easy to reach a popular audience, commented one of the respondents. However, the theatres surveyed had all in different ways aimed to develop an audience for serious theatre, presenting contemporary work to high standards with the help of public subsidies. Yet, it was not clear whether they had in fact succeeded in building that audience, another respondent commenting that in Jordan, the audience for theatre is still very small, and its not in the culture to go to the theatre. Developing a wider audience for theatre and reaching out to audiences beyond Amman, as well as accessing privatesector funds, are likely to remain significant challenges.

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Galleries and Venues A well-functioning gallery network is essential to the development of artists careers and to the servicing of a private collector base, with group or solo shows being perhaps the only way in which visual artists can make their work known, establish prices and sell their work. Individual artists surveyed sometimes commented on the commercial character of the private gallery network and the difficulty of arranging venues for exhibitions. Of the ten private galleries interviewed, two, the Cairo Amman Bank Gallery and the Dar al-Fanun (established by the Arab Bank), seemed to function primarily as showcases, blazing a trail in private-sector arts sponsorship. The others apparently also represented artists and sold their works, though many Jordanian artists achieved higher sales abroad, notably in the Gulf, because of the larger collector base. One of the main functions of the gallery network as a result needed to be effectively to promote artists and to build networks abroad. Most galleries were based in the capital, particularly West Amman, and most seemed to have been established over the past two decades, testifying to the recent expansion of the Jordanian art market. (a) Origins: Most galleries interviewed had been established over the past decade, and some in the 1990s, testifying to the expanding market for Jordanian art. Some respondents described their galleries as having been established to fill a perceived lack in the gallery network or to exhibit forms of art or artists not represented in existing galleries. According to the director of the Orfali Art Centre, there was only one private gallery in Amman in 1998. If this is so, there has been an impressive expansion since then in the Jordanian gallery network. (b) Funding: Ordinarily, art galleries are funded by selling the work of the artists they represent. None of the galleries interviewed gave revenue details, and some appeared not to sell art at all, functioning primarily as exhibition or networking spaces and relying on grants. Two galleries at least were privately sponsored as showcases for Jordanian art, testifying to growing private-sector involvement in arts sponsorship. A third was funded entirely by a private foundation. Most gallery managers considered that there was growing interest in Jordan for modern and contemporary art and possibly also a growing number of collectors. (c) Policies and networking: Respondents did not seem to have stables of artists, they represented, perhaps meaning that art dealers in Jordan do not yet represent and develop a particular list of artists, as would ordinarily happen in other countries. Some galleries seemed to choose work to exhibit on an entirely ad hoc basis, while others had a very broad programme into which a great deal of work could be fitted. Most galleries exhibited Jordanian work alone, while some also put on exhibitions of work from abroad, usually from Arab countries. There seemed to be limited international representation, though gallery managers frequently said that they were open to work from 39

the world as whole. Presumably this was because, Amman, unlike Cairo, the Gulf and Beirut, has not yet established itself as an exhibition and sales centre. However, many respondents said that they were building networks with galleries abroad, and this process seemed likely to continue, with Amman slowly gaining international recognition as an exhibition location. (d) Successes: Respondents felt that being able to continue operating in Jordan, not yet recognized as a regional centre for the visual arts, was already a success. Some pointed to particular exhibitions or projects, such as an exhibition of Palestinian art, adding that activities undertaken in the private sector were at present making up for a lack of initiative in the public-sector exhibition spaces. Many respondents saw their galleries as making up for a lack in public provision, raising awareness of the visual arts and building networks in a way not yet sufficiently undertaken by the public authorities. (e) Trends and prospects: Respondents were positive about the prospects for the visual arts in Jordan, saying that the last decade in particular had seen not only a significant growth in the private gallery network, apparently from only one gallery in 1998, but also a growing number of collectors and people interested in art. This has enabled galleries to put on more, and more ambitious, shows and to bring in more artists from abroad. There was a perception that the state sector could do more in establishing Jordan, and Amman in particular, as an arts centre able to compete with Cairo, Beirut and the Gulf. Private galleries at present, notably those funded by banks and private foundations, were filling in for a lack of public policy, and there was a need to put the Jordanian art scene on the map, which could be brought about by more official interest, perhaps through the organization of art fairs or festivals, more institutions of higher quality, and the public authorities playing a greater coordination and structuring role.

Educational Institutions Individuals surveyed as part of the UNESCO survey had sometimes indicated a lack of satisfaction with existing educational institutions in the arts, though most also said that these institutions were often of very recent date and they themselves were too old to have benefited from them. As a result, many individuals working in the cultural field had either pursued unrelated courses of study, usually by way of ensuring a measure of personal economic security in what still remained a weakly professionalized and precarious field, or had studied abroad. Many said that if Jordans cultural field were to be improved and professionalized, this would mean improving the quantity and quality of the countrys arts education institutions. Three institutions offering higher-level education in the arts were interviewed in the survey, each playing a significant role in building capacity not only in first-order creative fields, such as musicianship, film directing or painting, but also in the range of professions associated with the creative industries, in the case of film also editing, sound recording, film recording, set design, etc. Many respondents to the individual surveys indicated that there was a need for more such

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professionally qualified persons in Jordan, specialist training having historically been only available abroad. (a) Origins: Two of the three institutions were founded over the last five years, whereas one dated to the 1980s. Of the three, the Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Studies perhaps offered the most interesting potential as a model: founded by the government, the Institute was designed to help build a sustainable media industry in the Middle East and to train young Jordanians in the range of specializations associated with film. It therefore represented one of the most ambitious examples of public policy interventions in the arts in Jordan. (b) Funding: A proportion of the funding of the institutions surveyed came from the public budget, with the rest being raised by course fees, which were sometimes quite high. (c) Policies and networking: Networking is important for all the institutions to ensure that international benchmarks are observed and qualifications offered are recognized abroad. The National Music Conservatory offered external degree programmes overseen by the UK Royal Schools of Music and the European Association europenne des conservatoires, while the Red Sea Institute, aiming to become a Middle East hub for the cinematic arts, will need to ensure that it can compete with longer-established centres in Egypt and elsewhere. (d) Successes: Prospects were described as good, with the establishment of national ensembles, such as the Jordanian Symphonic Orchestra and Amman Music Ensemble, being attributable to training offered by the institutions. (e) Trends and prospects: The sample of institutions surveyed was very small. However, the Red Sea Institute represented an ambitious model of public policy intervention in the cultural field that could be replicated in other sectors.

Media Organizations Respondents in the earlier, individual part of the survey sometimes said that there was insufficient, or not sufficiently effective, media coverage of the arts. Growing an audience for the arts was considered to be a priority in Jordan, and while the government had a part to play in this, through well-targeted government interventions such as festivals, promotional activities and so on, as well as in education, the media could also help to raise public awareness of the arts and improve public discourse on them, notably by improving the frequency and quality of arts criticism. As part of the survey, six media outlets were surveyed, including three magazines, two radio stations and a Website. While the survey was unfortunately not representative of the wider media landscape in Jordan, ignoring the public-sector press and public and private-sector television and largely by-passing material published in Arabic, it did include innovative examples of arts programming, notably on radio and on the Web. 41

Once again, issues covered in the survey included origins, funding, policies and networking and successes of the institution concerned, while final questions asked respondents to consider present trends and future prospects. (a) Origins: The media organizations surveyed were all recent start-ups intended to fill certain perceived gaps in the media landscape. Of the six organizations surveyed, perhaps the two radio stations and the Website constituted the most interesting, since these reached out to a primarily Arabic-speaking audience and attempted to build and extend audiences for the arts in Jordan. (b) Funding: Most media organizations surveyed were in the private sector, with the exception of one public-sector Arabic-language magazine. The English-language magazines pursued a familiar business model, targeting a relatively affluent Englishspeaking audience and reliant on advertising revenue, while the radio stations, not having the same revenue base, depended on alternative sources of revenue, including grants (such as from UNESCO) and donations. There were hopes that the Website would be able to establish a secure revenue stream, though this is notoriously difficult and not only in Jordan. The radio stations were heavily dependent on grants and donations, often from international donors, and sustainability was likely to be an issue. (c) Policies and networking: The English-language magazines surveyed had a significant networking role to play, since they acted as showcases for Jordanian arts to international audiences not necessarily speaking Arabic. However, the radio stations and Website were more likely to build local audiences for the arts and to break down the perception that they were directed only at relatively affluent audiences, since they reached Arabicspeaking audiences and were broadcast nationally and not only in Amman. The limited aims and distribution of the magazines meant that they were unlikely to break down the kind of social divides identified by respondents to the survey as preventing wider engagement with the arts. On the other hand, both radio stations explicitly aimed to build larger Jordanian audiences, apparently with some success. (d) Successes: The development of quality English-language media in Jordan is likely to assist in raising the countrys international profile and in building networks abroad. On the other hand, local Arabic-language media, particularly radio, which according to one respondent is listened to by 70% of Jordanians, was probably a better way of reaching the local population and building an audience for the arts. Both radio stations and Website were very new, and no audience figures were available. However, the development of better Web-based material in Arabic in particular seemed to be an efficient way of reaching larger Jordanian and Arab audiences at comparatively low cost. (e) Trends and prospects: Respondents to the individual survey stressed the role the media could play in raising public awareness of the arts. While the organizations surveyed were 42

very new, they seemed to be reaching growing audiences, though long-term funding and sustainability were identified as pressing issues.

Private-Sector Companies The vast majority of the creative industries in western countries are privately owned and operated, and the private sector has a very important role to play in production, innovation and distribution. While sectors such as theatre, dance and music in Jordan are heavily statesubsidized, as a result of their importance for national and cultural identity, there is significant private-sector involvement in other fields such as filmmaking, television, advertising, video production, Web design, animation, pop music production and distribution and video games. These industries could be significant sources of economic growth and employment creation in Jordan in the years to come. The survey interviewed the managers of eight private-sector companies working in such fields, focusing in particular on how Jordan could become more competitive in the creative industries and better able to build upon and develop existing skills.

The absence of suitable animation training in Jordan had meant that the company had had to set up its own training programme. An animation and video game company said that Jordanian educational establishments were failing to produce young people having the necessary skills for work in the industry. As a result, the company tended to recruit Koreans and Indians rather than Jordanians.
(a) Origins: Most of the companies interviewed were founded over the last decade or two, with many working in comparatively new fields such as video production, animation or computer game production. The companies varied from small businesses to large international corporations. Of those responding to the survey, Rubicon was perhaps the largest and most successful company, being described as the largest private animation studio in the Arab world and producing video and other materials that are distributed in regional and international markets. (b) Funding: The companies interviewed are private production or distribution and management companies, though their precise ownership structure was seldom made clear. Some companies worked extensively with the public sector, being contracted to produce materials for schools, for example. Sometimes additional sources of revenue seemed to come from grants or sponsorship of particular projects, though in the main these were private companies funded through profit-making activities. (c) Policies and networking: Two major concerns were likely to be the availability of skilled talent in Jordan and the access to international markets, given the small domestic market. Respondents said that there was a great deal of talent in Jordan, though public 43

educational facilities sometimes failed to nurture it. Rubicon, the largest of the companies and the one having the greatest international presence and revenues, said that the absence of suitable animation training in Jordan had meant that the company had had to set up its own training programme and there was a lack of professionals in the industry here at the moment. Crazy Piranha, an animation and video game company, said that Jordanian educational establishments were failing to produce young people having the necessary skills for work in the industry. As a result, the company tended to recruit Koreans and Indians rather than Jordanians. Many of the companies, especially Rubicon, had international markets for their products in addition to the more limited Jordanian one. It would be necessary to build these if Jordan is to fulfill its potential as a creative hub for the region. (d) Successes: Respondents mentioned networking and the development of regional and international markets as significant successes. One respondent said that opening doors for further partnerships in the Middle East and internationally will be a great achievement and will increase job opportunities for the creative industries in Jordan. Another said that the success of its products in Dubai, a far larger market than was available at home, had been its greatest success thus far. (e) Trends and prospects: The companies surveyed tended to work in certain areas of the creative industries, such as video production, animation, video games and Web design and Web TV. Jordan had real potential in these fields, respondents said, as was evidenced by the success of Jordanian products in larger foreign markets, such as in the Gulf. However, human-resource issues seemed to be a problem, together with the lack of trained professionals, possibly linked to failures in the Jordanian educational sector, they said.

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5. Conclusions and Main Findings The UNESCO survey interviewed some 80 leading figures from the Jordanian cultural field, together with some 50 leading institutions, with a view to providing a snapshot, or cultural mapping, of the cultural field in the country. It focused on sectors such as music, theatre, dance and cinema, for the performing arts, and painting, sculpture and photography for the visual arts. Literature was also considered. In interviews with cultural organizations or institutions, whether public or private sector, attempts were made to discover how the cultural field appeared not only from the perspective of individuals, but also from the perspective of the institutions within which those individuals worked. Given the character of the survey material, carried out in the form of individual interviews by UNESCO in 2009 and 2010, it has not been possible to present quantitative information about the cultural field in Jordan, as would be expected in a cultural mapping document dealing with a countrys creative industries along the lines of the UK governments Creative Industries Mapping Documents, considered in the Introduction to this publication. However, the present survey does present a wealth of information about the first-hand experiences of those working in the cultural field in Jordan, along with details about educational backgrounds, beginnings in the field, and experience of building or managing a career. There is also much information about the facilities offered by the wider environment, the question of public support and audience, and the changes that might be made to improve or develop cultural the countrys cultural life and institutions. It is hoped that this first-hand element in the survey materials, far from a set of statistics or numbers, will provide food for thought for those working in the Jordanian field, or in analogous fields elsewhere, as well as a rich picture that has its own specific interest. While the range of activities covered by the survey was necessarily wide, certain trends and issues could be picked out, which are presented in summary form below. (a) Training and education: Respondents to the survey, whatever their field of work, often emphasized the lack of sufficient educational facilities for those working in the cultural field or the lack of professional training. Many had trained abroad as a result. In fields requiring extensive and highly specialized technological training, such as filmmaking or video animation, there was a lack of suitable schools offering training to the required level. However developments over recent years were going some way towards answering these concerns, notably through public policy interventions such as the foundation of dedicated film schools.

(b) Professional status: Particularly for respondents working in fields like the visual arts, music, dance and literature, the professional status of artists and their standing in society was perceived as being not as high as it should be, with the result that many respondents said they had trained in professional fields unrelated to their artistic work, or that they were only able to work in the cultural field part-time, given economic and other 45

uncertainties. Professional associations and public programmes could help in this regard, but there was a feeling that more could be done to raise the professional status of those working in the arts in Jordan. (c) Audience: Many respondents, particularly those working in fields such as the visual arts and literature, said that divisions in Jordanian society, notably between urban and rural areas and between East and West Amman, had meant that their audience was either restricted geographically or was limited to the upper reaches of society. There was a need, respondents said, to grow an audience for the arts in Jordan that was larger than that they could currently reach, perhaps necessitating targeted public policy interventions and greater private-sector involvement (d) Funding: Respondents identified funding as a perennial concern for the arts and cultural sector in Jordan. Many practitioners had to fund their work themselves, or work part time in other areas in order to fund their artistic careers. In some areas, such as literature, it was felt that it was virtually impossible to survive from artistic work alone. In other areas, it was either very difficult or impossible, except for a very limited number of individuals, contributing to the weak level of professionalization of the cultural field as a whole. However, the extension of cultural markets, notably to the Gulf, had also meant the extension and development of a wider audience, with visual artists, for example, being able to find greater numbers of collectors able to pay higher prices for their work abroad than they were in Jordan. What was true of visual artists was also true for those working in fields such as film, television and animation. The development of specific programmes by the state in recent years had also meant that there were now more cultural institutions in Jordan and that these were better funded, offering artists greater career support and opportunities for progression.

There was a need to grow an audience for the arts in Jordan that was larger than that they could currently reach, perhaps necessitating targeted public policy interventions and greater private-sector involvement.
(e) Public and private sector support: Public subsidy of the cultural field is highly developed in Jordan, as it is in many other Arab countries, with serious theatre in particular being largely state-supported. In addition to direct subsidies or other forms of funding, the state had also embarked on forms of capacity building, setting up and maintaining galleries, museums and art centres and establishing educational institutions that aimed to provide an alternative to foreign training and to establish Jordan as a regional hub, notably in filmmaking. Private-sector support for the arts seemed more limited, especially when compared to western countries. However, recent years had seen certain sponsorship arrangements, notably for the visual arts, along the lines of what is practiced in other countries.

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(f) Trends and developments: Respondents to the survey were almost unanimous in emphasizing that the cultural field in Jordan had greatly developed over the past two decades, there now being greater numbers of people than ever before working in the cultural field in the country and a greater range of cultural organizations and institutions. Networking was growing with other Arab countries and internationally, and Jordan was beginning to establish itself on the regional and world cultural map. Markets for Jordanian cultural products were also being established outside the country, with the private sector playing a leading role. State cultural policy had led to the establishment of new institutions, from film schools to symphony orchestras, and there were hopes that this would raise the profile and the economic benefits that could be brought by the arts.

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Part Two Survey Materials

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Individuals Surveyed
Music: Yazan al-Rousan; Yacoub Abu Ghosh; Ruba Saqr; Tareq al-Nasser; Baha Othman; Mahmoud Radaydeh; Omar Faqir; Ihab Abu Hammad; Zeina Asfour; Hisham Sharaf

Theatre: Khaled Ghwairy; Juliet and Jamal Awwad; Khalil Nusairat; Mohammad Banihani; Ahmad al-Maghrebi; Ahmad al-Omari; Abdel Karim al-Jarrah; Majd al-Qasas; Ahmad Khalil alSmadi; Hakim Harb

Dance: Maxime Ayyad; Rania Kamhawi; Haneen Suleiman; Ruba Abu Sabha; Lana Abu Khader; Dina Abu Hamdan; Mohammad Awwad Musa; Musa al-Satari; Bisan Khalifeh; Samir Soubar.

Cinema & Animation: Dalia Khoury; Mohammad Hushki; Mais Darwazeh; Rifqi Assaf; Ghada Albair Saba; Sandra Madi; Nagi Abu Nowar; Ihab al-Khateeb; Dana Mirai; Nadine Toukan; Adnan Madanat; Jalal al-Rifai Emad Hajjaj; Ghadier Bana

Photography: Fadi Haddad; Hiba Judeh; Joseph Zakarian; Mohammad Abu Ghosh; Humzah Azouqa; Faridon Abida; Linda Khoury; Zohrab Markarian; Oqba Faraj; Haitham Aziza

Painting: Dalia Khasawneh; Mohammad Abu Haltam; Bader Mahasneh; Saba Innab; Hani Alqam; Hilda Hiary; Issam Tantawi; Mohammad Jalous; Aziz Ammoora; Muhanna Durra; Ala Younes; Ali Amer; Mazen Asfour

Sculpture: Anees Maani; Kerram Nimri; Fariid Hattar; Maha Abu Ayyach; Hazem al-Zubi; Abdul Aziz Abu Ghazaleh; Samer Tabba; Jalal Areikat; Samia Zaru; Ahed Younis

Literature: Samiha Khreis; Layla Atrach; Yahia al-Qaissi; Jumana Mustafa; Hisham Bustani

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Organizations and Institutions Surveyed


Public-sector Institutions & Non-Profit Organizations: National Gallery of Fine Art Royal Society of Fine Art; Arab Fund for Art and Culture; Al-Haya Cultural Centre; Royal Film Commission; Performing Arts Centre; Al-Hussein Cultural Centre; House of Art; House of Poetry; Zaha Cultural Centre; Greater Amman Municipality; Childrens Museum; Arab Theatre Institute

Professional Associations: Arab Alliance for Women in Music; Amman Filmmakers Cooperative; Jordanian Plastic Art Association; Jordanian Photographic Society; Jordanian Writers Association; Ahli Club

Theatres: Al-Balad Theatre; Al-Fawanees Theatre Group; Directorate of Fine Art and Theatre Ossama Machini Theatre; Free Theatre

Galleries and Venues: Makan; Dar al-Fanun; Dar al-Anda; Mohtaraf Remal for the Arts; Orfali Art Centre; Jacaranda Gallery; Dar al-Tasweer; Orient Gallery; Nabad Gallery; Cairo Amman Bank Gallery

Educational Institutions: National Music Conservatory; Jordan University Department of Art and Design; Red Sea Institute for Cinematic Studies

Media Organizations: Jordan Today; JO Magazine; Farah al-Nas; JOCR8 Website; Radio alBalad; Taiki Magazine

Private-sector Companies: Amman Centre ITI / Pioneers Production Company; Orangered; Greyscale 3RamRum; Kharabeesh; Rubicon; Crazy Piranha; 3Ala Rasi / Erum Company; Blouzaat

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Individuals Surveyed
Music
Date: 22/01/09 Name: YAZAN AL-ROUSAN Role/function: Full-time musician Discipline or activity: Singer, guitarist, composer and band leader Background: BA in Music from Jordan; Masters in Music from Tunisia Age: 31 Contact Information: 0777917632; yazanrousan@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active in music for 10 years. I started to play with the band at my school, and at 16 I decided to pursue music as a career. It was an easy decision to make, and I didnt face any obstacles from my family. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied for a Bachelors degree at the Jordan Academy of Music. Then I did a Masters in Tunisia. Why Tunisia? Because of personal reasons: I was in love with a girl there. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have my own band, and I also play with several bands. I also record and compose my own music. I am not a member of any association, though for no special reasons. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it from my own money, though we get sponsorship for concerts. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Not really: I think its difficult to do in this region because of the political situation. The instability of the region makes it hard to do so. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? When we have a concert we get sponsorship for the place, the sound system and the advertising. We rent a studio for rehearsals and recording. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? My work is expensive, and there are few resources available. You need to organize yourself a long time beforehand, but if you do so resources are adequate, yes. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use my own personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience?

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My audience is mixed and not really very large. I think there is a lack of media support. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? We change venues all the time in Amman. My band has never performed outside Amman, though we would like to do so. We are trying to make it happen. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Music-wise, we have what we need, but we need more media and production support. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Regarding my own personal situation, there is nothing that I would change. My situation is a good one. I would not change anything in the general situation either: the situation is not bad, though it is our job to change it by working more and continuing to develop the music scene. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 13/1/09 Name: YACOUB ABU GHOSH Role/Function: Composer, producer, sound engineer, band leader and bass player Discipline or activity: Music Background: Legal Studies Age: 33 Contact Information: 0777768758; yacoub75@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started learning music about 15 years ago. I have been working as a musician for 10 years, four years of which full time. I started because of love and passion. I have learned other instruments, but I started with the base guitar and stayed with it. I have taken formal music classes. I learned by myself. During my law studies, I played music. After that, I worked as a journalist but then decided to commit myself to music. It wasnt an easy decision to take. It took time. Music is not a stable profession and I have experienced pressure from my family. Its not a job from which you can necessarily earn money. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a full-time musician. I have one main band, Sign of Thyme, and I also have other bands. I like to diversify what I play. I also have a studio and make music for films, TV shows and commercials. I also have personal projects. Sign of Thyme started in 2004 and has three band members, though up to 12 can be involved depending on the event. We have released two albums, and we are recording a new one at the moment. 4. How do you fund your work? There are several ways. For example, I paid for my first album myself, though I got sponsorship for production and distribution. After this album was released, the group became more famous and I secured private funding for the second album. For the third album, we signed a contract with a company in Dubai. As far as our concerts are concerned, when these are organized by an organization they fund them. If we are funding the concert, then it can be hard to find the money. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I live from my work, but its not easy. Its easy for me because its difficult for others. The music community is very small, and Im very active. But its hard to find musicians to work with me as they have other jobs and are busy with other things. Its not only that they are not available all the time. Its also that they are not able to practice enough. As a result, its hard for me to find good musicians. I also buy my own instruments. 6. What community facilities or resources do you regularly use? How often do you use them? Venues are very important. They are usually available and are the easiest thing to find. If you have connections, its quite easy. You have to pay a bit of money, but not that much. The problem is finding the funding for sound equipment. The equipment in the venues is not always good, so you need to rent sound equipment. You also need to find money for advertisements and promotion, so you

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need sponsorship. You can try to cover costs with ticket fees, but these never cover expenses. If the tickets are too expensive, people will not come. We always try to do shows for free, and we perform in small venues, like pubs or bars. We also perform a lot at special event in hotels and so on. You can just go and play. You dont have to organize anything. We dont do a lot of personal concerts, perhaps two shows in a couple of months. Amman is a small city, so people might lose interest if we did more. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Generally yes, except for sound equipment. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? The music scene is very small, so its mainly a matter of personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The impression of the audience is very positive, but the audience only represents a small segment of society. The problem is that the group is not well promoted. We also perform mainstream music, so we dont sing, for example. If people have the chance to hear us, they enjoy what they hear. Ours is a music that people from all ages can enjoy. Reaching out to audiences is a problem of media. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? We perform in Amman. We have performed in Cairo and Beirut, but only once. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need more musicians. The real problem is not the governments ability to help musicians. Instead, it is the involvement and investment from the private sector. However, it is part of the governments job to make it easier for the private sector to invest, for example by giving tax breaks to people who finance cultural events. Another problem is the high rate of tax on instruments. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The scene in Jordan is very small and very young. It has not yet found its real voice. We are the only band to have recorded three albums with RUM. I think that from the local point of view, we influence people more than they influence us. But we are more influenced by foreign artists than by Jordanian artists. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? It would be great if I were able to be more in touch with musician at least on a regional level. If I were able to work with musicians I have met in Lebanon and Egypt, it would be helpful, but its not easy to do. As far as the general situation is concerned, many things should change, not one. We need musicians to become more motivated and to understand that they need to work more to become better. We have huge potential, but musicians dont work on their talent. They dont have enough motivation it has to do with the social and political situation, a lot of things, its a very broad subject. There is a lot that needs to be changed. Maybe its a matter of time, since our society is still very young. Amman is maybe 60 years old. It takes a lot of time for artistic and cultural identity to develop enough to be productive. Time is an important factor, and artists need to work to develop their identity. If they express themselves honestly, they will express our identity. As the arts become better known, the more well-defined they will become and the more people will relate to them and want to work to develop them. Its a process of maturation, like a child growing up. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 26/01/09 Name: RUBA SAQR Role/Function: Journalist & singer-songwriter Discipline or Activity: Music & media Background: Studied and lived in Jordan and an award-winning musician Age: 33 Contact Information: 0777855948; rubasaqr@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? Ive been active since 1994. It wasnt easy, and I have had many challenges to overcome. Some were internal: believing in myself in a society that thinks less of a woman especially in the artistic field was a great challenge. Staying on track with what I believe was another. I believe music is a gift from God. Its a spiritual means of getting closer to God. However, we live in a world that wants to turn this talent into a money-making job and an exercise in marketing. Its not easy to fight that. What got me started? A deep passion for music in which my Sufi roots also played a role. I have always been fascinated by how sound and the repetition of the names of God can bring people to a different state of consciousness. Sound can be a powerful engine of change. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied music on and off opera singing, piano and guitar. I did not continue my studies because I hate conventional learning. I believe talent cannot be put inside boxes and developed through classical training. It maims it. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I am free at the moment. 4. How do you fund your work? I apply for funding, though often I use my own funding, or win grants. I also receive invitations to travel and other invitations. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Its not possible to live from working in the arts in Jordan. I have tried it, and I wasnt able to pay the bills at the end of the day. The reason is that Jordan has no real infrastructure for the arts. Its more like a bubble than an arts scene. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? At this point, none. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? No, theyre not. I have given up trying to use them. 8. What networks do you participate in or rely on to share information or resources? I am part of a British Council project called Music Matbakh, and for a while this was a good way of carrying out musical growth. However, the project stopped a few months ago. I also find the Internet very useful for networking.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? It is an audience that is hungry for real self-expression and forms of art that does not cheapen prospects of that. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I frequently perform in Egypt, and my last tour was during Ramadan. The difference between my performances in England, Berlin, Cairo, etc. and Jordan is that there is no real audience in Jordan. Its all very much a niche affair when it comes to the music scene. Music is poorly developed, but musicians are very confident about their limited imaginations. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There is a need for funding with no strings attached meaning no interference in artistic expression. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Consumerism. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to create a Music Fund that had adequate capital to create rehearsal studios for artists, fund musicians on scholarships to hone their skills and network with others outside the country, and hold an annual Alternative and Arabic Fusion music festival. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 27/01/09 Name: TAREQ AL-NASSER Role/Function: Band leader, RUM-composer, TV sound production Discipline or Activity: Music Background: No studies or academic music classes, but experience in recording and studio work Age: 38 Contact Information: 0777859652; tareq@rummusic.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have worked in music for a very long time, since 1988 in fact. I started to work with musicians in my home town of Irbid, when I used to play piano and keyboards at various events. When I decided to make music my career I was still at school. And this may be why I didnt finish music studies. It was not an easy decision to make. My family was afraid I would become a cabaret musician, and at that time there was no associations or unions of artists and musicians, so they were afraid for my future. What will I do when I get old? Even today, I think that is a difficult question for musicians in Jordan. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. I learned music by myself. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? My main involvement is through my band RUM. I try to develop its activities and make sure it is at the forefront of the music scene. The band started in 1999. Today, we have three large events a year and around 10 smaller activities. We have travelled a lot with the band, including to Syria, Italy, Tunisia, Morocco and Germany. I also write the music for TV series. This is my business career. Im not a member of an association, but I am thinking of joining one. Im very busy, so I havent had time to think about it yet. I think maybe it could provide some sort of backup in the future when I get old. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my music from my TV work. I like to compose for the TV and then to recreate or re-perform the music with my band. This is the only way I can fund my band. I dont ask for money a lot, because I believe the band should stay independent. When we work for a client, such as an organization, we might ask for material in kind. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? In a way, I can, at least from the music I compose for TV. But it is very difficult. My work is for series made in the Gulf, not for Jordanian TV. In Jordan there is no work and no money. I see around me that other musicians work a lot outside music. I dont pay salaries to the musicians that work for me. Some of them have other jobs as teachers, carpenters, and so on. Its difficult. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We use the facilities at the Al-Balad Theatre, Orangered and the CMS School. Sometimes we use government facilities, like the RCC, but its not always available, and its now always easy to perform there. Their agenda is most often full with their own programmes. I have been in the music field for a long time, so I have a lot of contacts with artists and people that can help me.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? It depends. Government resources are often not available, and generally the equipment is not very good. So now I have my own sound system. Sometimes, though, it can be an interesting experience to work in bad conditions. When we want to play for people, we will perform anywhere, even if the equipment is very basic and poor. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use my own network. Over time, I have been able to build up a lot of contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its very diverse. Since I re-use themes from my TV compositions in my music, people very often know the music beforehand. As a result, my music is very accessible and all ages like it. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I perform in Amman and Jordan. We also perform abroad in France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Holland, Sweden and the Arab countries. However, I personally feel that in the Arab world Jordanian artists are not well considered. People think that art should be related to heritage and that Jordan is too young. They dont know that Jordan has a large heritage. Yet, its true that Jordan is a small country, so there are not a lot of artists. However, there are still a few. Apart from these general impressions, I dont feel there is any difference. Young people in particular in these countries are very excited by our music, which is very rewarding. I believe RUM is more about the energy we give at the moment. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need a Fund that will give money without telling you what to you should or should not do. We need a Fund only for music and one that should be freer of access. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I believe each place has its own treasure, and that you have to look after it. In Jordan, because maybe its a young country, people have not yet taken the time to look for this treasure. In our region, because of the political situation people havent taken the time to research their past, but I believe there could be one of the largest treasures in the world here. Many civilizations have come from this region. I believe that the main influence on any artist is his place, his surroundings, where he is from. Part comes from inside, but another part comes from where you are and where you stand. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I dont know. Changing things is my goal, and I myself am changing all the time. One thing I would like is for RUM to become a universal band with musicians from all over the world working together. I have made more than 20 albums, though I have not released all of them because I didnt agree with the company or for other reasons. But the main goal is not the number of the albums: its the special moments and energy we can give and get during concerts. If I could change one thing about the music scene in Jordan, it would be to provide more equipment and space for musicians. They dont need money, but they do need equipment to practice, work and learn. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 13/01/09 Name: BAHA OTHMAN Role/Function: Musician & teacher and film sound designer Discipline or Activity: Sound designer, teacher at RSICA and technical consultant Background: Computer Science at Jordan University Age: 28 Contact Information: 0777796866; baha.othman@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active in music for 13 years. I started playing guitar 13 years ago, and I became active nine years ago. I was introduced to the guitar through the music of Cheb Khaled, and I started to be obsessed with the instrument. I couldnt afford more than 12 classes, and then I started to learn by my own. I started to consider myself as a real musician some nine years ago. At university, I played with different people and realized that I had to practice and study a lot. So, I started to take music more seriously: it became a challenge. It was not really an easy decision, but I did a deal with my family: if I studied really well, they would help me get a guitar and play. I didnt study music because when I went to university I was frustrated at seeing the music department so empty. The instruments were there, but there were no people playing. They were hanging around outside instead. This made me angry and frustrated, so I registered in the faculty of computer science instead and met musicians outside and started to play in a trio. After that, I couldnt imagine myself as a computer programmer anymore, so I decided to specialize in sound engineering in order to support myself and get a job that makes money and is related to music. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I teach sound engineering at RSICA, and I play with my band Sho al-Ayam. My main goal is to compose. Im working on composing my own music. I also write music for films. Im not part of any association, and I dont see the advantage. 4. How do you fund your work? We fund it ourselves. At the beginning, we had to pay a lot of money to get the band started. Now we play events. We always need events, whether organized by an NGO or other organization, to pay for our concerts. This makes things difficult, but things are changing. An events company has offered to fund us, and this will make things easier. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I think its hard in Jordan to live from your work. The art here is commercial, not artistic. You can only live from your work if you accept to play commercial music for money. However, I think things are changing. People are starting to become bored by commercial music, and they are going back to the classics like Abdel-Halim Hafez because they cant find anything else. There is also a lack from the media, which doesnt support artistic music. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We use various venues and advertisements on radio, in print media and on sound equipment. We change venues often. I would say that we use them for 30% of the year.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Things are expensive, especially sound systems. They are available but not really financially accessible. Its quite difficult to find a venue, and you dont usually have a lot of time to prepare before the concert. We want to perform in public spaces, but its difficult to get permits. It involved a lot of organization, security, etc. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? We use the network of Orangered, which is a great music-management organization. We also use the Sho al-Ayam network, as well as personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its very diverse but not really very wide. There is a problem of media access. Our music is very accessible, and everyone can appreciate it. But the media doesnt help. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? We used to perform outside in places where other artists dont go, such as East Amman and Zarqa. We play anywhere. The band started in Lebanon, but we dont perform outside Jordan anymore. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Money not for me, but to have funding for proper equipment and to produce more music. We also need time. Most of us have jobs outside music, so this leaves less time to rehearse and play. Its exhausting. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The music scene in Jordan is new, and it needs time to grow. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Today, 70% of my time is spent on working and only 30% is spent on music. I would like to reverse these figures. If there is one thing I would like to see change in Jordan, it would be to hear the underground Jordanian bands on radio and see them on TV. To get on TV, you just need to look cool, not to play good music. If you look cool and play good music, you have an even better chance of getting on TV. 13. Additional comments?

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Date: 07/02/09 Name: MAHMOUD RADAYDEH Role/Function: IT company, guitarist, composer and lyricist Discipline or Activity: Music Background: BA in IT from Jordan University Age: 25 Contact Information: 0795182550; mahmoudradaideh@gmail.com

1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active in music since I was 10 years old. My brother used to play, so I wanted to as well! I started composing, but I only became very active when I started my band, Jadal, in 2003. I started it because I wanted to imitate my brother when I was 10. However, Im not a full-time musician, as I also work in IT. I decided four or five years ago to form a band that could change the scene in Jordan. There was a period when the music scene faced problems here. They stopped concerts. There were no rock-music bands, and no bands that sung with the Jordanian accent and that talked about our stories and the things that we wanted to hear. All the bands wanted to imitate Egyptian or Lebanese music. I wanted to create a band that was really Jordanian, so I decided to start it in 2003. We started playing cover songs, but playing them in a rock style. We started this way to help people get used to this kind of music. Today, other bands have started to play Arabic rock, and we are very happy about that. We are working on an album now, and we have had four singles, all of them played all the time on national radio. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I never studied music. I learned it by myself. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work for an IT company and play with my band, Jadal. Im not a member of any association, because I dont see that they can help me. I also dont think I need them. 4. How do you fund your work? We once had someone sponsor us, but other than that we rely on concerts and events. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I think its difficult. Everybody blames the society, but I think people should stop complaining and start the things we need. Its true that there are no production companies, no distributors, and that people dont look kindly on music. I want to change all this. Maybe its hard to start a production company, for example, but if you do it you will make it easier for the next generation. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? For concerts, we rely on festivals and event organizers, who provide the resources we need. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? If you pay for them, they are accessible. Its not possible to play outside, though. You need a permit for one thing, but I also think the people are not ready for it.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Facebook has made a big difference. However, we also know everybody in the field. Its not a large community. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think its very broad and include everyone, from children to adults. Our song Salma was played on national radio, so we have a wide audience. Our lyrics are accessible to everybody. When we do a concert, people from West Amman make up most of the audience, though I once had a phone call from a girl in Karak. When the music is on the radio, the audience is much larger. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? We perform in Amman. We did a couple of events in Irbid, but we dont want to expand before we have the albums ready and good distribution. We have never performed outside Jordan for the same reason. In addition, our music cant be performed anywhere, in restaurants or cafs, for example. Our music is energetic, not heavy but energetic, so these venues dont suite us. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Decent production companies. However, we have managed to enter the community with a new kind of music here, so things are looking good. I dont want to blame Jordanian society, because we have a very young music scene and we have to start things off. However, in any other country, a band that had two singles and that was on the radio all the time would be signed directly by a production company. This is not the case here. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? On the positive side, I see more festivals and more events management. Unfortunately, I can also see a lot of people complaining and not doing anything. I wish I could see more people really trying to make a difference. I hope we will be among them. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I dont know but I always wish I had more time to be more committed to music. I quit work for six months to work on the album, but I still needed more time. I also wish we had good production companies and better musicians. I dont know if Im a good musician, but I love my own music! I would like to see more musicians working harder and being more dedicated. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 2/02/09 Name: OMAR FAQIR Role/Function: Full-time musician Discipline or Activity: Piano Background: BA Literature & teacher at the Swefat School Age: 32 Contact Information: 0795222130; ofaqir@hotmail.com & www.omarfaqir.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1990, when I started playing jazz in Amman. We set up the first jazz band in 1999. My family is an artistic family, and my grandfather and father were musicians. My grandfather was a famous composer, and my father is a famous na player. I taught myself, with the help of my father. It was not really an easy decision because the type of music that I chose, jazz, was unknown in Jordan at the time. This meant that we had to establish a band and an audience. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I didnt study music formally, as I had already done so informally. I already knew classical music. I just needed a qualification, so I studied literature. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have been a full-time musician for two months, playing with my band Faqir Syndicate, which also includes my cousin, my brother and a fourth person. My father established the first music syndicate in Jordan, and I used to attend the sessions. There were really high-level musicians in Jordan then, something which is not the case today. There are people in the syndicate who are not musicians. I also teach music, but only to people who already know the basics. 4. How do you fund your work? Mostly by myself, though I have also worked with Orangered, which is supportive in a way. However, I have not been able to find support for my music: people are interested in commercial, classical and oriental music, but not jazz. I have a large audience, but I havent been able to find government support. The government is not convinced its important, and you have to spend time arguing. I have been to the ministry of culture and the municipality, but without success. Music is not seen as an important need. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I do music for TV and movies, and financially Im fine. I am able to live from music, but not from my music. This is more difficult, since we dont have genuine benchmarks. Everywhere you go, the benchmarks are commercial ones. There was a good musical environment in the 1980s and 90s, when people put their hearts into playing music. Now, everything is commercial. I am well-known outside Jordan in Syria and the Emirates, and I sell records in the United States and Belgium. However, I dont find recognition for my music here in Jordan. Its very sad. The band is entertaining. We have released four albums and will be releasing a fifth one soon. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment. Most of our concerts are organized by events-management companies, which provide everything.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? It depends who is responsible in the company organizing the concert. Things are not stable, but generally they are adequate. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have my own contacts. I have my own Website and page on Facebook. I have a Facebook jazz club that I would like to turn into a real place in Amman. 9. What is your impression of your audience? We have an excellent audience in Amman. Its a mix of people of all ages and family backgrounds. Our concerts are free, so people come from different parts of Amman. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I perform the most in Amman, though I have also performed in Aqaba and Madaba. Of course, I have also performed in Lebanon, Syria and the Emirates, and I hope to perform in Palestine one day. I have been to Tunisia and to Greece twice. I can see huge differences in terms of support. In the Emirates, for example, there is a huge Jazz Festival attracting musicians from all over the world. It runs for two weeks and is amazing. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Support for my music and my projects. Even in Palestine with all its problems, there are festivals. I think Jordan would be a very good place for festivals. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The problem is that its not stable. Every year, you have another point of view: we dont have a stable culture yet. The music scene is still being built, and musicians are insecure and lack confidence. Another problem is that sometimes the people taking decisions do not know anything about music or art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I hope to be more effective in my own society. I want to share what I have. I am frightened about reaching a point when I have to stop. My father and I have received proposals about leaving Jordan, but I hesitate to do so. This is why I decided to become a full-time musician: I wanted to spend all my time on my music and my project for a jazz club. I intend to knock on as many doors as I can. If at the end I still reach a brick wall, I will really think about leaving Jordan and moving somewhere else. The cultural scene in Jordan should be more flexible. It should accept people taking risks. Its not about winning; its about losing and winning. The ministry in particular should accept that. Money goes to the wrong people and the wrong places. A jazz club and a jazz festival is my dream. 14. Additional comments? I hope different organizations will contribute to the artistic scene in Amman and go deeply into the situation. We should be able to spot exactly what is happening here, to know exactly what we have, to know what we should do and what we are lacking. I would also like the associations that support me to be Jordanian. At the moment, they are all foreign, but I would like support to come from my own people. The government should be involved before the private sector gets involved, but at the moment the opposite is the case.

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Date: 17/01/09 Name: IHAB ABU HAMMAD Role/Function: Events management and public relations at Orangered Discipline or Activity: Musician and guitarist Background: No academic background Age: 42 Contact Information: 0777036515; hihab@orangered.net 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active in the artistic field since 1998. I started playing in the late 1980s, but only for myself and not professionally. In 1998, I started to play with a group and to work as an administrator. I started to play music because I believed I had a message to deliver. I dont consider myself to be a great musician, but Im good enough to deliver my message. Music is something personal because you cant make a living from it. To live from art is very difficult. If it were easy, I would be a fulltime musician. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No, I studied by myself. I studied some theory and I practiced. I only took classes when I thought I couldnt learn by myself, for example for some specific techniques. I have taken classes in Jordan and in Russia. I think Im a good listener. To be a musician, you have to be a good listener. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work with Orangered, which is a music-management company. This is my main job. I also founded a group, Sho al-Ayam, three years ago. The objective of the group is to help people understand where music comes from. Im not a member of any association. I wanted to join the syndicate but found it to be a poor organization. It doesnt organize anything. A syndicate is supposed to support musicians, but the musicians syndicate does the opposite. You cant do anything without asking permission, and this permission is about money, not about artistic matters. I used to teach music in a school, and I have worked in a project in a poor area of Amman. The project founded a library for children, and I organized workshops there to introduce children to art, music, instruments, theatre and performance. 4. How do you fund your work? There are two ways, and most musicians do the same thing. We pay with our own money, and sometimes we play commercial events. In the latter case, the company or organization pays. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I dont live from my music, no. Its very difficult in Jordan, where there is a lack of structure. There are no standards for artists in Jordan, though the syndicate should provide them. Some benchmarks exist, but the focus is on ethnic, national or religious criteria. Jordan is not a very productive country. Its not productive even in agricultural terms, so how do you expect it to produce art? Artists should take the period they are working in into consideration, which is another problem that affects music. The situation of the country economically, politically and culturally makes the position of the artist difficult. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them?

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We use our own facilities. Sometimes we need help from associations and organizations, but you cant count on them. They are like us they are also poor, so its more like collaboration then help. For example, if you go through an association you can get a venue for half the price. We use facilities like this every time we give a concert. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Not really. The people providing resources have the same kind of problems that we have as musicians. People are not very experienced, especially not in sound. They dont have a lot of money. So we have to ask help from friends and people we know. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Personal contacts, and Orangered also has a good network. Everyone has to deal with the same problems. 9. What is your impression of your audience? All the groups that are not commercial have small audiences. I suppose more people would come if there were fewer difficulties if the tickets were free, for example, or if there wasnt a boundary between East and West Amman. I know people in East Amman who are very interested in music, but the cultural barriers between the two parts of the city are a problem. People from East Amman dont feel comfortable about coming to West Amman to attend a concert. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? We do three to five concerts a year, mostly in Amman. We dont have a specific venue where we perform the most. Our first concert was in Beirut, our first and last concert outside Amman. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need someone who is more professional as far as sound is concerned. I think its the same problem for all the musicians in Jordan: we need more professional people, and we need more support. We can manage at the moment, but it would make things easier. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The problem in Jordan is that we dont have funds over the long term. There are small audiences for the theatre, the cinema and concerts, and this audience is divided between all the music bands. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? We need to educate people and introduce them to the arts. Its very important to promote all kinds of music or bands in Jordan, not only the ones that conform to Jordanian culture or popular and commercial culture. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 24/02/09 Name: ZEINA ASFOUR Role/Function: Full-time pianist Discipline or Activity: Music Background: Musicology studies in Paris Age: 40 Contact Information: 0795567007; asfour_zina@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started at 18 when I entered the Sorbonne University in Paris. I have always loved playing the piano though, so it a very easy decision to make. My father used to tell me I should do something besides music. Now I understand why. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? There werent place in Paris where I could study music professionally. As the Sorbonne was easy to enter, having no entrance exams like other places, I decided to go there. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I am always working on my music and always trying to find musicians in the Middle East to work with. I also encourage my friends. Im doing a project with friends on honour crimes in Jordan. I used to teach at the university and at the Conservatoire, but as there were a lot of conflicts I stopped. There is a bad energy there. I dont know why. Sometimes they push down talented students and people. Im not a member of any association. 4. How do you fund your work? I dont fund it! No, actually the municipality helps me sometimes, and it does a good job. Dar alFunun also helps me sometimes. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I live from my parents. I hate doing so, and its hard, but that is how things are. Its important for my music to live. Im trying to find a job in Lebanon, where its easier. Most of my friends have gone abroad, but it has started to get better here. There is more appreciation. Art is not a priority for people to spend their money on. They think it should be free or maybe they just dont like my music. Knowledge of music is shallow, and Arabic music is more appreciated. I play experimental classical music, which is hard for people to appreciate. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I dont. I practice at home for hours. In Paris, this was a huge problem, with neighbours complaining, etc. Here I can play whenever I want. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? I have worked with Dar al-Funun, the Al-Balad Theatre and the municipality. Its free and not always available, but its good. You need to provide your own equipment. The RCC is quite expensive. The hall at the Hussein Centre is too big. We need a real opera house. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I dont have a real network, and instead I use Facebook. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Bad. They dont encourage artists. They dont clap at the end, and they talk or even answer the phone during the performance. Every form of music has its own public. For Arabic music, you get a lot of people and very diverse audiences. For classical music, you get older women. I dont know why. Even friends dont come to my performances. Music should be encouraged more in schools. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? In Amman. I have been to Lebanon, Vienna and London. After my concert in Lebanon, I told myself I would never perform in Jordan anymore. The public was amazing. I want to play in Damascus, as the musicians are great there. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? An open place where you can meet artists and talk. The ambiance for art is not healthy here. Its oppressive, especially for music. Music is hard to impose on people, and it goes in one ear and out the other. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Everything: society, politics and religion. The Iraqis that came to Jordan brought high-quality art with them that gave a special character to the art scene here, but its not really encouraged. The environment is always against the artist, and there is no encouragement for creativity. Art needs freedom and creativity. People here dont understand that. More often, they think we are crazy. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would change my age to go back 20 years but keep all my knowledge. I would also advance Jordan 20 years further down the line to make art develop faster. I would put people who know about art in charge of institutions, such as at the head of the Conservatory. I would not appoint business-minded people. Too much frustration comes about as a result, as they only think about positions, not about creativity. Its boring. Every time I complain at the Conservatory, they tell me that Im just jealous. You are not allowed to complain in this country. The art scene is very small you can be threatened and blacklisted very quickly, so you just stay silent. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 21/02/09 Name: HISHAM SHARAF Role/Function: Musician and Director of the Arab Academy of Music and the Jordanian Symphonic Orchestra Discipline or Activity: Music Background: BA in Mathematics and BA in Music from Baghdad, Iraq Age: 43 Contact Information: 0796752454; hishamsharaf2@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active from 1976 onwards and have played with the Orchestra since 1993. All the members of my family are musicians. My father is a famous musician, and my mother plays the piano. They sent me to music school when I was six years old. It was very acceptable to my family of course for me to become a professional musician. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? In Baghdad. After studying mathematics, I decided to study music as a professional. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I was the director of the National Orchestra in Baghdad. I arrived in Amman in 2005 and became director of the Jordanian Symphonic Orchestra last December. Im also director of the Arab Academy of Music in Amman. I teach clarinet and I play in the orchestra. I was a member of a Baghdad music group until 2002, but was then forced to leave because of the situation in Iraq. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my personal work myself. The concerts are organized by the Academy and the Conservatory. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? If you are member of the orchestra and you teach music, you can make a living. However, you cannot make a living from music alone. Salaries in music are very low. In other Arab countries, members of the national orchestra are paid very well, but in Jordan, Tunisia and Palestine this is not the case. The Orchestra is sponsored by the mayor and the municipality, and so salaries are very low. All the members of the Orchestra here other work besides music. Also the Orchestra is very young, and the Conservatory was only established in 1998. It takes time for people and for the country as a whole to become interested in music. I think in a few years the situation will be better. The Orchestra was established in 2007. Before that, it was the national conservatory orchestra, so it was only for students. Now it is open to every musician in Jordan. Now that people see that there is a possibility of a career in music in the national orchestra, perhaps they will take music more seriously as a profession. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I practice at home, and I have my own instrument. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I use the network of the national orchestra. We are in contact with musicians in the Arab countries and other countries. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its a cultured audience, but it is made up of always the same faces. The people that enjoy classical music are very few. It takes time to widen the audience. I think that as a result of the foundation of the Orchestra, and now that we are playing in places other than Amman and in schools, the situation will improve. In four years time, the situation and peoples interest will be better. We moved to Ras alAyn for this reason in order to have a place in the centre. However, this is still not enough: we need to go into schools, and not only the ones in West Amman. We also need to go into the downtown schools and the schools in East Amman. Television plays a role too. If there were more programmes about music, things would improve. We are working on this. We are currently doing two concerts a week, one oriental and one classical. People will start to hear about this, though we need more promotion in the media and on radio and television. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? In Amman, at the King Hussein Cultural Centre. I have also performed in Bahrain, the USA, Norway, France, Algeria, Germany, Tunisia and the Emirates, though this was with the Baghdad group. Next season, we are thinking about performing in Jerash and other places. I dont see any differences between playing in Jordan or outside Jordan. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We dont have good materials for the instruments. Its impossible to find professional equipment. There are very few places to buy instruments, so these are very expensive and the taxes are very high. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think Jordan will become much better at music in a few years, as a result of the new opera house project. It will take time, but things are already improving more than they are in other Arab countries. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wouldnt change anything. There are many places in Jordan to play music, but they are all small, with a capacity of 500 people at most. If there was a place that could host 2,000 people that would be good. Also, as I said before we need more promotion of music in the media. 14. Additional comments?

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Theatre
Date: 18/01/09 Name: KHALED GHWAIRY Role/Function: Freelance actor in theatre and television Discipline or Activity: theatre Background: BA in Theatre from Yarmouk University, Jordan Age: 30 Contact Information: 0795418318; yagoo78@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been working in theatre for eight years. I wanted to do theatre, and it was my choice, though it was not an easy one to make. At first, I thought it would be fun, but then I realized that it needed hard work, concentration and a lot of energy. These things didnt make me decide to leave the theatre quite the opposite in fact. They made me love it even more. I work in the theatre because I am an actor, but I actually majored in television directing when at university. Im working as an actor because there are no opportunities to direct. I am acting, but my choice was not to act. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Yarmouk University in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a television actor for the most part because theatre in general needs a person who is free to do only that. As a result, you must have money first before you can act. I work in television so I can make a living at the same time as I can do the kind of work I like. Im not a member of the Actors Guild in Jordan because I consider it to be more of an insurance company than an association of actors. Does it support art or artists? I dont think so. Its not useful. Its just a social welfare organization. 4. How do you fund your work? There are festivals in Jordan, and there are theatre festivals every year. However, this is more of a negative thing than a positive thing. There are two festivals, and I work for the festival that works with the ministry of culture. As for private work, I support it from the money I get working in television. That is why I work in television. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No. We have the necessary conditions, so it shouldnt be too hard, but the people in charge make it hard. The people in charge are the problem, not the actors or directors. The minister or manager is responsible, not us. The country doesnt care about art: it considers art to be something on the side. First, people take care of their lives and their work, and then they think about art, seeing it as something marginal. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? Everything is available except for funding. There are actors and set designers and good stage decorators, but the funding is not available. That is why the quality of the work is declining. Sometimes, a play requires four actors, but you have to settle for one because of your budget.

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Resources are available, but how can we reach them? Things are not expensive, but there is a need for sponsorship, like for sports, for example. It would not require a lot of money. It would be a lot of money for us, because we are individuals, but it wouldnt be a lot of money for them. The quality of productions without funding is not very good. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have a network. I meet people in festivals and we communicate mostly via our mobiles. 9. What is your impression of your audience? They are a mixed group. Some are young, and some are old. There is no problem. Over the last five years, Jordan has improved greatly in television. If anyone wants to participate, even if they are from Syria or Lebanon, they can because there are production companies that make good series. Jordan makes well-known television series, I think. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? There are a lot of theatres in Jordan, like the Royal Cultural Centre Theatre, for example, or the Ossama Machini Theatre. There are around six theatres in Amman, I would guess. There is always a place to rehearse. That is no problem. There are also cultural centres that offer us a place to rehearse, like the Haya Cultural Centre and others. I have acted in Syria and Egypt, and I think we are more developed in theatre than these countries. I think Tunisia does excellent work. When I compare Jordan work with countries like Israel and Turkey, I feel Jordan has something special to offer. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I think we need respect. I think we need that more than money. It is a big problem, and we will need about 50 years to resolve it. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There are no professionals, and people are not sufficiently specialized. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? There should be more cinema in Jordan. Its an old observation, but I think it still stands. I think the situation should change so that we will be able to have cinema. Jordan should care about art, all of Jordan, including the king and the ministers. They should recognize the importance of art for politics and the development of the country. I think artistic specialization is crucial. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 04/03/09 Name: JULIET AWWAD JAMAL AWWAD Role/Function: Teachers of drama education, actress and director in schools and at Jordan University; scriptwriter for TV and theatre, designer, actor and theatre director Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: MA in Childrens Theatre; BA in Acting and Directing from Armenia; BA in Fine Arts from Italy and Theatre Studies in Italy Age: 58/72 Contact Information: ja_jh7777@yahoo.com - buwaid@yahoo.com - 0795578795 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? JULIET: Before I started to study and when I was still a child I always dreamed of acting. I had never seen a theatre in my life, but I used to play at theatre a lot with other children. So, I decided to study theatre, and when my father would not agree and didnt want to pay a penny, I went to the Russian embassy and got a scholarship. It was in Armenia, and I spent seven years there. I came back in 1974 and started to work in the field. Im the first woman in Jordan, and maybe in the Arab world, to study acting and directing. JAMIL: I was born in Amman 1937 and grew up here. I didnt see any theatre during my childhood. At school, they asked me to do a play, so I chose Hamlet. The teachers told me I was a good painter and I believed them, and I went to Europe to study painting. While I was there I saw the work of the masters and felt that I could never be a painter. So I branched out into design. When I came back to Amman, I started working as a designer. In 1964, the ministry of information asked me to establish a branch of the ministry for fine arts. There was also another branch for theatre, so I became a theatre designer. I started to understand myself, and I found I could be more myself in drama. I started out as a designer and actor, and people started to say I was a good actor. The director is the brain of theatre, so I decided to study theatre directing by myself. I started directing in 1973 in Damascus for the festival and won first prize for my work. I kept on directing, and people said I was a good director. But then I thought that people were actually more interested in writers, so I decided to write for the theatre. I went with my plays to Tunis, Syria, and Lebanon, etc., and meanwhile kept writing for the theatre and TV. I have written 78 series for TV up to now. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I entered theatre by studying set design and fine art. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? JULIET: I have been working in drama in education for nine years, and we have been trying to create a syllabus for studying drama. We work for a year, and at the end of the year we show the play to the parents. The show is not so much the aim; it is more like the result. I teach the teacher, and this becomes part of a system for how to teach the students. The programme is for first to fourth grade pupils. Each pupil has to take a role in the play. I worked alone at the beginning, but now I work with a musician at the school. I have been a member of the Syndicate since it started. JAMIL: I am a member of the Writers Association and have been a member of the Syndicate since it started. I also work in TV as an actor and art director. 4. How do you fund your work?

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JULIET: I fund my work from my jobs in schools and universities. When I produce my own work, the schools cover the expenses, though sometimes we have to use our own money. When I direct for children, Jamil writes most of the plays for me. JAMIL: I dont like to teach, so I fund my work from my work on television series. However, its true that sometimes we have to use our own money. Its impossible to make money here. Instead, we do what we do for the love of art. As part of our last project together, I wrote a monodrama and Juliet acted in it. We went to Cairo, Syria and Lebanon together. It was a great experience. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? JULIET & JAMIL: You can live from art and from teaching and series production. You cant make a living from teaching at all. However, theatre education is essential: it is possible to create an audience for theatre, and there is talent. Yet, at the moment there is no real theatre, no theatre industry. Its very difficult except for those who do very cheap theatre with jokes and so on. This is presented as popular theatre, but a better word for it would be a circus (JAMIL). We are not aiming to have a high standard of living; we just want to do our work because we believe in what we do. This is how we make ourselves happy. In all the Arab countries, its difficult to make a living outside theatres belonging to large companies, as they do in England. In other Arab countries, the government takes responsibility for theatre, but here in Jordan we dont have state theatre. They dont like to give money for it. In our countries, officials dont understand the value of education, culture and art. They think its just for fun and that artists are just people who want to be stars. They dont understand that we are the identity of the country. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? JULIET & JAMIL: sometimes we use the RCC, but its not free and so we use it for a few days only. For school projects and drama education, we use classrooms (JULIET). 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They are not free. They are very expensive at 25 JD an hour, and you have to book. But the quality is good. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? We depend on the Syndicate for contacts and information because we dont have our own network yet. 9. What is your impression of your audience? We have passed through many periods. In the beginning, all kinds of people in Amman and Jordan came rich and poor, educated and not educated, everybody. Later, when the ministry of culture started running its folk festivals, we performed each play for two days for free: 500 people used to come to the plays, though these were always the same people. The festivals only last two days, and there is only space for 500 people. Its a stupid policy of the ministry of culture, and it leads to audiences being lost. Now, it is only the friends of the actors and directors who still go: go to see any play and you will see the same people. There are no proper theatre programmes; a proper theatre programme should be organized that would be put on at the festival and then in different cities. The entire educational policy is wrong. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? JULIET: In Amman. Sometimes, I perform in Madaba and other towns. For my new programme for drama in education, I will do this for the first three years in Amman, and then after that I will go to other cities, like Karak, Madaba and Jerash. After six years, we will start to export it to the Arab countries. We have to think more about funding for all this. I have acted in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Syria,

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Cairo and Tunis. The differences I see regard theatre education. People in Jordan are not educated in theatre, like people in Egypt and Tunisia. JAMIL: In Amman. I have been to the same places as Juliet. I agree with her about the differences: in Tunisia in particular people go to the theatre all the time, and they understand the language of the theatre. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? JULIET: we need an official theatre for people and for children. We need more funds for the theatre, as well as funds for equipment, sets and actors. We need more sponsors. We need more education in theatre in schools. We need more funds for culture in cities other than Amman. We need directors and actors from other cities, not only from Amman. The municipalities need to help theatre grow in other Jordanian cities. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? JULIET: I dont feel that anything has had an artistic effect on society over the past three or four years. JAMIL: The world has many problems, especially in our countries. Art and culture are affected by these problems; it has to point towards resolutions or else it is not culture or art. Theatre has not really dealt with these problems over the past few years, but these are the big questions in our life that no one has the answers to. Education and culture tell the truth. Theatre has to be a part of the truth in a world of lies. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? JULIET: I would love to put on a big production and do theatre in a professional way professional in terms of the idea, the work and the actors. Everything should be of a very high standard. I dream about doing a big TV production. I hope one day to have my own childrens theatre. In our plays, we speak about major ideas and issues in simple words. Ideas change the lives of children. All my plays, and the plays Jamil writes, are designed to help change our lives, to make them better, and to open the eyes of children to the fact that the world is going in the wrong direction. JAMIL: I am always dreaming, whether I am asleep or awake. I wish I could change others to bring about freedom. Freedom is my only aim: not for myself, for everybody. I hope I have more time I am72 now to reach my dreams. I know its difficult, but no one dreams about something easy. JULIET & JAMIL: We need to take decisions. I wish the people sitting on chairs, the decisionmakers in art and culture, would wake up and understand they have a huge responsibility. I have decided to keep on fighting. Its my war. I want to make art and theatre go deeper into peoples lives. I want art to touch sensitive points in our country. We cant talk about these openly, but art has to touch the people. We have a lot to talk about in art. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 10/02/09 Name: KHALIL NUSAIRAT Role/Function: Theatre director, drama teacher and student at Jordan University Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: BA in Drama from Yarmouk University, Jordan Age: 37 Contact Information: 0795382869; khalil_nusairat@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1995. Theatre is part of the need for culture. I wanted my house to be open to all and to culture as a whole. With theatre, I can communicate with all the cultures. This is what I wanted. It was not easy, especially since in the Arab countries theatre is not well considered. I want to talk through the theatre about our reality. But those in authority make things difficult: when they like the ideas I put in my work they take them and make them theirs. When they dont like the ideas, they wont present my work to the public. They ask me to clarify my work, not to make it cloudy. They decide what I can do and what I cant do. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied theatre in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im preparing a scenario. Im studying music at university. I have been a member of the Syndicate since 1995. 4. How do you fund your work? The producers of my work are the Syndicate or the ministry of culture. They give me money to do my work. 5. Can you live from your art? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No. I live from my job as a drama teacher and from my wifes job as a dentist. I have a lot of ideas and projects, but I cant realize them. Its very difficult to live from your work in this country. There is no money available. There is money in the media and in television, but not in theatre. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? When I have a project, the Syndicate or the ministry provides me with everything, including the venue, scenery and actors. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes, because I chose them. They give me money for equipment and resources, and I chose them. Sometimes, I pay from my own pocket to make sure I have the best. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use Youtube for promotion and to make contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience?

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The audience is made up of well-off and cultivated people, but I would like to take my plays around Jordan and to more remote places. However, the ministry doesnt allow me. Im only allowed to perform in venues approved by the government. My work has to remain in certain places and to be shown to certain people. Its a closed audience as a result. Yet, theatre should be about the communication of ideas. The government doesnt want ideas to be communicated to the people. I believe art and theatre are for everyone, and I wish I could perform my work to everyone. However, this is not allowed. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I perform the most in Jordan, in Amman and other places. In Amman, I perform at the Royal Cultural Centre, the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre and the ministry of culture theatre departments theatre in Weibdeh. As far as festivals are concerned, I have been to Cairo, though at my own expense. All my first plays were at my own expense. In the beginning, Jordanians didnt believe in me, and they didnt want to fund or support me. When I went to Cairo, I had a big success, and as a result when I came back I was better regarded. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need freedom of expression. We have some freedom, but as artists we need more. If there is no freedom, there is no theatre. Also I would like tickets for my plays to be sold freely, so that everybody could come and buy a cheap ticket and it wouldnt be the management that chooses the public. At the moment, nobody knows when I am performing at the Royal Cultural Centre. I want advertising to appear in all the media, radio, newspapers and TV. I would like everybody that wants to come, including poor people, to be able to come and watch my plays. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The society affects the art. The lack of freedom affects my work and art. Those making the decisions are affecting my work a lot. I can only do a play for a year or less they are the producers, so they decide. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to go to a place away from the Arab world where I could do theatre in the way that I want. I would like to see my work travel and go to different places, different countries, so that people could know Arab culture better and have a new vision of it, especially of Palestinian culture. If I could change one thing about the theatre in Jordan, it would be to give theatre to the people. I would put the theatre in the hands of theatre people and in the hands of decision-makers that know the theatre. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 26/02/09 Name: MOHAMMAD BANIHANI Role/Function: Director and actor Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: BA in Acting and Directing, Lebanon Age: 32 Contact Information: 0777622785; banihani_mohammad@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started as an actor when I was a child at a school theatre. My first time as a professional was in 1997, and I started my studies in 2000. I finished in 2004, and since then I have been a director. Theatre is a passion: it comes from within. I have a special relationship with the stage its a space for me to live, to die, to scream, to talk about my craziness, everything. Theatre is like an invitation for people to think. Its also an internal dialogue and a way of contacting and reaching out to people through dialogue. I have to express my ideas and my questions. It was an easy decision to make and my family understood. The problem was more in myself. I knew that theatre as a choice of career would be hard. Its difficult to live from it. But it is what I wanted. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Lebanon, as I didnt like the system in Jordan at Yarmouk University. At the time, that was the only option, so I went to Lebanon instead. I was 23 years old. It took me time to get the money for it and to decide to live there. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? From September 2004 until May 2007 I was working as a director at Philadelphia University for the Arab festival theatre there. I had no time to work on my own projects, so I decided to quit and today Im a freelancer. I have started to build my own theatre company, called Jasad. I have put on three plays with this company with people coming from Spain, Lebanon, etc., though the company has not been officially registered yet. Im working on a project called The Jasad Story. It will be like a manifesto for the company. Then I will register the company. I have been a member of the Artists Syndicate since 2005. 4. How do you fund your work? In 2005, I worked with the ministry of culture, but it took off my play on the grounds that it was supposedly against religious beliefs. I worked with the ministry again in 2006, but again I had the same problem. I was even threatened by religious people who wanted to kill me, and I held a meeting in Lebanon to talk about this problem. As a result of these experiences, I have funded my work from my own pocket since 2006. I received some money from the French Cultural Centre for my play Black Hole, but other performances have been funded from my own pocket. I worked with the ministry of culture again in 2008, this time for the opening of the Jordan Theatre Festival, and there were no religious problems. However, there were financial problems. My way of working doesnt match their views. I have images, and I write a text. They want a text that they can turn into images. They give only a small percentage of the budget I need. I try to get funds from independent centres because I dont want anyone to tell me what I can or cannot do or can or cannot discuss. As a result, I have worked with the French Cultural Centre and with the Goethe Institute in Lebanon. They dont care what I talk about: they just like my work and help me with funds.

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5. Can you live from your art? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No. Its very difficult, not only in Jordan, but also in the world as a whole. Its difficult because there are many problems. No one cares; no one is interested. People dont care about culture, ideas, or creativity. They only care about appearances and superficial things. They care about how many performances are done in a year and about what is written in newspapers. They dont care about the ideas or the creativity of these performances. There are no critics for the theatre or the arts. Another problem, as I said, is that a lot of people are ready to fund you if you talk about what they want you to talk about. A further problem is that the theatre is free here: if you charge for tickets, even very low prices, people dont come. People dont take art seriously; they dont understand that it represents a lot of work. The ministry only funds one performance a year for directors, but they fund the project and not the director. I never get paid for my work, and I receive no salary. Its very depressing. Finally, I have realized that I work for myself. When you reach this point, it is also a problem, as people will not accept that you are different. Rumours are a big problem here in Jordan, and they are a huge problem for the arts. People gossip: he talks with a Lebanese accent; he is an upper-class guy; he doesnt believe in God. But nobody cares about the work. People cant accept difference. If I performed Black Hole in the RCC, which talks about these problems, I would go to jail. Instead, I put it on at Mohtaraf Remal, which is independent 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I care about visual theatre, which is very experimental. I try to develop a kind of theatre I call wild visual theatre. So I need a lot of space. I work through movement, and I need sets, lighting, equipment, actors and media. I need a theatre to rehearse. In Amman, you only have two days before the play to rehearse, so I have to use small rooms, closed areas and private spaces. Sometimes, I use the Ossama Machini Theatre in Weibdeh to work in, which belongs to the ministry of culture. If I want the RCC, I have to pay 60 JD for two hours. This is why I am trying to find my own space for my company. When I work on a project, like the last time at the RCC, I want to use the space every day. But you cant use it every day. It is only available for a few hours. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? No, its difficult to find a place. There are no places that are accessible financially. The spaces that are available are not really adequate, but space is very important. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts from people I meet at festival and plays. I have a good network with directors in Europe, the USA and Arab countries. My work is not only for Arab people; its for everybody. My last performance was in four languages, with artists from Spain, Holland, Lebanon and Jordan. I worked with an Italian company before that. Though it was a bad experience for me, it gave me the chance to act in other languages. It was my first partnership. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I feel that young people come to my performances. The people from the Syndicate also come, the people in the theatre, the cultured society of Jordan, but these people come to watch me, or to be seen. They dont come for the performance itself. So when there is one ordinary person that comes, Im very happy. I love it when young people come, because they are the future. The cultured society of Jordan is not necessarily the rich: 80% of the people who studied theatre studied it because they couldnt find anything else. You can research that: people who have low grades at school are pushed to study theatre. Its also a social thing: people come just to be seen. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan?

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I have performed in Jordan and the Arab countries, including Lebanon and Syria. These are nearby, saving on travel expenses. I can afford to perform there. I have never been to Europe or the US. One difference, especially in Lebanon, is that the audience is much better. Theatre is part of daily life. People go to the theatre, and they appreciate it. Im always amazed by the silence of the audiences in Beirut. In Jordan, audiences will talk, have conversations, answer the phone, scream, clap, and so on. They dont respect the play, the art, the performance. In Lebanon, critics also come, which can be intimidating, though I want to read what they write about my play. In Jordan, I dont care what the critics write. If the critic is a friend, he will write something complimentary about the play; if he isnt a friend, he will write the opposite. There are no real critics in Jordan. A further problem here is that can you work three or four months on a project, and then perform it for only three days. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? One thing is the quality of the acting. Its a big problem in Jordan. People do not share my views on acting. They dont understand that acting is also about the body: you have to be able to use your body when acting. I have to teach the actors for two months before starting rehearsals. I need the right people in the right places. The people in charge need to be competent. I need good technicians and a good set designer. I need good visual effects. I need funds to get good quality of work. I need good equipment and good places. But the most important thing is that I need an open-minded audience. Its our job to find this audience, but we need help. We need media support. Jordanian TV doesnt care: Iraqi TV and Lebanese TV attended my last performance, but not Jordanian. Why? I hope to fulfill these needs with my company. I want to hold workshops for specialized skills, and I want to open a small theatre for experimental theatre. I want my actors to work a lot, to be professional. I want to work on culture, on theatre theory and on practical skills. These are some of my aims with Jasad. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think Jordan is a good country for the arts. There is not a lot there, so there are many things to start and create. There is space to create, but we need more dreams, more new ideas. People are thirsty for new ideas, but we need to work to change the policies of the ministry of culture in order to encourage it to care more about ideas than appearances. I think that if these problems can be solved, Jordan could be a great place for art and culture. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your own personal situation, what would it be? I would bring down everything and rebuild it again from scratch. I did this once in a performance. I want people to know they can change. I would start with ID cards. I would remove the family name and the religion from the ID. I would start education again from scratch, including the way of teaching. We need to break the stones in the mind of Jordanian society. I would destroy in order to restart and rebuild. I would like to halt the pressure of religion and create more freedom. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 16/02/09 Name: AHMAD AL-MAGHREBI Role/Function: TV director Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: Theatre and TV direction at Yarmouk University Age: 33 Contact Information: 0795217012; amograbi99@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1999. I have always loved art and theatre, and I enjoyed studying theatre. It was not a hard decision to make. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Yarmouk University in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a TV director for Jordanian TV. Im thinking of stopping working in theatre, and in fact I have already stopped for two years. I used to work on adaptations for the theatre, but the possibilities are very few here. I did three or four projects, but I always feel as if I am losing out in the field, as there is no need for or interest in the theatre here. I was a member of the Syndicate, but left two years ago for the same reason. I have been a member of the Al-Fawanees Theatre Group for several years. This is an independent theatre group, and it organizes a big festival every year. 4. How do you fund your work? My first play was funded from my own pocket, and I was the producer. The second was funded partly by the ministry of culture. The third was funded by the Al-Fawanees Group. Its always a small amount, though, except for the play funded by the Al-Fawanees Group, which acted as the producers. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? My art lives from my life! I have a lot of projects, but I just cant do them. Its not a professional system here: its a commercial system, where the artist is disregarded. I dont want to wait for funds to do projects that I dont want to do. I dont want to be told what to do or not to do, and I dont want a career in commercial theatre. As a result, I have decided to stop working in theatre. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? If Im the producer, I try to find actors among my friends. When an organization is the producer, they provide money for materials and so on. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Working with the Al-Fawanees Group was good and easy. The ministry provided part of the budget for the second play, and I had to manage the rest. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I rely on personal contacts and the Al-Fawanees Group. 9. What is your impression of your audience?

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The people that come to the theatre are theatre people and their families. 10. Where do you exhibit of perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I perform at the Royal Cultural Centre, and I always perform in Amman. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I wish there was a possibility of having a career in the theatre. The Jordanians dont need art. They dont need theatre. There is no public for theatre. Its like non-smokers: non-smokers dont buy cigarettes, and here everyone is a non-smoker as far as art is concerned. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? In the 1960s and 70s, there was a cultural boom in Jordan. Groups, theatres and organizations started to appear. However, at the beginning of the 1980s, an American way of life started to invade the region, and the politics of the region also influenced the society. There was an atmosphere of despair and of a lack of hope. Because Jordan didnt have a strong cultural base, American commercialism has invaded our society from business to culture. Culture in Jordan is now commercial. It is not about art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want to cut myself out of the theatre completely. I have no dreams about theatre in Jordan. I feel desperate about this subject, and I dont like to talk about it. It depresses me. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 05/02/09 Name: AHMAD AL-OMARI Role/Function: Full-time actor Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: BA in Theatre, Yarmouk University Age: 34 Contact Information: 0777818077; last_tape@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? It started when I was small child. I was the clown of the family, and at school I started to do sketches. I wanted to study music, but my family is very conservative and refused. I decided to study theatre instead, because it includes all kinds of art. My father wanted to send me to Egypt, but my mother refused, so I registered at Yarmouk University in Jordan. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Yarmouk University. 3. What is your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I do about two theatre projects a year, I mean two real projects. But I also work for a TV production company that makes a series about Bedouin for the Gulf. This is all about money, not about art. Im working on a co-production with an Italian company at the moment about Salome. This is a real project. We are going to tour in Europe and to end in New York. Im a member of the Syndicate, though this is just for insurance health insurance and retirement. The Syndicate is also supposed to help artists with their careers, especially regarding salaries, but it doesnt at all. Its more about politics than about art and careers. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my projects by working in TV. If I want to do my own projects, I can ask for funds: the Syndicate sometimes gives a little money, and then there is the municipality of Amman, European companies and US companies. However, personally I dont ask foreign companies for funding for my projects. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I can live, yes, thanks to the TV work and because I have another career as a teacher of theatre in three government schools. I have stopped doing this now, so that I have more time for my own projects, but Im still a teacher. Mainly I get money by acting in drama series. For the Italian project, I was only paid 1,200 Euros for the play and the tour. But for the TV series, I earn 15,000 every two months. I dont necessarily like doing the series, but I get a high salary because Im active and they know me. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the Syndicate, the ministry of culture and the municipality of Amman. When these are the producers, things are very easy. They provide everything and pay a little money for sets and actors, etc. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available?

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For me, yes, but I think its related to the way I work. When I have a project, I work on it for five days, and I know exactly what I want. My plays last a maximum of 20 minutes. I know the people I am working with, and I work really hard on a project for five days. As a result, the equipment and facilities available satisfy me, but maybe they would not satisfy someone who works longer. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use Facebook. Its the easiest way to share information with other artists. However, I dont use Facebook for any other purposes. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its a mix of the elite and the ordinary people. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? We want to perform outside Amman, but its difficult. Amman is the capital, and it has all the facilities. But when I perform outside Amman, I can see there are far more people attending the play. In Amman, people are more materialistic: they prefer to party or to go to the cinema. I have performed in Tunisia, Iraq, Italy and London. With my next project, we are going to go to a lot of countries in Europe. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I have all my needs here. But this only concerns me: Im a little bit famous; I earn a lot of money; Im comfortable; people respect me. The only need I see is that people are always too busy to interest themselves in theatre. When you call someone for a date, that person is always too busy, or says he is busy even if he is not. People come late for appointments, or they dont come at all. They dont answer calls or call back. I would also like those responsible for the arts sector to act as if they were more interested in it. When I get funds from the Syndicate for a project, if I ask for an appointment to talk about it, they say, We gave you the money. What more do you want? 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Few people care about art. Life is hard here. People dont have the money to think about art. I have a good situation, but my family is like this. Its hard. People who do have money spend their time partying or going to the cinema. They dont go to the theatre. I wish I could see a reaction to my plays, whether positive or negative. People only react when you talk about taboos, such as sex, religion or politics. You are not really free to do your own projects, or you do them for yourself and your friends only. I have performed a lot for myself. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? As far as my situation is concerned, I dont know. If I were God, the king, the president, or the Prophet, I would make the situation of the people better and help them to communicate better and be more available. Im not happy that I have money and others dont, including my family. I have five sisters and five brothers, so its difficult for me to help them all. People are busy thinking of a better life for themselves. If I could change the artistic situation in Jordan, I would try to encourage people to care more about the arts in Jordan, and to care more about the arts in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. I would also encourage the people who are responsible here in Jordan for the arts to make changes such that the arts could flourish here. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 19/02/09 Name: ABDEL KARIM AL-JARRAH Role/Function: Manager of the Art School of the ministry of culture and actor and director Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: BA in Theatre, Yarmouk University Age: 40 Contact Information: 0788471402; toqous_jo@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I finished university in 1972. At first, I studied engineering, but after a year I realized it was not my thing and I registered at the Art College. It was not easy; its not a normal path to take in our society. There is no need for art, and there is a question mark over this career. My family wasnt happy, but it was my choice. They were afraid for me, and they wanted to make sure that this was really what I wanted. When they saw my work, they were happier about the choice I had made. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Yarmouk University in Irbid. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im the director and manager of the Art School in Weibdeh, which is part of the ministry of culture, and I work on my own projects. I do open theatre: this is a kind of social theatre in open spaces. Im also an actor in TV series. I have been a member Syndicate since 1992. 4. How do you fund your work? When I have a project, I work with the ministry of culture or the municipality. They give funds for theatre projects. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I live from jobs in addition to my theatre work. The problem is that theatre doesnt pay. There are no ticket fees, and its always free for the audience. You can make good money from TV, but not from theatre. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? When I have a project, the ministry or the municipality give money for materials and facilities. There is a group of people at the Syndicate we can work with for acting, sets, etc. I dont need a place or a theatre since my work is special and takes place in open-air spaces. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? It all depends on the funding you get. If you get good funding, the facilities and resources are good. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the network from my work at the Art School and the network of the Syndicate. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The public is made up of artists and cultivated people. You need time to target new audiences; in general, people are not ready yet. Its a slow process. The aim of my open theatre is also to target new

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audiences and not just people who already go to the theatre. The problem is that in the Arab world, theatre came late when TV already existed. People think that theatre is like what they see on TV, so when they realize its different its difficult for them to understand what it is about. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I have performed in Jerash, Amman and Cairo. At the beginning, I used to work in theatres but then moved into open spaces. I put my plays on in buildings that are under construction and in open areas. The reason is to do with freedom: I have more freedom of space, view, imagination and movement, and its open to everyone. My work in Cairo was at a festival. The only difference was that in Jordan its easier for me to find an open space for my plays. Its my country, so I know it better. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need a public that is more diverse. I try to attract the people as a whole, but its a slow process. People dont come to the theatre or theatre performances. I need more choice of plays. There are only a few, and there are few Jordanians. I wish we had more choice and more Jordanians writing plays. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The art scene does not deal with Jordanian subjects. Im one of the few who try to make Jordanian art. More generally, people take Arab subject matter and squeeze it to make it look Jordanian. I do the opposite. I start with Jordanian subject matter. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Nothing, though I would like to make the process of reaching a new public faster. I would also like to stop doing TV and continue teaching theatre at schools. Children are our next public, so they should know about theatre and maybe then more people would be interested. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 22/02/09 Name: MAJD AL-QASAS Role/Function: Full-time theatre director and drama teacher Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: BA in Political Science Jordan; BA in Directing and Acting, Jordan; MA in Physical Acting, London Age: 51 Contact Information: 0796962199; majdqassas@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 34 years. I started working as an actress in 1975 during my studies at Jordan University. Professional theatre only started in Jordan in 1968. I had the chance to work with professionals at Jordan University when I was studying Political Science. Im from a good family, and it was difficult for my family to accept that their daughter was working in theatre. I soon acted on TV and in professional theatre groups at the state cultural department. There was no ministry of culture at the time. To make a career in the theatre has been my dream since I was a child. I participated in all the theatre shows at schools in Palestine and in Nablus. It was not a problem to be involved in theatre, but it was a problem for it to be taken seriously as a profession. So I had to take a degree at university as well, and I studied Political Science. After that, my father accepted my continuing in theatre. For my mother, though, it was a disaster. She comes from a very conservative family. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Amman and London. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? At the moment, Im working on a project for Jerusalem as Cultural Capital for 2009, and later I will travel with this play. This is how I work. I have always travelled with my work since I finished my studies in London. The style of my work is very new; its the latest style you can find in the world as is called performance theatre. This is something completely new for Jordan and the Arab world. I always travel with my work because I feel Jordan is too small for me. I go to Cairo, Lebanon, Tunisia and Algeria. Every time I receive an invitation, I travel. When I receive invitations they cover accommodation but not tickets. Each year I have to struggle, and I go to the municipality and the ministry of culture to find sponsors to allow me to travel and people to see my work. Im developing my work, and my audience is also developing. I have been a member of the Artists Syndicate since 1976 and the Writers Syndicate for the last two years as well. I have written two academic books to expose people here to new ideas about theatre. One is entitled An Introduction to Drama School and Terminology, and the other is entitled Pioneers in Directing and Modern Dance in the 21st Century. I also do workshops, sometimes at the RCC. 4. How do you fund your work? Im the best beggar in Jordan! I go to the ministry and the municipality. I was the first person in Jordan to involve the private sector in art and culture in 1992, including banks and big companies, in search of sponsorship. I have made a nice booklet about my group and put a section in for them. Its advertising for them. This is how I can continue. I never stop working, which is why my colleagues dont like me that much, because I work and I can find sponsors.

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5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Before it was not possible, but now it is since I came back from London. Before, I used to work in other jobs, such as for a computer company, but now I only do theatre. I have been living from my work for six years. I think its very difficult: you have to suffer, work hard, get international prizes, prove who you are and struggle. It takes time and a lot of effort. Its difficult in all the Arab countries. In Tunisia and Egypt its easier, since there is interest and a culture of theatre. The government supports many theatre companies, spending more than 100 million on theatre. Here, the government gives peanuts for theatre. We spend maybe 1 million. As a result, you always have to find funds. Its frightening. I cant take the risk to rent a place for theatre, as there is always the risk of not having funds. But the situation is improving, and its better than before. Theatre in Jordan is very young, maybe 40 years old. Compared to other countries, this is nothing. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the Royal Cultural Centre and have done so since 1983. I use it for free as part of support from the ministry of culture. Im a good planner: I reserve the place a year before, and nobody can take it from me. Im a very good fighter. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes, they are good here. Im very organized. I get everything ready the day I start rehearsals. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? My company is a theatre network. I choose the actors, and when I need others I hold auditions. I go to all the cultural events in order to check out the good artists. I am very pro-active. 9. What is your impression of your audience? All kinds of people come to my plays, from the elite, like government ministers, to the office boy. I attract cultured people and political people. In Jordan, the theatre is divided into two parts: the commercial part where uneducated people go, which is entertainment designed to make people laugh, and the theatre that has some kind of serious message. The problem is that the commercial theatre is not good, and the serious theatre fails to find an audience. People go the festivals, but after a couple of days, when its finished, you never see them again. Theatre people dont use the media enough, but I work with TV, satellites, newspapers and radio. To me, the media is very important. This is how you get your audience. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I work in Jordan. I go a lot to Cairo and Tunisia, and I go to Algeria. I have been to France twice and to the Emirates, but this is not regular. The public is very different, especially in Tunisia, where the public is amazing. They are more exposed to theatre, and they are interested and more professional. People love theatre there; its in their culture. For me as a director, my only competitors are Tunisian. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There should be better theatre and art schools. The way in which the arts are taught in Jordan at university is all wrong. The way of teaching is very old-fashioned, and the teachers dont have experience. They never went on stage. This is the number one point. Secondly, the theory used is very old and stops in 1930. What happened after that in theatre is a black hole. My dream is to teach in a different way: to bring people from outside to do workshops, to teach practical skills and not theory. The students should be exposed to new things, as well as different ideas and techniques. When you teach practical skills, the theory is there anyway.

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12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Ignorance and bureaucracy. For example, for the project to make Jerusalem a cultural capital, the project only started two months ago, and I got paid the day before yesterday. From the beginning of the project I had to pay out of my own pocket. I spent US$45,000 from my own pocket, taking all the risks and without any paperwork. What would have happened had the ministry changed its mind? Nobody else would take such risks. But I love what I do. I believe in it. Im so passionate that I take risks. I feel I have a real cultural project. Thats why I occupy this place, and thats why I fight and struggle. Artistic theatre for me is a complete project. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wouldnt change anything about myself, as I love what I stand for. However, if I could change the art situation here I would kick 80% of the people out from the Syndicate. They are not artists. They are only there by accident. I would change the curriculum at the universities as well. I would change the people at the ministry of culture. Can you believe that 80% of employees dont have a basic school-leaving certificate? Everything is about wasta. I want to change this. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 02/03/09 Name: AHMAD KHALIL Al-SMADI Role/Function: Full-time actor Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: Centre for Art, Ministry of Culture Age: 34 Contact Information: 0796650882; alsmadi_art@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1997. I always liked art, but it was difficult. Mt family did not agree with my decision. Its also not very accepted by society. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Amman. 3. What is your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I had a show on every day at the RCC during the opening of Jerusalem as cultural capital in 2009. The name of the show was No Title. I also work with a friend on a project for children at the municipality. Im not part of the Syndicate, though I might apply soon. 4. How do you fund your work? Sometimes I have to pay using my own money. Its hard, but I also ask for funds from the municipality, or the ministry of culture. They give funds but not all the time. It depends if they accept the project. There are also a few other possibilities. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I can live, but it is very difficult. Its difficult to earn money from theatre. There is not enough interest and not enough funds. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We use rehearsal facilities at the RCC or at the Ossama Machini Theatre belonging to the ministry of culture. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? You have to book the place early. Its not really adequate, and there is no good equipment. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I know all the people in the theatre. Its a small community and I am quite well-known. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of cultured people and artists and also a lot of ordinary people. There are people interested in theatre. The audience is increasing. In two years time it should be better. Knowledge of theatre is growing. At school and university, people are more aware of theatre. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan?

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I work in Amman, Irbid, Aqaba, Jerash and Zarqa. This year Im going to Egypt and Tunisia. It will be the first time I have performed outside Jordan, so I dont know the differences yet. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I have a lot! I need greater interest from the government and from the people involved in decisionmaking for theatre. I need more funds to work, as well as for sets and actors. I wish there was a real fund for theatre in Jordan. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Politics affect the art scene, of course. Maybe religion also affects the arts, but I think that if there were a theatre influenced by religion this would be a good thing too. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish my situation were better. I wish there were more art and artists and more interest in art. I wish I were more famous and could make more money from theatre. I wish there was more artistic exchange between Jordanians and Europeans, since the arts scene in Europe is more developed. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 28/02/09 Name: HAKIM HARB Role/Function: Full-time director and actor, Ministry of Culture Discipline or Activity: Theatre Background: Theatre, Yarmouk University Age: 42 Contact Information: 0795505967; hakeem_harb@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started university and finished in 1988 and then I started to be active in theatre. When I was a child, I wanted to be a sailor, but when I finished school I discovered a different sea: theatre. I could swim, fly and do everything on stage. I could be anyone, even a sailor. I like games of this sort. Theatre became my sea. Life is a big theatre. In Jordan, theatre was not really well considered, however. But that was 25 years ago; now things are different. Before people didnt know about theatre, as it is not part of our culture. Now, people like theatre. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Jordan. 3. What is your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? The ministry of culture gave me one year as a sabbatical year to pursue my work. Every year, it gives 10 artists a sabbatical year. Im working on a play at the moment based on Sidharta from Hermann Hesse. I called my play Nirvana, and in it I play on the difference between east and west. I have finished it now and its ready. Im waiting to start rehearsals. Im a member of the Syndicate, though this is not important. I have been a member for a long time, since 1990. 4. How do you fund your work? I ask the ministry of culture or the municipality for funds. Some directors take money from the Cervantes Institute or the British Council, but I dont because I dont have the contacts. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, its very difficult to live from theatre work. Theatre is very new for this society. I dont want to introduce silly theatre, like bad comedy. I do plays I believe in. As a result, everyone who works in theatre has different jobs, like teaching, or acting in TV series. People here dont know the real theatre. In fact, there are no theatres, just the Royal Cultural Centre, and they only allow you one week for plays, and the audience is not very broad. People like silly plays, so some directors who want money only do those. People want to smile, not to think. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own group of actors and people who work with me all the time. There are changes, its not fixed, but they are always there. I have someone for the lights, the sets and the costumes. I change actors, but sometimes its hard to get actors: they can earn a lot of money on TV, so why they should waste three months working for a low salary? However, some love theatre and will do it. We rehearse in the RCC and the Ossama Machini Theatre in Weibdeh. Its free. You have to reserve the space, but if you put the ministry of culture on the play its easy to get it. They give you the space for free, but you have to put on 10 performances. After the 10 performances, I can perform it wherever I want.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Not all the theatres are good. The only good ones are the RCC and the Al-Hussein Centre, which are not bad. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts and ones from the Syndicate. But everyone works alone in his own way. I also have a lot of contacts in all the Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa. We need to go outside the Arab countries, but its not easy. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its a small audience made up of cultured people. They are people who have culture, who come from the universities, or who work in the theatre. Its not about money; its about culture. You can find many poor people who come to the theatre and many rich people who are not interested in art and culture at all. We dont advertise on TV because its too expensive. Some newspapers help us, but not enough. We should teach children at school what theatre is, and this will help to grow a future audience. We have started to hold festivals in Jordan, because its easier to target the audience and to make work for artists. But festivals are not enough: we dont want only festivals. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I work in Jordan and the Arab countries. There is a very big festival in Cairo, the Experimental Theatre Festival. You can make all the contacts you need there, including from China, India, Europe and the US. We have been to Bosnia and Italy. I wish we could travel more. There are big differences. In Lebanon, Egypt and other countries, there is a culture of theatre. They know what theatre is, and they want to see what we have in Jordan. Once, one of our actresses won a prize. However, the other countries sometimes have the wrong ideas about Jordan. Our condition is difficult: we have culture, but its young. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need support for the good talents we have. The students finish their studies in theatre, then they work for one or two years, and then they leave the theatre because there is no money in it. I need my own theatre that I can work in 24 hours a day. I dont want to work in other places. I want to work with my group and my actors in one theatre all the time. I also need experimental theatre. I dont want to think about money all the time. We need to go outside of the Arab countries. We shouldnt look at each other all the time. I dont want just to watch my friends plays. We need to travel, hold workshops and get new ideas. I know all the Arab directors. I see their plays, read their books, and then what? We need to see whats outside. Theatre is a worldwide language, and we need to travel. But we need support from the government to do that. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Teachers of theatre in Jordan dont have experience. They are not good actors, and they are not good directors. They have certificates, and then they started to teach. They never practice. I feel sad when I go to Yarmouk University or Jordan University. I was lucky, as I had foreign teachers. The students are very poor. They study theatre not because they love it, but because no other faculty accepted them. Some people even study theatre because its free or because their father is in the army. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be?

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I want to change everything! I want to have only 20 actors in the Syndicate. I want to reform the ministry of culture from the beginning. I want to change the curriculum of the universities. I want to found cultural centres in all the cities in Jordan and to establish theatres. 14. Additional comments?

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Dance
Date: 17/02/09 Name: MAXIME AYYAD Role/Function: Dance instructor and choreographer at Tempo School Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: BA in Language & Literature; BA in Show Business, Ukraine Age: 26 Contact Information: 0795305809; ayyad@bk.ru 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started when I was 10 years old with professional ballroom dance. I was in a summer camp, and we had a dance class. The supervisor encouraged me to continue. After the ballroom classes, I started to go more into hip-hop and RnB dance, which are also less expensive classes. I had a good level quickly, and at 17 I started to teach. I didnt think about making a career in dance; it just happened to me. I believe a dancer has to have a good level in all the different styles of dance and has to specialize and be professional in one style. I also studied show business, and I had classes in different things, like ballet, performing art, theatre, etc. Its a difficult business in Ukraine. I came to Jordan almost three years ago to look for my father. He is Jordanian, and I had never met him. I didnt find him, but I found a job! It was not a hard decision to make. But whereas in Ukraine a job is a job, here society is very divided. There are the wealthy young people who have an interest in hip-hop, and then there is the poorer conservative society that cant understand what I do. In general, its difficult for the people here to understand that dance is a job. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied literature and show business in Ukraine. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a dance teacher at Tempo, and Im working on a personal project to open a dance school in May. Im doing this project with a colleague who is also a ballet teacher. Shes Russian. We are very busy now with the construction and everything. Dance classes are very expensive here, so we want to set up a dance school that will be more accessible and more creative. I was a member of an international dancers group, but I stopped because it was not worth doing while I was in Jordan, and I was paying money for the membership fees. There is no real show business in Jordan. I have the impression that Lebanon provides the show business for the region. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from teaching. 5. Can you live from your art? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I can live from teaching, but not from performing. I think you can make a living from teaching but not as a dancer. The problem I find is that the students change styles all the time. They learn salsa because its fashionable, and then they want to learn hip-hop because its trendier. Its difficult to make people here dance as professionals. I think its also in the mentality, as there are no places to perform in public. Since students cant dance wherever they want, because its not accepted in the culture, its difficult to find students who want to learn professionally.

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6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the resources at Tempo every day. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes, they are fair enough. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I rely on personal contacts. In Jordan, we all know each other, but people always criticize each other. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Most of the time, the public is made up of the families of the students, which means rich people from West Amman. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I perform in Amman. We have Tempo nights and some festivals. We have performed at the Haya Cultural Centre and in schools. We have done events sponsored by Orangered or Zain. I have never performed outside Amman, and Im not sure I will. I know some dancers who have, and people threw stones at them. There is a big problem in Jordan, in that the society is too divided and the education is too divided as well. The difference in education between the poor and the rich is too great. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I lack follow-up to my work. There is a lack of people who will continue my work to put dance in Jordan on a professional level and make show business possible. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There is a lack of freedom of expression. Religion affects the art scene. Mentalities are blocked. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish Jordan could start show business. Then I would have more work, not only as a teacher, but also as a dancer and a choreographer. There are talented people in Jordan, but dance is not a career choice. I would like that to change. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 08/02/09 Name: RANIA KAMHAWI Role/Function: Deputy Director & Director of the Dance Department at PAC; choreographer and dance teacher Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: Royal Academy of Dance, UK; Fulbright scholar specializing in teaching children Age: 43 Contact Information: 0777535654; rania.kamhawi@pac.org.jo - ballet@pac.org.jo 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I became active when I came back from Portugal in the late 80s. I started to try to get dance to be taken more seriously. It was just an after-school activity. I established a dance school at the Zaha Cultural Centre. When I left, there was a real improvement in the number of students, and dance became more official and serious. I did a lot of choreography, opera, art workshops and exchanges in the field of dance. Our students here at PAC are classically trained, and we introduce them later to different kinds of dance and fusions of folk and classic dance. Everybody can come, and we select the best dancers to work more intensely with them. I fell in love with dance from watching TV. I started dance when I was 10 here in Jordan. I had a very good teacher from the UK. Everybody was against the idea of my learning dance. So I went to boarding school and to England to study dance for 10 years. It wasnt easy: everybody was against it except for my father and mother. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied dance in the UK. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work at the PAC as deputy director and director of the dance department. Im a teacher. Im not a member of any association. I dont think they have criteria for dance anyway. I think they are more for theatre people. I never felt the need to subscribe, actually. 4. How do you fund your work? It depends on the project. When we have exchanges with other countries, we share the costs. Otherwise, I use the facilities here. Sometimes we get commissions from the private sector. They commission us to do projects. The dance department is independent financially from the PAC as much as possible. Usually, my projects are here in the Centre because we have the best facilities. The performances themselves are in the National Theatre. We are also constructing our own theatre. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, definitely. I also have two teacher assistants. I think dance specifically is difficult to do in Jordan. It has only been in the country for 20 years. Its not an Arab art, and it takes time for dance to be appreciated. Progress is slow. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the PAC facilities every day. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts and the contacts we have at the PAC. We are also going to participate in an Arab International Contemporary Dance Festival and network with people in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The people that follow dance are very few, and they are very few children who continue to be interested in dance when they grow up. Our audience depends on the performance. When we are commissioned to do a project, its a private audience. When its a public event, its very crowded and diverse. They come from different social backgrounds. We promote that by having very low-cost tickets. One of our missions is to make art accessible to all. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? We perform the most at the Royal Cultural Centre and the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre. We had one major event at the Sport City for the opening of the Arab Childrens Congress. We have performed at Petra and the Dead Sea. We have been to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Syria, Italy, the US and France. We have relations with Asia, but there is an issue of cost. Its really about cost sharing. We wanted to go to Japan, but the cost sharing was very low so we couldnt. Europe is more supportive and more active. There are no differences between performing in Jordan and outside. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I wish there were more male dancers here. There is not enough support for dance. For years, I have been trying to establish a Jordanian troupe that would represent the country, but it hasnt happened yet. If you want to be a dancer, you have to teach or work outside. We wish we could give our dancers a salary, like in a real job, but its not possible. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Its a conservative society, and we have to respect our audience. So we perform dance in a way that respects the sensitivity of the public, especially regarding the body. The idea is to promote dance, not bodies. You can always find a way around taboos to put on a project. I think our society is one of the most conservative in the region. I have been kicked out of a few places, but thats fine! 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I now have 120 students. I would like to have about 1,000 so I could select from them. I wish there was more focus on dance as an artistic field, and I wish there was more support for dance. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 15/02/09 Name: HANEEN SULEIMAN Role/Function: Industrial engineer and coordinator for Operation Smile Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: BA in Engineering from Jordan Age: 23 Contact Information: 0795724610; haneen.suleiman@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was five years old. I dont really remember what started me out. I suppose I just liked it. Its really hard to make a career in dance in Jordan, so I had to choose something else besides dancing. As a result, I studied engineering at university. If I had opportunities to make a career in dancing here, I would. But at the moment its not possible. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I took classes, but not professionally. I thought about going to study dance abroad, but it was too expensive. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im part of the troupe at the PAC. I also used to teach. I love teaching, but I had to stop as I didnt have enough time. I run classes twice a week. When we have a performance coming up, we have more classes. 4. How do you fund your work? When I was a child, my parents used to pay for it. Now I pay myself. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I think its impossible to live just from dance; you have at least to be a dance teacher as well. This is possible now, as schools are starting to look for dance teachers. Before, it was not the case. Dance is not a profession in Jordan. There arent even any dance schools for professionals. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the PAC. We have performed at the RCC, the Al-Hussein Theatre and Sport City. We put on around three performances a year. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They are not available all the time, and sometimes the material is not professional. We have had lighting problems, and the venues are not always adequate for a stage show. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the PAC network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think its made up more or less of the people we know, except when its a big performance like at the Children Congress. Then, the public is more diverse.

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10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? We perform the most in Jordan in Amman, though we have also been to Petra and Jerash. We have performed outside Jordan in Paris, Italy, the UK, the Emirates and Syria. I would say that outside Jordan the audience is more objective and critical than in Jordan. Here, our audience is basically made up of the people we know. Both abroad and here people love folkloric dance. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Culturally, its unusual for someone to be a professional dancer. There are no professional schools. It is difficult to make a living as a dancer. I wish all this were possible in Jordan. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Sometimes I feel that people are getting more into art, and sometimes I feel the opposite. I dont know if there is a trend in Jordan. Maybe I feel people appreciate music more, and that there is a lack of exposure to other kinds of art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to dance more and to have more time just for dancing. I wish I could see people appreciate dance more and to give it more support. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 15/02/09 Name: RUBA ABU SABHA Role/Function: Ballet teacher and dancer Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: BA in Business Administration, Jordan Age: 24 Contact Information: 0796747254 abusabharuba@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 18 years, since I was six years old. My mother wanted us to take part in activities after school, and I fell in love with ballet. It was not an easy decision, especially when I decided to do only dance and dance classes and to abandon my business administration skills. People couldnt understand. I had some support from my parents, but I didnt choose as a function of my surroundings. This is what I wanted to do. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I took classes at PAC, and Im thinking of getting a professional degree from England through PAC. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a ballet teacher at PAC, and we do a lot of projects with our dance group. Im working to develop myself as a dancer. I have been a member of the troupe at PAC since it started. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my classes as a teacher. For the projects with PAC, we have to find funds, but these are very limited. In general, funding comes from private funds or schools. We can find funds more easily if the project is about a social or youth issue. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I can live from my teaching. But its hard. I work all the time from the morning to late at night. However, as a dancer alone, there is no way you can live from your art. Dance is not something recognized yet by society. Its even obvious that at PAC, the theatre department is always busy with projects, while things are more difficult for the dance department. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use PAC of course. For shows, we use the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre, the Citadel, the Roman theatre and the Royal Cultural Centre. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the PAC network. 9. What is your impression of your audience?

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The public is limited, though things are getting better and more schools come to see shows. However, I feel that young people and teenagers are still missing. Only a very limited number of young people come. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? We perform the most in Jordan. We have been to the Dead Sea and to Petra. We have also travelled quite a lot outside Jordan with projects dealing with youth and social issues, including to Manchester in the UK, Dubai, Syria and Abu Dhabi. The audience is limited in Jordan. Outside, the public is bigger and more diverse. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There is a lack of professional schools for dancers. Proper funding for dance doesnt exist. However, as I told you things are getting better. The difference between what I used to see and what I see now is that more people from different backgrounds are starting to be interested and supportive. This is encouraging. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Its a conservative society, so dance is not accepted everywhere. However, I feel an improvement, as I said. Its a very slow process. Before, no schools were interested to have dance classes. Now Im teaching in several schools. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could spend all my time developing myself as a dancer and could have a full-time dancing career. I wish I could dance as a full-time job. If I were able to do something for dance in Jordan, I would make everybody love dance. I wish we could have a professional level of dance in Jordan and that people would feel free to dance everywhere. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 15/02/09 Name: LANA ABU KHADER Role/Function: Student of pharmacy Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: Pharmacy studies, Jordan Age: 21 Contact Information: 0796983800; lannoush_1990@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision? I have been dancing since I was four years old. I want to be a professional dancer. I just love it. My parents are supporting me. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? Im taking classes at PAC. I wanted to study dance, but its not possible in Jordan. I tried to go to study abroad, but it was too expensive. If it were possible in Jordan, for sure I would study dance. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a member of the Misk Dance Group at PAC. It started in 2005. Being in such programme at a very young age, you have to arrange your time. Its difficult. 4. How do you fund your work? My parents are supporting me. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I dont think its very difficult to live from dance in Jordan, if you teach. There are very few dancers here, so its easy to find a job. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use PAC twice a week. If there is an event, I come every day. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes, they are good. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the PAC network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think its a very diverse public from different backgrounds. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I perform in Jordan, but we have also been to Italy, France, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The next event is in San Diego. They are different audiences of course, but I dont really see a difference. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist?

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A professional school! And more understanding from others: not a lot of people understand that dance can be career. We need more instructors. There are very few dancers, so there are also very few teachers. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The favourite type of dance is folkloric in Jordan. People enjoy that more than ballet or other types of dance. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like more time to devote to dance. I need more. If I could change dance in Jordan, I would give it more support, not only in financial terms, but every kind of support. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 25/03/09 Name: DINA ABU HAMDAN Role/Function: Freelance choreographer & dancer Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: BA in Drama, Lebanon Age: 36 Contact Information: 0777208033; hccdinamo@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started professionally in 1994. Before that, I was an amateur, but in 1994 I joined the Kalla Kalla Dance Company in Lebanon, which is one of the most professional dance companies in the Arab world. Then I started my carrier in professional dance, and later on I moved to choreography. I was studying drama at university when I joined the company, so I did a couple of productions as a director because of my studies. However, I continued dancing at the same time. Ever since I was a child, I have studied ballet, rehearsing three times a week every week. Then I joined a folkloric group that was very famous here in Jordan at the Haya Cultural Centre. Afterwards, I went to Lebanon and joined the folklore group at the university there. Then, I heard of an audition for this famous company. It was in 1994 after the war, and there were thousands of people applying. When I went on stage, I thought to myself that no way would I have the chance to dance on stage. But then after a long process of auditions they chose four girls and four boys. I was lucky because they did a big audition in the north and the middle of Beirut, and then they went to the south, so it was quite interesting. I have loved theatre since my childhood as well. Actually, it was by going to the Haya Cultural Centre, which was the first centre to work with children in Jordan, that I formed the intention to study art. For me, it was a decision I made at birth to study art, and my family was very supportive. They didnt mind at all. But where to study was the issue, because at that time in Jordan there was only Yarmouk University in Irbid, which was only just starting. I didnt really want to go there, so I had options to go Lebanon or to Iraq because theatre in Iraq was really good at that time. Lebanon was not an easy choice for my parents because it was just coming out of the war. So I had to push for it. I had to push just to be able to go there. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Lebanon. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Basically, I work with different people, and I also work for myself. Now I am working for the National Company of the ministry of culture. I am a choreographer of folkloric dance. I also do choreography for plays, like the one with Majd al-Qassas. I also previously worked for TV and for clips, and now I am also directing and choreographing my own production. Its called Animal Farm or The Conference of the Animals; the script is by Erich Kastner. Its a huge production with 120 children. Its my first official production in Jordan, but I have also worked before here and there with different artists. I am also continuously working in my other jobs. I am not a member of any association. We dont have a dance association in Jordan. I will get involved in the association just for the sake of getting insurance as this is very important. When I left my job as an administrator and director at the Haya Centre and became a freelancer, I needed to have some stability and the only way

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is to join the association. Although I dont feel that it is very active as an association, its good when you are a freelancer. 4. How do you fund your work? I think this is almost the same for everyone. Finding funding for dance projects is one of the most difficult things here. As a dancer and choreographer, I directed the first dance festival in Jordan, which started in 2007. We did two festivals, in 2007 and 2008, and 2009 will be my third dance festival in Jordan. From the perspective of putting on a production or choreographing for myself or others or even for the festival, we always approach the ministry of culture, the municipality and also foreign countries and foreign funds. For instance, the cultural attachs at the embassies and cultural centres here give support. However, funding is always a big challenge. For the dance festival, the foreign cultural centres, like the Goethe Institute, are very open and love the idea, and they always support us in getting companies to participate because they have many organizations and would like to sell their artists to the world. They get us the funds we need, but we need to give them accommodation, transportation, technical things and media coverage, so I have to cover these. I go to the ministry of culture and the municipality, and I have many difficulties convincing them to join in because it is dance. Its still considered somehow shameful. They want it, but they are afraid of it. After the first dance festival, we had 6,000 people coming every year. But at the end, some of the extremist Islamist groups wrote something in the newspapers, so in the second year it was very difficult to get funds. The municipality refused to give us funds. I had to change the name of the festival. Instead of saying dance festival, I said performances in the art of movement from around the world. It is quite shocking for us as artists who have been dancing for 12 years with the most prestigious companies in the Arab world and doing workshops all over the world that we should have this problem at the festival. At the same time, I didnt want to stop and didnt mind changing the name and going on. However, it is always a challenge because what I do is to try to introduce our audience to contemporary dance in different styles and to attract hip-hop and step dance. I dont ask for folklore groups, though these are always available. I want to introduce a new language. I havent targeted the private sector a lot, because the private sector in Jordan likes to invest in projects that are either part of the Queens initiatives or the royal familys initiatives, or it wants to target the poor and support social projects. I dont think dance is not social, but the private sector wants to give money for hunger or disasters. This year I am targeting the private sector, like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, however. I would have preferred that only cultural organizations support us, but its not really possible to raise a lot of money that way. At the same time, I dont know whether I will be able to get any funds yet. I might get some here and there. For our private work and my productions, it is also a big challenge. Im an individual, and I dont have an association. If I want to get funding now it is more difficult, as the ministry of culture has changed its regulations, and it doesnt support creating performances. They only buy ready-made performances from you. If you want to perform, they will buy three, four or five performances from you. So we dont have funds for production purposes. The other thing is that they have a fund called the Creative Fund, though this is only for people 40 years and above. I wanted to register an association, but now that the regulations have changed it has become so complicated and bureaucratic we are lost. If I am luckier than others, it is only because of my name and because I have experience and people know my work. Look at my present production, for example: I applied to many people, but they never returned my request. They have a problem in the ministry when dealing with arts and culture. They dont have a system. The way you apply is not institutionalized, and they dont have dates for applications. There is no structure. I start panicking, and I cant focus on creativity at all only on funds and sponsors, phone calls and contracts. Its very tiring. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan?

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No, I think its impossible to live from dance in Jordan. There arent enough classes or professional schools to teach in. They all pretend there are professional dance schools in Jordan, but believe me no one is professional here. I know what Im talking about. I try to push dancers to go abroad, to get scholarships and to go to study abroad. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We approach the RCC: its the most practical place to approach, but its always full. We used to approach the Haya Cultural Centre, which is very accessible but there arent enough places. Im thinking of investing in a place for artists, but its difficult as an individual. I use these resources almost every day because Im always choreographing for others. However, when I want to work for myself, its more difficult. My house becomes like an open space for artists to come and work in. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? There are not enough resources, and they are not always available and accessible. I teach at the university, and even there we dont have a space. Its not free. In general its not very accessible: 50 to 70 JDs for two hours. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Actually, I was one of the creators of a regional network for dance called Masahat. Im not a member of this network anymore, however. My dance festival was held at the Haya Cultural Centre the first year, but when it wasnt the second year the Masahat people said they didnt want to work with me anymore because I was an independent. They decided not to keep me in the network that I had created! Its so funny! I have a network in Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia, but its not really a network, more contacts. I also have a network in Europe. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Basically, the audience is made of young people and adults. Its a mixture of people. During the dance festival, in particular, children come from Jabal al-Nadif, a poor area next to downtown. They come to watch. Whole classes come. However, at other events it is mostly people working in the field of performing art who come. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? We perform in Amman a lot. When I was working as the director of the Haya Cultural Centre, we had outreach programmes to perform theatre outside Amman in the villages. For dance, I think its too early to go out of Amman. We have to build a solid base here first. Im helping to promote youth street dance, done by young people who do hip-hop in Amman and outside. We have lot of people coming from Zarqa and other places. Im very happy. I have performed outside Jordan with the ministry of culture on an official basis we went to the US and Europe with the Kara Kalla Dance Company. For myself as an individual, I never tour, but I think I have a lot of possibilities. We have a problem of government policy: the government doesnt push artists to go abroad to promote Jordanian art. As a performer, I have performed 99% of my work outside Jordan. The number one difference is the audience. Here, you have to work a lot to get an audience. The second difference is that the facilities are better outside. There are also difference in media coverage and programming. The latter are more rich and various outside. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need artists! Im a choreographer, but who can I choreograph? I can count the people I can count on the fingers of one hand. We need artists. We need support and a clear strategy. We need a system. We are just a few professional artists working as independents; we are all attached to the ministry of

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culture, and we do the job that the ministry is supposed to do. I have to pay attention to the audience, festivals, and to developing the mentality of the society. And we have to beg the ministry to help us. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I believe that a good product can defend itself. I think the instability of the region affects us. We are not stable. When the war in Gaza started, everything was paralyzed. Everything. Of course, the themes we pick are affected by the decisions taken by our managers. They are good themes youth, poverty, etc. but I dont want to work only in these fields. They always want us to work on Jordanian identity as well. This is the biggest trend here: you have to produce Jordanian identity, to perform Jordanian identity and so on, but what is Jordanian identity? Are we aliens? Anything you want to do, they will ask if its Jordanian. Its ridiculous! They dont understand that what we think and produce is already Jordanian. They completely misunderstand the concept. For them, its built on nationalism, on something fake! They build national identity on Petra, which is Nabatean. Its fake. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would practice more, have a studio, dance and work. I would make the art scene healthier and more professional. There are problems between the younger generation and the older generation. They compete in a negative way. The younger generation is going fast, and it is opposed by the unhealthy competition and environment. I just want to make it healthy and to create positive competition. Otherwise, it is destroying our art scene. However, I think things are changing: the younger generation is asking for more collaboration and to work together. We have universal problems getting funds, but here in Jordan our big problem is negative energy and bureaucracy. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 02/03/09 Name: MOHAMMAD AWWAD MUSA Role/Function: Actor and dancer, teacher of theatre and dance at the Haya Cultural Centre Discipline or Activity: Dance & theatre Background: Theatre and drama in Jordan Age: 28 Contact Information: 0795873142; kimo_wassal@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 15 years since 1995. I have always loved theatre: there is freedom in theatre, and I love freedom. Nothing was easy at the beginning. I had no problem with my family, however on the contrary. But I had problems with life: I didnt want to do anything else aside from theatre and dance. Finally, I can say Im doing what I always wanted to do today. I do both theatre and dance, but dance is my favourite. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at the Mahad al-Funun al-Jamila. It was the easiest place to study. Yarmouk is far away, and it is hard to reach. I studied dance at festivals and workshops as well, both in Jordan and outside. I attended two workshops, one in Jordan and one in Tunis, both with famous teachers. However, these things were not enough to learn dance. I learned a lot myself by reading books and getting information. I worked with Dina Abu Hamdan a lot on my performance. I also work in physical theatre, which is great. Im always working. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I performed at the RCC in the play With no Title. I also have personal projects, but I am not sure whether these will work. Im going to perform in Cairo and Tunis, and Im going to get married soon. Im not member of the Syndicate. I think I need more time before applying, but I hope to be a member in the future. Its important: it helps you to organize your career and you get health insurance. Im a member of the theatre group of Majd al-Qassas called Hadith, which started four or five years ago. We are a big group, of 30 to 40 people. Al-Qassas does Performing Theatre, which includes a lot of use of the body, as well as movement and dance. 4. How do you fund your work? If I have a project, I ask the ministry of culture and the municipality for funding, as well as some private companies. But its difficult. I have to pay from my pocket a lot as well of course. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes. Its difficult, but for myself I dont think anything is too difficult. I want to look for solutions to find my path. Its very difficult to enter the art scene here as there are no funds. The art scene is still very young and very small, and the people interested in art are very few. This makes the situation very difficult. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them?

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I rehearse in the Haya Centre and sometimes also at the RCC or the Ossama Machini Theatre. I use it when its free, as you need to book it in advance. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They are not really available. The Ossama Machini Theatre is free, but the other places I have to pay for. In themselves, the places are adequate. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of people and students involved in theatre, as well as directors, artists and cultured people. But we want others as well. We want a public that is not involved in art or theatre, but just come because is likes it. The public strengthens the theatre. We also need critics. The people in East Amman are not less cultured then the others. The problem lies in the way the city is divided. All the centres are in West Amman. With the Haya Centre, we try to go to poor places and do art and theatre there. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have performed in Amman the most, as well as in festivals. I have also performed outside Amman, in Jerash, Aqaba and Karak. I have attended festivals in Italy, Tunis, Egypt and Syria. Theatre is different in every country. Jordanian theatre is still young. I can see a difference in the public: here, it is small, whereas abroad people know theatre better. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need a professional school of dance. All the things we have here are simple. We dont have professional schools. As a result, people go to Europe or elsewhere. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Everything affects the art scene: art and culture, thinking, the ideas of the people. But people who are affected by art are very few. I dont think religion affects art. I think the opposite: religion and art go together sometimes, and its beautiful. Art in Jordan is not young, but its still developing. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I dont want to be a superstar or famous. I want to teach children the things I have learned in my life. I wish we had some important facilities for art in Jordan, like professional dance schools, or professional theatre and opera. I would like to see the arts of Jordan put on the same level as in other countries like Tunisia or Egypt. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 02/03/09 Name: MUSA AL-SATARI Role/Function: Part-time teacher of theatre and dabke and actor-dancer Discipline or Activity: Theatre and dance Background: Acting and theatre directing, Jordan Age: 34 Contact Information: 0777460488; mousa_alsatari@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1994. I have always liked acting since school, and I love film and cinema. It was difficult at first: its difficult for society to understand theatre, and my family was also not very ok with my choice. Im a dancer, but I started in cinema. Now, I do both. I learned dance at workshops and festivals, since there are no schools in Jordan for professional dance. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at the Fine Arts Centre, part of the ministry of culture, in Amman. I also travelled abroad for festivals, and I participated in dance workshops in Italy, Greece and Jordan. I worked a lot to develop myself, and I learned from the Internet and books. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I am rehearsing a project at the municipality called Amman: Friend of Children. I also performed at the RCC in a play called With no Name. I work in schools on a part-time basis. I have been a member of the Syndicate for one week. 4. How do you fund your work? When I have a project, I ask the municipality for funds. I also use funds from my work from teaching, projects, different jobs. Dance is the most difficult thing to do here, as it is not in the culture at all. There is the PAC, but professional dance doesnt really exist here. 5. Can you live from your art? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, in a way. Sometimes its fine, and sometimes its difficult. I think its difficult everywhere, but more so in Jordan. Here, there is no interest from people, and there are no funds, or good teaching, etc. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the RCC and the Ossama Machini Theatre. Most of the time, its free. I use it perhaps three times a month. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? You have to book. Its not a very good quality place, and it is cold in winter. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I rely most on personal contacts. We have a theatre group, and I am trying to form a group to work together.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of people interested in theatre and cultivated people. They come from different places in Amman, and they are quite diverse. However, the audience is not large. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? It depends on the work. I perform at the RCC and in Weibdeh. Most of the time, I work in Amman. Sometimes, I work outside Amman in Aqaba, Zarqa, Karak and Irbid, but not often. I have also worked abroad in Egypt, Tunisia, Japan, Turkey, Italy, France, Greece, Dubai and China. The interest of the people is different, but there is more interest outside Jordan. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? First, I have many projects for theatre, but I need funds. Its difficult to find venues as well. If I want to do a project as an individual, its impossible. You need a group. There are few choices of funds, and the funds there are are quite limited. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? People do not react to theatre. There is a lack of support from the media. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would leave the country and go somewhere where there was an interest in art. I would try to make people interested in art. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 16/03/09 Name: BISAN KHALIFEH Role/Function: Student Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: Spanish and English, Jordan Age: 20 Contact Information: roses_eyes@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 2002. I have danced since I was six years old, but not as a professional. I started with classic dance, and then I went on to modern dance. I also teach belly dancing at the Amman Club. I want to make a career in dancing; at the moment it is a hobby I take seriously. I wanted to study abroad, but I cant afford it and I couldnt get scholarship. My family wants me to study something at university, get good marks, and then they will let me do what I want. But some members of my family cant accept the fact that I want to be a dancer at all. Its hard for them to understand that its a job. Even dancing as a hobby is not acceptable for some people. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I didnt study formally, but I have been to many training sessions and workshops. There are no professional dance schools here, so this is how to learn. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I teach belly dancing, and Im a member of the Jordanian national troupe. I have my own projects and shows with my friends. Im part of the dance group at university. 4. How do you fund your work? Its a problem because no one supports us. We have to pay from our own pockets. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, and Im sad about that. I want dance to be career, but I need money. We have a lot of ideas, but no one supports us. Even sponsors are hard to get. I guess its the same everywhere, but here in Jordan not a lot of people accept the idea of dancing. People dont see dance as a career, and its also not very acceptable in the culture. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We dont have many spaces in which to exercise, and they are not free and not everyone can use them. They are always busy and are rented by people who can pay. I sometimes use the Al-Balad Theatre, which helps us a lot. The bureaucracy you have to go through is a nightmare, however. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? The people at Al-Balad understand that we are dancers and artists, and they help us to use the Theatre when its free. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I have personal contacts, and I use Websites to look for scholarships to study abroad. When we travel for our shows outside Jordan, we always make contacts with other dancers. I think our problems are the same as those in the other Arab countries, but I think in Syria and Lebanon its much easier. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of families and friends. The audience is small. People are not interested in dance or theatre, but if I tell them there is a Lebanese troupe they come. They dont believe in Jordanian art and artists. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have performed both in Jordan and abroad. We have been to Europe and to the Arab countries, as well as Japan, Spain, Germany, Poland, China and Hong Kong many places. I have also performed outside Amman in almost all the cities. The difference is that outside you can feel the interest and taste for art. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need support and sponsors. We need money to rehearse, since if you work for money as well you lose your professional skills, especially in dancing, which is daily work. We need others to accept and to be proud of us as Jordanian artists. We need academies of dance and good teachers. We need to make dance a subject in schools. It should be on the curriculum. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? People dont like dance, and they cant accept it. They all wait to watch So you think you can Dance? on TV, but they cant accept Jordanian dancers. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want to open the peoples minds and shout. I want society to accept dance and dancers. I want to tell the people in charge, the people who can change the art scene, to support dance and theatre. I dream of a successful career as a dancer. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 27/02/09 Name: SAMIR SOUBAR Role/Function: Printing house employee and dance teacher at the Ahli Club Discipline or Activity: Dance Background: Marketing in Jordan Age: 25 Contact Information: 0799650006; sameer_soubar@yahoo.com

1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 15 years. I started at the Ahli Club. I am not a professional, as this is too difficult in Jordan. For me, its more like a cause we have to keep: the culture of the Circassians. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work in a printing house, and I give classes in Circassian Dance twice a week at the Ahli Club, sometimes more when we have an event coming. I would not be as successful if I were professional. Its better as an amateur. 4. How do you fund your work? I dance at the Ahli Club. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, its impossible to live as a professional dancer here. There is no dance industry. But as I told you, we dont treat it as a profession: its a hobby and a mission for our culture. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the Ahli Club twice a week. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? You can find better, but its the only option we have. Its too small. We have a live music band that plays during rehearsals and uses traditional instruments. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts with others trainers and schools like the Hamzeh School. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Only Circassians come to our performances. Our goal is to target a wider audience and Arabs. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan?

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I have been to Ramallah, Paris, the US and Bahrain. When I dance in a foreign country, it makes me happy because people have never seen Circassian Dance. Its like a mission to spread our culture. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We lack transportation, good places to rehearse, places to change and time. We have work and study as well. There is little time over in which to dance. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Groups of Circassian dancers are forming every year. This creates a good competition among us. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could find a better place to practice. I wish I could go to every country to perform. I wish Circassians were not the only people who came to watch our performances. I would like to see Arabs and foreigners as well. 14. Additional comments?

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Cinema & Cartooning / Animation


Date: 04/02/09 Name: DALIA KHOURY Role/Function: Full-time librarian and documentary filmmaker Discipline or Activity: Film Background: BA in Communication and International Development, Canada; MA in Documentary Filmmaking, London Age: 28 Contact Information: 0795769501; daliasworld@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I would say its my fifth year now. At first, I did not pursue it seriously, but during my International Development studies I discovered the power of documentaries as tools for change that could move audiences more than books. As a result, when I came back to Amman I met Hazim Bitar from the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative. I bought a camera and started to make short movies. They were successful and went directly to festivals. Then I did a first documentary of 35 minutes that was funded by the Dutch embassy, and it was sold to the biggest TV network Al-Arabia. I realized that I could earn money this way and decided to focus on documentaries. I got further funding from AlArabia for a second documentary, and this was screened a lot. After these two documentaries I was really in the field and had started a real career. It was a very easy decision to take. It was so natural it was not even a decision. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? My Masters in Documentary Film was in London because here its impossible to study in this field. I got a full scholarship from the British Council. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on two films. My latest film won a prestigious award at the Carthage Film Festival, and it really gave me confidence. Im working on a film for Al-Jazeera at the moment, a half-hour documentary about East and West Amman. I have another project in cooperation with the municipality and the RCC about traditional stories in Jordan. Its going to be a collection of traditional stories told by storytellers. Im not part of an association. I dont want to be part of an association. I prefer to work as an independent. Im not that good at cooperating with others. 4. How do you fund your work? Al-Arabia funded my last three projects. The others I fund myself. Last year, I did a documentary in Tunisia, and I got funding from Safar for travel. Never have I allowed a lack of funding to stop my work. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Completely. Im able to travel all over the world if I want to. But I think its difficult in Jordan alone. I have funding from the Gulf. I have never received Jordanian funding.

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6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the RFC facilities monthly. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes, they are lovely. But the best support they can give me is to screen my work. They always invite me. Im always at the top of the list. And support is about more than money. 8. What networks do you participate in or rely on to share information or resources? I use Facebook. It has dramatically changed things and brought about a revolution for artists. There is now more debate, exchange of movies, links, groups, etc. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I always have a full house when I screen my movies, and my audience is increasing every year. Because my work is screened on Al-Arabia a lot, people know my work, even taxi drivers and friends of my mother. When I screen it at the RFC, its different of course. There the audience is mostly made up of people from West Amman. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? The three places I use are Makan, the RFC and the Al-Balad Theatre. My films have been screened everywhere, except Japan maybe. I always think my films travel well. Thanks to festivals, they go everywhere. The difference with Jordan is in the quality of the screening. Here, its always from DVD, and the screens are not perfect. At festivals the quality is perfect. But my main audience is Arab. This is where my feelings lie. It touches me more if 100 Jordanians laugh at the humour in my movies then if 1,000 foreigners like my films. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Producers and distributors. We need people specializing in these fields. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? We need higher quality. I think we are in a phase in which we have to encourage young talent. But it annoys me personally when I go all the way to the Al-Balad Theatre to see amateur movies. I think filmmaking has become a trend or a fashion. Every other person is a filmmaker. We should be pickier. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to have more time: time to think about my work and my ideas and not being always in a rush. Maybe I would like a bit more money and good producers as well. But I feel Im living a dream situation. Im very satisfied. So yes, I want more time for myself and my work. I think the film scene in Jordan is too small, too West Amman in emphasis. Its a problem because the ideas are all a bit the same. We have the same influences, so we are never surprised or shocked by new ideas. We should have more experience abroad, be in touch with other influences and see other techniques and ideas in order to have a more diverse film scene. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 10/02/09 Name: MOHAMMAD HUSHKI Role/Function: Cinema producer at Greyscale Discipline or Activity: Film Background: Computer Engineering at Philadelphia University Age: 28 Contact Information: 0777619703; Mhushki@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? Four to five years, I think. I was a volunteer at the Princess Basma Centre, when we were introduced to a filmmaker from the States and he helped us to create our own movies. After he left, we decided to create a media unit there. This is how I started. I progressed in my film work at the Centre. It took me a bit of time before I realized that this is what I wanted to do. However, I kept on working on a movie. The RFC came to the Centre and saw it and one year later the RFC asked me to go to the Sundance Festival with the movie. When I came back, the RFC offered me a job to create the cinema film club there. So I didnt really decide to work in film; it just happened. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working for Greyscale on Jordanian Web TV that focuses on culture. Im also trying to get my feature-film script made. I have three scripts that I have written. There is no Syndicate as yet for filmmakers in Jordan, but I think at some point one is going to be needed. Film here at the moment is like a flea market: there are no standards. This is one of the reasons why a union should be formed. 4. How do you fund your work? There is no funding. In Jordan, you get funds from the workshops you attend, or you work with friends and make a small-budget film. The government should help filmmakers more. I think its going to be a big problem soon. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, but I think its hard everywhere. Most artists that follow their art, stick to it and are able to live from it. They are not rich, but they are ok. People can live from their work. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? The only body that supports filmmakers in Jordan consistently is the RFC. You can borrow very good equipment for free. In that sense, they are funding you as the equipment is the most expensive part of being a filmmaker. I have used them twice now. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They have been adequate up to now, yes. But I think with time the RFC will have to focus more on quality. If there are too many demands for equipment, it will need to check the scripts and choose the best ones. Now you just need a script, whether good or bad.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Right now, there arent any real networks. We use Facebook. The film community here is very small, so we all know each other. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up mostly of West Amman people interested in film. People from East Amman do not have the luxury to come. It is a luxury in the minds of some people to spend an evening watching movies, even if it is free. This is a problem. If you want to reach people from East Amman, you have to go there and deal with everything that this entails, including cutting out bad language and so on. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? Some of the movies we make talk about social issues and taboos because they are not commercial films. As a result, it can be difficult to find a place to screen them because the government institutions will not accept them. So we have to go to less professional places like Mohtaraf Remal or the AlBalad Theatre, which means you have to do everything yourself, including putting out speakers and installing a screen. Also, you are not paid for screening the movie. The only people that screen movies outside of Amman are the RFC. Its difficult to screen outside of West Amman because our movies are about sensitive subjects. People outside West Amman are more conservative, and they are not ready to watch this kind of film. You have to cut bad language and sensitive scenes. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need more Jordanian funds. Its difficult to find funds from abroad. People are not interested in producing movies from Jordan. They are interested in movies from more problematic countries, such as Lebanon and Palestine. Its becoming a big problem. The new students who have committed four years of study to filmmaking will want to be able to work in filmmaking and make money from it. The students from the new filmmaking schools like the RSICA will want to be able to have a job at the end. So if there are no funds, its going to be a big problem. They will be defeated and stop working on films, or they will leave the country. The new generation will look at them and think, why should I spend four or five years studying something that leads nowhere? All the efforts that we are making today will collapse as a result. Either that or we need to create stars, as seeing movie stars makes people want to become involved in film. Its all a question of system: if we create schools for filmmaking, we also need funds to create cinemas and places to screen these movies and to create a film industry in Jordan. Its all part of a cycle. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There is a trend towards filmmaking. The industry has improved, and filmmaking has a better image. But Im afraid we are trying too hard without looking ahead. For example, I dont want to screen at the Al-Balad Theatre for 700 people anymore. I know the effort and the work it takes. I want a real public. I dont want to make short movies anymore. I want to make a feature film. As a result, the situation here isnt working for me anymore. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Funding is very important now. I want to earn money from my work as a filmmaker. Regarding cinema in Jordan, all my answers come down to funding. We are at a point where funds are really needed. We have started the cycle, putted a lot of effort into starting filmmaking in Jordan. But if we dont have the funds to finish the system, everything will crash. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 24/01/09 Name: MAIS DARWAZEH Role/Function: Independent filmmaker and part-time graphic designer Discipline or Activity: Film director and producer Background: BA in Interior Design and MA in Documentary Directing from the UK Age: 33 Contact Information: 0796864864; maisd66@yahoo.co.uk 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active in filmmaking since 2003, or rather earlier as I worked for a production company in Jordan in 2002. I did my Masters in 2007. My first workshop in filmmaking was in Beirut in 2003 organized by the Arab Image Foundation. At that time, there was nothing in Jordan for filmmaking. They came to Jordan to find participants that had creativity or conceptual skills. I didnt know anything about filmmaking, but when I touched the camera I became obsessed with filmmaking. However, I still did not really intend to become a filmmaker. There was nothing in Jordan for study in this field and to travel in the region for study was complicated or was not accessible for me financially. After that workshop, I knew I liked film and I started to get to know a lot of filmmakers in the region and kept myself informed about movies coming out in the region. I needed to capture my surroundings, so I took a camera and did another ten-minute film. I started to participate in other workshops, and I started writing. But I still didnt have the tools to make movies. So I decided to apply for a scholarship for a Masters in the UK. After two years I was able to go to study there and I got the scholarship. I could see the differences between the UK and here. There, its really difficult to have a position in filmmaking as there is so much competition. Here you have possibilities and options. Because the field is still growing, you have a lot of opportunities. This is why I decided to come back and stay here. It was a very difficult decision to make. I had a good job and a good reputation in graphic design. I could have continued, made a great career and earned a lot of money. I didnt leave the choice to my parents. Instead, I got a scholarship and made up my mind to be a filmmaker. For parents and society its difficult to understand such a choice: a career is judged to be successful or unsuccessful according to how much money you make as a result of the socio-economic situation of the country. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied for a Masters in documentary film in the UK. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? As a filmmaker, Im involved on a certain level. I try to use my surroundings in filmmaking to find a way in the field. Some people have a lot of potential and creativity but are lost nonetheless as they dont have a system to back them up. Maybe I was lucky because of my background. There is a huge lack of support. Those involved in filmmaking, like the RFC, should go to help people, but they dont. They know them, but they dont follow them up and dont support them. Such people could put Jordan on the map, because the important thing is not the quality of the movie you can learn the techniques but the concepts and ideas, and not a lot of people have talent in that direction. I think there are three ways to find your path in filmmaking. The first is to work on big productions, like Transformers. You make a lot of money, but at the end of the day you havent done anything. The second is to work with companies, like TV companies, and make documentaries and so on. The

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third, which is mine, is to work as an independent on your own movies and to enter festivals to build a name. This is how I work. I am going to the Berlin Festival next month. I try to participate in as many events, festivals and workshops as I can. Im not a member of any association, but maybe I should be. It could help me sometimes. For example, my movie is about Palestine. I have to go there and I need an Israeli visa. Maybe they could help me with that. But I want to be able to say and do what I want. I dont want anybody to tell me what I should do or should not do. It is for this reason that I am not a member of any association. I dont want to risk censorship. 4. How do you fund your work? I funded my first movie myself. Sometimes, you can find organizations that want to put their names on your work. I have also asked for help from the RFC. I also exchange skills. I help a musician friend with graphic design for free, and later he will do the music for my film for free. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I think its the same thing in the region as a whole. You cant just think about Jordan. Its not easy, but you can manage. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? 7. Are the resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? I ask the RFC for help, particularly with equipment. I ask them for support as well when I think I have the right to do so. I ask them whenever I need them, whenever I feel I have a possibility to put Jordan on the map of filmmaking. The equipment at the RFC is really good. It has good resources, and its almost free. You have to ask in advance, but when you are making a movie this entails a long period of organization. You prepare things a long time in advance. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts. I know people at Makan and the RFC, so I use these contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its very diverse. The problem in Amman is the division between East and West. Generally, its always the same people you see at every cultural event. There is also a problem relating to the media and advertising. Once I went to the newspapers to advertise my movie. I went to newspapers that people actually reads, and some people came as a result, people whom I had never seen before at a cultural event. Maybe there were only three of them, but it still meant that it had worked in a way. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I work in Amman. I never feature my movies outside Amman in Jordan. I wish I could. I have participated in festivals outside Jordan in Montreal, Palestine, France, Egypt and Lebanon. In these countries the audiences are larger. Screenings are not only in official venues, but they also take place in schools. This was the case in Gaza in Palestine. In Jordan, screenings are always in the same places at official venues. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Funding. I work a lot, and I dont know how long I can go on like this. However, its better than in Egypt or Syria where you work like I do but just to pay your daily expenses. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan?

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There is lack of exposure about movies from abroad and about other movies besides the American ones you can see in cinemas here. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Again, funding. Regarding the situation in Jordan, I think we need a filmmaking community in a real sense. I know a lot of creative filmmakers who feel they dont belong to the RFC. The RFC is a governmental body, and it doesnt represent them. Its natural that artistic people dont want to belong to a governmental organization. Also, if you want to be successful you have to be aggressive, like me. If you dont have the same sort of character and are not prepare to go shout at them, saying Im here and I will keep going in filmmaking, its very difficult. We need support in every sense, not only financial, and we need contacts. Right now I need a visa. We need a real support system. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 29/01/09 Name: RIFQI ASSAF Role/Function: Filmmaker and editor Discipline or Activity: Film Background: BA in English Translation, Jordan University Age: 31 Contact Information: 0799486607 rifqiassaf@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 2005. I started when I was 14. At that time, a new way of filming was being used in series on TV. For me it was magical, and I started to read about it. I decided at that time that this was what I wanted to do with my life to create a magical world. It was not easy, and that was why I started much later. Here we say in the family that art doesnt give you bread. But my parents and especially my father helped me in this direction. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied literature. I have been writing for a long time and publishing on the Internet. I write poetry. I didnt study cinema because there was no school here, and when my father died I couldnt leave my family to study abroad. So I decided to stay and to put my dreams aside, studying literature instead. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im writing my first feature film. We got a prize with my last short movie, so we can fund part of this project. Im still writing poetry. I say we because Im a member of the Amman Filmmakers Cooperative, along with Hazim Bitar. We cooperate together. I started filmmaking with the Cooperative and participated in a workshop. I made four short movies, and now its a new stage with the feature-film project. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it from my own pocket. But the Cooperative is helping with the equipment. All the movies are very low budget. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Up until now I havent earned a penny from my films, except from the awards we won with the Cooperative for my short movies. My last short movie, The View, won several awards. I think its very difficult to live from your work. A lot of artists and many of my friends have started to think its impossible, and they want to leave Jordan and go to Dubai. I worked in Egypt once, but I cant leave Amman. I am like a fish in water. Im family guy, and I cant leave my family. However, there is a lack of artistic culture in Amman. People underestimate art and think its not a way to make a living. If you want to do real art, you cant live from your art. As a result, a lot of people do commercial art. But Im positive. Maybe things will change. If we can produce feature films, I think we can make money. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the resources of the Cooperative. Until now I have used my own equipment or the equipment from the Cooperative. Every time I have a film project I use it.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes. The quality is not bad and its good enough for short films. If the Cooperative was not there and I wanted to make films on my own, it would cost me a lot and be almost impossible. Since I now have a good relationship with the Cooperative I think that if I wanted to make films on my own they would let me use their equipment. However, I think the equipment may not be good enough for feature films. I will know when I start! 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the network of the Cooperative. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience for art films in Jordan is very small, but I feel its getting bigger with time. It is made up of people from different ages, like when you see the audience at the Shoman Foundation screenings. Its a mix of younger and older people. I think the audience is mostly middle, upper-middle and upper-class people. Its not very mixed when it comes to class and background. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? We have screened my movies at several festivals in the US, as there are Arab festivals there. We havent screened the films in Europe. I think the subject (Palestine most of the time) of the movies is not politically correct for Europe. We have screened in Amman twice now. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Most of my unmet needs have to do with funding. Even if you have the equipment and volunteer actors, there are still costs like transportation and food. We need financial support for the crew. Sometimes a cameraman is not available, and if one piece is missing the whole shoot has to stop. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Many things affect the arts scene, mostly to do with a lack of belief in art. Many people believe in fame or in making money. They think art is about fame, rather than about influence or change. And then there is something else in Jordan, like everywhere I suppose, which is wasta, or connections. If you have relations or contacts, you can do whatever you want. Its not about talent, but about connections. So in a small community like here, the space for talented people is almost inexistent. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or about your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to earn money from my work and my films. Regarding the situation in Jordan, the answer is the same: I would give filmmakers money to work and to produce. Im convinced that if more films were made, this would mean producing more good ones. 14. Additional comments? I wish we could see more initiative like this one. Its important cast light on our work and problems.

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Date: 09/02/09 Name: GHADA ALBAIR SABA Role/Function: Full-time filmmaker and producer Discipline or Activity: Film Background: BA in Theatre Directing, Yarmouk University Age: 33 Contact Information: 0777930528; ghada.saba@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 15 years. I started at university. I used to be a producer for commercials and advertising, and I acted in the theatre. I wanted to go to study film in Canada, but I couldnt as my father passed away and I had to stay with my family. It has been very clear that I wanted to be an artist since I was three years old. I used to act with my teddies, and I acted for my family. Im very lucky as my family was ok with the idea. My father and I used to watch movies together. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I finished high school in Qatar and then I wanted to go to Canada. I couldnt, so I decided to study theatre. I was a big fan of Youssef Chahine, so I decided to start like he did. I worked as his assistant in Egypt, so all my learning was influenced by him. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have my own company, Low Budget Film. We want to help young filmmakers make low-budget films. We work together, and we have the same interests. We are a production company. My big project at the moment is called The Walk. We try to find new talent for films, something we do every two years because its hard to find funds. We ask for funding from private companies. We also travel around the country: we have been to Aqaba, and this year we will go to Madaba to find talent and give workshops on how to find funds and how to make low-budget films. For three years, I have been trying to find funds for my feature-length film, but its very difficult. Maybe this is because its a pan-Arab movie, so its a huge project. My other films are documentaries on social subjects. Im not member of any association, I think because Im lazy. To register you need papers, and I havent had the time to do it. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from local companies that work in social fields. They like to give funds because they get tax breaks. I ask for funds from the ministry of culture, as well, and private companies give sponsorship. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, unfortunately, though its very hard. I dont live 100% from my art, as I also have my family which helps me. I think its difficult for artists here. You need wasta, or contacts. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I work with companies that have equipment, like the Pioneer Company. The RFC helped with The Walk.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? On Facebook there are a lot of filmmakers groups. We also have a sort of network with the company Low Budget Film. 9. What is your impression of your audience? There is a problem with the reception of Jordanian art in general. People go to watch my films because they know me. They know that I worked with Youssef Chahine, and so they go, not because Im Jordanian or because they consider me to be a good filmmaker. The audience is made up of middle-class people, I would say. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have screened my movies at festivals, in the US and Canada, and my documentaries have been on Jordanian TV, Al-Jazeera and YouTube. I have also participated in ATIC, a European audio-visual programme. But this programme has stopped, which is too bad as it was an amazing programme to learn and make contacts. I feel myself to be closer to Europe because I think that this region is also closer to Europe. When I was working with Youssef Chahine, I got to know a lot about French cinema. When I screen here in Jordan its more personal, and Im more afraid. Abroad, people will say clearly what they think about the film. Here, because I know most of the people, they are less objective. Im never sure I can trust their opinions. Maybe they will say they loved it, but maybe there is also something that they are not saying. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I wish there was more competition. Not because I think Im good, but rather because I think competition in a good way makes you work more, makes you understand yourself and others more, and makes you want to show more of your work. It makes positive energy to create better. We dont have the concept of an artistic community in Jordan. Its always a case of me, myself, I. For a cinema industry to exist we need groups that are able to compete and make a real film industry. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Filmmaking is a trend now. Everybody wants to be a filmmaker, but there is ignorance about what this means. Its obvious in peoples reactions: they all want to be called filmmakers, when actually they are cameramen or producers. This trend makes the field less professional. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would convince the government to give a large budget for films in order to create competition. I would like to get rid of the wasta as well. I would establish a governmental section for film. I would work with parliament to create taxes to support the cinema. Taxes on cinema tickets could be used to subsidize cinema in Jordan, for example. 14. Additional comments? We have a problem in Jordan. When you start a project, you put a lot of effort into it, and it should become easier year-by-year. For example, The Walk started years ago. Its a good project, and the RFC and the government liked it. However, they should have followed it up, which would have made the next years easier. Why should I have to go to them again, explain the project again, present it again, and pass though the same obstacles and difficulties I had when I started? If they agree its a good project, they should make things easier.

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Date: 1/02/09 Name: SANDRA MADI Role/Function: Full-time filmmaker and actress Discipline or Activity: Film and theatre Background: BA in Physical Education, Jordan; studies at the Arab Institute of Film, Jordan Age: 32 Contact Information: 0795706819; sandra.madi@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was in school. I started to work in production in 1999 in Jordan and abroad. I started by acting in the theatre in festivals and in independent groups. Then, I got an opportunity to take a role in one of the professional theatre groups in Jordan and won an award as best actress. I got another award a bit later. Meanwhile, I worked all the time in production and co-production in Germany, Italy, Spain, England and Portugal. In 2003, I won another award at the Carthage International Festival. My interest in media and filmmaking started after I came back from Palestine before the Second Intifada. Filmmaking was the thing I wanted to do by myself as a freelancer. I made a documentary in Iraq during the war for Al-Jazeera. I knew I wanted to continue in this, so I trained in documentary filmmaking. It was a kind of turning point for me. I saw myself doing film, but I still wanted to continue in theatre. My last play was in 2006. I have had a lot of good feedback abroad for my filmmaking, and this gave me confidence. I believe that most people here working in the arts discover very early on that its not a path to make money and at the same time its not only a hobby. So it makes things difficult. The country, the environment and the people do not appreciate us. If you look at my CV, you can see I have done nothing else but art, but that I havent gained anything by doing so, not even recognition. Culture is not on the agenda of the government. They deal with culture in a very traditional way: art means folklore, and it is catastrophic. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I couldnt survive with an art diploma, as it is not well seen in society. Because of this, I didnt study art. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I am going to send my application to the Syndicate today. However, they have refused my application three times already. I dont know why, but the art associations are very weak. My friends have convinced me to apply for medical insurance and things like this again, but I dont really want to. To apply again feels a bit below my dignity. 4. How do you fund your work? With my blood! I think its a problem in the region as a whole. For my second film, I got funding from Denmark. I won a prize with this film, which allowed me to finance my third film. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No. I wish there was an Arab Fund. I think its very difficult. We should have more funding for the film community. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment. Up to now, I havent collaborated with the RFC even though I know they have great equipment. I have only asked for film permits.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? First, there is no collaboration between artists, not even on an artistic level. I think there is no trust between artists. Its an issue in itself. I feel that everyone is very insecure doing the things they want to do, and its the case for me too. Its a very sensitive subject. We dont really know each other. When we meet, we barely say hi to each other. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is the same everywhere. In Jordan, its like any other Arab audience. But Amman is divided into East Amman and West Amman, so most of the time its the same people that come to cultural events. This doesnt mean that people from East Amman are not interested. I dont believe that theory. However, its a problem, and Im not sure its going to change. Another thing is that peoples taste is influenced by what they have access to, which means Hollywood movies and Egyptian films. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I try to look for something alternative and new. I screened my first movie in the Al-Balad Theatre. I also screened a film in the warehouse of a cultural house. However, its hard to convince people to screen your movies. My second film, I screened in the yard of a UNRWA school in Baka. There were more than 1,500 people there, and it was a success. I have also showed my films at the Arab Francophone Festival. Nevertheless, I have never had the kind of screening that I might have wished for. As an actress, I have performed abroad in Japan and Europe. I feel the audience there is interested in both side of the work, in other words in the content and the way the play is done. Here, the audience is only interested in the story. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need attention and people that take us seriously. At least we need to be recognized. I dare you to ask anyone in the ministry of culture if I exist. And I believe the same thing goes for others as well, not just for me. The ministry of culture is the only institution that can represent the work that is being done in the country. It should give us minimum funds to start our projects and to develop our ideas. We must be at the top of the list when there are events to represent the country. This is the minimum, I would say. For example, there should be a committee that would evaluate the ideas of filmmakers and decide to help fund 10 movies for the season. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Access to culture and art is important, and what people see influences them. As I said before, its difficult to ask for respect and recognition for art when people only know Hollywood movies and Egyptian films. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would choose not to live here in Jordan and not to have to spend my life here. I dont have illusions about things changing here. But I think I would put the right people in the right places nonetheless. Art and culture need the right political decisions to be made. 14. Additional comments? A great idea would be to create art spaces in each area of Amman.

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Date: 27/02/09 Name: NAGI ABU NOWAR Role/Function: Full-time filmmaker Discipline or Activity: Film Background: War Studies at Kings College, London Age: 27 Contact Information: 0795306478; nabunowar@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I spent two years in England working for a TV production company making documentaries. I also went to the Sundance Festival. I have been a full-time filmmaker since 2003. I always wanted to make films. When I left university, I decided to make only films. It wasnt easy to do, as in our culture it is not really an acceptable career. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I did some workshops in Spain with the Euromed Programme and in Jordan with the Sundance Programme. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have been waiting for my film to be made. I have written a long feature film about a supposed serial killer in Jordan in the 1990s. I have been working on it for two years and shooting will start in May. Im not part of any group or association. I sometimes work with the RFC, but Im not a member of it. I prefer to be an individual working alone. 4. How do you fund your work? I was a member of a production company until I left. Now, Im funded by the UK Film Foundation. I also do freelance scriptwriting. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, though it is very difficult. There is only one professional film company, so its difficult to make a career here. This is Sandbag Productions, and it also has production services. There is a general lack of funds. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the RFC almost all the time. If it didnt exist, I would be back in England. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes, they are wonderful. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont use a formal network. Its more a matter of personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think the audience is made up of people between 20 and 30 years old. Most of them are university students. The audience mostly consists of middle-class university students. There is no distribution and awareness of whats happening in filmmaking in East Amman, even though the RFC does show

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films in East Amman and other places. I think there is a general lack of distribution. The market for films is for pirated films, the cinema is expensive, and in West Amman audiences go to see Hollywood movies. There is a lack of enthusiasm. Maybe its linked with education in this country. There are no institutions to go to watch good films. No TV station shows Jordanian films. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have made short films and documentaries, but I dont want to screen them. Im focusing on my feature film, and I will screen that. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need money. I need distribution. I need heads of department, production designers, sound men, assistant directors, editors, art directors, make-up artists, costume designers, etc. Its very difficult to find qualified people here. The qualified people work in the foreign film industry. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The RFC has changed everything. Lots of movies would not be made if it were not for the presence of the RFC. All the filmmakers I know that are coming up started with the RFC. Before that, there were only three or four people working in films. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to see professional heads of department. In each department, I would like to see a professional person, together with all the facilities needed. I wish more people would want to work in filmmaking. I wish people would start to say, I want to be a cinematographer, I want to be an editor, and not, I want to be a filmmaker, or an artist. We need a film fund to build a film industry. Studies have been done to set up such a fund, but Jordan is still not on the cinema map. I would like it to be soon. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 05/03/09 Name: IHAB AL-KHATEEB Role/Function: TV production Discipline or Activity: Film Background: Art Academy, Egypt Age: 40 Contact Information: 0795918542; ehabsada@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I finished university in 1991, and then I had a short documentary film put on at the Cairo Film Festival called The Page of the Sea. After that, I worked in documentary film in Amman and started to work on a film about Petra in 2003. The Higher National Committee for Cinema accepted to fund it, but then the Committee itself was disbanded after a year. The film is a large production, so it needs substantial funds. After that I travelled, with the result that the film has not been made, though everything is ready. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Egypt. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on a series called The Queen of Sheba, which uses cinema techniques. Maybe after the series is finished, we will use the material to make a one to two hour film. In six months time, I will start work on the Petra film again and ask for funding from the Committee again. I have been a member of the Syndicate since 1991, when it was a union. 4. How do you fund your work? I use money from my own pocket. I also have a company now to produce films, and with this you can ask for funds and sponsors. I ask for funds from the Higher Committee, the government and film companies like ARTE. Most of the time, the latter are foreign companies. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I live from my work, though in Jordan there is no cinema industry. There is TV, and a lot of filmmakers go to TV to make a living. Its impossible to live just from films. In recent years, there has been some progress, and there are now more filmmakers making short films. In my work for TV, I try to work on a cinematic level, though I am afraid that the new generation of filmmakers will just go to work for TV. We urgently need a genuine film industry in Jordan, rather than directors who make films for TV. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment, and the problem is not equipment. Rather, it is the philosophy of cinema, the industry of cinema, which we need. I have never used community facilities, since in my time these did not exist. Today, there is the RFC, but before that there was nothing. We need basic support from the government. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available?

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use personal contacts. I know people in Jordan and outside Jordan, mostly in the Middle East. I have also worked with Europeans, with French people, but I didnt like it a lot. They give you advice, but they dont care what you think. I want to make films here, not in France. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I come from Zarqa. When I was a child, there were nine cinemas, and now they have all closed. Only a certain type of person goes to the cinema today when the tickets cost 10 JD. When you can buy a film on DVD for 1 JD, it makes it hard for cinemas to stay open. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have shown my films at the University of Jordan, the RCC and the Shoman Foundation. I have also shown them in Egypt at festivals with the Association of Film Critics and in other places. But the film I showed was an old one. I have written three scripts, but only one finished film has got made. I dont think there are differences in the audience, though there is no culture of cinema in Jordan. Of course, when people only have access to Hollywood movies it affects them as an audience. But this is not the audiences fault. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? You need the basics of cinema. Its starting now in the schools, but we need a real institute for cinema. Also, anybody who makes a short movie here takes it to a festival and comes back and thinks they are a filmmaker. In the absence of a film industry, there are lots of individuals proclaiming themselves as directors. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Filmmaking is a trend now: everybody is a filmmaker, even those who have never studied cinema. People are also choosing to make films the way they do in the Gulf, for money, and there are very few people who are able to think cinematically. Everybody can learn technique. For me, the important thing is the concept, the idea, and here things are weak. The concept should be part of the technique. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? The first thing I would say to young filmmakers before they pick up a camera is: watch movies, different movies, made in different styles. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 03/03/09 Name: DANA MIRAI Role/Function: Umniah Telecommunications Discipline or Activity: Film Background: BA in Finance and MA in Accounting, Jordan Age: 28 Contact Information: 0795497261; dana_mar24@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 2007. I have always been interested in the movies, but one day a revolution occurred when I decided to make movies myself. I started to read books and I started to look for workshops. I applied for an RFC workshop. After that, I directed a short movie called Yasmina, which was shown on Jordanian TV. I started to write a lot, and I started to shoot my own second short movie. I have a lot of ideas and projects. This year is going to be a good year for me if things work out. I would like to make a career in film, but it takes time to find your own style and to find money for projects. At the beginning, my parents were very surprised. They were critical, but I kept telling them that this was what made me happy, so they had to deal with it. I hesitated about quitting my job to learn film at school, but then I decided that I could get the necessary skills another way. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im now finishing my second short film, and I want to start sending my movies to festivals. I want to try Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Im not part of the Cooperative at the moment. 4. How do you fund your work? Its extremely difficult. Basically, I use my own money. Starting out as an independent, you try to find everything for free. A lot of people are helpful, but still it takes time and you always have to pay a part from your own pocket. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, but I manage to live from my work anyway. The feeling you get when you are working on something you love is amazing. There is no industry here, but I want to stay here. I dream of having my own production company. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the equipment of the RFC. For the last film, I used it for two months, though not consistently. It depends on the film. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? If there are workshops, you have to postpone shooting. It depends: you have to arrange your schedule with those providing the equipment. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I know a lot of filmmakers from the RFC, the Cooperative and the RSICA. The group is not huge, so its mostly personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I guess it is made up of members of the younger generation. Facebook is a great promoter. The audience is made up of people from different classes, but I feel most of them are from West Amman. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I screened my first film at the RFC, and it was shown on Jordanian TV. I want to screen the next ones at festivals abroad and in Jordan. Going to festivals is how you get to be exposed to critics and to get wider exposure. In Jordan, things are still limited. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I have discovered a need for lots of things. We need good actors, and not a lot of people want to act in the way we need. Its difficult for them to play all the roles, as actors here dont separate acting from real life. We need more funds, as this will increase the quality of the work. We need places where we can work, which are not available now. The RFC is closed at the weekends. We need a place to hold auditions, or to meet other filmmakers and discuss films. Locations are very hard to find. You have to find places to shoot in at the moment. Its difficult. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think there is a lot of potential, and we have many stories that should be told and that dont exist in the other Arab countries. There are a lot of Jordanian topics that still remain to be covered. The storytelling part is still not mature in Jordan. We are so influenced by the western media that its very difficult to talk about our own identity: either we dont talk about it at all, or it is done in a bad way. However, filmmaking in the region is growing a lot. Lots of schools are opening, and there are more festivals and events. This is a good indicator for me. The media is a very good place to invest. Up to now, the media has promoted western movies, but I dont think this is going to last. People are hungry to find our own cultural topics. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could start a business in film now. Im so passionate that I wish I could start a daily job in the field right now. I would also make people focus more on storytelling, because this is what we lack the most. This is what we need to learn. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 09/03/09 Name: NADINE TOUKAN Role/Function: Independent producer Discipline or Activity: Film Background: Business Administration in the US Age: 41 Contact Information: 0777619701; Nadine.toukan@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since the RFC started, but I have produced TV since I was in school. I have also worked in media and advertising. I have been producing and experimenting all my life, and I have always had a burning desire to see things happen. However, nothing is being produced in art and culture today, at least nothing alive. I have always worked in national companies, looking for Arab content. I have found that we are lacking Arab content and good quality production. It was an immediate decision on my part to work in film. I came back to Jordan looking for a job, and I got something in a production company. I realized that you can do a lot of things, so I was very interested. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I am working in multi-platform broadcasting that delivers all kinds of media content. It is a way to deliver better Jordanian content. Many people want to distribute good work and content, but there is a need for better distribution and delivery. Content makers and consumers exist, but the distribution model doesnt exist. Lot of people make content independently, but the distribution is not good. Our company is interested in distributing Jordanian content, and we go to see short films and feature films. At the moment, Im looking for another feature film script to produce, which is another project. As for groups or associations, I am not a member of anything as I dont like such things. Im a member of an independent group with friends, but Im not a member of anything official. I think the official organizations are very ineffective, and I see the little they have done. It is very political and almost racist. What are their values and their good points? If you create your own network with people, you dont need the official organizations. 4. How do you fund your work? I use private-sector funding. Anyone whos interesting in funding is welcome. The Captain Abu Raed feature film was funded by the private sector. This funding can take the form of donations or sponsorship. Its an investment. We can put in money when we have our own revenue. For short films, we just find friends who are willing to support us. Support is not only about money: you also need equipment, etc. If you really want to do something, you can find funding. The nice part of creative art is that you can see it: it exists for everyone, and its not only for the person who created it. And a lot of people want to be part of our projects. There is also a lot of foreign money and Gulf money. For the distribution projects, we rely on advertising revenue. We have found that people who want to advertise want to do so in new ways. If you are creative about how to use advertising, everybody wins.

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5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes. The poor years were poor, but the rich years are rich. However, Im conscious that I have to do things in order to earn money, so sometimes I do projects for purely commercial reasons. Probably its difficult to live from your work: its not impossible, but its not easy either. The work has to be good. It has to have good content, or it has to have an edge. Its hard work: you have to work a lot and be good at it, and audiences want good work. I know filmmakers that live from their films, but they work very hard. Also, it is difficult to find funds and marketing. It is difficult to make contacts and to convince people. What we lack are institutions, but there are options. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? The community facilities owned by the government are available. They like to build buildings, but its a nightmare to find somebody who understands what you are doing. The people who run the resources are not cultural workers. They are government employees. They are not curators or cultural managers. They dont understand what you are trying to do, so its very frustrating. In the private sector, its much easier. The public sector is about buildings, not culture. Finding access to it and dealing with the bureaucracy is a nightmare. Art and culture is developing outside the public sector and the government at the moment, which is a shame. All the money goes on everything but culture and creative products. Instead, it is spent on salaries and cars, etc. Even when there is a good content produced, the distribution doesnt exist. You have to know the right people, as there is no real system. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Hey are not available and accessible. Procedures are very hard. Some resources are adequate, but not always, and most of the time you have to do everything by yourself. You go to the Hussein Centre, for example, and you find that the DV has been broken for two weeks. The employee there has told the manager, and the manager told I dont know who, but nothing has been done. They just look after the building an adequate structure that they dont know how to manage. We need to train people, from the curator to the programmer to the manager, and we need to stop building more buildings. We need money to train people to work in this infrastructure. They just dont know what to do with the building at the moment. The Opera House is another example. Its just crazy! They cant manage the building next to it, and now they want to build a huge opera house. There is a theatre in every village and city in Jordan. We just dont have the human beings that can use them. Its very important for culture to become part of the life of the community. Art and culture has always been for the people first and foremost. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use Urdun Mobdey, which is a great online network. Facebook has also been a revolution, as you can finally find out whats happening here in Jordan. Aside from through these networks, there is no way of knowing whats happening. It is a system that society has created outside the public and governmental system. Like the film industry all of a sudden its digital. So the tools are not the problem. You can just send out emails. People are thirsty to know about what is happening in culture. 9. What is your impression of your audience? There is no audience, or only a very small one, like a small bubble. Its always the same faces, because if you want to know whats happening in town you have to know the right people to get the information. This is a problem for us, or a challenge. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? It depends: Captain Abu Raed was on in cinemas. The short films that young people do are shown at the RFC, and you can also use empty buildings and commercial buildings. The problem here is that

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culture and art are not part of people lives. We talk about culture based on our past. Art is for a certain group of people at a certain moment, and it has become like small boxes in the city. It has become a challenge to get out of these boxes. When there is no audience, quality goes down. When its going to be for everybody, it has to be quality work as there is the challenge involved. Art and challenges should be brought back to the streets. Captain Abu Raed was screened everywhere, though the short films were only screened at festivals. Some people are shocked that good stuff comes out of here, as abroad there is appreciation for independent films. Outside Jordan, people know how to look at independent film. Here, they compare them to Batman. People are very critical because they compare independent film with Hollywood products. They havent seen enough things, and they have a sense of protectiveness about their culture. There are not opportunities to see other things. When you have one film in Jordan, either you love it or you hate it, but either way you feel cheated because you have no other choice. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There is a lack of organization and environment. I sit here and watch the government spend money on talking and doing things wrongly. We have all the ingredients, but we need another way of doing things. The public-sector way of doing things wont change. Its tiring. They just dont understand. I think we will figure out how to break the system, but it would be nice just to do it tomorrow and start a new way of doing things. I think promoters are obsessed with the patronage of the royal family, and they just want a report at the end. For them, its an administrative job. There are links missing. Nobody spend money on content, just on superficial things. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think the system is changing in good ways. We have good, passionate artists who are really fighting, and they will not get taken over by the system. They keep going outside the system. Its great we have individuals doing what they believe in. Another trend is our burning desire to tell our own stories. There are a lot of individuals who take risks to create and combine their skills and tell their stories. This desire to create exists. The negative part is the bullshit and the government. I refuse to believe that they dont know whats happening. However, Im sure culture can change our society. With this economic crisis, its the perfect time to start with culture. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I like my situation. I would stop the government bleeding the cultural budget, however. I would make a law that forbids the government from working in culture and art, and I would rebuild the art scene using the private sector and NGOs. On a more serious level, I really want to forbid the building of any more cultural buildings in Amman. Try something new: spend the money we spend on buildings on the people working in the buildings we already have. We have enough of them. We build and build, and we cant even find an audience for the buildings we have. They cant find an audience for the facilities we have, and then they want to build and build more. We need to change all that. For 30 years, we havent seen anything great in art or culture. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 24/03/09 Name: ADNAN MADANAT Role/Function: Cinema section of the Shoman Foundation Discipline or Activity: Cinema Background: Documentary cinema and TV at Moscow University Age: 62 Contact Information: 0777395472; Adnan@shoman.org.jo 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? After university, I started to be active, and since 1970 I have worked as a film director and critic. It was a very easy decision to make. I lived in Syria in the 1960s with my family, and at that time the cultural scene was very active. I used to be part of a film club and saw good movies every week. I used to read a lot of books about film. And I got the chance to go to Moscow. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Moscow. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im responsible for cinema at the Shoman Foundation. I write articles about cinema in general and some theoretical criticism. I have also published many books about cinema. I have three or four books published in Damascus, and some here in Jordan. I have been writing a weekly article for a newspaper, Al-Khaleej, in the United Arab Emirates, and I also used to write for Al-Rai and for weekly magazines in Jordan and elsewhere. I used to work in documentary films as a filmmaker, but today Im a critic. I write, I give lectures, and I advise directors. Im a member of the Artists Syndicate and of the Writers Association. I have been a member of both for many years. 4. How do you fund your work? I began my career in Damascus after university. I worked there as a film director for documentaries. I used to write articles for newspapers, but not as a job. I was not always paid for doing so. I think I have two people inside me: one is a director, and the other is a critic. I have understood that Im more of a critic. I have always been able to make a living from my work, especially from the criticism I write. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, especially as a film critic. But I think its difficult for artists here to make a living. It depends on the field maybe its easier for actors on TV then for people in theatre. Its difficult for painters, if they dont have connections to sell their work. I know a lot of artists who are obliged to work outside of their artistic work. In Jordan, I think its not easy to compare things to other Arab countries. I have had the chance to work in other countries, in Lebanon and in Syria, for example, before I came to Jordan. So, before coming here I was already well-known in the Arab world. I think this helped me a lot in my career. I dont think I could have reached this position if I had started my career here. Nobody really cares about creative people and culture. In other countries, people will run after you if you are talented. Here, you have to run after them. We dont have support from the private sector and the government. Everything depends on public relations, on wasta, and not on talent and creativity. If

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you are in contact with the security, you can be a great star. I think this lack of interest is in the culture. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have never used them. I give such facilities to other people. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have a network. My articles are published on many Arabic Websites dealing with cinema. But Im not clever with the Internet and these things. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I have been involved with the cinema club at the Shoman Foundation since 1999. We show films every week on a monthly theme and organize film festivals of good quality. But until now we havent been able to create an audience. What astonishes me here is that even the people involved in film and art dont watch movies. Here, they may even work as directors and they dont watch movies. They study cinema as a profession, but not as a culture. So, when we organize a screening its people not involved in cinema mostly who come. Its people from different classes: old and young women come; we even have completely veiled women who come alone to watch movies. I find that strange. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I publish the most outside Jordan. I have published three books in Jordan, as well as others in Syria and Egypt. Most of them have been published in Syria. Outside Jordan things are easier for me, and distribution is much better outside Jordan. When you publish a book in Jordan, nobody will know about your book, even Jordanians. There is no such thing as Jordanian cinema. The last Jordanian feature film was Captain Abu Raed in 2007. The one before that, Oriental Stories, was made in 1991. There are a lot of short films made with digital technology and some documentaries. There is no film industry in Jordan, however. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? The most important thing that artists need is a healthy cultural environment. This doesnt exist in Jordan. Of course, you also need money. But the most important thing is that culture should be part of social life. We dont have that in Jordan. A basic fact in Jordan is that we dont have the culture of the caf. Here, cafs are for smoking the narghile. Cafs should be artistic hubs, but not in Jordan. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Any creative work needs interaction, which doesnt exist in Jordan. Lots of artists work as individuals, and they dont collaborate. Our problem in Jordan, I think, began with the obsession with security and control. And that has had huge repercussions on society until today. We have a society of fear. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Im tying my best to help people understand cinema, not films, cinema, so people are better able to judge. I lecture, and I introduce people to foreign films. Im doing what I can. I think if I had the possibility to change things, I would change the people in charge of culture. If I were the minister of culture, I would draw up a vast plan and then implement it. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 22/03/09 Name: JALAL AL-RIFA Role/Function: Head of Cartoonists Association Discipline or Activity: Cartoons Background: Graphic design in London Age: 60 Contact Information: 0795922668 jalal_cart@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active all my life. When I was 17, I started out as a hobby and at the same time I started in calligraphy. On a professional level, it has been more then 35 years. Cartooning was new for us then, and I loved it so I wanted to start doing it in Jordan. I was a designer in the ministry of information at the time, and they sent me to London to study. It was an easy decision for me to make, and when a newspaper published my first cartoon everybody liked it, which was a good start. My first work for the newspapers was in hand-drawn calligraphy. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in London. In the Arab countries there are no places to study cartooning, though our association is trying to organize classes for students and to bring cartoonists from the Middle East and Europe together in the interests of mutual cooperation. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I do a daily cartoon in the Al-Dustur newspaper, and I work also for some magazines. Im the head of the Cartoonists Association, which is two years old now. I founded it with some friends. In one month, we are going to publish the first ever book of Jordanian cartoons. There are 26 of us, and we are recruiting more. We try to choose professional cartoonists. We have mounted exhibitions of cartoons, one of them in London, and now we are publishing this book. We are also trying to send students abroad to study or to continue in cartoons, as it is our job to support the new generation. I am also a member of the Press Association and the Pen Association. I used to be a member of the Arab Cartoonists Association, but this does not exist anymore. I go to universities for workshops and lectures in order to discover talents and to support cartooning in Jordan. 4. How do you fund your work? I started work directly in cartoons, and so its my job. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes. Its not difficult, though we are still at the beginning. If you want to be a cartoonist, you have to be good to make your career. Today, cartoonists are working in the Gulf, where they earn good salaries. I think newspapers and magazines today are looking for cartoonists more and more, and things are better than they were. Salaries are not great in general, so cartoonists have to have several jobs. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use the newspapers facilities and equipment. We are trying to open community facilities for cartoonists with the Association.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Its mainly a matter of personal contacts now, but in the past there was also the Arab Cartoonists Association. In our Jordanian Cartoonists Association we are also building a network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of people who read newspapers and people who use the Internet. These are people from all classes and from different backgrounds. The audience is made up of young and old people, though it depends also on what you do for people. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I publish here and abroad. I used to work in Dubai and in London. In Jordan, there is no effective law on publishing rights and authors rights, so I sometimes find my cartoons reproduced in newspapers without my permission. I have published seven books, some in Dubai and some in Amman. In Jordan, because we do cartoons about the problems of society, people follow you on a daily basis. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? In terms of material, everything is available. But everywhere in the world a cartoonist needs freedom. But in Jordan, you know you have to be careful about subjects, and even now its difficult to draw politicians. You have to know the society and know how to deal with it and find other ways to draw the subjects you want. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think we are blooming in Jordan in the field of cartoons and that the same thing is happening in all fields of art. Twenty years ago, there was nothing. I think things are increasing, and we are doing very well in cartoons in Jordan. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would set up a school to study cartooning. Or at least I would add cartooning to the curriculum in the universities. I think cartoons are very important today: they are the future, and you see cartoons and animations everywhere today. I dream about setting up a school, and I think this will happen one day. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 16/03/09 Name: EMAD HAJJAJ Role/Function: Cartoonist Discipline or Activity: Cartoons Background: BA in Fine Art & Graphic Design, Yarmouk University Age: Contact Information: emad@mahjoob.com - 0795573161 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started professional cartooning in 1993, which was the first time I got paid for cartoons that appeared in the Al-Rai newspaper. I had a very troubled life at university. I come from a poor family, and I was in a refugee camp. I was talented, but my family was against cartooning as a career. However, in school a teacher pushed me, though when I went to university I did not think about studying art because my family would not have agreed. Instead I studied physics on a military scholarship. I couldnt continue with physics, and I discovered art and that I was an artist. So I changed my major and lost my scholarship, I had to work as a result, but at last I was studying what I loved. When I finished, it was very difficult to start a career. I worked as a graphic designer, and I continued drawing and publishing for free for a few years. Finally, I got a job as a result of my talent. My father was against this path, and it was a very difficult time. However, later he became proud of me. I never thought I could become a cartoonist. But I was lucky. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Yarmouk University. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a cartoonist on a daily basis. My creation, Abu Mahjoob, is a man in the street. He was created in 1993 and is inspired by my father. I created him to be a symbol of Jordanians. I play with stereotypes and with the anger of people in Jordan. I try to give a new perspective on Jordanians. My character is funny, and he has a good reputation. He was celebrated by the late King Hussein and the royal family. He represents all social classes. I work for the newspapers Al-Rai and Al-Rad, as well as the Pan-Arab newspaper Al-Dustur. I do some syndicated cartoons, which I send to Europe and America. This became a big business, especially after September 11, 2001, as it gives others views of Arab people. I also started a project in 2000 to manage two major productions for JTV; one of these, broadcast in 2004, was the first animated comedy series in the Arab world. Arabic content animation has now become a new field on the Arab satellite channels, and we have started in multimedia formats as well, including on mobile phones and the Internet. I have exhibited my work in five galleries, and I am a member of the Press Association, which is close to our concerns since cartoonists are considered to be journalists. A few months ago, I started the Cartoonists Association with a friend, and we now have 25 members. I am the vice-president of the Association. The Association hopes to gather cartoonists together, and we are planning to publish a year book with the best cartoons of the year by different cartoonists. We want to begin lobbying to improve the situation of cartoonists in Jordan, and we want to begin cooperation with Arab and international colleagues. 4. How do you fund your work? I live from my cartoons.

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5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, but you could say that Im the lucky one. In general, things are difficult for cartoonists, and they are badly paid. I think many cartoonists are new graduates. Cartoons are not seen as important, and in order to succeed you need to have a name. In addition, most cartoonists are not professionals, so their position is weak in the newspapers. The cartoonists in the daily newspapers are better off than those in the weeklies, though I would not say that cartoonists are disrespected in Jordanian society, even if newspapers can easily copy cartoons from the Internet. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? Such facilities do not exist here, at least for cartoons. The newspaper gives me equipment, or else I buy it myself. However, equipment is becoming more and more expensive, especially as I do digital work. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have different networks, including with colleagues from the Cartoonists Association, and Im a member of various associations around the Arab world. I also have my friends, and my Website is another network on which I get email, feedback and comments, etc. However, there is no real network for cartoonists in the Arab world. There is a Website www.arabcartoon.net but this is not a real network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Im trying to get to know it better through my Website. I think the majority of the audience is outside Jordan, in Saudi Arabia and the US. The audience is made up of Arabs from other Arab countries. I think members of the audience are mostly young and people who have a sense of humour. I think the reason my audience is mostly outside Jordan is because they are missing something in their culture. Something that confuses me is that the audience very religious: I have never had serious problems with this, but people pass on comments. These do not affect me that much, but 10% of my daily email is made up of such comments. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I publish work in newspapers in Jordan, Egypt and London (Al-Quds). In Jordan, I work for Al-Rad. My Website is the main tool I use for distributing my work, and it gives the best exposure. My books are distributed in Jordan and also through e-marketing on the Internet, though their main impact is in Jordan. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I wish I could find the right business partner. I think I have done my best, but my animated cartoons have not been a real success, maybe because it is a new field and we are pioneers. As a result, the results have not been very professional. I wish I had more opportunities to publish books: newspapers are fine, but I would like to do comic books. Also, visual art is becoming more and more digital in format. I have tried to train myself in the new software, but I wish there were courses in it. I did some, but you dont learn anything, I need specialized training. My biggest need is for talents that match our business. We lack this. We need good scriptwriters. We need sculptors to make toys. We need people to make films. We need to make t-shirts, ties, comics, movies, and so on. At the beginning, I had bad feelings about this marketing, this form of selling art. But when I look at children going to school with pictures of Batman and Spiderman and so on, I think it would be better for them to have local cartoon characters. I think that such cartoons could be part of their national identity, which is a key

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problem here. My biggest success has been in the public awareness-raising that I have done, and I consider my character Abu Mahjoob to be a supporter of noble causes, fighting disease, for the rights of women and children, and for democracy. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think Jordanians are very much into the new media, which is positive for me. The loss of foreign investment is starting to affect us, especially with the financial crisis, and we depend on NGOs. People are becoming more and more religious. Im not yet very affected by it, but I and concerned by it. Things are becoming more and more difficult. Before, I was afraid of associations or religious group, but now Im afraid of the people themselves. The tasks of Abu Mahjoob are to tackle the taboos in our society. I think the turning points came on September 11, 2001. Nobody complained before that, even when I was making fun of religion and religious people. Now, I dont dare to do it. I tried, and I had such bad feedback and difficulty finding a publisher that I stopped. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? My first dream would be to change the bad situation in Jordan. I want my cartoons to be something not just to laugh about, but also something that could change the society. I wish my cartoons could be on TV. People watch TV more than they read newspapers. I have started out in this direction, but there is a lot more to do. I wish we could set up an institute or academy for cartoonists. I see poor and talented people all the time, and I cannot do anything to help them. I wish our schools and academies could help talented people, but things are very expensive. There should be something to take care of the drawing talent in Jordan. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 03/03/09 Name: Ghadier Bana Role/Function: Animator, illustrator and graphic designer Discipline or Activity: Animator Background: German and English literature, Jordan Age: 28 Contact Information: 0799100333 g_bana@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for nine years. It was always a hobby for me, and I worked at the university in the new field of animation teaching. I remained in it, and when I went to the art section, I met someone who worked in an animation company. At the time, animation was still done by hand, and there were no computers. Then I started a career. Its easier than making a career in languages, and I have a passion for it. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. I took a course in flash animation and Web design, but thats it. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work for the Kharabeesh company, and before that I worked for an online news agency and for a company selling E-cards. Then I started in a project for TV animation: I worked with Rubicon in animation for kids, Iraqi kids (as part of a UNDP project), and we worked on an E-learning project to learn through animation. Rubicon made the first 3D feature animation in Jordan, but it was not the first Jordanian cartoon. The film reached the States, and it made a lot of noise. Now they are working on a Pink Panther project. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund myself from my work. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes. I guess its not very difficult, as animation is a growing industry, so there are possibilities. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use Facebook, and I have a Website at wwwjocre8.com. This is a community site for artists and designers. 9. What is your impression of your audience? We have received a lot of comments: there is an audience made up of people between 18 and 40 years old. My animations are ironic and humorous, and they reach people from different classes.

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10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have done animations for Iraqi kids the idea was to educate children through cartoons. I did a project with Rubicon for the US market. Otherwise, its generally local productions. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? As an animator, I can say we have problems with classic animation. We lack people able to do classic animations, like the Tom and Jerry cartoons. You have to be really good in drawing for those. Here, they only teach you how to use computer software. We dont have classical animators: the ones we have are either from the Philippines or India. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Cut-out animation is a trend. Instead of moving the characters, you can play with them. We dont have classical animators or animation, as I said. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would love to learn more techniques. I would like to integrate more software into my work, like 3D, for example. I would like to see more quality animation in Jordan, including in my own work! If we could have better education for animators, this would be good as well. We could have a training centre just for animation drawing, for example. 14. Additional comments?

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Photography
Date: 15/02/09 Name: FADI HADDAD Role/Function: Surgeon and photographer Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: Medical school in Iraq, medical studies in Jordan, specialization in Britain Age: 61 Contact Information: 0796678664; drfhaddad@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was 17, something like that. I like the artistic side of taking pictures. I started to take artistic shots, and one day I had enough money to buy a small Kodak. Afterwards, my father bought me a real camera. I didnt want to make a career in photography, but it is an important hobby. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I have never taken photography classes, but two years ago I took a class in Photoshop. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a surgeon by profession, and I work as a photographer on my days off. Im member and one of the founders of the Photographic Society in Amman. We founded the Society in 1994. It was a slow beginning, but today we have a large number of members and more activities. We have professional photographers on the Societys jury. But we still need to improve photography in Jordan and to make it more professional. I sometimes go with children to places to take pictures and to teach them how to look at the things around them. I help them in their technique. This is always at the weekends, but sometimes I close the clinic to take pictures when its an important project. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my job at the clinic. Sometimes I sell my pictures, but this barely covers the expense of the pictures, together with those of the trip, time and materials. But its a pleasure that I take seriously. When I go to Petra, I leave my wife and go off alone to take pictures. If she calls me, I tell her that Im working. So yes, I take it very seriously! 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I think if you are a good professional photographer with a good level, you can make a good living from it, especially now that the media use photography a lot. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment. At the beginning, I had my own dark room. But some members of the younger generation who come to the Society dont have equipment, so we lend them cameras and so on. Members of the Society get discount printing, which is good. I have exhibited in a lot of places in Amman 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available?

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Its not easy to find venues as far as exhibition or gallery space is concerned. Sometimes you have to work a lot yourself on the framing, the lighting, etc. It depends on the place. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the network of the Photographic Society. Lots of people tell me I should have my own Website, but Im not very happy about that. I dont like the idea of putting my pictures for sale on the Internet. Maybe later, when I have more time for photography I will do it. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Most of the time, its made up of people I know, such as friends, or photographers from the Society. Its difficult to reach everybody, and not everybody is interested. Most of the time, cultural events in Jordan are also social events, so there are people who come regularly to cultural events. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I did an exhibition about salt at the French Cultural Centre. Another one was at the Zara Centre about the rocks at Petra. I have held other collective exhibitions in Shmeisani, in the Orfali Gallery, and with the Society. Every year, I have an exhibition, sometimes more than one a year. I have never exhibited abroad. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Im aware of the need for people to appreciate photography more. I wish more people would collect photographs. Most people come, look at the pictures, and then go. They dont think to buy one, or to collect some to put in their homes, like paintings. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Jordan is a young country, and so is its art scene. Photography is still not considered as a real art form, but I think its only a matter of time before this happens. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Im satisfied with my situation, but I wish I had more freedom to take pictures. Its very difficult to take pictures of people. They dont like it, and they dont allow you to do it. People interfere, and the police ask you if you have permission, even if you are taking pictures of old windows, as has happened to me. They think you are doing something underhand. I didnt have these problems in Iraq. I wish the government and the society was more aware of photography and what it is about. I wish the government would sponsor photography more and give more funding. We dont have much support. However, the mayor is a big supporter, and I hope this will continue in the future. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 2/01/09 Name: HIBA JUDEH Role/Function: Photographer and freelance filmmaker Discipline or Activity: Photography and film Background: BA in Graphic Design, Jordan University Age: 24 Contact Information: 0795671765; hibajudeh@gmail.com - www.hibajudeh.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for six years. Since I was a child I have been interested in photography. I am short sighted, so I used to play out-of-focus games. I decided to buy a cheap camera, and then it grew on me. My parents thought that I had an eye for photography and decided to help me. I purchased my very first real camera four years ago. I did a lot of projects at university, and my teachers pushed me to do something in photography. They thought that what I was doing was influenced by Surrealism. Two years ago, I bought my first professional camera, and I have done many projects and stopmotion videos since. I have started to transform images into motion, which is why I got into filmmaking. But my base is still photography. It was clear in my mind that I wanted to make a career in photography. I wanted to do something new in Jordan, not just wedding pictures. I learned a lot at university about art history. I was more into camera and lenses than into design. Im a self-taught photographer. It was a natural and easy decision to make. Being in Jordan, I try to get away from restrictions rather than follow restrictions. I think its easy actually. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied Graphic Design at Jordan University. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im new to film, though Im willing to study filmmaking. I applied to the RSICA, and I hope to become a successful cinematographer framing, positioning, lighting, everything involved with camerawork. Im not a member of any association. I like to be independent, and its also part of my character. 4. How do you fund your work? I always use my own funding. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No. Its difficult if you aiming not to be commercial. And this is my aim. Sometimes freelance work brings me money but not always. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment that I have been able to buy from my work at JO Magazine. For filmmaking, I use the equipment from the RFC. Last year, I made three films, so I used the equipment three times. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes. You have to fill in a form to explain the idea, but its their right. The equipment is perfect. They have the latest cameras. Its great.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have a lot of friends connected with the media. Im in contact with Dar al-Tasweer, which opened recently and is the first place in Jordan for photography. 9. What is your impression of your audience? My audience is mixed. I always think of myself as an individual influenced by society and my surroundings. I believe that if you have a story to tell, everyone should be able to find something in it. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibited last year at the French Cultural Centre. For my movies, I find it very difficult to find a place to screen my films, which is sad. Im currently looking for a place. We should have a kind of arthouse for movies and photography. I have a Website, but as I only exhibit my work on the Internet on an on-going basis, for people who dont have access to the Internet it will be difficult for them to see my work. The arts move very slowly here. There should be something to open peoples minds. I exhibited my photography in Germany two years ago, and a lot of people from America have bought my pictures online. The only difference I see is in appreciation. The Germans came to me and asked me to come to exhibit. Here, I have to fight to exhibit. Here, you either have to be well known, or you have to have wasta. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I think its more personal needs. I love Jordan, although it depresses me as a place. I need encouragement. A lot of the time, I feel down. I think that if I were somewhere else, I would be way more ahead. But its fine. I like to struggle. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think the underground scene here reflects urban life in Amman. It reflects street life. You find businessmen who grew up in the streets. You can find simplicity, and everybody is straightforward. Its difficult to explain. I have been to Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, and the underground scene here is very different. I think its the street life that does it. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Self-motivation: I get moved easily, but I need positive motivation. I havent been able to find appreciation, so now Im down and depressed. I should do something, but I dont know what or how. If I could change something about the situation in Jordan, it would be to brainwash the people. Its impossible to find creative and crazy ideas. We can do a lot of things, though. I know a lot of creative people. Its just that there are social limits that dont accept craziness. People shouldnt stop at that line, but go there and go for it. So, yes: brainwash. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 02/03/09 Name: JOSEPH ZAKARIAN Role/Function: Photographer for JO Magazine Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: Filmmaking and journalism, Armenia Age: 24 Contact Information: 0776340677; jo@jo.jo 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been into photography since I was 11 years old. I also did theatre at that age, and then I studied filmmaking. My nanny was an actress. At 13, my father had a video camera, so I used to make documentaries and act with friends. I have always loved cameras. My father wanted me to become a doctor like him. Im his only child, so it was difficult to convince him. Art in this region is not valued. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Armenia. I was born and raised here, and I left when I was 16. I left Jordan because my family divorced. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a photographer for JO Magazine, and I also work on my own photo projects. Im going to have an exhibition soon. Im into electronic music, too. Photography for me is like a stage: I see myself later in films as well. Im not part of any association. I prefer to work on my own. 4. How do you fund your work? From my job, which supports me in everything. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes. JO is a job. I feel very comfortable in this area. It is difficult, but I was very lucky. In Jordan, people often dont understand photography. Things are very mechanical, and there is no meaning in the photography done here, so it is weak. Its not part of the culture either. There should be more schools of photography and more workshops to learn photography. I wanted to do a workshop in the past. I was too busy at the time, but I still want to do it. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? There arent any community facilities here in Jordan. I have support from my family, but what about others? There should be a place with equipment that can be used. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have a network: its made up of friends, people Ive met and people I know. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I was really shocked when I went into Zara Gallery one day. There was an exhibition by an amazing photographer, and it was completely empty. I was shocked. There is such a lack of interest. The

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pioneers of photography in Amman were Armenians. I blame the older generation, which didnt think to open a school of photography. Or rather, I dont blame them, but Im angry that there is no such school. I will do it one day, I hope, but it will be expensive to do. I think community facilities are very important. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I publish my work in JO Magazine. My first exhibition will take place in Turkey; the second I hope will take place in Amman. I want it to be a moving exhibition, not just in galleries. I want it to be seen everywhere in coffee shops, everywhere. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There is a lack of professional equipment, and everything is so expensive here, when taxes are included. Everything is triple the regular price, so how can you expect the younger generation to start in photography? Equipment is not available in Jordan. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Nothing affects me. If you want to do photography, you do it. I was kicked out of Armenia because I did pictures of the state of emergency there. Photography is about understanding human nature. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to make more money as a photographer, so I can do more things in my career, travel and so on. I would open a school for photographers. I would try to build connections with young people to give them direction. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 23/02/09 Name: MOHAMMAD ABU GHOSH Role/Function: Full-time photographer at Al-Ghad newspaper Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: No studies Age: 43 Contact Information: 0796542455; nyroos@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started photography in 1991-92. I worked in the US as a cab driver, and then I came back in 1997 and took up the camera again. It was by accident, or by chance. I was working for a news weekly, and a demonstration was going on in Amman. They were looking for a photographer. When they asked me if I could take pictures, I went. They liked my work, and so I started to develop myself and to learn photography from books. I did a workshop on photography at Yarmouk University, and I went to Berlin in 2004 for another workshop. It was not easy, as I started when I was already 27, but I had no pressure from my surroundings. People were just surprised that I had become a photographer. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I learned myself. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work for Al-Ghad newspaper. I went to Gaza last week to do a report. Im not a member of any photographic groups here. I dont have time. I take pictures every day, and for me its a job and not a hobby like for the people in the Photographic Society. However, I am a member of international photographers groups, like AFB, ABA, and the European Photo Press. 4. How do you fund your work? From my job. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I live from the photographs I take as part of my job, not from my artistic pictures. Its very difficult otherwise. You cant live from art photography. People are not interested in buying photographs, and not a lot of people consider photography to be an art. Photography is for rich people. The equipment is too expensive for the poor. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I work now with a digital camera, but before I had my own dark room as well. I used space in the newspaper I was working for, and I used my own money. I used to get the camera from the work as well. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have a network.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? A lot of children and adults came to my exhibition from all over Amman. The crowd was big and very diverse, maybe because people know my name from the newspaper. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have exhibited only once. It was such a bad experience that I havent exhibited again. However, Im planning to start again: I have done documentary work about gypsies. Here, if you want to exhibit you need experience and contacts. My exhibition was two years ago, and the pictures are still in the AlHussein Gallery. The newspaper and the Gallery are still fighting about whos going to pay. I had a lot of problems. Next time I exhibit, I will be more careful and more organized. When I want to sell my pictures, people complain about the prices. Its just a click, they say. How come its so expensive? I refuse to take pictures for weddings. I take photographs for my job and for myself. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I dont really have any. I have a lot of work that I like to do. However, there is a lack of interest in photography as an art. People need to change this conception. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I dont really perceive myself as an artist, even though lots of people call me one. I mean, I dont know a lot about the arts scene. Im not in the circle or the system of artists here. But I can see a lot of people who have a camera and take pictures of the Citadel or the Roman Theatre and say they are photographers. A lot of them lack a message. The pictures are beautiful, but they dont say anything: there is no message, no reflection. I always try to take pictures that talk to people and that have a message. This is how I perceive myself as a photographer. Everybody can take nice pictures. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could write English well for my job. I wish there was no censorship of my pictures. I have amazing pictures that I cant show. I wish there was no censorship from politics or religion. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 02/02/09 Name: HUMZAH AZOUQA Role/Function: Freelance photographer and graphic designer Discipline or Activity: Visual Arts Background: Graphic Design at Petra University Age: 23 Contact Information: 0776974025; humzah.azouqa@gmail.com - www.lightstalker.org/humzah 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for more than five years since I was 17 or 18 years old. I used to draw comic characters. Then I studied graphic design and started to work in graphic design. I knew I wanted to be a photographer. It was an easy decision to make. My parents were very supportive, but the problem is that people here are not interested. Thats the reason I did graphic design. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? There is no school to study photography here. As you need a degree, I studied graphic design. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I used to do photography for the goodwill campaign run by Princess Basma. Now I do photography and design for commercials, companies and magazines. Im going to start teaching with the IAC. Its volunteer work with Iraqi refugees. Im not a member of any association. I want to stay independent. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it by doing graphic design for commercials. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Somehow I can live, yes. I just opened a caf with my brother, and I rely more on the caf than on my work. The caf is also an art gallery. There are pictures of mine for sale. I think its very difficult here to live from your work. You need a name. People dont appreciate art otherwise. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment. I never use community facilities. I have had exhibitions at Blue Fig and at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. 7. Are the resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its a very small community, and the audience depends on the place you exhibit. If its at Blue Fig, its a young West Amman audience. Im working on my own Website now, and I have links to National Geographic and Life magazines. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan?

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I exhibit in Amman. Im going to Australia soon, and I will also exhibit there. My mother married an Australian, so if I want to live there I can. I want to study photography there and then travel the world to take pictures. Here this dream is not possible. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There should be a good school of photography and people that appreciate photography. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? People are materialistic, so they dont take the time to do or look at the arts. But a positive trend is that I see young people talking about politics through art. I think art is a good way to express sensitive subjects like politics here. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would leave. But Im leaving soon anyway. There should be more schools and more creativity in Jordan. Most of the time what I see is very plain. I wish people would take more creative risks. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 22/02/09 Name: FARIDON ABIDA Role/Function: Full-time visual artist and photographer Discipline or Activity: Visual Art and photography Background: Graphic Design at Yarmouk University Age: 28 Contact Information: 0777410234; www.faridonabida.com - faridon@faridonabida.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was a child, but I started to be really active when I started university because I studied art and graphic design. This opened doors for me to practice photography and painting. Since I was four or five years old I have loved art and nature. My parents used to ask me how I was going to benefit from art. Its not acceptable in our culture to make art a career. But later my parents saw my talent and they pushed me to continue. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Irbid. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I was working in a publishing house, but I quit a month ago to concentrate on my work. I have had several exhibitions, and people have started to call me to give me commissions, so I have decided to concentrate on those and on exhibitions and projects. I have several projects for the Cancer Centre in Amman, and Im also working on a book. Im not a member of an art association. I tried to contact the Photographic Society, but I talked to three people and they told me either that the Society had closed, or that I would not benefit from it, or to contact someone else. So I stopped trying to contact them. I dont think there is a proper association in Jordan, or maybe I have just never heard of it. Here, things depend on contacts. 4. How do you fund your work? When I want to do an exhibition, I approach various companies or banks. I have an agent as well: she approaches people for an offer of sponsorship, and this is how it works. When I work on my art, I pay with my own money. I also sell my work. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I used to live from my art and my job. For a month now, it has been from my art alone, so its a bit early to say if I can manage or not, though I have a good feeling about it. Its very difficult, as not a lot of people appreciate art. We have supporters, but they are not the majority. Its something in the culture, I think. I have travelled a lot and abroad art is more appreciated. We have a small group of people interested in the art scene, but they dont have money to buy art. The rich people are more interested in their companies, or I dont know what. Very few of them buy art. Even the media they cover what interests people, and that is not art. Its getting better, though. Art is becoming more fashionable. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them?

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I have my own studio, and I have never used community facilities, I dont think there are any, actually. Either that or I have never heard of them. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Basically, I rely on my friends and personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is always made up of rich people from West Amman. I always invite Princess Alia alFaysal, so a lot of people come to my openings. I have a lot of people that come from schools and universities. They like my work a lot, and Im very happy about that. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit in Jordan. I know a lot of people, and it has been easy for me to exhibit. We have good galleries here. There are two types of gallery: the ones in Weibdeh are more intellectual, and the others are more I dont know what! I have exhibited at the Zara Centre and the Four Sights Gallery on the 5th Circle. I have never exhibited outside Jordan. I dont know the procedure. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Lets say funds. We also need a proper association, a place you can go to exhibit and talk. I wish we had that, or that there was a festival, something that would allow people to feel more connected to an art scene. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Wherever I go, I see people holding a camera and saying they are photographers. I dont know maybe Facebook has made it fashionable. Being a photographer is fashionable now in Amman, and this is a good thing as society is not used to it. Its still difficult to go into the street with a camera, as people dont accept it or dont like it. The fact that more people are doing it makes it easier for me. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? If I could change something in the arts scene here, it would be to help the artists I see here who are very talented but who dont have money and support to exhibit. I wish things were different and that something could be done to help them because they really deserve it. I wish we could create an event that celebrates art in Jordan, or something like that. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 10/02/09 Name: LINDA KHOURY Role/Function: Director of Dar al-Tasweer and photographer Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: BA in Accounting from Jordan University; photography studies in Beirut; teacher of photography at Al-Quds College Age: 29 Contact Information: 0777861891; linda@darataltasweer.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for almost 10 years. I have liked photography since I was very young: I used to steal a camera from the house I was so excited to learn the magic of photography. I took courses at university here in Jordan in business and accounting, but I had my own dark room at home. After my studies, I decided to go to Lebanon to study photography. When I took this decision it was a relief for me. My family was not really happy about that change, but they let me go to Lebanon anyway. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Lebanon. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im the founder of the Dar al-Tasweer, which started one year ago. I have several personal projects in my head, but I need time. I have been a member of the Photographic Society for one year. I was not very interested in what they are doing at first, but then they contacted me and when I went there I discovered that they had changed the way they worked. So I became a member, and Im a member of their jury. 4. How do you fund your work? Up till now my projects were at university in Beirut, and I still havent had time to do my personal projects. But I know its going to be personal funding, from my own pocket. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, and I know I will never be able to. As a result, I need to work to fund my artwork. Art for me is not something I want to sell. I want to show it and to publish it. I think its difficult everywhere, but here in Jordan and in photography its more difficult. People dont look at photography as an art. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have everything I need except time. I rent or borrow equipment from friends. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Its not as easy as you imagine. It was easy for me because I had contacts and friends that could help me with equipment. Resources otherwise are not always adequate. It depends on the project. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I rely on friends and personal contacts. Photography is new in Jordan, so it needs time to build a network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibited at university during my studies in Beirut. But I never did solo exhibitions, and I know I will need more time before I exhibit. The projects I have in mind are big, and an exhibition is a huge project. Its not about taking pictures and then exhibiting them, though this is what people here actually do. I want to take my time. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need time for my work. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The arts scene in Jordan is young. Its developing and growing, but its still in progress. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want time for my work. I wish I could help people understand the art of photography. I want to change the level of photography in Jordan. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 19/02/09 Name: ZOHRAB MARKARIAN Role/Function: Full-time photographer Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: Photographic Studies, New York Age: 53 Contact Information: 0795522282; salam@zohrab.net 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 35 years. I was a musician at first, and my brother was a photographer. Music is not good for making money, so I wanted to help him and become a photographer as well. My father wasnt very happy about having two sons in photography, but I fought him and became a photographer anyway. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? King Hussein sent me to New York. It was the idea of Queen Alia in 1976. I was their official photographer, and they wanted to send me wherever I wanted to study photography. Two weeks later, she died in a helicopter crash. I was supposed to be in the helicopter as well, but I was sick. After that, when King Hussein found her personal notebooks he wanted to do what she had wanted. So he sent me to New York. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have many projects. I am very ambitious, and I have published nine books up till now. Im about to publish the tenth about the treasures of South Jordan. I also have a magazine about Amman called The Capital, which will appear next month. We want to help the younger generation in Amman, to open their ideas and to support their art and projects. We want to do this magazine to find talent in all the fields of art and to hold exhibitions. I have been a member of the Photographic Society for a couple of months. Before that, I was too busy with His Majesty and my projects. Im busy now too, but I felt my role in the Society would be to find new talent. Before, it had 70-80 members. Since I joined, membership has increased to 150 members. 4. How do you fund your work? I live from photography. Im Armenian. In the past, we were very poor, like refugees. My father came from Turkey to escape the war, and King Abdullah wrote a letter instructing the state to take care of us. Armenians are smart people. We love Jordan. Im an American citizen, but I love Jordan and prefer to live here and want to die here. I love the land and the people. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, but it is tough. In Jordan, photography is not seen as an art, though this is changing. I have worked very hard for years to show people that photography can be an art. I think things are now starting to change. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have always had my own studio.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have a network, but I hope to build one through the magazine. 9. What is your impression of your audience? It is definitely composed of the elite. But when I start the magazine, I want to go to attract other people. I want to discover the talent in the poorer schools and areas. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have had exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Armenia and Tel Aviv. I was also involved in the peace process in 1994. I did a lot of interviews on Israeli TV to talk about peace, love, harmony and brotherhood. It was the dream of King Hussein to see these things coming true. I did an exhibition with an Israeli and a Palestinian. I took pictures of the West Jordan Valley, and I helped my Israeli friend to take photographs in Jordan and the Palestinian photographer to take photographs of Palestine. I feel there is a big difference in appreciation when I exhibit abroad. People appreciate photography more outside Jordan. But we now have a mayor who is himself an artist, and he wants to build a good artistic base in Amman. He wants to construct a theatre and an opera house, all with the blessing of King Abdallah. In Amman, I have exhibited at the Royal Cultural Centre, the municipality and in private galleries. It has been easy for me to find places to exhibit. There are now a lot of beautiful exhibitions happening in Amman, and Im very glad about that. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? My dream is to have an exhibition hall for photography that would be available all the time. There should be a single place dedicated to photographic exhibitions. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Jordan is beautiful, and the land is beautiful. But people still dont appreciate photography. We have to work a lot to change that. Like I said, King Abdallah is doing his best to change things, but he is only one man. He cant change everything alone. We have to help him. The political situation in the region is also very bad. We have to give education to the people. We have to fight against negativity with love and art. Peace love and art go together. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I never had to do more weddings. But I have no choice because weddings are good money. I wish I only did landscapes and nature. I do these things with my heart, but I hate doing weddings. Because Im a member of society, I see negative attitudes and positive attitudes in it. I wish I could bring more love to society and change peoples ideas to bring harmony and brotherhood and to make a more positive atmosphere. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 23/02/09 Name: OQBA FARAJ Role/Function: Full-time photographer Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: Photography in Iraq Age: 35 Contact Information: 0795383938; oqba_faraj@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was in school. I was at an UNRWA school, and there were classes in art and photography. This was where I discovered my passion. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Iraq. There were no possibilities for art studies here in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have my own photography studio. Photography is my job, and I work on art photography in addition for my own interest. I take pictures of nature, animals and birds. I have been a member of the Photographic Society since 2001. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my job. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I dont live from my art pictures. I live from my professional studio work. I think it is almost impossible to live from art photography in Jordan, as there is no culture of photography here. Very few people are interested in buying art photography, though some nature organizations buy pictures of birds and nature. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? Since 2000, I have had my own studio, and before that I also used my own equipment. I have my own camera. I used to work in other photography studios before I opened my own. There are no community facilities for photography here. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have my own network, though sometimes I use Facebook. I have personal contacts from Dar al-Tasweer and from the Photographic Society. However, the latter are not professionals. Photography is a hobby for them. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think the people who go to exhibitions are cultured people and artists. Most of the time, they are middle-class people from West Amman. Its always the same faces. I think other people are not

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interested: either its not in the culture, or its a money problem, I dont know. However, maybe step by step the public will grow. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I work in Amman, though I have exhibited once at Petra University. I would like to hold another exhibition, but its very difficult to exhibit pictures here. Not a lot of people are interested, and you have to pay a lot of money to put on an exhibition. I have a project to show pictures of birds at the Cancer Hospital, but this is a charity project. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? My dream is to put on an exhibition about birds. Its difficult to take photographs of birds in Jordan, as it is an arid country, and there are few of them. Its very complicated to take pictures of people in the streets. You can have a lot of problems, as it is not acceptable here. In some places its even forbidden to have a camera. People dont understand what photography is. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Amman is very divided. There is East Amman and there is West Amman, and they are divided along financial lines. This division affects the art scene in general. In addition, the culture is not openminded: you cant hold exhibitions of nudes, for example, and you have to pay attention to subject matter. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to be a famous bird photographer. I would like to spread photography here. I want to take pictures of poor people to show others whats happening in Jordan and to make people know whats going on around them and maybe give a chance for these poor people for change. I would like photography to be something easily accepted by society. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 01/03/09 Name: HAITHAM AZIZA Role/Function: Printing company Discipline or Activity: Photography Background: Physics, Baghdad Age: 55 Contact Information: 0795535770; info@label/world.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started in 1985 with my first exhibition. My latest exhibition is the fifth that I have held in Amman. I studied photography for printing at first, and then I started to use a camera as a hobby, so I got the idea of putting together both interests. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? This is my fifth exhibition, and it is the first time that I have sold my work. Im a member of the Photographers Society in Iraq, but not in Amman. At the moment I have a project in mind, but I havent announced it yet. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my regular job. Here in the Middle East, people look at photography as being just a job. My idea is to make photography an art. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, photography is new here. People dont consider photography to be an art. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own equipment at the company. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I do not use networks. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I invite a lot of friends to my exhibitions. At the most recent, there were about 250 people at the opening, including the ambassador of Iraq, lots of ex-ministers, and Iraqi artists, poets, writers and painters. There were also a lot of Jordanians, of course. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have held four exhibitions in Iraq and one in Jordan. I then stopped exhibiting and went back to photography alone. Pictures are on a smaller scale in Iraq, and at that time there were no facilities,

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and people couldnt understand my work. Here, things are better, but this is related to the period rather than to the country. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I brought all my equipment from Iraq with me, and I dont use the Jordanian market. I have travelled a lot and have bought equipment from everywhere. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There are very beautiful places in Jordan, but very few people can take artistic pictures. They take photographs as pictures, just freezing the movement. Nobody here thinks about photography as a form of art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want to keep going in the same direction, with the aim of putting photography on a higher level as a form of art. In Arab countries, some people are not used to cameras, and sometimes they even think of them as dangerous. I believe that photographers should try their best to raise photography to an artistic level.

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Date: 02/02/09 Name: DALIA KHASAWNEH Role/Function: Translation, writing and visual art Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Architecture, Jordan Age: 33 Contact Information: 0777881511; dialakhasawnih@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I guess I have been active for 15 years. I always wanted to be an artist. I did painting at school. It was clear I wanted to have a career in art. I started to think more seriously about it afterwards, and I still ask myself why I studied architecture. The only art faculty then was at Yarmouk University, and I was not ready to live there. So, I think architecture was a kind of safe way to do art. But I have never really worked in architecture. It was a hard decision to make. Even now as an adult, every day I think its really hard. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I paint and do installation work. I also organize artist workshops. Im associated with Makan, but Im not employed there. Im active in the organization, and I help with writing the Website and give ideas. Im not a member of an art association because I dont feel the need for it. I have never really thought about it. 4. How do you fund your work? Sometimes I sell paintings when I exhibit. Last time, a cultural resource fund from Egypt funded my project. Its a production fund. The Arab Theatre Fund funded another one earlier. Sometimes I collaborate with Makan, so they give me space. But most of the time I fund my work myself from my writing. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I cant! I think it depends on what kind of art you want to do. If you do painting, maybe sculpture, its easier. But I know very few artists that can live from their work. Its very difficult to live from installation art. It also depends on the style of your work. If its commercial, its easier. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use Makan. Its a very supportive place. I also meet a lot people through Makan. Dar al-Funun is also very accessible. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? I dont think we have enough resources. We dont have enough of anything: funding, markets, research, anything. I think, though, that Makan has been very generous to me.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Makan is the place I use for contacts. The National Gallery also used to organize trips in Jordan for artists. It was a very good initiative, but it stopped. I use my own contacts as well, of course. Im thinking of organizing dinners to gather artists together in Weibdeh. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I feel in general that the audience is positive and ready for different things. And whether they like it or not, they are ready to look at them. I think most of the time artists exercise self-censorship because of their ideas of the audience, but the audience has always proven itself to be unlike what they expect. I did a project last May in Makan for two weeks. Students, older women, men, and lot of people that I didnt know came to see it. However, for sure the audience is not very broad, though it includes all kinds of age groups, with children of 13 to people in their 60s. Yet, art is not accessible to people, and they dont make the effort to cross the street to come to see what it is all about. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have exhibited maybe 10 times at the National Gallery, Dar al-Funun, Makan, the French Cultural Centre, the Zara Gallery and the Royal Cultural Centre. But most of the time the exhibitions have been at Makan. I have also exhibited in Beirut, Liverpool and Tehran. I cant really say if there is a difference because I dont have enough experience abroad. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need more time. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think the fact that there is now Arab funding and Arab residences has influenced the growth of contemporary art in Jordan. For example, installation work doesnt earn money, so in the past, when there was no funding, artists did paintings and art that they could sell. Today, more people use different media, thanks to the new funding. The possibilities offered by residences are also very important and help people grow their ideas and also grow the art scene in Jordan. I think these funds have also helped to fill a gap in collaboration with the other Arab countries. Its very important and interesting to see whats going on next door. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want to have a long time ahead of me as an artist. I think there is something in the air or the water here that causes artists not to take risks. Maybe there is a fear of the government, or about freedom of speech, or money. I want to see artists explore possibilities more and to see more initiative from artists. I think we believe the boundaries are more important than they actually are. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 14/1/09 Name: MOHAMMAD ABU HALTAM Role/Function: Art and handicraft teacher at UNRWA Discipline or Activity: Painter Background: Art at Yarmouk University Age: 33 Contact Information: 0796306917; haltam20@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been interested in art since I was 18 years old. I started with the YMCA as a supervisor of art and handicrafts. In 2000, I decided I wanted to be a painter and decided to study art. It wasnt an easy decision to make. I left my job in Qatar, which was a good one, and I knew it would be hard to work in Jordan, where there is no money for art. However, art is a passion. It was passion that made me decide. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Yarmouk University in Irbid for four years. The classes werent that good, however, as they were all academic and were not designed to foster talent. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have been a teacher at UNRWA since 2006. From time to time, I do freelance work, most of the time in theatre as a set designer. I have worked on 16 plays. I also have a freelance project in graphic design, and Im designing the new Jordanian stamps for 2009. Im not a member of any association. I think artists associations here are just a matter of not paying taxes. They dont do anything professionally, so I refuse to be a member of any associations. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work with my own money that I earn from work and freelance projects. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I dont think its possible to live from your work in Jordan. Perhaps you can if you follow the system, if you work for them and do what they want, or if you just decorate and do not really create. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I sometimes use the Mohtaraf Remal facilities. I have participated in workshops there, and I used to work there from time to time. Now I paint at home, and I buy the materials that I need. I have never held an exhibition. Im not satisfied with my work yet, and I dont think Im ready. I want to complete a certain number of canvases first, and until now I have maybe 10. If I had the chance to exhibit abroad, I would. Its easier: people care there more about art. Here no one cares, so it doesnt make me hurry to exhibit. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? At Mohtaraf Remal the resources are good. They are free, and you can go whenever you want.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? My network is made up of my personal contacts. I dont use the networks of associations. The difference between real artists and these associations is too great. 9. What is your impression of your audience? 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I want to leave Jordan. I have experienced the system here. At Yarmouk University, they gave a scholarship to the first student in theatre to go to London. I was the first. But then they added the name of someone who was not even studying with us and was too old. It was just someone who had the necessary connections. There is no support for the arts, no good organizations, no money and no media to support artists. In Jordan, people dont know what art is. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There is no freedom of expression. You have to follow the system. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want to leave Jordan. I have an opportunity to go to Dubai as an interior designer. There is money there. Maybe I will do it and do something there, or maybe not. I dont know. 14. Additional comments? There is talent in Jordan, and there are artists, but nobody knows and nobody cares.

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Date: 17/01/09 Name: BADER MAHASNEH Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Law Age: 31 Contact Information: 0795940510; badermahasneh@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 2002, when I had my first solo exhibition. But I started to focus on painting when I was 19. I decided I wanted to be a painter. I was obsessed with creativity. I didnt choose painting as much as painting chose me. I wanted to be creative, no matter what the media. But I was good at painting, so I focused on painting. Since my strong point is creativity, I change media as much as possible. I do painting, sculpture and photography. My first contact was with the French Cultural Centre, and then I got further contacts through Makan. It was a hard decision to make. I had a lot of pressure from my family. I studied law and focused on art. My family was worried about my financial situation. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I never studied art. I learned it by myself. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have been working as a satellite aiming to receive ideas. I have participated in many workshops. Some workshops have had artistic goals, some political or social ones. Now Im participating in an art workshop for Gaza. Im not a member of any association. I strongly believe in individuality. I believe I need to stay an individual above all. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work myself. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, I have lived from my work since 2002. I have been quick: with the money from my work I have been able to change my studio for a bigger one. It has been a fast development. I think its easy to live from your work if you are serious and work hard enough. This is not only the case in Jordan. Everywhere is like this. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio and equipment. I dont use community facilities. When I exhibit, I choose a gallery if the gallery hasnt already contacted me. The gallery then organizes everything. In Amman, I do one solo exhibition a year. I could do more, but between 2002 and 2006 I only did four exhibitions. I couldnt exhibit more because the gallery decided my work was too disturbing, so I focused on my work rather than on exhibiting. I dont want to change my style. I want to work harder to convince people that I have a style and that my work is worth showing. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available?

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Each association has its own policy. Some of them fit with my policy, while others dont. But there is enough choice to find one that fits with your needs. Things are growing well in Amman. There is more and more creativity, and there are more collectors, galleries and museums. Things are becoming more flexible. People are more open to different kinds of art, and they are more able to talk about it. The general mentality is always ready to reject difference, as difference is always problematic, but there has been improvement. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Im building my own Website, but each gallery that has shown my work also has a Website. This is how I have built my network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The public is very diverse. Very different people appreciate my work. I meet lots of different people, and they all have their own point of view on my work. There is a difference, though, between the people from the villages and the people from the capital. Generally, the people from the villages only know traditional art. In the capital, people have a more open view about art. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit most in Amman in commercial galleries. Its the logical way to show my work. I also exhibit abroad in group exhibitions, and I have done so in Dubai, Yemen, Syria, Thailand and Sweden. There is a difference in culture and in the public, though I dont see specific differences. However, in Dubai I sold a painting for US$15,000, while in Jordan the most expensive painting I ever sold was 2,000 JD. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need models for photography that will pose naked. Its difficult to find here, of course. Otherwise, I just need to work. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I chose what I want, and I reject what I dont want. I cant criticize Jordan because for me things are going very well. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to have a large studio in an industrial city with lots of assistants and I would like to be able to use nude models. I dont see what could change in Jordan in general. I think the arts are developing and growing. However, we should change the general mentality towards culture, but this is a broad subject and a worldwide issue. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 25/02/09 Name: SABA INNAB Role/Function: Freelance architect and visual artist Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Architecture in Jordan Age: 28 Contact Information: 0796650040; sabainnab@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 2001 as a professional, when I held my first solo exhibition. My interest started very early when I was a child. I met the director of the French Cultural Centre, and he liked my work and asked me to show it. I couldnt think that was even possible until then, but that is how it happened. I never felt I wanted to study visual art. I realized in high school that architecture was very much related to self-expression and politics. Architecture was a way for me to express what I do in visual art: its just another medium and a very powerful one. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a freelancer, and I do competitions. I worked in post-war reconstruction after the war in Lebanon. I like to work in social construction projects. Im not a member of any art association. I dont know if there is a reason, but Im not. Im working on the visual mapping of the city at the moment, as I try to combine visual art and architecture. 4. How do you fund your work? That is actually one of the greatest challenges. I try to be independent, and in the past my job funded my artistic work. Now, art is a freelance job for me, and things have become slower. Financially, Im not secure, and I work slowly. There are funds, like the Arab Fund for Art and Culture, and these are very good. But you sometimes need more then that. You need time and not to worry about funding, applications and deadlines. My mind doesnt work like that, filling in forms with projects and ideas. However, I am starting to do so. I quit my job seven months ago, and I am trying to work as an independent. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Not yet, as I spend every penny of what I have already, but I think its easier in Jordan then in other places. There are fewer of us. If you generalize, you could say that there are two camps of artists, each of which has its own policies. Im somewhere in between. Some artists are very interested in what is happening internationally, like the biennales. They care about art, and they are more experimental. On the other side, there are other artists who are interested in commercial art, and these are less intellectual and less into research and experiment. But everything is tricky, and there is no black or white. The competition is less for me as Im in between; I dont want to be part of one side or the other. I think its the right time to be an artist in Jordan. More institutions and more people are getting more and more interested in whats happening here, though Im not sure we are ready for it.

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We have huge potential: the problem is that we dont have a system and everything comes down to individuals working alone. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio and equipment. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I subscribe to many networks, like the Triangle Art Association and the Aga Khan Foundation. These are regional and international networks. Im also in contact with networks in Egypt and Lebanon. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Generally, its always the same crowd and the same faces. The audience is made up of intellectuals and artists from West Amman. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have exhibited more outside Jordan. Im not a big fan of the galleries we have here. I exhibited in an old place in downtown in 2002, which was great and different people came. Otherwise, spaces are very bad, with very poor architecture and quality of space. There is also a lot of politics when you exhibit, and lots of galleries are commercial. I dont want to be part of the politics. I like Dar alFunun and the Zara Centre, though the latter is in a bad context as it is in a commercial complex. We need more spaces to exhibit in. I have had shows in the US, Cairo and Damascus and Aleppo. Its hard to say what the differences were. I also participated in a workshop organized by Makan in Shatana in North Jordan for two weeks. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Activity: Amman should be more active. We lack freedom of expression and a diverse way of thinking. A few people are taking the lead in changing things, but we lack tolerance of difference and change. We lack diversity. Even the people who try to be unconventional are doing it in the most conventional way. This all equals dull. And its difficult to define my own ideas or way of belonging here. Its a love-hate relationship I have with the city. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? For me, its very challenging to be here. Its so insignificant; its not on the map; its slow, quiet and dull. Things are superficial and forced and not real. We have a problem of freedom. Freedom is practice, not only theory. Its a double-standard society, supposedly democratic, but actually very tribal. Sometimes its very tempting to live in another country, but where? Amman should be more interesting with all this complication and issues of self-definition, etc., but its just not. I dont know why. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would leave Amman. I need mobility. I dont want obligations to anything. I think its almost the same everywhere, but I think we are very new on the art scene. I would like to have less gossip and less criticism, which waste energy. If everybody could just let everybody else be People judging others without any real awareness is very annoying here. There is no constructive criticism, and there is a lot of ignorance. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 01/03/09 Name: HANI ALQAM Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: No studies Age: 32 Contact Information: 0777881511; alqamart@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1999. It was not easy at all, but I had to go through with it. Art is not an easy career to have in this society, and artists have a bad reputation. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I used to go to Dar al-Funun to attend courses and workshops. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on a project on undercover painting. I used to be a member of the art association, but I quit four years ago because I wanted to be more free. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund things from my work. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, I have lived from my work for three years. Its difficult, though not only in Jordan. I think it is difficult everywhere. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I only use my own studio. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have no network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its a mixed group of people from different backgrounds. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? In Jordan, I have exhibited at Dar al-Funun and various galleries, though only in Amman. I have never exhibited outside Amman in other Jordanian cities. I havent had the chance yet. I have exhibited in Holland, England, the US, Germany and other countries. I dont see any real differences. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I have everything I need here.

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12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think that politics affects the art scene in a good way. I think it makes it more creative. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? There is nothing I would change. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 09/02/09 Name: HILDA HIARY Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Political Science and Sociology, Jordan University; BA in Fine Art and Printing, Jordan Age: 40 Contact Information: 0777838030; hilda@hildahiary.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since the beginning of the 1990s. I started to exhibit in 1987 at university, but I wasnt professional at that time and was still a student. I dont remember a time in my life that I wasnt painting, though it hasnt been easy. There was no Faculty of Art when I was a student, and my parents didnt want me to study art. They were ok with the idea as a hobby, but not as a field of study. I went to Yarmouk University to register in the arts faculty, but the next day my father went and changed my registration, and then I read in the newspaper that I was registered in language and literature. I decided to re-register in politics and sociology, because I thought this would help me as these subjects are related to my work. After that, I decided to register in fine art because other artists had commented that I had never studied art. So I did, but I didnt believe in it. I was already professional, and the classes were very academic. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I do abstract painting. I have used the same style since 2008, but I have changed themes. I have been a member of the Syndicate since the late 1990s. I used to be on the board, but I am not now. I dont understand the purpose of the Syndicate, which is in any case very weak. However, I started out there, and they gave me opportunities, so I have remained a member. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work myself. Its really hard. The municipality and the government give funding sometimes, and though they try their best its not enough. I was invited to the Venice Biennale to represent Jordan. I went to the royal court to ask for sponsorship, but no one there understood the idea of the Biennale. So I had to apologize and refuse the invitation: my country didnt understand what it was about. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, but its very hard. I think its difficult everywhere. For me, the first 10 years were the most difficult. After that, I began to see results, and today I can sell my work. I sell mostly outside of Jordan, for example in Dubai, where there is good business. I sell in Jordan, but there are very few collectors here. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio and material.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I am not really a member of a network. We are a small group of artists in Jordan, and we all know each other and share information. 9. What is your impression of your audience? My public in Jordan is not all from Jordan. There are still lots of people who do not understand abstract art. Even rich people are more interested in expensive brands than in art. Art is not taken seriously. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have exhibited in almost all the galleries in Jordan. The main gallery in which I exhibit is the AlAnda. Im trying now to stick with one gallery. The galleries here are mostly commercial, which is a problem for my video installations as these do not sell. I have exhibited in Italy, Germany, the UK, Croatia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Mexico and the Gulf. I have also been shown in Thailand, Japan and China. I receive a lot of invitations from India. With the Internet, everything is possible. But I have no idea about the galleries in India, so I am not in a hurry to accept. I do five exhibitions a year, no more. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Im doing fine, but I think lots of artists need support. However, I blame the artists that are asking for support for being lazy. I built myself up with no support, just relying on my work. Their problem is that they keep complaining. I agree, however, that there is a need for support, as up to now we have not seen the development of Jordanian art. We need funds and support in order to build a solidly grounded Jordanian art. There are a few individuals, but there is no Jordanian art. If I were in the government, I would change everything and work to construct Jordanian art, not just support a few names. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Everything: politics, society, the country as a whole. For me, Jordan is the best place to be an artist. Its a charming country. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I hadnt changed the title of my last video art piece. I had to change the title because society didnt accept it. There is still pressure from the government and society. I wish I could change the political situation in the Middle East as well, since this affects everything and not just art. I think that if the situation were different, art in the Middle East would be different. At the moment, its as if we were taking drugs in front of the television. I have almost given up painting since the war on Gaza started. If it hadnt happened, maybe I would have painted 10 more paintings. If I could change one thing about art itself in Jordan, I would change the domination of commercial art. There are still no strong art projects in Jordan. Here, artists do nice paintings, put them in nice frames and sell them. There is still no project just for the sake of art. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 09/02/09 Name: ISSAM TANTAWI Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: No studies Age: 54 Contact Information: 0795089488; issam@issamtantawi.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started painting and drawing when I was in school. I have worked hard all my life in art and have been a painter for more than 30 years. I had no choice: it was my passion and my talent. It was not easy in this country to become an artist at that time, and there were no art colleges. All the artists studied outside Jordan. However, I come from a poor family, and I couldnt study outside. So, I worked hard, read a lot about art, and learned by myself. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have an exhibition next May in Amman. I work all the time. Maybe this year I will go to Switzerland. The embassy has invited me. I was a member of the art association, but I left. I like to work alone and be independent. I work at night and sleep during the day, so I cant attend meetings. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it myself. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, but it has taken me some time. I used to work for an advertising company. Now Im ok just living from my work, but its not stable, and it is still difficult. At the beginning of my career, most of my income was from my job in advertising. However, for the past 10 years I have just lived from my work. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio and my own gallery. 25 years ago, I worked in Saudi Arabia, and I had a studio there too. I did photography for the royal family. I used to earn a lot of money, which I then spent in Europe. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have a lot of contacts from my Website. They are personal contacts that I have found myself. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is mostly upper-class people, such as diplomats and foreigners who come to buy my work. Half of the audience is not Jordanian. When I say upper class, I dont mean knowledge or

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education necessarily, as money is also important. My prices are not low. My pictures are quite expensive, so not everybody can afford to buy them. Its a problem, but what can I do? I have to live from my work. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have exhibited in Jordan a lot, both in my own gallery and in others. I hold an exhibition every other year. There are not a lot of galleries in Jordan, so you have to reserve in advance. I was in Germany for the last two years, and I have participated in group exhibitions in Spain, Belgium and the Arab countries. In Jordan, not a lot of people are interested in art. Only a few people from the upper class buy art, and even they prefer to spend their money on cars. So its difficult to sell here. I think most of the artists in Jordan look to the West, not to the East. As a result, most of them exhibit in Europe and America. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I think we have everything here. Im very satisfied with my situation. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Religion is becoming more and more important, and it affects the art scene. I did nude paintings a long time ago, and I cant show them. Even figurative painting is sometimes prohibited by religious people. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I dont want to change my style. I do what I want, not what people want. Most people dont like my work. They want to understand it, and they dont, so they ask me. For me, these are stupid questions: you dont have to understand; you have to feel. People here think Im very modern, but when I go to Europe I feel very old-fashioned. My daughter is at a school very close to the National Museum at the moment, but she has never been taken to visit the Museum. There is no audience as a result: nobody visits museums or galleries. I would love to travel more. I learn a lot from other cultures and peoples. Its important for me. I wish the media here would give more space to culture and art. No Arab TV station gives even an hour for painting and the arts. An artist here is considered a crazy, lonely person. People dont believe in artists, even in my own family! My mother thought she had lost her son because he had become an artist. Now they believe in my art because I make money from it! I think its important that the ministry of culture tries to put Jordanian art in its proper place. We need to focus more on Jordanian culture, including music, literature and painting. I know a lot of artists that have stopped working because they had to find paying jobs to feed their children. We have lost many talents because of that. I think its difficult everywhere, but here its very difficult. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 11/02/09 Name: MOHAMMAD JALOUS Role/Function: Visual artist and consultant for the Amman Cairo Bank Gallery Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Business Administration, Jordan University Institute of Fine Art Age: 60 Contact Information: 079555907; aaljaloos@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1980, when I held my first group exhibition. My first one-man show was in 1981, which was when I started to take art seriously. I started to exhibit outside Jordan in 1983. I was born in a Palestinian refugee camp. All the schools there belonged to UNRWA, and they gave a good amount of time to artistic instruction. As a result, I was already an art fan at seven years old. I started to think I wanted to be an artist when I was older. At 10 years old, people in the school had started to call me the artist. I was talented, and it gave me confidence. At Jordan University, I used to go to the art studio after class. I knew I didnt want to be a businessman, and I started to devote all my time to art. After my first exhibition, I was sure I wanted to be an artist. At that time, society did not consider art to be a serious career. But I was safe as I had a degree in business. I started to work in a bank, but after a few years I realized it was not my thing. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied fine art at Jordan University. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a full-time painter, and I have had a lot of exhibitions in Jordan and abroad. I have also worked as a teacher of small children, and I was also a teacher at Philadelphia University in the graphic design section. I stopped teaching one year ago, and now Im a curator for the CAB Art Gallery (Cairo Amman Bank). I have been a member of the Plastic Art Association since 1985. In 2003, I was president. 4. How do you fund your work? I had a job as a teacher and graphic designer, and now as the curator of an art gallery, and I fund my work from that. I feel free as a result, and I dont feel financial pressures. I also manage to sell my work to collectors, companies, the royal palace and embassies. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I can live partly, but not completely, from my work. I think its very difficult. I did so for a few years, which was fine, but you are never secure. Its not a stable income, and you live in constant insecurity, and so I decided to stop and to work outside as well. I think some artists can live from their work alone, but its difficult in Jordan because there are very few collectors. They are doctors and businessmen in the main and members of the middle and upper classes buy art. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have everything I need in my studio. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available?

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have good contacts with artists all over the world through the Internet and via their Websites. I also use Facebook, so I can contact any artist in the world easily. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Art in general is something for cultured people. It is not for everybody. I cant show my work in a small village because it would be strange for the villagers. Its not a question of money or education, though, as some rich people are not cultured, and I myself come from a refugee camp. Art is something for cultured people, whether they are from East or West Amman. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit the most in Amman. I have also exhibited in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Syria, Kuwait, Morocco, Egypt, France, Spain, the UK, the United States, Ukraine and China. Its good to exhibit abroad, but I get more satisfaction when I exhibit in Jordan. I sell the most in Jordan, where I am among my own people. I think its hard for an artist to establish himself outside his own country. My local exhibitions give me the most pleasure. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need democracy and freedom. I need to do what I want to do in my work. However, there are strict rules here that operate against artists, though in Jordan society is liberal, and we are not under pressure from the government telling us what to do or what not to do. This is not the case in some other regional countries, where artists cannot do figurative art. Yet, artists need more support. For example, we need more models. Its hard to find models in Jordan. They are available, but not easily and not officially. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Art is influenced by everything in society people, religion, everything. The art scene in Jordan is very young, which is why I think we are trying as artists to create something. Even though we are a small and young country, we have artists that have won important prizes. So I think we have a promising art movement. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could be a full-time artist. I wish I could help other artists and help to found associations, or something, to support artists. The idea would be to help their projects and to allow artists to think only about creativity and nothing else. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 26/02/09 Name: AZIZ AMMOORA Role/Function: Teacher of painting and drawing at Jordan University Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Fine Art Baghdad, Iraq; Fine Art at the Pratt Institute, New York Age: 64 Contact Information: 0777223317; ammoura44@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been involved in art since I was a child, and I started as a professional in 1966. I was influenced by my uncle who is a painter too and lives in Damascus. It was an easy decision for me to take, as people encouraged me a lot even though my family wasnt that happy. It was difficult for them to accept that I should study art. This is related to social pressures: even today 99% of the students in my classes at university are women. According to the Jordanian mentality, men should have a career in business, and as a result very few men study art. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? There was no art college in Jordan at the time, so I went to Baghdad. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I teach at university, and I give private classes in drawing and painting. Im a member of the Plastic Art Association and was one of its founders in 1972. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my teaching and from selling my work. The salaries at university are very low, and you cannot live from those alone. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, I think its possible if you are a good artist, which means that you work a lot, are very active, and are good at what you do. People now are more educated, partly because in the 1970s groups of artists started to educate the public about art. I know people in Abdoun, for example. We educated them, and they became collectors. In the 1970s, there was nothing in Jordan related to art no galleries and no associations. We started these, and now people buy art. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont use the Internet at all. I have my own personal contacts, and I use the network of the Dar alFunun. 9. What is your impression of your audience?

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A certain kind of person goes to exhibitions, mainly people who know you and who appreciate art. The audience comes from different backgrounds and classes, but generally even at exhibitions most of the public is made up of women. Im happy about that because women are the ones who are going to change society. Women educate their children and look after their houses, and children are the next generation. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I like to exhibit at the Dar al-Funun or the National Gallery. I dont like to exhibit in galleries. Generally the owners are only interested in business, and there is a lack of appreciation. No gallery has high standards. People usually ask me to exhibit, so I dont have to go to them. I have exhibited a few times in Irbid and outside Jordan in Europe, China and the Arab countries. My work is also in collections in a lot of other countries, including Japan and China. In the 1980s, foreign cultural centres were also very active in Jordan, such as the Goethe Institute. Until the 1980s, my work was figurative, and after that I started to combine figures with calligraphy. My work is abstract now, but even in foreign countries, where they dont understand the calligraphy, my work is appreciated. Sometimes, I cant exhibit here in Jordan because I use nude models. This problem is not important, however, as an artist can develop his skills without using nude models. Appreciation is better outside Jordan, but the developments since the 1970s have been huge. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Everything we need is available here. Products are less expensive than abroad, though they are still expensive. Not everybody can afford them. At university, most students come from rich families as the fees are very high. Its only a certain class of Jordanian that can afford to study art, though there are exceptions as families make sacrifices to pay their childrens fees. We try to help these students as much as we can. I explain to them how they can mix colours and stretch canvases by themselves, for example, instead of buying them. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The Internet has opened up the world, and there are now possibilities to know and interact with other artists worldwide, as well as with other tendencies and styles. This has affected art in a good way. Art is a universal language, and art in Jordan has become more hybrid and more able to interact with other artists and traditions. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wouldnt change anything. I am very happy. I would like to see good art flourish everywhere in the world, as peace and art make people more human and civilized. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 15/03/09 Name: MUHANNA DURRA Role/Function: Full-time painter Discipline or Activity: Visual arts Background: Art studies in Italy Age: 70 Contact Information: 0795642916; durra@nol.com.jo 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started even before 1948. For my family it was not easy, but I was very determined to make art my career. When I graduated in 1958, I came back to Jordan and started to teach art history. One day, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper for an Italian speaker at the Jordanian embassy in Italy. So, I became a diplomat, though this was always a hobby, whereas painting is my profession. My father was an educated man and an educator, but even he thought I would end up poor, like my former Russian teacher. Our society is a verbal society, and speech is part of our culture. Because of the beauty of the language, we give great value to poetry and literature. This means that we are less visual as a culture, and we dont have visual awareness. When Jordan was formed, we looked to Europe as an example, and as a result we lost cultural values or examples we could attach ourselves to. Politics took up a lot of energy, leaving less energy for other aspects of life, such as humanistic education. If man is the product of the environment, then our present environment is definitely not helpful for a persons artistic development. Someone born in Rome can use the city around him as part of his education, which is not the case in Amman. Taste is taught through education, and art is a basic spiritual need linked to morals and values. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied art in Italy. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I set up the Institute of Fine Art in the 1970s, which is run by the state. There was nothing here before that: Amman was a cultural desert. I had to be both a painter and an advocate, telling everybody I met that art was important. I used to be the head of the Plastic Art Association, but I am not anymore. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my painting. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, I can live well from my art. In general, this is hard to do anywhere. You have to work hard to make a name beyond the boundaries of your country. Maybe it helped a lot that I had paintings in the collections of the royal families in Europe. When I started out as a painter, we had nothing in Jordan, and it was a real struggle. We had to teach the public how to look at art. People wanted to read it like they would read a book: and even now they cant take art just as visual expression. This has been the most difficult thing, though there have been slow improvements. People here follow fashion more than they follow art, but things are much better than they were. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use mostly personal contacts, but I also work very hard. Im at home most of the time, so I have not been able to take advantage of many contacts and networks. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Many people come to my exhibitions, and at my last exhibition all the paintings were sold before the opening. However, I think many people buy art for snobbish reasons. However, there have been improvements, and exposure is bigger. All kinds of people come, and the interested public is increasing. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit in Amman, and my important work is sold abroad. Of course, there are differences between Jordan and abroad. Feedback in particular is very important, as some critics can teach you something. Here, on the other hand, I dont understand a word of what the critics write. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I would say critics, and we also lack professionalism in terms of galleries. These should be able to put you in contact with other galleries elsewhere, and they should promote young artists. In general, we lack understanding of art and painting. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? You cannot put on an exhibition of nudes. I think an artist has to impose himself through hard work, while at the same time respecting the public. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would try to protect the public from ugly buildings and monuments, a form of visual terrorism, since terrorism is a fashionable word at the moment. We need more visually sophisticated people. We need a law to forbid the ugly monuments that they impose on us. There should be some kind of law, or committee, or council, that would license a building before it was built. But I dont know where we could find the necessary people: we should start with children and at the ministry of education, helping them to understand that art is not a luxury but a necessity. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 28/01/09 Name: ALA YOUNES Role/Function: Acting Director of the Dar al-Funun Discipline or Activity: Visual art Background: BA in Architecture, Jordan Age: 34 Contact Information: 0796699222; alayounis@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 2003, when I held my first solo exhibition. I started to be interested in painting during my architectural studies. The first three years of my work was part of a transition from architecture to visual art. I started to paint landscapes, and I wanted to be an artist and have a career in art, but it was difficult. When you first decide to put your work on public display, it is also very frightening. It was the reaction of the public that frightened me. However, when I held my first exhibition, which was a very good one, I had a positive response, and this gave me a strong impetus. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work at the Dar al-Funun, and this is a good opportunity to work in the artistic field, though I try my best not to mix my work with my own art. My work as an artist is to research meanings and relationships, the links that exist behind an idea, and to put these things into my work. I look at what affects society, and I like to work on small personal objects or ideas and to link these with my surroundings. I used to be a member of the Plastic Art Association, but I left to work alone. We were promised a new and better organization, but this never happened. The Association helped me at the beginning, and I did group exhibitions with them. But after a while, it was better for me to work alone and not to be a member of an association. The idea was to stay independent. In Jordan, it is not very important to be a member of an association, as it brings few benefits. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it myself. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, while I have sold some paintings, I use my job to support my expression as an artist. I think its difficult to live from your work, and very few artists are able to live from their work in Jordan. I hope to take a month off from work, which will allow me to work more on my work. Otherwise, I think its difficult in every country. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I havent used any community resources yet, as thus far I havent needed to. I have my own computer and camera. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I use personal contacts. The network of the Dar al-Fanun also helps me to meet artists. Its a permanent resource. 9. What is your impression of your audience? My work is done in such a way that everyone can understand it. Ordinary people can understand it, feel it and get a message from it. Other people, who are more educated or intellectual, will maybe get a deeper message from it. As I said, I like to explore the links and meanings behind ideas. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? There are no special places in which I exhibit. Most of the time, I exhibit in Amman, but I have also exhibited in Cairo, London, Marseilles, Bangladesh and Iran. It has been a kind of balance between Amman and outside Amman. The difference is a cultural one. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We dont have enough understanding or interest in what we are doing in Jordan. There are not enough critics, whether positive or negative. We need other people to take more of an interest in us. If I had time to meet and work with other artists from the region, it would be a source of great enrichment for me. We should also have more cooperation between artists and art institutions. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Amman has a quiet art scene, and people are not really interested in art. There is also a lack of collaboration between artists. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? We need a real artistic community in Amman. This would help us to collaborate and to work better, and it would encourage people to come to see our work and be more interested in art. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 24/02/09 Name: ALI AMER Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Painting Background: BA in Painting from Jordan University; BA in Accountancy and Economics, Jordan; Academy of Fine Art, Kiev Age: 32 Contact Information: 0777100148; al6791@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1998. I have always painted and drawn, and I went to the Academy of Fine Art to improve my skills. I wanted to go to Russia to study art, but I had problems that prevented me, so instead I had to study here. As it was my parents who were paying, I had to study economics. Only Yarmouk University offered fine art as a course of study at the time, and as the level there was low, I didnt want to go there. When I finished my first degree, there was a new department of fine arts at Jordan University, so I decided to take a second degree in art. It wasnt easy, of course. My family didnt like the idea, but they couldnt do anything about it: I studied my second degree by myself and paid for it myself. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have had several jobs in companies as an illustrator. I also used to teach at the university and galleries and to give private lessons. Now, Im a full-time visual artist. I have been a member of the Plastic Art Association since 1998. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it from selling my work. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, but its hard. You have to be very active and very good at what you do. I think its the same all over the world. Art is an unstable job, and there are a lot of risks. Some people prefer stability. Our society is not that interested in art either. You see the same group of people at all the exhibitions. This narrow group is not expanding; in fact, the opposite is the case. Art is not part of our culture: modern art came to us from Europe and other societies, and it is still foreign to many people. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own supplies. As a painter, one doesnt need much, unlike in other kinds of art where you need machines. I dont use community facilities. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have a network. Im planning to set one up in the future, but for now I use personal contacts.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up, first, of friends, and then of collectors and well-known people and other artists. Its a very small group, and its members have money and come from West Amman. There are also critics and journalists, and if the media covers an exhibition, the audience will be larger and more diverse. The media play a big role, as most people would not know about exhibitions otherwise. If you invite someone famous, or someone from the royal family, you will have a crowd of people coming, though mostly to see the invitee, not the art. This makes the occasion more like a social event. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit in Jordan. Im trying to do so abroad as well, but up to now I have exhibited mainly in Amman because the audience is here in the capital. I have exhibited in all the galleries, I think, but not as an individual. Its not easy to exhibit as galleries are booked one or two years in advance. They try to combine the galleries here with heritage issues, so the galleries are often housed in old buildings that are not suitable for exhibitions. Generally, the galleries take 30% as a commission. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need an atmosphere that fosters art, ideas and freedom of expression. At the moment, there are too few differences among artists: it is difficult to find diverse art and to enrich your views and inspiration. There is nothing here from which you can gain new ideas or get inspiration. The art scene is closed and small, more like a private group that makes or enjoys art than a real movement. Each institution or gallery has its own policies and favoured group of artists, something like a mafia. There are lots of small groups warring against each other. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There is an abstract trend, possibly because abstract art is easier and faster in technique and style. You can sell your work more easily if you are an abstract artist, meaning that you are more of a businessman than an artist. A lot of abstract artists cant draw very well, so for them abstraction is the best option. Im trying to separate real art from other things: video art is trendy, but for me its not as important as painting. My own style is somewhere between realism and surrealism. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to change the institutions here that have a direct involvement in art. I would like them to stop supporting specific trends in art and ignoring the rest. I would like to see them accept all trends and schools of art. I would also like to change the mentality of the society, to enrich it and to make it more educated. People should be educated in art from childhood onwards, and I would like to see more art classes in schools. At the moment, there is no art education, and this affects adult appreciation of art. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 26/03/09 Name: MAZEN ASFOUR Role/Function: Professor at Jordan University, art critic and writer Discipline or Activity: Art criticism Background: Studied Art History in Italy and Jordan and Mass Communication in Italy Age: 56 Contact Information: 0795728127; mazen_asfour@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I took my first diploma in 1972. My uncle, a dramatist at Amman radio, influenced me. He was always writing novels and stories, and I started as a critic on the Jordan Times. It was an easy decision to make, because we didnt have art criticism here at the time. I went to Italy on a scholarship from the Italian embassy, and while there I acted as a correspondent for the newspaper. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied art in Italy. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? When I returned to Jordan, I founded the first faculty of art in Amman, of which I am now vicepresident. I specialize in Mediterranean art. Im also one of the founders of the Plastic Art Association, but its not a serious organisation, being more of a place for people to meet. I am a member of the European Association of Artists. 4. How do you fund your work? During the first 20 years of my life, I was supported by the government, which paid for my work and studies. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Jordan is a small country, and if the artist is good I think he can make it. The academic culture of art is important here, and you have to know how to communicate, how to be open-minded and how to foster relationships. If you are able to do these things, you can succeed. As a researcher, I was also mobile, and I was the first director of the National Gallery and then a professor. Im an anti-conformist, and I learned a great deal through my studies in Italy. Im not only a painter. Im also a critic, which is a very different thing. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We have many spaces and galleries, together with academies and associations. The problem is not one of facilities. Rather, it has to do with the number of talented artists. We have maybe 20 real artists. I use community facilities when I need them. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They are very various: you can find good places and bad places. It depends. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I believe in direct contact with art and with people. I dont have a network.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? Its a mix of culture consumers, especially middle-class people who want entertainment, and business people. Naturally, there is another element that is missing, namely artists who are neither bourgeois, nor commercial. But these people have problems of financial support. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I publish in international papers and magazines. This week, I am going to Qatar for a conference. Since 1972, I have published 14,000 articles, and I write a column in the Jordan Times in Arabic. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There are three fundamental things that artists in Jordan need to solve. First, there is the problem of woman, as well as womens social and cultural role. In art history, women have always been a stimulus for creativity, but here they are seen in sexual terms. How can someone be creative, when his mind is full of sex? Second, there is the problem of dualism, which sees things in diametrically opposed terms. This is also disastrous for art, which needs to see intermediate qualities. Third, there is the problem of a society that is based on script and that follows rules set down in written form. We need doubt and creativity instead. We need civil rights, and we need the right to doubt. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? What I said above of course affects the art scene in a bad way. People want to see narrative in art; they want art to tell a story. They want to know what to see, and not how to see. They want text. They dont think about the intrinsic qualities of art. In general, ours is a society that is too influenced by American mass culture. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? The visual is not emphasised enough. Our society should not import its art crisis from Europe. We have just started, whereas in Europe art is coming to an end. In the East, we are still waiting for Modernism, and now we are waiting for the end to come. The current crisis in art is not our crisis. The cultural scene in Jordan should realize that Mediterranean culture is full of creativity, and this has not yet been exploited to the full. 14. Additional comments?

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Sculpture
Date: 25/01/09 Name: ANEES MAANI Role/Function: Full-time sculptor Discipline or Activity: Sculpture Background: Architecture studies in Russia Age: 35 Contact Information: 0777907324; anees@go2petra.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since 1996. I started to sculpt when I was in Russia. I studied architecture there, and there were classes in sculpture using clay. When I came back to Jordan, I studied as an apprentice for two years with a professional sculptor. It was an easy decision to make, as it was what I wanted to do. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied here in Jordan with a sculptor. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work in films and commercials as a props maker. And I sculpt. I used to be a member of the Jordan Visual Artists Association, but I quit because it was not useful to me. The Association meets every two years to elect a new director, and thats it. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from other jobs, like in films, and from the necklaces I made for Go2Petra. I have also written a book on nature in Jordan. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I think its very difficult everywhere, maybe especially in Jordan, and especially in sculpture. In other countries, you can get commissions from the government for sculpture in public spaces or in architectural settings. Here, sculptures in public spaces are made for free. I have two sculptures in the gardens in front of the National Gallery, for example. There is no proper committee to decide on public commissions. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? We dont have community facilities for sculpture in Jordan. I have had one solo exhibition at the Zara Centre. Other than that, I have exhibited in commercial galleries. There is no public sculpture studio. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Galleries are expensive to hire, and they are not really accessible or available, especially for solo exhibitions. I held my first one last October, which took me 10 years to prepare for. If I want to hold another one, it will take me another 10 years. However, the quality of the resources is very good. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have my own personal contacts, plus people I know from Makan and the National Gallery.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? My style is accessible to everyone, from children to old people and from Bedouin to foreigners. Everyone likes my work. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have exhibited in Malaysia. Soon, I will participate in an exhibition in Sweden. I exhibit very rarely, and in Jordan it has always been in Amman. However, I have also participated in workshops outside Amman in Petra, Main, Karak and Ajloun, and in Scotland. Apart from Amman, other Jordanian cities have very limited cultural scenes. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? A public studio for sculpture is really needed. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I think immigrants from the region have affected the cultural scene in Jordan. They have made Jordan a meeting point and a country that is more open than the other Arab countries. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I lost my drill yesterday, and today I need a new one... In Jordan, the ministry of culture doesnt do anything, and it should. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 08/02/09 Name: KERRAM NIMRI Role/Function: Sculpture teacher at Jordan University and Vice-Dean of the College of Art and Design, Jordan University Discipline or Activity: Sculpture Background: BA in Sculpture, Damascus; sculpture courses in Italy; MA in Sculpture from South California; PhD from Ohio Age: Contact Information: 0796896407; keramnimri@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since sixth grade, and it is as if I have sculpted all my life. I remember I did a painting that won a prize at school, and since then I have wanted to be an artist. I borrowed a lot of books about art and sculpture when I was young, but art was not recognized as a career by society and it was just a hobby for me. I had to struggle with my family, which was not easy. However, finally I went to Damascus to study art. Being a sculptor in a conservative society is not easy, as people may think that sculpting is connected with making idols. As a result, I have had to try to convince people that sculpting is not related to idols, but that it is related to the identity of society. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Damascus, Italy and the US. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I have my own studio, and Im a teacher at Jordan University, where I was the founder of the sculpture department. I have been teaching since 2002, and before that I taught part-time in the architecture department. Im a member of the Syndicate and in fact am one of the founders. It was founded in 1973: I had gone to represent Jordan at the Arab Artistic League in Kuwait, and they wanted each Arab country to form a corresponding organization. At that time, we wanted to bring all fields of art together into one organization, including music, theatre and the visual arts. It was difficult to get authorization, and we had a struggle with the intelligence services, but finally it received authorization. Now that I have grown older, I have surrendered my place to the younger generations. 4. How do you fund your work? Sculpture is different from the other arts in that you need a studio. Sculpting is also a public art, and it needs to be funded by the ministry or the municipality. It has to be publicly funded, and it is very hard to find funds. However, I was fortunate in two respects: the first was in my Manuscript Sculpture at Jordan University, which was funded by the municipality it wanted a sculpture for the front of the University, and my piece represents the Holy Quran. The concept and technique are inspired by the Holy Quran, and I wanted to show that sculpture is not religiously prohibited. Of course, some orthodox believers are still against sculpture, but I feel happy when I see people praying near this piece. The other piece of luck I had was with my work in front of Karak Castle, which is associated with Salah al-Din. In general, when I have a project in mind I have to convince others and to find supporters. At the moment, I have a wonderful idea for a sculpture representing the conflict between globalization and local culture and identity. I hope one day I will be able to find the funds to make this piece.

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5. Can you live from your art? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I believe that artists are the spokespeople of their society, as well as being part of society. The destruction of cultural heritage in our region makes me sad, and I have the feeling that I need to make myself heard as I feel I have an obligation towards society. However, society doesnt understand the power of images, and we are living in a society of words. Yet, as artists, we are image-makers. I cant live from my work, and I live from my salary as a teacher. Its very difficult, especially for sculptors as I said, as theirs is a public art that needs a lot of space, tools and materials to thrive. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio, tools and materials. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have my own personal contacts. I know people in Turkey, and I have attended an ICOM conference for artists from the Mediterranean region. 9. What is your impression of your audience? People smile and pay compliments, but there is no real appreciation. The understanding of aesthetics in our society is limited: people are more concerned by concepts, ideas, and asking what the piece means. They dont understand shape, texture and technique. We are in a verbal society, not a society that understands images. However, there are people who do understand, and a change came in the 1970s when artists started to go to study abroad. After Black September, these artists returned, and the government began to promote the idea of a Jordanian identity. TV started at that time, and the Jerash Festival started. Many organizations and art leagues started to appear, and in fact art as a whole could be said to have started in Jordan in the 1970s. Together with some friends, we started to exhibit, calling ourselves the pioneers, and we still exhibit together. Nevertheless, the elite in Jordan imitate the West, and such people want to imitate art collectors in the West. However, they have such a poor understanding of art that what they collect are cheap pieces, both in quality and in monetary terms. There is a misunderstanding about classical art in Jordan. Classical art is related to the art of the Greeks and Romans, and it is about proportion. What they call classical art in Jordan is actually folk art, or realistic art, and is about imitating nature. As a result, people look at abstract art as if it were merely decorative: if the colours match the carpet and curtains of their living room, they buy it. Very few appreciate art in itself. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? Its difficult to find gallery spaces, as most galleries are busy and commercial, exhibiting commercial art. The Orfali Gallery is one of the decent galleries, but I am very picky. I have exhibited in many places, mostly in Europe, the US, or the Gulf. I have also carried out exchanges with Asia, Iran, Pakistan and India, but only in a limited way, possibly because the foreign cultural centres here are very active, such as the Goethe Institute and the Spanish Cultural Centre. Maybe Asian countries are more closed in on themselves. I also see a difference in appreciation between Arab society and elsewhere: once, when I was in Germany, a man was dying to buy a piece by me at almost any price. There was a poem written on it in Arabic, which he didnt understand, but he still wanted the piece. Later, he invited me to his home. Here, if I sell one piece, people ask me for another for free. Its like bargaining: people dont understand, and its humiliating for the artist. So yes, I feel there is a difference in appreciation. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist?

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I blame the system of education in Jordan for the countrys shortcomings. The ministry of education is neglecting the cultural image of our society. The art teachers in schools are illiterate, and the decision-makers in the cultural and art fields are illiterate. Its a huge shame for our society that we have cultural decisions-makers who are illiterate about art. We have had important events happen in Jordan, but no sculptor has been commissioned to commemorate them. We are denying our history, our society, our culture and our national issues. Imagine if we had a monument to remember the people that died in the terrorist attack in Amman. Now that the artist Ismail Shammout has passed away, why dont we have a monument to him? Or a monument to the people that died in Black September? Next September, art will be on the curriculum in schools. What do you think of this? I feel nervous thinking about that. It will be 30 years before members of these new generations are in post in the ministries. In the meantime, we will be in the dark. Is this our destiny? Its a crime against our people. Even here in Jordan University, which is supposed to attract the cultural elite of the country, there are no monuments to intellectuals: no statue of al-Kindi or al-Gabra. How can we build our national identity, when people dont know about such people? 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The political situation surrounding us affects art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could be a full-time artist. If I were in a position to change the cultural scene in Jordan, I would issue a decree to put all these people, the decision-makers, in jail and replace them by artists. I want to stop crimes against art, due to the mentality of the society. We live in a materialistic society, one that does not have a soul. We lack spiritual values. We run around like crazy people without an identity, which is why we are scared by globalization. If we had a strong identity, we would not be scared.

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Date: 08/02/09 Name: FARIID HATTAR Role/Function: Sculpture teacher at Jordan University Discipline or Activity: Sculpture Background: BA in Fine Art and Sculpture, Jordan University Age: 23 Contact Information: 0779342646; fareedhattar@hotmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for four years. I have wanted to be an artist since I was a child, but I started to take art seriously four years ago, something like that. Regarding my studies, first I registered in design, but one day I went to the sculpture studio and started to sculpt and continued to do so for eight hours without thinking of anything else. The day after that, I went to change my major and registered in sculpture at the art faculty. It was a very easy decision to make. My family was OK about it, knowing that it was what I wanted. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Jordan University. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a teacher at Jordan University, and next semester I will go to Italy to study for a Masters in sculpture thanks to a scholarship. I carry out personal projects from time to time with friends. For my last project in Gaza, I worked with Firas Taybeh and Ibrahim Khorma. Im not a member of an association, since I dont have time to go and meet people. I work from eight to five every day. 4. How do you fund your work? Up till now, everything has been covered by the University. I work there in my studio, and I have all my materials and tools there. If I have a personal project, I buy the materials myself and use the tools and facilities of the University. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, I can live, but only from teaching at the same time. I thought about selling my graduation project for 8,000 JD, but I didnt because I wanted to put it in the new College of Fine Art. I think its difficult to live from your work, since you have to know how to work and where to go. You need contacts. I work quickly, and my work is easier to sell than some. There are a lot of people interested in art in Jordan, so if you have the right contacts you can make it. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? The work I do here has to stay in the University. If I have a personal project, I buy my own materials. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? The facilities at the University are perfect, and the tools are great. They have the best studio facilities in the country. Sometimes the material takes time to arrive, but this is due to University procedures. Im responsible for the sculpture studio, so I can use it for free. People know Im serious. Not everybody can use the studios, however, because some people make a mess of them. But I can come whenever I want. I can even sleep there if I want.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? Places like Dar al-Funun and Dar al-Anda have information about whats happening in art, as does the College of Fine Art. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of people that like art and artists. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have never exhibited alone, always in collective exhibitions. I have exhibited in Amman and always at the University. I hope later I will be able to exhibit outside Amman and elsewhere in Jordan. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I would like to use nude models, whereas in Jordan there are few models, let alone nude ones. We also need government support. The government gives money and commissions to Arab artists, but not to Jordanian ones. The sculpture in the 7th Circle in Amman is by a Syrian artist. The government should give priority to Jordanian artists. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The mentality of the society affects art. My graduation project consisted of nude figures. Three days before the exhibition, I was asked to cover them up, because it is forbidden to show nude statues. You are not allowed to sculpt whatever you want. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? Im satisfied with my situation. If I could do something for the artistic scene in Jordan, I would put a sculpture in every corner of the city, in order to try to support culture in our society. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 03/02/09 Name: MAHA ABU AYYACH Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Sculpture Background: MA in Fine Arts; BA in Fine Arts, USA Age: 45 Contact Information: 0795575753; www.saadagallery.com - artcenterjo@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since art school in 1987, but I have been interested in the arts since I was five years old. My friends in college decided for me and applied for me. Artists, teachers and an Iranian friend all told me to do art. I went to architecture school and began making models out of clay. It was very difficult from all points of view. My age group was the first generation of women to enter the employment market, and there was a demand for women in the world of work. But art was also developing, and I was lucky in that I had people around me who pushed me to go to art school. Without such people, I would have become a secretary. For my family, it was a disaster to spend money to send me to study in the USA and then see me change to art. But for me, the day I was accepted at art school I felt as if I had been born again. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in the USA. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I had just rented a store in Weibdeh to make into a showroom when I was asked to come back to Amman, and over the past ten years I have been working at the Art Centre belonging to the ministry of education. A year after I started, King Hussein died, and the Centre has been in difficulty since then. Its in a residential area, which is a bad location for a school. The Centre awards a one-year certificate in fine art. Im a member of the Syndicate, but I dont participate. Five years ago, I stopped paying my membership dues, and some people say that Im no longer a member. I was a member of a group that tried to take over the Syndicate seven years ago, but this didnt work out. 4. How do you fund your work? In any way I can. Im single, which makes things easier. Being a sculptor means intensive work, and you need space as well. I once did a project commissioned by the municipality for the King Hussein Gardens, but in general I fund my work myself. 5. Can you live from your art? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I think you can up to a point, but the rest has to be met from commercial activities. I think most artists are not able to survive from their work alone. For me, it has been very difficult, and I have worked as a copy-writer and as a teaching assistant in order to live. It also depends on an artists social position. We need a more realistic way of evaluating the commercial value of art: the art schools teach artists to think of themselves as prophets. For me, things have been easier, as I have no family to worry about. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them?

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I have my own studio and gallery. Community facilities here are only available for short periods. The municipality provides funds to private institutions commissioning projects, and the ministry will also give equipment for projects to be carried out. One of my works was very large, six-and-a-half metres high, and it took me two years to complete. A private institution commissioned it, and it was funded by the municipality. However, I have not been paid, and the piece is still in my studio. I have written to the mayor, and though I have received an apology there has been no action. The problem is one of accountability: the people who give the funds dont focus on how the money is spent and with what results. They dont pay attention to the work itself. I dont know what I need to do to be treated properly and not to be abused. Even if the municipality acquires good work, it doesnt know where to exhibit it. There is a lack of respect for art. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? For the municipality, artists do not exist, but to be fair it does finance a lot of good work. In Amman, you can participate in a lot of events for free, which is good. But when you deal with individuals, things are very different. The cultural environment doesnt encourage the making or selling of this kind of art. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont have a network, which is one of my current lacks. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Sad to say, my first show was the best in terms of the public. I put it on myself, without the help of an institution or the municipality. I rented the venue and did everything myself. No exhibition of mine has ever received official patronage. I always seek the honour of art. This has brought me audiences from everywhere, and I also work on difficult themes, like nudes, or themes related to issues such as torture. Work such as this I have to exhibit abroad. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit in my own gallery, though I have also exhibited in others. I do a one-man show every five or six years, not more. The problem is not in selling the work; it is in finding an audience abroad in places like Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Tunisia. Here in Jordan, it is easier to sell ones work, but abroad there is greater sophistication. I dont necessarily exhibit my work abroad in order to sell it; the aim is more to show and discuss it. I think there is a lack of venues for selling abroad. In Jordan, journalists do not cover the arts scene adequately, and the focus is on selling the work. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Im almost suffocating as a result of not being able to find an outlet for my writing, which I have been interested in since fifth grade. Writing, and the presentation of ideas, is censored by the government. As a sculptor, Im interested in the large scale, and here too Im suffocating. Sculpture is something you do for your country, but there is little funding here. We also need a better legal structure to protect artists, as many times ideas are stolen. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? There is a distance between artists and the wider community in Jordan. We have a hard time connecting with the visual heritage in general. Artists talk about Palestine, for example, but are there newer issues? Artists dont relate to contemporary issues, and we have to create focus, such that people can feel the presence of something and feel part of something. Art is also too dependent on funding. There are many galleries here that sell thousands of dinars of work a week, but they all have a specific focus, a specific trend that talks to them. This art, meaningful for the audience, is hard to connect to for artists. It is about religious themes, or orientalist themes, something like the motifs

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used by carpet sellers. It is art in the European style, like Matisse. Kitsch is a big part of the problem. If society was more attentive to art and artists, we would be able to produce a genuinely Jordanian art. We need to use our own materials and local clay. Why do we import clay from England? The publics taste is leading to a muted art that speaks with only half a voice. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to find a place for my writing. Some of it is personal, and some of it is on exactly what we are talking about: the arts scene and its relationship with the wider culture. I would like to find a place where I can present my ideas. Jordan lacks this. I once wrote about the corruption of art, and the publisher asked me for photographs! Another time I wrote criticizing an art work, and the publisher censored the criticism, as he wanted to advertise the work. There should be greater accountability in the use of art funds. I would start with the government and look closely at how it spends its money. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 24/02/09 Name: HAZEM Al-ZUBI Role/Function: Teacher of ceramics at Jordan University Discipline or Activity: Sculpture and ceramics Background: BA in Fine Art, Baghdad Age: 52 Contact Information: 0777778435; hazem@alzubi.com - www.alzubi.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? When I graduated from Baghdad, I came back to Jordan and set up my own studio. I have always worked and tried to change my material and style. The artist has to have his own philosophy and feelings; everybody can learn, but the important thing is to be able to express your feelings and philosophy. Since I was a child, I wanted to be an artist. I think its something genetic. You have a gene of art, something you dont necessarily always know about, but when you know of it, it becomes your destiny. It was not easy, as my family thought I was studying engineering. They are ordinary people. However, later they were happy as I was able to teach my brothers and sisters ceramics and sculpture, and some of them are earning a lot of money in Saudi Arabia now. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Baghdad. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a teacher at the university, and I currently work in bronze. I make statues inspired by Ain Ghazal. I had an exhibition in Hanover, and there are five large statues of mine in the Hussein Gardens in this style. I was a member of the Plastic Art Association, but I left, joining in 1982 and leaving in 2006. There were too many problems and too much bad energy. The members of the Association have a very individualist mentality, whereas I believe in humanity. 4. How do you fund your work? I sell my work, and when I have money I start something new. I love what I do, but its very difficult. The government doesnt help artists. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Its possible, but its very difficult because not a lot of people buy art, so you have to wait for money to come, sometimes a long time. The people who are interested are very few. Its a small community, and it is made up of the same people. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio and gallery in Hussein Gardens. I also have a workshop. I buy what I need, and I use local materials. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I dont have a network, though I try to make my own connections. I left the Association, so now its more a matter of personal contacts. 9. What is your impression of your audience? There are two kinds of people in the audience here: cultured people, such as artists and writers, and rich people and collectors. 10. Where do you exhibit the most? If you do so abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I have my own gallery, so I have a permanent exhibition there. I have exhibited a lot in the Arab countries, and I love to exhibit in Damascus, which is a city I love. I have also been to other countries, like Spain and France. I would live to exhibit in East Asia and India, but I need contacts and money. In Jordan, its easy for me to exhibit. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I work with cheap material. I would love to work with good equipment, but its expensive in Jordan. I need machines and good quality materials. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? For me, the climate and the natural environment are amazing in Jordan. I think these things positively affect art. On the other hand, as I said, the mentality of the people is very individualist and narrowminded, and this affects art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I am always trying to change my work and myself. The important thing is to express what you feel and what you think, not the style or the medium. I wish I could change the mentality in the art community, to make contacts between artists more positive and give better energy. I wish artists could accept artistic differences. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 26/02/09 Name: ABDUL AZIZ ABU GHAZALEH Role/Function: Director of the Mohtaraf Remal and visual artist and sculptor Discipline or Activity: Visual Art & sculpture Background: BA in English Literature, Jordan University; studied Painting in Amman, Sculpture in Italy and Ceramics in Japan Age: 43 Contact Information: 0795815609; ghazal22@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active for 20 years. I dont know what got me started: it wasnt an easy decision to make, as art as a profession here is difficult. Sometimes I had conflicts with my family, though sometimes I also got support from them. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied first in Jordan, then in Italy, and then in Japan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? My artistic life is divided into levels. First, there is my own work as an artist, and second, there is my work at the Mohtaraf. These two levels interact: sometimes I am part of the Mohtaraf, and sometimes the Mohtaraf is part of me. For me, the Mohtaraf represents an artwork like any other work of mine. I have been a member of the Plastic Art Association since 1994, and Im also a member of the International Artists Council and the World Craft Association. 4. How do you fund your work? I have been a professional artist for 20 years. My sculptures and paintings are art for arts sake: they are not business propositions, and they are not easy to sell. I also teach art in a Montessori school, and I work in design, decoration and the print media. I teach the visual arts privately. All these things help me to fund my work. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Its not easy, but I can. Its very difficult, though, and sometimes its impossible. Its difficult everywhere, but especially in the Arab world, where people are only beginning to care about art. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? In fact, I provide community facilities. There have been three periods in my life: during my studies, I spent a lot of time travelling in Jordan looking for places to work in schools or universities. After this, I went to Petra, where I lived for seven years and had my own studio in which to work, sculpt and paint. The third period began when I left Petra in 1998. I had a studio in Weibdeh, which was the first Mohtaraf Remal. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? It wasnt easy to find a place to work at first. At university, there was a studio that was free, and you could come and go freely. It offered facilities to the students. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources?

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I use a local network made up of people I know, and I also use the networks of the International Artists Council and the World Craft Association. I have made many relationships with different artists from different fields. 9. What is your impression of your audience? My audience is made up of artists, and the majority is made up of relations, friends and students. The audience is made up of different types of people, something which I prefer. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit in my own place, and sometimes I exhibit in galleries. I have exhibited in the Arab world and in various capitals. I have also participated in symposiums on sculpture or painting, and sometimes also on ceramics, like in Lebanon, Dubai, Egypt (Aswan), Syria and Jordan. I have exhibited in Sydney, Montreal, Amsterdam, Zurich and other cities. I prefer to exhibit outside Jordan. The people are more interested and more aware. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There are too many needs! To live from your work is very stressful and tiring. I would like to live without this kind of stress. After a few years, you can find a balance between creativity and money worries, but I think at some point you lose this balance, maybe as a result of getting older. There needs to be more interest in and more attention given to the arts, and more care needs to be taken of art pieces. More care also needs to be taken of my own pieces: two were damaged because they were not properly taken care of. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Regarding institutions, the people in charge of culture negatively affect the arts scene. The absence of art criticism is also very negative for art. The media does not support art, and this of course also affects the art scene. Important artists leave the scene in favour of others that have less experience but are more media-friendly. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to worry about money less and to fill Amman with art pieces. I would like to somehow shift Jordan to the year 2200, in order to further the process of developing art. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 18/02/09 Name: SAMER TABBA Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Sculpture Background: BA in Sociology and Anthropology, US; BA in Fine Art, US; MFA in Sculpture, US Age: 63 Contact Information: 0795288030; dodikt@gmail.com - www.samertabba.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I went to art school. Before that, I did not take art courses and did not have an arts education. After I graduated in sociology, I started to take art classes, and my teacher told me I should drop everything to concentrate on art. So I took her advice in 1972, I think and it was then that I decided to become a full-time artist. It was an easy decision for me to take: I should have done it before, and I felt as if I was discovering myself at the time. It suddenly became a pleasure to go to the university. I started late, however, in my late 20s, so I have always felt that I lost many years. Those around me couldnt understand, especially my Arab colleagues, who were afraid for me, as if I had become crazy or something like that. Most Arabs study what their parents tell them, which I also did at the beginning. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in the US. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? I work all the time not with the energy I used to have, but nevertheless Im always trying to discover new materials and to change techniques. Im excited by materials such as wax, stone and wood. I was an assistant teacher after I graduated from art school, and I wanted to teach when I came back to Jordan, but I was faced with the bureaucracy and couldnt accept it. I was a member of the Plastic Art Association, but I left a few years ago. It had become petty people fighting each other and not working. 4. How do you fund your work? Im a full-time artist, but I dont live from my work. I have other sources of income. My wife and I used to have a crafts shop, but it wasnt going very well, so we decided to close it. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I think its difficult to do. Very few artists can live from their work. There is no market, or the market is very small. The public wants a certain kind of art something accessible and easy to understand. The public wants realistic art, and if its abstract it wants to be able to understand it in the same way. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio. I would like to have a studio within the community, working with other artists and so on, but this hasnt materialized in Jordan yet. So I have my own studio that I share with my wife. People ask me to exhibit, so its easy for me to exhibit here. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available?

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Yes, there are good galleries here, but they are something new in Jordan, so the standard varies I mean in terms of what is exhibited. It takes time for a gallery to get up to standard. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have a Website, and I use the network of the galleries that exhibit my works. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Its terrible to say really, but the better the work, the less is the appreciation. For me, better means simpler. But this is difficult for the public to understand. They need something to grab onto as a form of explanation. There is a problem with the public in Jordan, and I dont have the same problem in the US. Here, very few artists are genuine; instead, they aim to find something the public likes and then stick with it. I think very few members of the public are knowledgeable. We are a young country; we should be more adventurous. The public is also very small, and it is always made up of the same people. In the past, people were more enthusiastic and interested. The public is mainly made up of people from West Amman, but even when the economic boom created a lot of money, the new rich did not really become interested in culture and art. They are more interested in cars and other things. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I dont exhibit a lot, but mostly I exhibit here in Amman. I have also exhibited in Spain, England, Switzerland, Dubai, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Sculpture is very hard to take to different places. There is also a particular problem in that if you exhibit abroad, its difficult to find ways of bringing the work back. You have problems at the border, and you have to pay taxes on your own work. Its a stupid system that hasnt been solved over the past 30 years. I feel a difference in appreciation when I exhibit abroad, and my work is more appreciated there. Im known here, but it doesnt really satisfy me. The audience always wants something safe. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I would like an educated public, a public that can help me develop my work, people that know art and can give me criticism and feedback. You need feedback to develop your work. A lot is missing at the moment, but maybe its like this everywhere. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? How does a country develop artistically? I dont know. Maybe the government should give more support. Most of the institutions the schools, the teachers, the ministry of culture are disasters. Most teachers just want to be called doctor, or are dying to become head of department. That says a lot about the mentality of art teachers. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I dont want to say that I want to live in another country, but you know its terrible here. I am more appreciated abroad than here. Something is missing. I dont know what I would do I just dont know. One example of the kind of appreciation you find here: at one point, the municipality wanted to remove my sculpture on the Second Circle to put something else in its place. They thought it was looking old and should be removed. Maybe get rid of most of the artists? Start all over again? I dont know. Im not really very involved: in the US, most of my friends were artists, but here its not the case maybe because most artists here are not productive. Lots of them just complain and do not work. Most of them are also immodest. You feel that you arent learning anymore. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 15/02/09 Name: JALAL AREIKAT Role/Function: Full-time painter and sculptor Discipline or Activity: Visual Arts & sculpture Background: BA in Architecture and Fine Art, Jordan Age: 56 Contact Information: 0795823655; jariqat@hotmail.com - www.jalalariqatart.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I was born in Limasol in Cyprus, and my mother is originally from there. I spent my childhood next to the sea, which inspired me a lot. I went to secondary school in Jericho, my fathers city. Because of the war, we moved to Jordan. I started my studies in architecture and interior design and spent three years working in these fields with a very famous architect in Kuwait. I was spending half of my time on work and the other half on art. It was not easy, and even though my parents supported me in continuing in art, society couldnt understand. Over the past year, I have stopped working in order to be a full-time artist, and I am concentrating on sculpture now. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied at Jordan University. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on sculpture, and I have my own studio. I have been a member of the Syndicate since it started. I used to be chair of the board. 4. How do you fund your work? In the past, I used to work as an interior designer and funded my work from that. Today, I live from my art only. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? Yes, but its difficult. Sometimes I earn good money and sometimes not. Its not constant. I think its difficult to live from your work in Jordan. When I compare the situation to Cyprus, its much more difficult here. There are very few people here who understand art, and there are very few people who buy art. People who like art cant afford to buy art. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio, but sometimes the municipality helps me with a project, giving me materials and a space to work. Most of the time, if you have a request to make to the municipality or the government, you had better go with a group of people that has the same request. If you go as an individual, its more difficult to convince them. I have exhibited in most of the galleries in Amman. They are not bad. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They are not bad, but they are not the best either. However, they are always available, though this does not mean they will always accept your work.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have my own Website, and I use the network of the Syndicate. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The people that come to see my work are generally artists themselves, or friends of artists, or people otherwise interested in art. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I exhibit most in Jordan in Amman and Aqaba. I have also participated in 165 group exhibitions in 27 countries, including Syria, Cyprus and Lebanon. People outside Jordan buy more of my work. There is a large sculpture of mine in Lebanon. Here in Jordan, there is a large sculpture in King Hussein Gardens and another in front of the municipality. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? As a sculptor, I need good equipment. I work with poor tools, however, as good equipment is impossible to find in Jordan, and if I buy it from abroad it will cost too much. I also need insurance: my work is sometimes dangerous, and Im always afraid of accidents because I dont have insurance and hospital costs are high. I need more space. There is a need for more places for artists, and especially sculptors, to do their work. As a sculptor you need a large, outdoor place in which to work. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The art scene is new in Jordan, but the countrys history is long. We have good talent among the younger generations, and they should be allowed to concentrate on art, not on making a living. Artists in Jordan combine two, sometimes three, jobs in order to live. Society is also becoming more and more conservative, and I can feel the difference between today and ten years ago when artists had more freedom. Today, art has become affected by the ambient conservatism of society. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I want freedom to do my work: freedom of expression and freedom to work in a large, open space with good equipment and the help I need. I have many projects in my head, but realizing them would mean dealing with heavy materials. Sometimes I cant work alone. If I did, it would take me 10 years to finish a project. If I could find people to help me, it would take two years. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 25/02/09 Name: SAMIA ZARU Role/Function: Full-time visual artist Discipline or Activity: Visual art & sculpture Background: Science and Art Education in Beirut; Art & Design in the US Age: 69 Contact Information: 0796933484 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was 16. My family are all artists scientists and artists. In this country, art is not considered a career, however. I wanted to study medicine, but I felt 12 years of study was too much, so I decided to switch to art. I also studied education so I could teach. My father wanted me to be a doctor, but when I decided to study art he told me that I should do what I wanted. I started working very early, after I had been to the US and returned to Ramallah. My husband was kicked out by the Israelis and came here to Jordan, so I followed him and started to teach art in the UNRWA schools and later at the university. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Lebanon and the US. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on designs for the Zain Company project at the moment, and I have another project celebrating 100 years of Amman. I just finished a mural in the King Hussein Gardens a huge project taking up 57 square metres. I have now stopped teaching, but before I taught at Petra University and Jordan University. I used to be a member of the Plastic Art Association, and in fact I am one of the founders. There was very little in Amman at that time, and we founded the Association as a result. Now that they have changed the rules and accept artists that are not established, the Association has become more like a caf. As a result, I left. The members are not qualified; there are no rules; and the director is not qualified. In the past, there were strict rules on membership: you had to have had 10 exhibitions and a degree. I also helped to found the National Gallery. It is now one of the famous art galleries in the Arab world. 4. How do you fund your work? I have always had other jobs besides art, such as doing workshops and giving lectures. Once in a while, I have a big project that I will concentrate on. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, but I think its difficult everywhere. Usually, an artist becomes famous after his death. Its the same everywhere. I have never been paid for a project I did in Amman near the Haya Cultural Centre, which is the first piece of public sculpture in Jordan. Its never even mentioned. There are large works by me at the Orthodox Club, the PAC and in the King Hussein Gardens. Im basically a mixed-media artist and a designer: I design pieces, and then I chose the media sculpture, painting, or drawing. Most people cant understand that, but in fact the Impressionists worked like this. My beliefs about art are different from those of many others.

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6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I have my own studio. There are no community facilities here in Jordan. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have personal contacts I have built up through travel and experience. 9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience includes everyone, from a taxi driver to a prince. My work invites you in. Im not there to sell, but to move peoples feelings, to make them think. At my last exhibition, nobody turned up in high heels and make-up, which was good. 10. Where do you exhibit the most? If you do so abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? I have only exhibited in a few places in Jordan, and I have exhibited more abroad. I dont care to exhibit in Jordan a lot: we need to educate the audience more. People go to an exhibition to talk and eat and drink. Its not a place to discuss art. There are women there in make-up and high heels, but what I can learn from that? If I want to see art, I go to artists studios. I have participated in a lot of collective exhibitions and have exhibited in China and the US, as well as in Indonesia, Malaysia, all of Europe, Mexico and Russia. Those were all collective exhibitions, but I have also had solo exhibitions in the US, England, Lebanon, Palestine and here in Jordan. I think the difference lies in the critics: there are very good art critics abroad, but we dont have good art critics in Jordan. I believe that work should relate to an environment, but our young sculptors now imitate European styles. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Everything is available here. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? An artist is mainly affected by society and politics. Art is too deep to be affected by religion. An artist frees himself from influences and then enriches his work through experience. For me, every experience is enriching. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I think that what I have experienced should be written down for other artists to learn from. In fact, I am collecting material to write a book. I think things are changing, and besides I have changed things, with my work at the National Museum and the Plastic Art Association. There was nothing in Jordan in the 1970s, but now things have changed. However, if you only think about changing the situation, you will never create. Lots of people think they need a studio or more time. But I have only had a studio for two years. Before that, I worked in the kitchen. When people asked me when I had time to work, I told them I cooked and worked at the same time. You need energy, thats all. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 08/03/09 Name: AHED YOUNIS Role/Function: Restorer at the ministry of tourism Discipline or Activity: Sculpture Background: Fine Art, Baghdad Age: 62 Contact Information: 0799680881 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active in art for 35 years, since 1979. I really started in 1980, working with Hazem Zobi and Mahmoud Taha. We started together. I studied art after I had got married, so things were difficult financially, and I left to work in Algeria, France and Saudi Arabia. Its difficult to be a sculptor in the Arab world, especially one working with human figures. I had problems in the past, but today things are better. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied in Baghdad, but I couldnt finish for financial reasons. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on some sculpture projects today, and sometimes I also make pottery. I also work at the ministry of tourism in the antiquities department. Im a member of the Plastic Art Association and am on the board that decides applications to join. I have been a member since 1980. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund my work from my job. Sometimes, the municipality buys work from me, but there is not much support. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I live from my job, with some help from my art. I think its very difficult to live from art alone, even more so for a sculptor who works with the human figure. People dont want to buy sculptures of human figures. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use my own machines. I have my own studio and equipment. However, I lack tools: most of my works are in basalt, which is a very hard material and not easy to work with. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I am part of a network, because everybody knows me. I also make contacts through the Plastic Art Association and the Syndicate. 9. What is your impression of your audience? Artists and a few educated people go to art exhibitions, together with art students, teachers, artists, etc. Its a small community, but very few people outside it are interested in art.

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10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have had many exhibitions, for example in Germany, Algeria, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, though I mostly exhibit here in Jordan. My work is on display at the Dead Sea and at the Hussein Centre and King Hussein Gardens. Abroad, the public is bigger than in Jordan, and it understands better what you are trying to do. The public abroad likes and respects art. People buy it and are interested in it. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I need equipment and support. I would accept support from anyone if it helped me to work and produce more. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? The National Museum, the municipality and others all support the arts, but we need more support. There is no support from the companies and banks. The Jordanian mentality is not open to art. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? If I could find a way to do art alone, I would do it. I wish I could live from my work. I would also like to help students at the university know what sculpture is. What they are learning at the moment is not very good. 14. Additional comments?

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Literature
Date: 17/02/09 Name: SAMIHA KHREIS Role/Function: Editor of Al-Rai and writer for Haten magazine Discipline or Activity: Literature Background: Social Studies, Cairo Age: 52 Contact Information: 0795537119; khrais_samiha@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have been active since I was at school, so more then 35 years. At first, it was a hobby, and then I started to take it more seriously. I decided I wanted to be a writer during the last year at university. I became a journalist and continued to write in addition to my journalism. There was no problem in my becoming a writer. My family was very proud that I wrote. But when I decided to work as a journalist they didnt want me to do that, telling me that it was difficult work and that I would have to travel, etc. After university, I wanted to do a Masters in Beirut, but there was a problem with the registration, so I decided to work and to give up my studies. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im an editor at the Al-Rai newspaper, and I write novels as well. I have been a member of the Writers Association and the Pen Association for more than 30 years. 4. How do you fund your work? Its very difficult. In the Arab world, there is no one to take care of writers. I pay from my own pocket as a result. Recently, the municipality and the ministry have begun to offer financial support, but it is still very little. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I live from my work as a journalist. Its impossible to live from your writing here. I dont know any writer who lives from his writing. Its very difficult, as there is no support. Im very lucky as my situation is very good, but even so it would be difficult for me to live just from my writing. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use facilities for lectures or signings, mostly at universities or private clubs. They ask me to come and give a lecture, though sometimes I have to refuse because Im too busy. My situation is good, and Im very lucky. Perhaps this is because I write in Al-Rai I dont know. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I rely on personal contacts I have with other Arab writers.

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9. What is your impression of your audience? The audience is made up of people from different backgrounds. There is a small community of cultured people here, but when I go to universities or schools I discover my books are also bought there, so the public is larger than one thinks. Three years ago, I adapted a novel as a TV series, which made my books more famous to a wider public. You talked about a small community of cultured people. What do you mean by that? Twenty years ago, this community was bigger, and more people were interested in culture. But today people have no time, and other things are more important. People think that culture is just an accessory and that there is no real need for literature or culture. Even some cultured people dont have faith in literature or culture and dont think it will change anything. They are starting to lose their interest in culture as a result. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have published 10 novels and two short stories. I have published in Cairo and Beirut, but mostly in Jordan. I publish both in Jordan and outside at the same time. Its important to publish outside Jordan because no one will know you otherwise. The difference lies in recognition: the Arab world will know you more if you publish outside Jordan. Most of the time, I feel Im known better outside Jordan than I am here. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? Its an open country, and as a writer I have everything I need. You never had problems of publishing or censorship? No 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Many things affect the arts scene. I think for the writer there is a problem in knowing what the appropriate message is to send to the people. Writers care about language and style, but they dont exactly know what their message is. Something is lost. There is no deep meaning. Maybe 20 years ago we had something to believe in society, economy, the future. But something has disappeared, and now we all run after money. Everything has become more commercial, and we have lost meaning. But something else has happened too: as a result of the Internet and greater openness, we have improved the way we write, draw or paint. Before, things were very simple. Jordanian music, for example, 20 years ago was all the same, and now it is more diverse. However, we have to have a message. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your own situation, what would it be? I think about translation. Its a big problem. My books have been translated into Spanish and German, but its not enough of them. Nobody will know about us, or about our way of thinking and our problems, if we are not translated. Even in the newspapers, we write in Arabic. I want to take my writing to the world, to let people know about us. If I could do something for literature or writing in Jordan? I would burn half the things that are published! Sometimes I think a lot of trees die for nothing. People say they are writers, but things get written for nothing. There is a lot of rubbish and very little real work. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 17/02/09 Name: LAYLA ATRACH Role/Function: Full-time writer Discipline or Activity: Literature Background: BA in Law and BA in Arabic Literature from Beirut; degree in French from Qatar Age: 60 Contact Information: 0795553759 alatrash@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I wrote my first novel in secondary school. I think being a writer has always been my destiny. Imagination is very important for me. And at school they encouraged me by saying that I had a style and that I could write. I sent my writing to a publisher in Amman, and people started to describe me as a young writer. I think you have to be gifted to be a writer, so I worked by reading a lot and travelling a lot. I never saw myself in something other than writing. Some people were suspicious about it, but my parents encouraged me. My father used to read a lot, and our home was full of books. All this encouraged me. However, being a writer in Palestine in the 1960s was strange for society. Today, things have changed a lot, and writers are not more respectable, but when I started it was very difficult. I started to work in journalism when I was at university in Beirut, and I wrote an article about honour killing. I was attacked by the Salafists, and the article drew a lot of attention. This is how I made my name. At first, I had wanted to study Law, but in the end I studied Arabic Literature: I already knew the books, so it was easy for me. Later on, in the 90s, I decided to go back to my studies in Syria and there I studied Law. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied Arabic Literature in Beirut. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a member of the Higher Council of the Maktab al-Usra, which is a programme to publish books and sell them cheaply. I am also the head of the Pen Organization in Jordan, which I established. Its one of my aims now to build bridges and to build dialogue. The government gave me a sabbatical year to write a book, which was published under the title of Women at a Crossroads. I write a weekly column in the Al-Dustur newspaper, and I have been a member of the Jordanian Writers Association for many years. 4. How do you fund your work? I have to work. If I didnt work, I wouldnt be able to eat. Things have started to change now, and there are writers committees and associations, as there are in other countries, to help writers, though there are still question marks about how well they work. Unfortunately, help doesnt always go to the right people. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I think its very difficult in all the Arab countries. I once met the Egyptian Novel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz and asked him why he worked. He said he worked to earn his bread. This year the ministry of culture gave out grants of sabbatical years in which to write, something that was

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introduced perhaps two years ago. I worked to make this possible. The ministry gives a sabbatical to 10-12 artists in every field of art each year. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use universities, writers associations, the municipality, and organizations. Most of the time, these offer possibilities to do book signings and to give lectures. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have my own Website, and I use the Pen network. Their publishing programme is one of the most distinguished in America. I travel a lot with this programme, so this is also a network for me. 9. What is your impression of your audience? No writer in the world can claim he writes for himself: you write for an audience, and you need feedback. This feedback is necessary to develop your ideas. But when I write, I dont think about my audience. Instead, I write what I feel I need to write. My dream is to find a book of mine in everybodys hands throughout the Arab world, but unfortunately people dont read. Poverty is one of the reasons for that: people buy bread, not books. This is why the programme Im working on is very important for me. Under this programme, a book costs only 35 piastres. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I have published six books, five in Lebanon, one in Egypt, and a collection in Jordan. The latest one, which I am still working on, will be published in Jordan. Its easier to publish here than in Beirut. My last novel was published simultaneously in Lebanon and Palestine, but the Palestinian version was shorter as they had censored it. This doesnt happen in Lebanon, where there is no censorship. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I think in Jordan the writer is still not supported enough. We need more freedom and more money, and we need to reach our audience. We are known outside more than we are in Jordan. I would like to have more impact in society. I wish they would teach my novels in schools. But the ministry of education is influenced by the Salafists, and it exercises censorship. Its not easy to change things. Some of my books have been taught at university, so there have been changes, but there is still a need for improvement. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? Freedom of speech and religious censorship are both issues, and unfortunately things are getting worse. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I would like to see my work translated into many languages. I would like to participate in conferences with other civilizations and with people from the West. Most of the time, western people think that Arab women writers write about sexual taboos, but they need to understand that we talk about other things, like politics and religion. I would like to break these stereotypes. If I had the power, I would act in such a way as to prevent anybody from interfering with art or artists. I would give everyone freedom of speech. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 07/02/09 Name: YAHIA AL-QAISSI Role/Function: Writer, journalist and TV producer Discipline or Activity: Literature Background: BA in English Literature from Jordan University; MA in Translation from Jordan University Age: 46 Contact Information: 0795205616 yahqaissi@gmail.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I published my first collection of short stories in 1991. I started to write because I think writing is like destiny: you start to write and you get involved in issues. Sometimes, I dont know why Im a writer, but today I have a clearer vision about writing. Writing in Jordan is not a career: its something you do in your leisure time. No writer in Jordan can live from writing, or maybe only a couple. As a result, from literature I went to journalism, doing interviews with writers and writing about cultural issues. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? I studied English Literature in Jordan. 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im now a journalist for Al-Quds Al-Arabi, based in London, where I have been cultural correspondent since 1999. I also work as a TV producer for a Jordanian channel in Amman. I still write, when I have time. My last book was published in 2007. I have published four books: two collections of short stories, one novel, and one collection of interviews with writers in Jordan. I have also written 25 films. I have been a member of the Jordanian Writers Association since 1990. The Association is a body for writers to join and defend their concerns. Im also secretary-general of Jordanian Pen, an international association of writers in about 145 countries. We established a branch last year in Amman, and Layla Atrach is the president. We defend freedom of expression and look after writers in jail. 4. How do you fund your work? I write in the evenings. When I want to publish, I can apply to the ministry of culture for support, which will read the book and also publish it. My last book was published in Beirut, because there is more freedom of expression there. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? I depend on journalism and TV production to live. I think living from writing in Jordan is difficult. I wish I had more time to write. If I were just a writer, it would be great, but there are no institutions that can give you money for that. Writing cannot be a business here. It is something you do for yourself. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? When I need to publish something, I apply to the ministry for support. However, I did not do so for my last book, because I knew they would not accept the content. Instead, I went to a private publishing house in Beirut.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes but if they dont agree with the content they will not pay to have it published. If you talk about certain taboos sex, politics and religion, the three taboos they will not publish it. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I use the network of the Jordanian Writers Association and Pen International. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I have received good criticism from the Arab world, and 40 articles were written about my last book, which was good for me. However, I dont know the people who read my books. If they dont give me feedback, how can I know them? 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? My books have been published in the Middle East, but not in North Africa. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? We need good publishers, translators and agents. We dont have enough communication with western publishers or publications. I would like to see my books translated into French and English. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I dont think anything influences my work particularly. I write what I want. Nobody is standing behind me when I write. There is no censorship when you write, though there is when you publish. However, if I want to publish something that is taboo, I go to Lebanon. I dont think people read a lot in Jordan. There is no culture of reading in childhood. I went to a book festival in Britain and saw children pay 10 GBP for books. Here children dont read, even though its free. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I think I need more time. Writers here need time to write and to struggle. You have to deal with your own environment. That is my philosophy. I think there should be a programme run by the ministry of culture to send writers abroad: to send me to India, for example, to meet other writers and be in contact with another culture and language. I also think we need more translation. I read writers from all over the world in translation, so why are we not translated? We are good enough to be translated and published elsewhere in the world. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 11/02/09 Name: JUMANA MUSTAFA Role/Function: Part-time writer Discipline or Activity: Literature and media Background: BA in Law from Philadelphia University, Jordan Age: 32 Contact Information: 07954115822 jumanahhm@yahoo.com 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I started writing when I was eight years old, but I only started publishing seven or eight years ago. I used to write for the newspapers, and I published my first book of poems two years ago. My father wanted me to study law, and he was the one who was paying. I wanted to study Arabic. I think my legal studies delayed my work as a writer. I started to work as a lawyer, but when I stopped it was a relief to me, even if it wasnt for my family. It was an easy decision for me to take. I started to work in publishing. I didnt get a high salary, but I was happy. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im working on a biography for a royal family, but not the Jordanian one. This is for the money. Otherwise, I just finished my second book, and Im going to publish it soon. I have finished a play, and Im looking for funds to publish it. Im not a member of any official association. I dont believe in them: they make things more complicated then they need to be. On the other hand, I am a member of the Al-Fawanees Group, which is an independent theatre association. It organizes the Amman International Theatre Festival. The official associations are only interested in big names, and they will not really accept if you dont already have a name. 4. How do you fund your work? I fund it from my other work. I dont get any money from my poems, and I dont think I should make money from them. I believe in art for arts sake, not as something commercial. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, I think its difficult in Jordan, especially if one writes poems or literature that no one reads. You cant get money from writing unless you are very famous. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use some places for readings: galleries, theatres, the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre and the municipality are good for writers. The municipality supports writers by helping with publication and finding funds so that you can work. However, there is no publicity for writers, and as a result not many people come to readings. I do readings two or three times a year, and I have done three up to now. I also do a small poetry festival every year. This is funded by the municipality, which supports members of the Al-Fawanees Group. 7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? Yes.

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8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I have no network. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think its mostly made up of young people, but its hard to say. I dont have a name yet, and this is something that will take time, maybe 10 years. For the moment, my friends read my work. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? When I want to publish, I go to Beirut. I went to Beirut for my first book. But Im thinking of publishing my second in Jordan. The censorship is less in Beirut, and things are more professional. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? There is no space I can meet with other writers. There is no place open to all artists. All the existing places focus on a certain group of people who know each other and think in the same way. There is no active place for all artists who think differently. As a result, the only place to meet other writers is at events. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? I dont see any trends in particular. I believe that most artists produce their art from their individual experiences. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? I wish I could write in another language: not English, but maybe French. I think that if I could change the artistic scene here, I would close the ears of artists so they would not be able to hear themselves talk and instead would just work. I dont know what I would change maybe there is a need for a river, or a sea, or more trees. People should be less individualist as well. 14. Additional comments?

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Date: 04/03/09 Name: HISHAM BUSTANI Role/Function: Dentist and writer Discipline or Activity: Literature Background: Dentistry in Jordan Age: 34 Contact Information: hbustanii2@yahoo.com - 0795699480 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? I have written articles on politics and social issues and also on literature since 1997. I published my first literary book last year. I was very hesitant about my writing, wondering how it would be received. I asked the advice of a good friend, also a writer, and when he recommended me to publish, I did so. I have received a lot of helpful criticism. At the moment, I have a new book on the way, which will be published in a few months. I think my delay in publishing my work has given me more maturity. 2. Did you study art? If so, where? No 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? Im a dentist and a writer at the same time, and I am also a political activist. Im a member of the profession association, as well as the communist and socialist political scene. Im the secretary of the Socialist Forum and a member of the Campaign for Bread and Democracy. I think my writing comes out of these experiences, and for me you have to be a member of a society in order to write. I write in a complex manner, but one that is nevertheless easy to understand. I want to write for everybody. You can write in a complex way and yet reach a wide audience. I have been pushed into applying for membership of the Writers Association. I know that the writers who are members are not necessarily good writers, but for me election to the Association is more important then the writing that goes on in it. 4. How do you fund your work? I work as a dentist. I also know a lot of people and publishers, so it has been easy for me to publish. 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? No, its impossible: you cant live from your writing unless you are commissioned by the government. This is a problem in Jordan, as nobody has the time to write as a result. At the same time, I think that if you did have all your time to write you would lose the urge to do it. 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? I use what is available, even if the facilities are not governmental ones. I did a signing session at the Socialist Association, for example, and next week Im going to Irbid for a signing. I want to go to Karak to do an event with literature and music. The facilities I use are always independent ones. There is a deal of cultural tribalism in Jordan, and I am not part of that. I think that most of the new generation of writers is not part of it. We have two newspapers, Al-Rai and Al-Dustur, which have a weekly cultural section, and that is it. As a result, it is difficult for the younger generation that is not part of the system to make itself known.

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7. Are resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? They are free an accessible to me because Im active. For others, they are not that accessible, and things are not that easy. Usually, such people use cafs like the Jafra caf. 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? I dont use such networks. 9. What is your impression of your audience? I think its a young audience. I would imagine its a middle-class audience. I dont think the upper class reads, and if it does, it is mostly English fashion magazines and so on. My books are available in Jafra and other places. I asked the publishers not to distribute the books in Jordan, as I could do it myself to reduce costs. I had 600 copies of my book in August. Now, I have 100 left, and I am going to distribute these in Irbid and Karak. The revenue of course is not good; its not something you can earn money from. But I think trying to sell your books yourself is a good idea, as otherwise the publisher takes 10%. 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you do so abroad what are the differences with Jordan? I published my first book in Beirut because there is better quality and better distribution there. There is also the element of prestige. My next book will go to an Egyptian publisher, which is less costly. The number of copies published is double that in Beirut because Egypt is so huge. In Jordan, there are a limited number of publishers, and they are tougher with writers. They are also less professional, and the distribution is bad. 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? I dont know. What does writing need? Maybe I need more readers. Publishing in the Arab world is very bad. I think its related to the situation of readers. Even the most famous writers publish few books. Very few people read. Of course, censorship is a problem here. The taboo subjects religion, sex and politics are censored. You can see this on satellite TV stations too. The Saudis control the media in general. When I got my last book published, I went to register it in the National Library, and before that I had to go through the ministry and the security services. This time, I went direct to the Library and got the necessary permission. However, there is no guarantee against censorship. There are two kinds of censorship here: one before publishing and one after. I had to wait for the intelligences stamp of approval when I went to the airport to pick up my books. I have never asked for approval in advance. I think that if a book is not approved, then thats it. There is under-the-table censorship, a kind of permanent worry, and you never know when its going to hit you. But a writer needs complete freedom freedom of speech, freedom of everything. As a writer in Jordan, you suffer from a deep fear, like a distortion in the background. 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? As a writer or an individual, Im financially independent. Im a political activist against globalization, and so the Islamists like me more then some others, as we are part of the same fight. Everything affects the art scene: politics, religion, the censorship that prevents references to religion, and the government, of course. This is the main thing that affects art. It tries to control the intellectuals. It tries to make them to focus on Jordanian identity, which in fact is a way of controlling that identity. It wants to fabricate an identity for the people and its way of thinking. 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be?

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I would change the regime! I think the main component that affects the art scene is the fear represented by the government. This makes it more embedded. Jordan is not Syria, but the system here is cleverer than it is in Syria. The permanent fear makes people censor themselves. Censorship is not visible here, but its there in education and in peoples minds nonetheless. 14. Additional comments?

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Organizations and Institutions Surveyed

Public-Sector Institutions & Non-Profit Organizations


Date: 15/02/09 Name: NATIONAL GALLERY OF FINE ART ROYAL SOCIETY OF FINE ART Address: Jabal Weibdeh Discipline: Art Function: Venue & promoters Name: Khaled Khreis Role: Director-general History/Background: BA in Art Education, Egypt; School of Fine Art, Italy and Mexico; PhD Fine Art, Barcelona Contact Information: 06-4630128 k.khreis@nationalgallery.org 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Gallery was founded in 1980 by the Royal Society of Fine Art, which was founded in 1979. It started with one building and one floor. Later, they started to build the other floors, and in 2002 I was asked to become director. In 2003, we started work on the other building in front of the first one, and we now have the garden, park and restaurant. The purpose is to have a space for artists from Muslim countries and developing countries. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Its a modern museum. We are very active. We host exhibitions from the east and the west. We also send exhibitions abroad. We now have one running in Spain and in the US. We also screen films related to the arts. We organize concerts and lectures, as well as visits for students from schools and universities to our collections. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have a board, the president of which is Princess Wijdan al-Hashemi. There are 15 additional members, all of whom are very active, and they decide the policy of the Royal Society. Members of the board are chosen because they are active in society, whether in social, cultural or political life. The president appoints the board; I am the director of the Gallery and am involved in management. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations, and charitable donations? I cant tell you the exact amount. But we get funding from the government, and we look for sponsors and donations. We also have support from individuals and companies, though this is small at the moment. A similar situation obtains in the art world as a whole. We have good support from the government, but its not sufficient so we have to look for other sources of funding. We rent out parts of the building, including the restaurant. The whole complex belongs to the Royal Society, which is a non-governmental and non-profit organization. The Gallery is under the umbrella of the Royal Society, and it executes the policies of the Royal Society. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this?

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We started with a very small amount of revenue, but over the years both the Gallery and the budget have developed. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? People who love art and culture come to the Gallery, though there are few of these in Jordan. People dont go to museums or galleries; they dont have this habit, so we have had to develop strategies to bring them into the Gallery. We put on concerts and other activities as a way of inviting people into the Gallery, hoping that they will come back to see the art. 7. What facilities do you have? We have two buildings, both of them on three levels, and storage space. We also own the park and the Canvas Restaurant, which we rent. 8. How do you promote your activities? We have a mailing list, and we use SMS and newspapers, as well as radio, etc. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We have very few volunteers. Volunteering in Jordan is still unusual. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? If it is a collective exhibition, people come and propose ideas. Of course, it has to be serious work. When we send an exhibition abroad, we try to look for different generations, some older artists and some younger. We have put on an exhibition of women artists. We experiment with different media. We try to be diverse. 11. What is your network? We have our own Website and our own database. We have built our network step by step. We look in the newspapers and magazines every day to add artists to our database. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? It depends, but we have a minimum of six activities a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? All of them are under contract. We work in a professional way. 15. Where do the artists come from? Our collection is very diverse, made up of work by artists from Jordan and the Islamic and developing countries. So, we have work by artists from Asia, Pakistan, Indonesia, China and Taiwan. We have work by an artist from Senegal. We try to look everywhere in Europe, the US and Asia. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We have a print studio, which people can come and use. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? My own greatest success was when I came to work here with all my heart and soul to make this place what it is now, gaining the second building and the park. So for me the institution has been a great success. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations?

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We have agreements with museums in Spain, Luxemburg and other countries. In Jordan, we collaborate with the art organizations and galleries, as well as the ministry of culture and the Dar alFanun, etc. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside or outside the region? We dont have special partner countries: we collaborate with different countries and try to make our work as diverse as possible. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? What we need is more collaboration with other institutions in Jordan and to make people understand our goals, especially children. However, society doesnt understand that visiting a gallery is important, and we hope to see more people coming. We are often open all day and still nobody comes. So, we have to work on campaigns to bring in more people. If the people dont come, we will have to go to them. Next month, we are going to start a new project, hiring a truck and taking art to the villages directly. Maybe this will encourage people to come to the Gallery. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish we had more space. At the moment, we can show only 25% of our collection. The rest is in storage.

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Date: 08/01/09 Name: ARAB FUND FOR ART AND CULTURE Address: Al-Baouniyye Street, Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Independent foundation Function: Art promotion Name: Fairooz Tamimi Role: Executive director History/Background: Computer engineering, IT/banking, public sector Contact Information: 064655859 fairooz.tamimi@arabculturefund.org 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Funds journey began in 2004 as an initiative by the Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy in consultation with over 40 corporations, cultural organizations, individuals and major donors. In 2007, it was established in Amman. The main problem with culture and art in the region is a problem of funding and sponsorship. There is no funding support from the government. The ministry of culture doesnt want to take risks. They play safe and work with folklore. They have no intention, capability or interest in looking for young talent. They dont want to deal with controversial subjects, like politics or the taboos of the society. So basically, the AFAC is there where the ministry is not. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? The AFAC has four main strategies: grant-making, fundraising, advocacy and partnership. The cultural development programme includes cultural production, capacity building, training and research, regional events and collaboration and regional exchanges, tours and distribution. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? The AFAC is governed by a board of trustees composed of regional figures from the world of the arts and culture, as well as business leaders. Members are selected on the basis of their expertise in the arts, business or management, as well as their strategic relationships, all of which may positively benefit the Funds development and sustainability. The board meets regularly to maintain general policies, approve grants, review operations and prepare the annual budget. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? In 2007, the annual budget was US$500,000. This year its US$800,000, all of which comes from charitable donations. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Despite the financial crisis our budget has increased. I think this is because people have high expectations of our work. There is a lot of demand, and the Fund is needed. People have been able to realize the impact the AFAC has on the art and cultural scene of the region. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? In 2007, we had 25 Jordanian applications, three of them from institutions. The rest of the applications came from individuals, eight men and 12 women. In 2008, we had 700 applications from Jordan, including 22 institutions. 7. What facilities do you have?

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8. How do you promote your activities? By promoting the grantees we promote the AFAC. We promote our activities through our Website and regional and local newspapers. We are in contact with 90 newspapers and Websites. Our board of trustees is also our promoter, since the board is active in promoting the AFAC. We have a newsletter and we hold press conferences. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Our jury has very high standards. For the six fields of art, we have an annual jury, and people on it should be among the best in the region and be respected in the region. The jury chooses grantees from applications using several criteria, including quality, background, and if the project matches the context of the country. 11. What is your network? It is composed of the networks of our board of trustees. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? There is an annual call for proposals. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? They are all under contract. We make the first payment and then ask for a report before sending the next payment. 15. Where do the artists come from? From the Arab countries. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We offer funding, support, help and promotion. Another service we offer is to put people in contact with other organizations that could be interested in their projects. We also do follow-up with grantees and put information about their development in the newsletter. 17. What do you consider your greatest success? Why did it work? There has not been a single great success. All our activities are successful in their own way. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We share resources with our network of organizations and trustees through a newsletter. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We work with all the Arab countries with no preferences. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Its too early to say, but from a personal point of view I would say that the main issues expressed in the projects are ethnic and gender ones. Another point is that most of the time people prefer to play safe in their projects. For example, we received a lot of proposals for critical writings about famous people, like the poet Mahmoud Darwish, meaning that people are afraid to look for original talent. Also, there is a lack of interaction with the diversity of the Arab world. In Jordan, there is a lack of cultural production and few networks. People dont take advantage of the tolerance of the government

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(compared to other Arab countries) to try to change the laws. They dont have the energy to try to make things better in Jordan. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to find specialized people to work with us, like someone specialized in fund-raising, for example.

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Date: 27/01/09 Name: AL-HAYA CULTURAL CENTRE Address: Shmeisani Discipline: Cultural and art education Function: Cultural centre for children Name: Hala Juma Role: Librarian History/Background: Library Contact Information: 065665195 hayac@go.com.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in November 1976 and was a present to the king from the former shah of Iran. There was no place like this in Amman at the time, a place for children to learn about culture. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have five sections: the library, theatre, IT library, art section and planetarium. We also put on dance classes and teach theatre. The science museum is closed now. The Centre is open all the year round, but children mostly come in the holiday period. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have a director and board members, but I dont know how there are elected. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We receive 4,000 JD from the government, and the rest we generate ourselves. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It depends on the number of children. In the past, we were the only cultural centre for children in Jordan, but now there are a lot of places like us that are newer, so its more difficult to get children to come. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience is made up of children from six to 13 years old. They come from all over. 7. What facilities do you have? As I said, we have a planetarium, library, art section, theatre with 200 seats, and IT library. 8. How do you promote your activities? They are promoted in the newspapers and on the radio. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? During vacations people come to help us, sometimes old members. We make sure the person is appropriate first. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? 11. What is your network?

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We have our own network from our Website and contact list. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Each section puts on maybe four to five events per session. At the end of the vacation, each group prepares a major event. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We charge less than 5 JD. 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? Our students are Jordanian, but we also have foreigners coming. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We have dance classes that students have to pay for. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The students keep coming, and there is a good atmosphere. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We used to collaborate with the Arab Childrens Congress, but we have stopped now. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The number of centres likes us now in Jordan has grown, and students prefer to go to the newer centres. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? We badly need money, at least to refresh the place and put it on the same level as the other centres.

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Date: 27/01/09 Name: ROYAL FILM COMMISSION Address: Jabal Amman, 1st Circle Discipline: Film Function: Public commission Name: George David Role: Deputy manager History/Background: Theatre Studies in Lebanon; BA in Film and TV from California Contact Information: 0799000100 george.david@film.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The RFC was founded in 2003 on the initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah. The idea was to create a Jordanian Middle Eastern Film Commission, and the institution is the only one of its type in the region. The purpose is to promote international film culture in Jordan. Jordan did not have a viable film industry when the Commission was founded, and it is still growing. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We do what every film commission does in every part of the world: we promote the country as a place for filmmaking, and we provide support to any film production company that comes here. The RFC also trains and provides workshops and education programmes in the film industry. We organize and facilitate screenings of international films across the country. We also hold workshops in remote areas. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Its governed by a board of commissioners headed by Ali Bin Hussein. The board members are selected. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Its too early to discuss that, as it hasnt be finalized yet. Our budget comes from the government. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? It depends on each department, but generally the audience is made up of professionals, film fans and film students. Anyone interested in filmmaking is welcome. When we have a screening, it depends on the movie who comes, but usually its a young audience under the age of 40. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a venue for film screening and a film library. We have a workshop, a viewing room, an editing room and a department for equipment. 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote them through local newspapers, a mailing list, Facebook and the radio. 9. How do you recruit volunteers?

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We dont have any volunteers. But our workshops are free, and participants sign up saying that they will donate a certain number of hours to us. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? When we screen movies, we are always very careful to ensure that we have the rights. We sometimes screen films at events, like next week when we are having a screening for Gaza. We also try to coordinate our screenings with the arrival of filmmakers in the country. We screen movies by young Jordanian filmmakers that have worked with us. 11. What is your network? We are in contact with local institutions like the Al-Balad Theatre and with other venues and cultural centres. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have 32 independent screenings a year, and we have around 15 small film festivals. We also have workshops and film club events. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Events are always free of charge. 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? Generally, they come from the Arab region. For the workshops, its mainly Jordanians. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We have equipment that we provide for free. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We have had many successes! We have built support for the film industry, and we are now perceived as being a focal point for filmmaking in Jordan. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We are a member of the Association of International filmmakers, the USC, the Qatan Foundation and the Sundance Festival, and we have links with the film industry in Egypt. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? Our most important partnerships are probably with Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Syria. We also partner with the foreign cultural centres and the European Commission, etc. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? There is an increasing interest in art and culture in Jordan, especially in cinema. It is starting to be considered as more than just entertainment. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? In general, we have a satisfying situation, but if we had more money we could do more. For example, we would like to have an arthouse theatre to screen quality films with quality equipment. If we could change the cinema field in Jordan, I think we would want more key people, more specialized people in certain fields of cinema. We also have a problem with the variety of movies screened in the country: we need more choice and variety.

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Date: 05/02/09 Name: PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE Address: Madina Riyadiyye Discipline: Art Function: Venue and promotion Name: Lina Attel Role: Founder and director History/Background: BA in English Literature and Administrative Science, Jordan; Dramatic Art, London; MA in Theatre and Directing, UK Contact Information: 0777460146 lina.attel@pac.org.jo - www.pac.org.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The PAC was founded in 1987, but at that time it was a project for theatre in education. There was a lack of theatre in Jordan then, and later, step by step, we expanded in different ways. In 1996, we got this place, and we were awarded a big EU project for women and human rights through theatre. That enabled us to expand further, and we became the PAC. Then, two years ago, we became the National Centre for Culture and Performing Arts. We started the Noor al-Hussein Centre, whose purpose is to improve lives in Jordan through social and cultural projects. The objective is to contribute to the artistic and cultural scene in Jordan with a focus on youth and to promote young talent. There was a need to promote art in the minds of people that art has a role to play in social development. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We work in identifying talent and developing it, and we work on promoting art for all and not only for the elite. We go to people; they dont come here. We have very dynamic programming, and we try to help young and emerging groups. We hold a lot of workshops, projects and training sessions. We have succeeded in adding classes in theatre and art to the school curriculum. We are trying to create an Arab network of artists, and we organize festivals, like the Arab Childrens Congress. We also work on cross-cultural collaboration to improve the image of Arab people in the West. We did a dance show fusion, a play which was a real co-production. We are members of the ACITAGE network for theatre for children. And we do projects for disabled people and to promote womens rights. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We are not like other NGOs because we started as a royal institution established by royal charter. As a result, we have tax advantages. On the other hand, we are a NGO as well, so we can apply for funds. But we are independent. We have a board of trustees. I select the members of the board and send a list to Queen Noor for her approval. All the members are artists and activists with senior positions in society. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We get 60% of our funding from proposals, and the rest comes from 20% donations, 10% from fees for our classes, and 10% from charitable donations. We work with 400,000 or 500,000 JD a year. We pay salaries, and we have a permanent theatre troupe, so its not that much. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Its increasing because we have improved and we are doing bigger projects.

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6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? There is the elite the rich people, the royal court, and the ministries and then there are the ordinary people. Our audience is very diverse as a result. At performances in the ancient theatre, of the 5,000 people present you might find 2,000 members of the elite and the rest are ordinary people from all over Amman. 7. What facilities do you have? Last year, the municipality built us a theatre with seats for 220 people. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use the media TV, newspapers, radio, and mass emailing. We have a big database, and we use letters, posters and flyers, etc. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We recruit them through Jordan University, which has a programme for volunteers. We also go through schools: some of them have a community service programme. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? People come and propose a project. Then we decide whether to accept it or not. We have rules they have to agree to. 11. What is your network? We are part of the ACITAGE network. Thanks to the Arab Childrens Congress, we also have another network made up of institutions in Europe and elsewhere. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Per month, our troupe performs at least three times a week, here or elsewhere. We also have daily activities. Soon, we are going to start workshops with Iraqi children in Jordan. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We dont charge entry fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? If artists want to perform here, we draw up a contract. But we dont ask for money. 15. Where do the artists come from? From Jordan mainly, but we have had artists from Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Czech Republic and the US. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Sometimes artists come with scripts and we give advice. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? I think having the centre survive is already a great achievement. We have to work all the time to maintain the financial situation and the quality of our work, the level of excellence. Another great success is that we have managed to introduce art as part of the school curriculum. There is also the Arab Childrens Congress, which has run for 22 years. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations?

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We collaborate a lot with media production organizations, among them the Zaha Cultural Centre and with the Free Theatre. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? I would say Lebanon, Syria, the US, Britain and France. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The positive trend is that His Majesty King Abdallah has created an independent fund for art. That will enable many artists to continue working and increase competition and so quality. Another project for next year is the Opera House, meaning that there are positive trends everywhere in Jordan. The challenge is religious fanaticism. Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more powerful on a social level. And it doesnt help build interest in art in the country. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? Money is a big issue, so I would like to have more money to continue working and to hold more activities. I would like to see more quality work in Jordan. We should stop all the rubbish. And I dream of seeing art available to all. All children should have access to art, and if they are talented they should be supported.

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Date: 11/03/09 Name: AL-HUSSEIN CULTURAL CENTRE Address: Ras al-Ain Discipline: Art and culture Function: Centre and facilities Name: Ibrahim Khreis Role: Director History/Background: Civil Engineering in the US; MA from Jordan University Contact Information: ibrahimkhreis@yahoo.com - 799054634 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Centre itself was opened in 2000 and the theatre in 2002. The municipality felt they it should provide more cultural services, and it chose this area of the city as it is a popular area, almost the old downtown area of Amman. Before, there was only the Royal Theatre, and the idea was to build another one. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have galleries, receptions, and movie screenings in 35 mm and DVD. Our facilities allow us to show 35 mm films, as well as to hold conferences, meetings, workshops, dramatic events and so on. We dont produce activities, however. We host them. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? I manage the Centre and have been director for the past two and a half years. The Centres employees are municipal employees. They include an electrical engineer, a lighting technician, a maintenance manager and people who coordinate activities in the Centre. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We are funded from the municipal budget. I cant tell you the exact amount because we dont have a separate budget. Some years, it is more than 500,000 JD, sometimes less. At the beginning, there was a lot of maintenance work to be done, so the budget was in excess of a million. Everything depends on need and the municipal budget. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It changes according to need. At the moment, there is a need to change equipment, which will cost a lot. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We have all kinds of people coming, from both the upper and lower classes. It depends on the activities and performances that are on. People come from different areas and from Amman and outside Amman. In 2006, 45,000 people came. In 2007, that figure was 102,000, and in 2008 it was 125,000. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a hall for 120 people, though it depends on the size of the show. The first-floor hall can host 250 people. There is a 530-seat theatre and a small auditorium with 188 seats. 8. How do you promote your activities?

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We promote our activities in the newspapers. The organizers also use the media. We have also used Amman Radio lately, and we update the Website weekly. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? It depends on the activities: yesterday, we had a lot of volunteers for the Prophet Mohammads birthday. In general, they come to us: we dont have to look for them. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? It depends. If someone wants to reserve the theatre, I ask for details of the project and then decide. We havent experienced problems, because people know the kind of events we put on. 11. What is your network? We come under the municipality, and we have contacts with other arts centres. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? In general, I would say we have between 10 and 14 activities every week. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Activities are always free of charge. 14. How many artists are under contract? This is a matter for the cultural department. But there is a contract for everything. 15. Where do the artists come from? Mostly, they are Jordanian, but sometimes we have activities with Arabs and Europeans or Asians, etc. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We are getting more and more people coming every year. Since I took charge, I have decided to focus on quality of work, and I think this will increase the audience. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Yes, but through the embassies: we have good links with all the embassies here. We also have good equipment, which is free, and we are in a good location. We also cooperate with art centres in Amman, like the National Music Conservatory, for example. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We have twin city agreements with cities in Romania, the US, Kazakhstan and Russia. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? It depends on awareness. I have tried to make the Centre better known to the public, which is why people have started to come more and more. We believe that culture brings people together. We try to affect people more then we are affected from outside. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to have cutting-edge technology in the Centre. Our work depends on technology, and I would like to keep up with the latest technologies. I wish we could encourage more talents, so they could be full-time artists and there would be a better level of art. All cultural activities should be placed under one umbrella.

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Date: 04/02/09 Name: HOUSE OF ART Cultural Department of Greater Amman Municipality Address: Al-Balad Discipline: Art Function: Venue and promoters Name: Abdullah Radwan Role: Director History/Background: BA in Geography from Jordan; work as a poet, critic and writer Contact Information: 0799054560 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in 2002 as a section of the Cultural Department of Amman, which was Capital of Culture at the time. Queen Rania also opened the House of Art, a mini-museum where people can see music, TV productions, traditions, costumes, jewelry, painting and handicrafts at the same time. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We are mainly a museum. There are also ceremonies on Independence Day and King Abdullahs birthday. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have four sections in the Cultural Department: one is for the House of Art; one is for publications; one is for studies; and the final one is a folklore group. The Department has a director, and above him are the municipality people. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We get all our funding from the municipality. When we have an event with an embassy, we cooperate and share funds. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? The budget has been increasing every year because the place has grown. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We have four different kinds of people coming: tourists, students from schools and universities, intellectuals, artists and the media, and people who come out of general interest. 7. What facilities do you have? We have three rooms downstairs and four rooms upstairs. 8. How do you promote your activities? Through the media and the written and spoken word. We hold press conferences, and the Departments Intranet site allows everyone in the municipality to know about our events. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work?

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Artists bring us their work. We then select performers, who need to be approved by the deputy mayor. We select older and younger artists. We also like to promote young artists. Last year, we exhibited the work of five young women artists. 11. What is your network? We use the network of the municipality. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have around 300 events a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Our events are free of charge. 14. How many artists are under contract? There are no formal contracts. We just need approval from the mayor. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are mostly Jordanian, but there are also Iraqis, Syrians and Lebanese. We have held international exhibitions, and there have been collaborative programmes with the embassies. We have also had visiting artists from France and Japan. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We buy books and paintings and book plays and musical events, all this in order to promote the arts. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We are very proud of the fact that Amman was Cultural Capital in 2002. There were many events at this time; and we had a budget of eight million JD. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have our own budget and activities. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? Possibly Tunisia, Kuwait, China, Spain and France, as well as Japan and Italy. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We do what we want. Maybe when the mayor has a special taste for something we organize more events in this field. At the moment, we are concentrating on music and film. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? One idea would be for the House of Art to remain here and for the other activities to be transferred somewhere else, possibly to the municipalitys main building. Regarding the situation in Jordan, we would like to give more opportunities to younger artists to exhibit their work. In Jordan, you need a name before you can be successful, but we can help promote artists and introduce new blood.

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Date: 11/03/09 Name: HOUSE OF POETRY Address: Roman Theatre Discipline: Poetry and literature Function: Association Name: Habib Zaudi Role: President History/Background: BA in Arabic Language and Literature, Jordan; MA in Classical Arabic Poetry, Morocco; PhD in Pre-Islamic Poetry Contact Information: habib.zzzz@yahoo.com - 0799053984 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in 1999. In Jordan, we have different kinds of poetry, but Bedouin poetry is the original poetry of the Middle East. In order to encourage Bedouin poetry, the government and the poets themselves founded the House of Poetry. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Members of the House of Poetry write the most famous Jordanian songs. People sometimes do not understand the true importance of songs, especially popular songs, for the society and ways of life. People like songs about war and the military, and they may not understand the importance of other issues. We publish poetry, and I myself have published four books of poems. We also organize events, running five festivals a year, the next of which is on 25 March. Bedouin poetry represents the real Jordan. It does not come from Amman. The Bedouin accent is well-known in all the Arab countries; it is part of our oral heritage. One group of poets, named the Red Chale Group, go into the mountains, sit around campfires and sing songs accompanied by the rababa. I have written more than 100 songs for Jordanian and Arab singers myself. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We are a group of poets, and I am the manager of the institution. We work together. There is a structure of course, as with any organization, and we come under the municipality. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The government doesnt help us financially. It supplied the building for two million JD, but it does not help with activities. We have funding of 40,000 JD a year, and there are 200 poets who are members. We get support from companies, perhaps providing up to 150,000 JD a year. The municipality only helps people in Amman, but this is not the case with private sponsorship. Bedouin poetry is not related to Amman, and the true poets are outside Amman. The people who really need support are outside Amman. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It has improved but not much. The government will pay if we invite ministers or princes, but not if we invite important poets. If you do not have connections, you will have problems finding support. You need wasta to make it, not talent or creativity. This is a huge problem we have here in Jordan. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience is made up of people who are interested in poetry. The really cultured people are outside Amman and from poorer areas. People in Amman who claim to be cultured are often not

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really cultured. They act as if they were a part of New York; they do not represent Jordan. Its a culture that has been imported from the US. Poetry in the Arab world is very important, like the poetry in the Quran. Poetry is the most important art in the region. People love poetry, and our audience is very big. However, the real interest is stronger outside Amman. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a large, old building: we would have preferred a smaller, simpler space, giving any extra money to poorer poets. 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote them through state TV, private TV channels and Gulf TV, and in the newspapers. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? They come to us. We dont have to look for them. We also have people giving us donations. Someone once gave us enough money to organize activities for a year. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We focus on good poetry. We have a few poets from Amman, but most are from outside. There are no fees for membership. People dont need to be famous. Those poets who are famous are the ones that have contacts, or wasta. But they are not really talented. The best poets are not famous. 11. What is your network? We have a network with poets in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Palestine, Morocco, the Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Yemen and Bahrain. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have two activities a month. In special periods, such as Ramadan, there are activities every day. Sometimes, we have a festival. It all depends. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Events are always free. 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? They are Jordanian, though we have friends and contacts in all the Arab countries. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to you your members or the public? We publish books, organize travel to festivals outside Jordan, provide tickets and pay fees. Few people are invited from abroad, as this requires a larger budget. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We have been able to reach distant parts of Jordan in villages and the desert, etc. This is the best thing we have done. Some poets have become famous as a result of their involvement with the House of Poetry. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We collaborate with the various Syndicates, the municipality, and the Writers Association. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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We collaborate a lot with Egypt and the Emirates. These countries support our activities a lot. People there appreciate poetry more than they do in Jordan. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The spread of wasta is the worst. Also, we dont have freedom of speech in this country. We always have to say that everything is beautiful. We cant write about the real issues of the society. We have to paint a beautiful image of the country and the society. All this is wrong. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish poetry could make people more positive and open-minded. I wish we could have more influence on society and its mentality. I wish, for example, that society would appreciate women more. At present its a male-dominated society. I wish poetry could change that.

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Date: 11/02/09 Name: ZAHA CULTURAL CENTRE Address: Rabieh Discipline: Culture and art Function: Childrens centre Name: Rania Subieh Role: Manager director History/Background: BA in Media and Journalism; MA in Special Education Contact Information: manager.zaha@yahoo.com - 065531576 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? We are part of the municipality of Amman, and we also accept donations. We were created thanks to a donation from Mrs Zaha Mango in 1998, and she also gave half a million JD to expand the Centre. Hopefully, we will build a new centre in Jabal al-Hussain. Mrs Zaha was concerned about bettering the lives of children playing on the streets. There should be a place for them to have fun in, to play, and to learn in, instead of playing on the street, she thought. As a result she approached the municipality and asked for a free piece of land to build the Centre. The idea was to protect children from life on the streets. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have over 35 free programmes, which include karate and ballet. We teach any child that would like to learn the piano and other instruments. We also teach computing, English, Arabic and Arabic calligraphy. We teach children that have problems at school as well. We have also talked about setting up the first shop in Jordan that would sell products made by children, such as pottery. The idea would be to transform children from consumers to producers, helping them to work in copper and clay. We also help to elevate childrens social and psychological conditions through group therapy, especially for teenagers. We work in the area of media and journalism, and we have issued the first newspaper for children. The newspaper has editors and writers that are children themselves, and these receive training through the Centre. We teach photography, and we the first centre in the Arab world to teach children photography, done in coordination with the Union of Arab Photographers in Germany, which chose us as the first Arab centre. There is a four-year curriculum, at the end of which children graduate. We also have classes in drawing, writing and storytelling. We teach basketball and football, and we have our own teams. We also have a band that plays oriental music and traditional Arabic songs. We also teach drama and theatre: we have a childrens company, and this can help children who have problems with public speaking. We have a programme that aims to provide a playing area for children in every governmental and army hospital in Jordan and another programme that is called We are Tomorrow, which develops the idea of citizenship in children. Another of our projects created the first play area for physically disabled children, and this helps to integrate disabled children into society through play. We have a programme called Let us make my City Amman more Beautiful, which identified 13 areas of Amman for children to paint murals in. Our programmes for small children between the ages of three and seven help develop speech and other skills, such as reading and writing in English and Arabic. There is a special storytelling area called Karameesh. We have also published a lot of books, one of which is entitled I Have a Problem, dealing with common problems among teenagers. Another of our books collects stories written by children. Our publication I Hear what I Like teaches children how to make things through recycling simple household items.

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3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? It doesnt have a board, only a director. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We get funding from the municipality of Amman and other organizations and donations. We also accept donations from private individuals. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Yes, it has changed very much. The Centre has grown and so has its budget. I think the municipality did us a huge favour in allowing us to have partnerships and relationships with other organizations. We have an account at the municipality, and every donation we receive goes through there. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We have children coming here all year round; some 2,000 come every day. We serve children from three to 17 years of age. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a library, a computer centre, a section for studies and documentation, a theatre, a centre for childrens physiological problems, a shop, an outside playing area, a cafeteria and a football field. 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote our activities through the television, radio, newspapers, satellite channels and magazines. We also sometimes use brochures and flyers that we distribute in schools and shopping malls like the Mecca Mall. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We approach universities to send us volunteers, and we also let past students teach children here. We get a lot of volunteers through word of mouth. We have Italian volunteers seven of them come every year and stay for a month. They help children in refugee camps and in less-fortunate areas of Jordan. We also work with volunteers from The International Family Organization. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? 11. What is your network? We have a network through the municipality of Amman 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Every month we have six events outside the Centre and three inside. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? The teachers come from everywhere Italy, Russia, Iraq, Jordan and many other countries. We have contracts with them. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public?

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17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Our greatest success is that we go out to the people instead of waiting for them to come to us. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have partnerships with the Haya Cultural Centre, the Al-Hussain Centre for Physical Disabilities, the Maan Centre for Bodies and Culture and many, many others. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We have worked in the Arab world and outside of it. We have worked in Cairo, Oman, Dubai and Bahrain. Other non-Arab countries have included Venezuela and Ukraine. We have partnerships with centres in Tunisia and Washington. We have also established new links with Russia and Germany recently. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? The first thing we should change is infrastructure. People dont trust the government to provide quality spaces, and we have tried to change this. I care about changing the idea people have of the public sector. They think they have to pay if they want quality, but I want to change that.

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Date: 1/3/09 Name: GREATER AMMAN MUNICIPALITY Cultural Department Address: 87, Prince Mohammed Street Discipline: Cultural activities Function: Publishing, exhibitions, conferences, seminars, plays and concerts Name: Haitham Jwienat Role: Deputy manager for cultural, social and sports services History/Background: Engineer Contact Information: 0799054267 4653288 h.jwienat@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in 1997. The municipality wanted to include culture among its other functions, so it established the Cultural Department to cover this and enrich the cultural lives of Amman residents. 2. What kind of programming do you do? We do the following: books, arts & photography exhibitions; plays for adults and children; seminars & conferences; musical concerts; folkloric dancing; film festivals; book publishing, as well as coordinating different cultural and artistic events with foreign cultural centres. 3. What are the main directives of your cultural policy? They include supporting intellectuals by facilitating their creative work and making it available to people interested in culture and the arts, and widening the audience by increasing contact with cultural and artistic events. 4. How is the department governed? How does one become a board member? The manager of the Cultural Department is assisted by heads of sections in different fields of culture. 5. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The budget is around 600,000 JD, which comes from the municipality. 6. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? The budget of the Cultural Department has been increasing every year due to increases in the municipality budget and the greater emphasis on culture. 7. How many and which cultural organizations/venues are under the umbrella of the municipality? The municipality has its own venues for cultural and artistic events. 8. What cultural spaces belong to the municipality? The following is a list: the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre; the Al-Hussein Park; the House of Poetry; the House of Art; the Zaha Cultural Centre; the Queen Rania Park; the House of Tayke; Culture Street. 9. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? All Amman residents make up our audience, though some activities are targeted towards intellectuals and other activities more towards women and children. 10. What facilities do you have?

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11. How do you promote your activities? The following methods are used: invitations; press releases; monthly publications. 12. How do you recruit volunteers? There are no volunteers. 13. Do you features/fund local artists or projects? How do you select the work? Some projects funded by the Cultural Department involve the purchase of works from local exhibitions organized by the Department. As for selecting the works, artists usually apply to the Department and their works are then evaluated. 14. What is your network? The network consists of public and private-sectors organizations working in the cultural and artistic fields, like the ministry of culture, the Royal Film Commission and the Shoman Foundation. 15. How many events do you have per week / month / year? During the winter, one or two a week, rising to three a week in summer. 16. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? All our events are free of charge. 17. How many artists are under contract? We do not issue contracts. 18. Where do the artists come from? The following organizations are involved: the Jordanian Plastic Art Association; the Jordanian Artists Syndicate; the Jordanian Photographic Society. 19. What fields do you focus on? We focus on all fields because our audience varies between adults, women, children & intellectuals. 20. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Our cultural services are more and more focused on the younger generation, because the majority of Jordans population is young and under the age of 30. 21. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Our greatest success was in 2002, when Amman was the City of Culture. Events were diverse, especially the cultural weeks featuring different Arab and foreign countries, and many cultural facilities were opened. 22. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We hold a lot of cultural and artistic events in cooperation with public and private organizations working in the cultural sector. For example, the Amman Book Fair is organized by the municipality, the ministry of culture and the Jordanian Publishing Union. 23. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We coordinate events with foreign embassies in Amman, such as those of Spain, France, China, Korea, Japan and the USA. Once a year, we organize a conference and invite intellectuals from different Arab countries, such as Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Tunisia.

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24. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We focus on all cultural and artistic fields, either contemporary or classical, and we widen the horizons of people by cultural exchanges with different cultures. As a result, our activities have not been affected. 25. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? To increase our budget, in order to cover more and varied cultural and artistic activities.

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Date: 08/03/09 Name: CHILDRENS MUSEUM Address: King Hussein Gardens Discipline: Art Function: Museum Name: Zeina Saket Role: Art programmer History/Background: Fine Art at Jordan University Contact Information: zeina.saket@cmj.jo - 065411479 ext. 2022 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in May 2007. It was an initiative of Queen Ranias, and its a non-profit organization. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have our art programme, the museum and the Kids Invent programme, in which children invent things with recycled materials. We also have a digital video programme and a library. In the art programme, we target children from different backgrounds, and we have around 600 children a day. The programme is organized by theme, such as road safety. We have tried to introduce experimentation, and any child can come to the art studio to express himself or herself. We had two exhibitions over the past few months, and we try to introduce children from all backgrounds to art. The problem is that 90% of schools dont have a proper art curriculum, or they have a curriculum that is boring or academic. We try to stimulate childrens creativity. Usually, our themes run for around three months. Sometimes, we have smaller themes. Next summer, we will have a shark in residence at the museum, so we will do a theme on the sea. We have had special education programmes as well, including a theatre programme with puppets, costumes, plays, a shadow theatre and performances. It was very successful. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have a board of directors with around nine members and a museum director. Members of the board are from the cultural and art scene, such as artists and architects. I think the Queen appoints them. The board decides on the budget and sponsors, etc. I dont know if the board is ever changed. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We dont have a fixed budget. If there is a major programme that needs funding, we find sponsors. We have various sponsors for the different programmes. We work on the projects and look for the budget later. We use good-quality materials and also recycled materials. We have an agreement with the ministry of education that children from public schools in poor areas dont pay fees. For private schools, the fees are 3 JD. Our outreach programme is also free. We are going to start a programme next week, running until May, and this is going to be free. Certain programmes are free for the participants, but we choose them. People can donate to us through our Website. We have sponsors who helped us to build the museum, like the telecom companies. We still have to encourage individuals to donate. When the museum started, we had huge donations from companies like Nestle. Now, things are more difficult, and the largest recent donation came from the government, though it was labeled anonymous. Local companies help us survive, and they understand the importance of the museum more and more. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this?

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6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We accept all age groups, and our audience is from all backgrounds and all classes. This is also one of our goals. The audience is generally made up of people from three to 25 years old. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a lot of space; the museum is huge. We have an art studio, a workshop and a library. We can use any of the spaces for activities. 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote them through the Website. We target the audience according to the programme and the public. Sometimes we send out flyers and posters to schools, or we send text messages. We have a good database. We use newspapers and sometimes magazines. The best approach is to send flyers to the schools so the children get them and give them to their parents. We have used the radio twice. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? They are mainly high-school students. They come to us, and we train them and explain our approach. They have community service hours to do, and though at the beginning we contacted the schools, now volunteers come to us. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We have a programme called Meet the Artist, and we ask artists to come to this. We try to show children that they could be artists, not only doctors or lawyers. We dont really select the artists, because not many volunteer. I would rather have people who can be creative and work with children, and I know some of them personally. 11. What is your network? We have a network with the schools. I asked the Syndicate about this, but they just gave me a list of names, which was not really very helpful. I have asked Makan, Jordan University, the National Library and artists for contacts. We are still building our artist database. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? It varies. We have themes, and we divide the year into the winter break, the summer break, back to school, and the holiday periods. We have perhaps six themes and sometimes two programmes running in any one theme. We also have side programmes, and we organize training workshops. We did one for art education, and we would like to do one for teachers. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Entry is 3 JD, though we have special offers for groups of more than 20. We have a family membership programme and discounts. We also have certain offers with schools. 14. How many artists are under contract? All of them are under a special contract according to the work done. Usually they are paid, but sometimes they are volunteers. 15. Where do the artists come from? Mostly they are Jordanian, though once we had a Lebanese artist. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Other than the education programmes, we do birthdays and events, such as at Christmas, and the museum can be booked for events or training for companies.

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17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The museum itself is our greatest success. We really need an environment like this in Jordan for children. I believe the next generation will be influenced by the museum. Here, children enter a magic world, in which they can experiment, discover and create. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Its mainly information sharing with Makan and the National Gallery, as I said. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We try to stay away from politics and religion, and we try to create an open environment and programmes that dont engender conflict. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to concentrate on experimental programmes. We try to tell people that any child can be an artist or creative and that in art there are no rules. As I said, in the schools they tell children they are doing wrong when they colour the sun blue, for example, but here we promote experiment. We dont have art in schools in Jordan, and also what is considered art is not always really art. Teachers are always very strict. I would like to see a creative art curriculum in every school. Maybe as a result of teachers coming here they will start such programmes in schools.

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Date: 07/03/09 Name: ARAB THEATRE INSTITUTE Address: 5th Circle, Amman Discipline: Theatre Function: Institute Name: Ghanam Ghanam Role: Secretary History/Background: Writer and director Contact Information: 0796931217 ghannamghannam@yahoo.ca 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded on 10 January 2008 in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Sultan al-Qaseimi is a writer for theatre, and he wanted to form an Arab institute like the ITI, so he gathered people from the Arab countries, the Gulf and the Middle East and Maghreb to discuss the idea. It took us eight months to agree on the rules and the programmes. In the middle of 2008, we established an office in Jordan in the same building as the Artists Syndicate. We have 25 members in Jordan, and I was chosen to head the Institutes council. In 2008, we started the first experimental theatre workshop in Jordan. There were 30 participants, who rehearsed for two weeks on a Shakespeare play. In two weeks time this will be performed at the RCC. The purpose was to build Arab theatre and to enhance collaboration with other countries. Our dream is to translate plays into English and French, and maybe in the near future we will tour Europe, North and South America and the Far East. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have a monthly conference in Jordan to organize activities. We start in June-July. We want to hold 10 conferences a year and publish a book of their proceedings. The theatre festival managed by the ATI takes place in Cairo in April. It takes place every two years in different countries, and there is an ATI office in every country in the Arab world. We now have 26 offices. We have four projects for plays, and we want to start a theatre night every Thursday night in remoter areas of Jordan where people dont have the opportunity to go to the theatre. I have worked in this area since 1992, and we would like to do this kind of popular theatre from June to December. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? The Institute is governed by the president, Ismael Abdallah, a writer from the Emirates, the head of the council, Ashraf Zaqi, and a secretary, which is the post I hold. Board members are selected by the Theatre Association, which has 17 members and established the ATI. There will be elections to the board every two years, and corresponding societies throughout the Arab world will elect their own heads, who will in turn elect the council of the ATI. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Sheikh Sultan al-Qaseimi made capital funds available for the ATI: these have been invested and we have to find money for running costs ourselves. We havent found major Jordanian donors yet, but our partnership with the ministry of culture will help. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information?

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Our first play will be performed soon. In order to be a member of the ATI, you have to have a position in the theatre and to work in the theatre full-time. For this reason, there are only 25 members of the ATI, while in the Syndicate there are more than 1,000 members. I don not think we will have more than 50 members. 7. What facilities do you have? We dont have our own facilities, but we have offices in the same building as the Theatre Syndicate. There is a project to build a theatre complex in each Arab country. If this happens, we will have our own facilities and theatre. 8. How do you promote your activities? We have good connections with the daily newspapers, news agencies, and through the Internet. We now have a Website. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are all volunteers, and more than volunteers, as sometimes we pay for ATI projects ourselves. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We have an application form, and when we started we had a committee to study applications and decide who should be admitted as a member. Membership fees are 20 JD to register and 1 JD every month. Each country in the network has its own fees. 11. What is your network? Up to now, 15 countries have joined: Jordan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, the Emirates, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We want to have a conference every month, and each area of theatre will put on one play, so four plays a year. Sections include puppet theatre and historical theatre, and we want to make documentaries about the first actresses in Jordan and so on. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Membership fees are 1 JD a month, but performances are free, or at least the first ones will be. 14. How many artists are under contract? We do not issue contracts. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are all Jordanian, but the Institute is open to all Arabs living in Jordan. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Maybe in the future we will hold workshops for members to built capacity in different fields, such as acting techniques. We will try to hold workshops in the Arab world, as well as in Europe, the US and China, in order to benefit from the latest information about world theatre. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Since 1990, I have been dreaming about a theatre for the people. If I do this one day, this will be my greatest success. I have been trying as a member and as secretary of the ATI in Jordan to form a project to go into the villages. If they accept this, I will do it; if not, I will do it by myself. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations?

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We collaborate with about 10 groups in Jordan. We collaborate with the Syndicate and perform at the RCC. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? All the countries in the ATI are equally important, but perhaps Palestine is especially so. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Activities in Jordan are going well, and we have an activity every month. I think our artists gain good experience here. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to see the ATI in Jordan have its own theatre. This would be a great step forward. I hope the ATI will not become like a governmental organization, and I will fight for it to be different. I want artists to be free and to feel free when they deal with the ATI. I want to keep it independent, like it is today.

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Professional Associations
Date: 27/01/09 Name: ARAB ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN IN MUSIC Address: Discipline: Music Function: Association Name: Agnes Bachir Role: Director and founder History/Background: BA and MA in Music from Russia; music teaching in Iraq and Jordan Contact Information: 0777392773 agness@nol.com.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The AAWM was founded in November 1998. It was founded by accident, actually. I dont believe in feminism, but I faced problems in society as a women. I participated in a congress of the International Alliance for Women in the US. I was curious to know what it was about, and I discovered that women there faced similar problems. So, I decided to create the Alliance to help talented women and girls working in music. Even in the history of music, women have been discriminated against. Men are welcome to join the Alliance, but the decision-makers are women. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We promote music and help talented people. We also organize concerts, projects and meetings. Last year, we organized a Healing through Music project, and previously we have organized events that have gathered musicians together from all over. We have organized lectures about the history of opera. We have a small library. We organized a remake of the story of Prince Ahmad with the Goethe Institute. We invite musicians from everywhere from Syria, Morocco, Sweden and Germany, for example. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We are officially connected to the ministry of culture, and our patron is Princess Basma. I was president for 18 years, but now I am the director, and Lina al-Tall is the president. But I do the same job. We have board members that we select ourselves; we know all of them. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Its voluntary work. We are an NGO, so when we have a project we collect money for it. We ask for financial support from our board and from other organizations. It depends on the project and with whom we are collaborating. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We perform classical music, so its a specific public. The public is actually always the same: educated, but everyone can come.

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7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? We invite people through our contact list and personal contacts. We put advertisements in the newspapers and on TV. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? When we need help, people from the Alliance, even though not musicians, are there to help us. We are all volunteers. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We select musicians according to what we are looking for. We work with Jordanians, but also with other artists from elsewhere. We select musicians on criteria of quality and talent, of course. 11. What is your network? We have a worldwide network of musicians. We are members of different international associations, including the Lebanese Composers Society, the International Alliance of Music, an association in Italy, etc. I also have my own personal contacts. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We do four to five concerts per year. We focus on quality, not quantity. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We always do concerts free of charge. 14. How many artists are under contract? We do not offer contracts. 15. Where do the artists come from? They come from everywhere. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The Healing through Music project was a great success. It was a musical and social project. Music can help people survive. I think it was very beautiful, because when there is a crisis in a country the first thing to collapse is culture. This is very sad. When music can help to reconstruct a people and a culture, its even more important. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We collaborate with a lot of associations. Like I said, we are members of different associations, and we share information and collaborate. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? There are no particular partners. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? There are a lot of influences. But our activities are there to influence people, not to be influenced by external trends. This is also the purpose of the Alliance. But I would say that the financial crisis and the situation in Gaza are affecting our activities, and they are not helping us.

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21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? If I could change one thing about music here, I would establish a public music school, as everything is done by private institutions at the moment. There is no help from the public sector. The National Conservatory does not work professionally. They bring teachers from Eastern Europe, and these teachers bring in their own culture and their own way of doing things. I should open a music school myself, actually, as I have the experience from Iraq, and I know how to do it. But I have not been asked to do it. So, I would change the musical education system, which should be more carefully run. However, being a musician is one thing; being a teacher is something else. People want things to go very quickly, and they dont understand that music takes a long time at least 18 years of study. People focus on the materialistic part of music, how long it lasts, and this is also a problem. For the Arab Alliance of Women in Music, we need real financial support. We need funds to enlarge our activities. We also need to train people to take over from us in the future.

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Date: 25/01/09 Name: AMMAN FILMMAKERS COOPERATIVE Address: Discipline: Non-profit organization Function: Support and education Name: Hazim Bitar Role: Director and founder History/Background: BA in Computer Science from the US; MA in Organization Management from the US Contact Information: 0795308232 hazim.bitar@gmail.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Cooperative started in 2002 as a cine club, and it was very difficult and complicated to register it as a cooperative. This eventually took place in 2006. In 2003, we started the first workshop in Books@cafe, which was a real success. I used to work at UNICEF, and this workshop was held to help staff know how to document their activities. The purpose of creating the Cooperative was to meet the lack of independent cinema activities in Jordan. There was nothing that we were aware of in this field, and there was a real gap in film education. The only activities in film were as a result of the work of foreign institutions and funding. The Cooperative was founded to provide alternative funding to produce short films. The criteria used to judge the quality of a movie was the approval of the government. We wanted more objective criteria, which would come from film festivals. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We offer cinema education, support, touring and follow up for our students. We give people the tools to express their vision through films. Our Cooperative is issue-orientated: we promote alternative cinema and low-budget and digital films. Today, we try to focus our work outside of Amman, and we work in the Jerash Refugee Camp (the Gaza Refugee Camp) and in Ghor Mazra. We organize workshops in basic movie-making and IT skills. We also organize the Jordanian Short Film Festival. We have started a movie database and a Jordanian film directory. This year, we are going to start a feature-film programme. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? There are three people who manage the Cooperative, and we also have an advisory board. The board members are selected from people who have contributed to independent cinema. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We dont have an annual budget. We have almost no funding, and if there is any its from the personnel. The only funding we have received up till now has come from the Spanish Agency for Cultural Cooperation. The films produced at the Cooperative are very low budget. In Jordan, there is a film-funding system, which is secret funding and is not official. Its like a network: if someone is interested in your movie, he will offer financial help. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? At the beginning, it was mainly young college students. Today our audience is more diverse.

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7. What facilities do you have? Our cinema club has shut down, and we are looking for a place in Ghor or in the Gaza camp. Prices are very cheap there, so we can afford a place big enough for the workshops, the cinema club and the other activities. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use our email list, Facebook, and our Yahoo group. We also rely on a community activist from UNRWA, who promotes our activities in the community. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? Volunteers at the festivals are generally people who contact us, or students. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Selection for the workshops is based on age. They are generally for people up to 20 years old, but there can be exceptions if the person concerned has good skills. Our students should have a concept of filmmaking that matches with ours. The Cooperative is dedicated to independent and alternative films. 11. What is your network? The network is made up of our contacts and the community in Ghor and Jerash. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have five activities per year. Including the workshops for students that have made a movie with us, we have 25 activities a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? The students are under contract when they produce a film at the Cooperative. Its important for the festivals, distribution-wise. 15. Where do the artists come from? They all live in Jordan, but they may have different nationalities (Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Palestinian, etc.). 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We try to defend the legacy of independent cinema. Captain Abu Raed has been presented as the first Jordanian feature film, but this is not true. The first one was The Mission, but this was not recognized, and both the movie and the director have been forgotten. This policy has been really destructive: even if a film is not liked, its existence should be recognized. We have started a new programme for feature films. We have a programme, Hope Films, that has two main purposes, one to teach video skills and one to raise funds. This is especially important for people in Ghor who want to make commercial films. We also have a programme that teaches basic IT skills and animation. The aim is to teach visual education and storyboarding and at the same time to teach basic IT skills, which are essential in filmmaking. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Our greatest success is to have had students who continued in filmmaking and started to make their own careers and to become famous. Another success has been to see new students coming, giving us

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motivation. Its a fact that with nothing and with no funding, we have nevertheless been a success, such that the alternative cinema movement in Jordan is now taken seriously. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Yes, we partner with UNRWA, the Spanish cultural cooperation agency and the Zikra Initiative. We are open to share more with others, but since they dont approach us, we dont cooperate with them. Sometimes, an organization wants to cooperate with us, but then considers us to be a junior partner. Then we have the feeling that its more like exploitation than cooperation. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We are independent, and our economic situation makes international collaboration difficult. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I see failure in the cultural scene in Jordan. There are a lot of facilities and schools, etc., but we havent done anything exceptional. Maybe one could point to Recycle, which is a very good movie, but still it symbolizes the Jordanian problem: the director lived outside of Jordan for a long time. People have to leave Jordan in order to explore and develop their creativity. The cultural system in Jordan is not driven by talent. Talent is the least important criteria, actually. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? Funding: our financial situation is killing us. Imagine what we could do if we had the money! Open a film school outside the system, for example. If I could change the situation of culture in Jordan, I would make it less depressing. It is too focused on politics and security matters at the moment.

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Date: 05/03/09 Name: JORDANIAN PLASTIC ART ASSOCIATION Address: Jabal Weibdeh Discipline: Plastic art Function: Association Name: Ghazi Inaim Role: President History/Background: Fine Art and Graphic Design in Damascus Contact Information: 0795509308 ghaziinaim@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was established in 1977. The purposes are many: to promote art; to develop a basis for plastic art, so it can take up a productive role between artistic movements in the Arab world and internationally; to support Jordanian artists and to give them an environment in which to work productively and be creative. Other purposes include trying to spread artistic awareness among the citizens of Jordan, and to encourage art criticism and to sponsor new talent. Also to encourage the development of artistic groups and to improve the synergy between NGOs and governmental associations; to provide healthcare and social care for artists; and to publish specialized magazines. We dont provide insurance yet, but we have been trying to get government health insurance for artists. Because of financial issues and the lack of support from the government and NGOs, we havent been able to publish any magazines yet. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? For the past 30 years, there has been little financial backing, and owing to the former heads of the Association, there was a period of stagnation. We were elected last May, and we developed plans to develop the Association. In a very short time, we undertook a lot of activities, like Ramadan festivities, including poetry, the plastic arts and music. We have set up exchanges with art galleries in Yemen, Kazakhstan, India and Tunisia. We have organized personal exhibitions and an exhibition of solidarity posters with Gaza, with the cooperation of the Science University. We have also collected funds for Gaza. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have elections every two years. All members have the right to nominate themselves. Artists should give notice earlier. The financial report is discussed, and then there is a vote. The president is elected and the six board members. To be a board member, an individual has to be over 18 years old, and he has to be an artist working in painting, sculpture, graphic design, calligraphy, or design. The work has to be of a high quality: the artist has to have had at least one personal exhibition, or be a member of three galleries. A committee decides on applications, including the president, an art critic, and three others. We have about 300 artists who are members. The Association is getting bigger because of the increasing number of university graduates. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We get about 7,000 JD a year from the ministry of culture and the municipality. This is to cover the rent and bills. We are all volunteers, and we pay from our own money to support the institution.

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5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It has not changed, even though we have tried to contact the municipality and the ministry several times. We wanted a headquarters fit for our ambitions for Jordanian art. We want to remove the visual illiteracy in Jordan, and we want to start a campaign called Art for Everyone. We also want to hold workshops for children. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Its very various and from every level of society, including businessman, intellectuals, farmers, etc. 7. What facilities do you have? What we have is very simple: we have an office and a main hall that we use as a gallery. There is a new headquarters building, but we still dont have the money to pay the rent. This includes a cinema, storage space, a studio, a residency room, a theatre, and a gallery. But all this is on hold until we get financial support. We hope the new place will provide artists with what they are expecting from the Association. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use the regular media, the Internet and newspapers. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are all volunteers. Sometimes we have people over to give lectures or activities, for which we pay, but there are no resources for this at the moment. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? 11. What is your network? We are working to be more open and to have contacts with the other galleries, associations, universities, schools and unions in Jordan. We have contacts with other Arab art associations. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We plan to have about 12 exhibitions every month, with 12 seminars at the same time and a booklet printed for each. However, up to now, we have been able to do very little. Events in October include a Womens Day and a day honouring a particular individual, held in collaboration with the municipality. This year, we had the cooperation of the ministry to hold a workshop for artists. We hope to hold an event with all the other art associations. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Fees are 10 JD a year. To join, its 10 JD as well. 14. How many artists are under contract? There are 300, but they are not bound by real contracts, since they are membership agreements. 15. Where do the artists come from? The Association is open to every Arab that lives in Jordan and every creative artist. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We have a lot of services, including promoting artists locally and internationally. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The creation of an association for artists is our greatest success.

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18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? The only partners now are the ministry and the municipality. Society is still hard on artists. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? Even though we are 30 years old, we are still at the beginning of the road because we have never signed a contract to collaborate with other countries, either on an Arab level or internationally. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Nothing: every artist can express what he wants. We try to influence society more than society influences us. There is a lack of communication between artists in Jordan, which is why as an association we want to take art everywhere in society. Our society is understanding and is willing to see art put on display. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? Everything depends on financial support. Give me financial support, and I will give you creativity!

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Date: 01/02/09 Name: JORDANIAN PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Photography Function: Venue and sponsor Name: Fouad Hattar Role: President History/Background: Accountant Contact Information: 0777341248 hattar_4@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Society was founded in 1994 with a membership of 21. We applied to the ministry of culture, the purpose being to assist professional photographers and young people who wanted to become photographers. Today, we meet every Tuesday to share photographs, these being adjudicated by a group of professional photographers who judge the quality of the pictures. One member is the photographer of the late King Hussein. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We put on exhibitions and hold a big festival every year. This year is the sixth. The first was in 2002, when Amman was the Capital of Culture. Until two years ago, the festival was also open to work from across the Arab world, having gold, silver and bronze awards. Last year, there were three different themes: faces, close ups and the poor. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have a president, a vice-president, a treasurer and a secretary. The head of the Society is Princess Monsa. People who want to join should fill out a form, and they should know at least one or two existing members. If they dont, they should at least work in a reputable establishment. There are many doctors, engineers, lawyers and accountants who are members of the Society, and we do not accept people we dont know. Membership costs 25 JD the first year and 15 JD for each subsequent year. There is a 15% discount for students. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We get funding from the ministry of culture and from membership fees. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? The first year, the ministry of culture paid the rent on the Societys premises. In 2007, it gave us 3,000 JD and the municipality 2,000 JD. The ministry provides the premises for the annual festival. This year, the ministry awarded us 5,000 JD and the municipality 3,000 JD. We have a very good reputation now. Last year, Channel 6 covered the festival on television. Each year, we change the festivals image: we have featured images of Petra and the Citadel. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We are trying to extend interest in photography and to attract more people. We arrange sales of photographs at cheap prices, the lowest being 75 JD, and people are able to afford this. Last year, AlJazeera covered the festival, so a lot of people came.

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7. What facilities do you have? We have one small hall. It can hold 20 to 30 people, but only if they all stand. The Society is only open on Tuesday evenings. We would like to have larger premises and to open every day. 8. How do you promote your activities? We send letters to the ministries and members of the elite. We use the local newspapers, TV and radio. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are all volunteers and all people who are interested and experienced in photography. We all know each other. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? They have to be members of the Society, and we have our own jury. In competitions, photographs are graded on a scale of one to five. If it is a solo exhibition, then it is the photographer who decides what to exhibit. 11. What is your network? Our network is made up of own members. We also collaborate with other photographic institutions. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We hold around three exhibitions a year. Last year, we held one in King Hussein Gardens and one in Shmeisani for Womens Day. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? There are no entry fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? None: we only charge subscriptions. 15. Where do the artists come from? They come from across the Arab world, but most of them are Jordanian. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We organize travel in Jordan at the weekends: members are welcome to participate, and we go to places like Petra and Wadi Rum and also to the north of the country. Members can take pictures in these places. The participation fees are from 15 JD upwards depending on the destination. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We have built a reputation, and we now have substantial support from the municipality and the ministry of culture. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We collaborate with the German Union of Arab-European Photographers and participate in the Hamburg Festival every year. We also collaborate with associations in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Egypt. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? There is no particularly important partner country. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The media: the TV has started to cover our activities, helping us to attract more people.

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21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? The Society needs larger premises. It would also be good if people were more interested in photography. Everything depends on the income of the photographer at the moment as well, from equipment to buying pictures. Generally, people dont have the income to become photographers.

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Date: 03/03/09 Name: JORDANIAN WRITERS ASSOCIATION Address: Shmeisani Discipline: Literature Function: Association Name: Saud Qubailat Role: President History/Background: Psychology in Jordan Contact Information: 0779272083 qubailat@yahoo.com - www.kutabjo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Jordanian Writers Association was founded in 1974, its main purpose being to gather together Jordans writers. It is one of the oldest writers associations in the Arab world. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We want to promote culture in the country, local culture and Arab culture. The Association puts members in contact with other writers associations in the Arab world. There are around 16 of these, including in Tunisia, Yemen, the Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, the North African countries, etc. We have around 700 members, and we organize conferences, activities and lectures. We also help writers to publish their work. We have tried to offer members health insurance provided by the ministry, but this is not very good at the moment. We also protect our members freedom of speech. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? I am the president, and we have a vice-president and a secretary. There is also a foreign affairs secretary, national affairs secretary, members secretary, and secretary for publishing and studies. There is a person in charge of relations with other unions. There are 11 of us on the board altogether, and there are elections every two years. Members of the society elect the president and the persons in charge. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Part of it comes from members subscriptions, but most of our budget comes from the prime minister and the ministry of culture, with the municipality paying the rent and for the cultural activities we have. We also solicit funding from companies and businesspeople who help us with sponsorship and donations. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It has increased because we have more members and more activities. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience is Jordanian. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a room for lectures and events, and in summer we have a garden for people to sit in and meet each other. 8. How do you promote your activities?

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We have a Website, which we are updating. For every member, we make a site within the site. We promote our activities through the media, newspapers, etc. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? All of us are volunteers. Sometimes we sign agreements with companies that provide additional funding. People who write in the magazine of the Association are also paid. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? To become a member you need to have published at least one book. Anyone wanting to join should present three copies of his or her books to the secretary. Then the members committee will decide there is a separate committee for stories, poetry, essays, research, etc, each consisting of three people. These committees make decisions about membership. 11. What is your network? We have a network through our Website, and this is linked to writers association in the other Arab countries. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have a lot of events: around 30 a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Events are free. For larger events, we gain sponsorship, but events are always free to enter. 14. How many artists are under contract? We dont have contracts; instead we have membership fees 12 JD a year for members. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are all Jordanian. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We sometimes publish authors work. The municipality and the ministry also sometimes help with publication. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? There have been many. Last year, we held a meeting of important writers and novelists from the Arab world in memory of Khalib Alassa, an important Jordanian writer. This was sponsored by the ministry of culture. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We collaborate sometimes with the Goethe Institute, as well as with other associations, such as the engineers union, the artists and lawyers syndicates, etc. We are associated with the Majlis alNukaba, which brings together all the unions. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? There are no particularly important partner countries, as we collaborate with many. Most countries have a writers union, and we all collaborate. An international conference is held every three years. The conference that was held in Amman was concerned with developing rules for writers unions. Sometimes we meet with members of non-Arab associations as well, such as with the South Korean union. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities?

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Public interest in reading and literature is less than it was. Now people tend to concentrate on business and money; they are not interested in culture. But this is true in every country, I think. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would change a lot of things, starting with making the financial situation of the Association better. This would help to improve everything else, as at the moment we do not have the money to do everything we want.

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Date: 27/02/09 Name: AHLI CLUB Address: Airport Street Discipline: Cultural club Function: Art and sports Name: Hameed Abzakh & Seersa Abaza Role: Director of the dance group and manager of the Club History/Background: Engineering and government service Contact Information: 0796666248 abzakhh@yahoo.com - www.kubantroupe.com seersa@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in 1944, when it was one of the first cultural clubs in Jordan. There was a desire to support sport, culture and the arts, and a group of Circassian people got together to start the Club. It was founded before the country was. Today, it is open to all. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We support two sports, football and handball, and we have Circassian folklore, art and dance groups. The latter is presently participating in a festival in Istanbul, and there will be further performances in Egypt in September. We also hold summer camps, dinners and sports events. The dance troupe, called Kuban, is one of the few Circassian troupes in Jordan, the others being the Al-Jeel and Hamza School groups. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Members are elected by the more than 100 members who can elect the Clubs director and board. The board changes every two years, and it is made up of volunteers. After you have been a member of the Club for five years, you can take part in elections to the board. Membership dues are 42 JD per year, and this gives access to all activities except the pool. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? It varies: most of the time we have problems with this subject as we lack money. We fund our activities by organizing fundraisings events and dinners. We are all volunteers, and we all work on fundraising. Sometimes, we get funding from the private sector in the form of sponsorship of annual performances at the RCC. The Clubs premises belong to its founders, and we dont pay rent. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It has increased slowly, though funding is still a problem. We need to put on more activities, as we have become a famous venue. Today, there are more clubs and institutions in Jordan, and we need to compete with them. It has also become more difficult to find people to work as volunteers. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Our audience comes from all age groups, though most members are Circassian. This is not a rule, but it may have something to do with the existence of the dance club where we teach traditional Circassian Dance. There are 65 members of the dance troupe, from between 12 and 22 years of age. The troupe is not professional, and members quit when they need to earn a living. There is no dance

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industry in Jordan at the moment, and it is difficult to find funds for such ethnic groups. In the Caucasus, members of dance troupes are professionals, though they are still poorly paid. 7. What facilities do you have? We have facilities for five to ten-a-side football, a swimming pool, and a hall upstairs. Any free room is used for dance classes. We organize dance classes four or five times a week, though this depends on school schedules. 8. How do you promote your activities? We have realized that we need to expand our marketing. While we have one big performance per year, with the whole Circassian community coming, we want to perform outside Jordan as well and to cooperate more with troupes abroad. We should tell people about the Circassians and their history, which has been almost forgotten. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? Members decide at one point to volunteer. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Anyone who wants to join is welcome. Its also the only mixed club in Jordan. 11. What is your network? We dont have a network, but we are trying to build one. We have got into contact with other folkloric dance groups and with trainers of groups of Circassian Dance. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? This year, we have had four events, maybe five, in Amman and Istanbul. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We charge for the dance events to cover costs. Entrance is generally five to 10 JD. We also have donors tickets at 15 JD. 14. How many artists are under contract? All of us are volunteers. 15. Where do the artists come from? They do not have to be Jordanian, but we do not have the budget to get dancers from outside. At the moment, all of the dancers are Jordanian, aside from one musician who is from the Caucasus. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Members can use the swimming pool on a weekly basis, and we also hold bazaars and markets. We try to hold events that are useful for Jordanian society. We are very loyal to Jordan and Jordanian society. The personal guard of the royal family is made up of Circassians. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The greatest success has been seeing the generations come together to preserve the culture of the Circassians. We are trying to keep our culture alive for the next generations. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have had temporary partnerships with other teams and troupes for events. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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The dance group has visited France, Bahrain and the US. We are trying to improve these exchanges to promote Circassian culture internationally, but we still dont have real partner countries. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Over the last 10 years Amman has grown, and there are now more coffee shops, dance clubs, cinemas, malls and so on. In the past, people used to come here to enjoy our facilities, but now there is more competition, and young people are less interested. We have respect for our elders, which makes things unattractive for the youth. We dont want to argue about this, but we would like to change and to make the Club more appealing to young people. However, this is controversial: how to keep our culture alive and how to combine it with modern life. Our greatest fear is that the Circassian culture will be lost. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to change many things. I wish we could have better facilities for the dance troupe, for example. I would also like to change the members of the club not the dancers, the members. We need more money as well, though if we decided to pay the members of the dance troupe they might be insulted. On the other hand, they might also continue dancing! I wish we could be more known in the world as a whole. Nobody knows our history. I wish we could change that, though we are too proud to speak about it.

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Theatres
Date: 11/03/09 Name: Al-BALAD THEATRE Address: 12, Yazid bin Abi Sufian Street, Amman Discipline: Art Function: Theatre facilities Name: Raed Asfour Role: Director History/Background: Theatre at Yarmouk University; director and TV director Contact Information: 4652005- 0795540049 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The idea for this space started in 2003, when the Arab Theatre Training Centre organized a workshop on the rehabilitation of alternative theatre spaces in Jordan. We selected the site of an old cinema for the workshop, which included several young Jordanian architects. Based on their ideas, we managed to raise sufficient funds to renovate the space, and the Theatre was opened in 2005. We had always felt the need for an independent space for artists in Jordan, a multi-purpose space that could cater to different contemporary artistic requirements, and when the Theatre started working we realized that this need was even more real. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Our mandate is diverse: we programme plays, concerts, dance, workshops, seminars, rehearsals, film screenings, and exhibitions of all kinds. We are also interested in organizing and hosting activities for children and youth. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? The founding board of directors consists of 12 individuals from Jordan, ranging from artists to architects and business leaders, all of whom were involved with the initiation of the project. We invited more people to become members, but it was these 12 who accepted the responsibility. We are registered as a non-profit company, so we have a more-or-less permanent board of directors. We are relatively new, so we havent looked into possibilities of expanding the board or alternating members; its still early for that. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The renovation of the theatre cost about US$140,000. Our annual budget is about US$100,000. 70% is covered by grants from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) through the Dramtiska Institute in Sweden, the Anna Lindh Foundation, UNESCO, the Amman municipality, and other corporate sponsors. The remaining 30% is covered through income from tickets and renting the space. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? SIDA has covered the basic running expenses of the Theatre for five years, starting in 2008, so we have had time to prepare the groundwork for the Theatre as a permanent establishment. Now, we are trying to raise funds from different sources and inviting the private sector to increase its sponsorship of the arts. We have been seeing a marked increase in both aspects since 2008. Whats more, we are

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also organizing events with ticket sales, though we still offer most of our events for free, and that has generated additional income. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We havent collected demographic information yet about our audience, but by simple observation we know that we have targeted people from different social classes, age groups, male and female, young and old. The younger generation of course remains our largest audience (if only for the simple reason that they constitute over 60% of the population). As of 2009, we will start collecting demographic information about the audience. 7. What facilities do you have? We have two halls: the small one, which can be used for workshops and rehearsal seminars, screenings, childrens performances etc., and can take up to 120 people; and the big theatre space in the multi-purpose hall that can accommodate 200 seats with an 8 x 10 metre stage. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use a variety of methods. We have a mailing list of over 2,000 addresses, and for special events we use radio ads, posters, flyers, SMS messages, Facebook messages, etc., and when we have sponsorship, outdoor advertising as well. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We invited volunteers in January 2008 for the Hakaya Festival, and people brought their friends and relatives with them. Since that date, we have had 28 young volunteers from many universities and schools almost as permanent volunteers. We keep the call for volunteers open, so whenever we have an event the existing volunteers bring their friends as well. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? The Theatre either hosts other productions or curates its own programmes. We havent had enough funding so far to be able to become producers, but we try every once in a while to curate performances for local and Arab artists at the Theatre. When we organize activities, we have a good database of contacts with artists. The Theatre is open to all artists: some young artists come and do their projects here. The aim is that the Theatre should be open for all. 11. What is your network? We have contacts with artists and art associations in Jordan, as well as with international cultural centres working in Jordan. We also have several partners in the Arab world, Europe and the Americas. We are also members of diverse networks, such as the Hakaya network and the network of Art Cinema Spaces in the Arab world. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Sometimes we dont have any events during a whole week, and other times we are booked every day of the week. Last year, the theatre was utilized 172 days of the year an average of three activities per week. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Most of our events are free, but when we do charge tickets the price depends on the event. Sometimes its a minimal 1 JD, though it goes up to 5, 10, 15, and even 25 JD. 14. How many artists are under contract? We dont have artists under contract.

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15. Where do the artists come from? Artists who perform at the Theatre are mainly Jordanian, though there are also many Palestinian artists as Jordan is a meeting point for Palestinian and Arab artists. We host artists from all over the world, of course. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We are launching a new publication, Waw al-Balad, which will be a monthly agenda of cultural events in Jordan in both English and Arabic. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We are the only theatre space in Amman that is managed by artists and owned by an NGO. This is an advantage for independent artists because we are very open to supporting them not simply by providing rehearsal and performance space for free, but also by providing technical support and assistance of all kinds. We have also cultivated strong relations with all sectors of society, young and old, rich and poor, educated or not. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We are always open to collaborations, most of which are sustained partnerships such as the ones we have with the Royal Film Commission, Makan, Orangered, Dar al-Fanun, Ruwad, the Arab Education Forum, the French Cultural Centre, the Goethe Institute, the Cervantes Institute, and others. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We collaborate a lot with Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia and Morocco. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Sometimes the economy affects the Theatre, and we dont have the human resources to look for money and develop the artistic and cultural programme at the same time. There is a lot of support from the Amman municipality for culture, and that has given us the momentum to be able to work. However, in our work we dont have any security because we dont have the kind of guarantees to pay salaries and rent that would enable us to dedicate our time fully to cultural and artistic production. The political situation in the region also affects our work, though not always in a negative way. Artists find in the Theatre a space for expression when the political situation becomes unbearable, and this invites new artists and audiences to visit the Theatre. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to be able to continue with the work we are doing at the Theatre, focusing on our aims and objectives. This is the most important thing. We want this space to interact with the residents of our area, Jabal Amman, and to connect with them. This is our goal, our dream, to make art accessible to the people, and the people to be more conscious and participative in art and culture. I think we should find more people to work like us and with us, because there are many areas in Amman with no cultural spaces and centres, and people need culture and art. Everybody in each area should have access and facilities for culture and art. Sometimes, we think we should go outside of the theatre space, so every year we organize street performances and go to many less central areas of Amman.

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Date: 17/03/09 Name: AL-FAWANEES THEATRE GROUP Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Art Function: NGO Name: Nader Omran Role: President and director History/Background: BA in Theatre, Egypt Contact Information: 0795868622 n-omran@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It started in 1983, when we started to present plays. We were a group of artists in theatre and music, etc., and we decided to found a group in 1982. It was the first independent group in the country. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? At the beginning, the group was dedicated to theatre performances and publishing studies on theatre. We published a specialized magazine, but only for one edition; for financial reasons we could not continue. The idea of the festival came in the 1990s, but it was difficult politically so it was postponed to 1993. We started it in 1994. It was the first independent theatre festival in the region. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? It follows NGO rules as a not-for-profit NGO. The board is elected every two years, and the general assembly elects the board. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The budget is about 120,000 JD in years when the festival is held. We only receive funds from the ministry of culture and the municipality. In the past, we had funds from organizations in Europe, but now we only receive funds from the government. Things have become more difficult because of the economic crisis. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Revenue has been decreasing, due to a lack of funding from Europe and a lack of funds from local companies. There is no interest in the private sector in giving funds for culture. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? There are two types of audience in Jordan. The first is people working in art and culture, artists, and art organizations, etc. The second is the youth from universities and colleges. They find the festival a great chance to attend theatre because of its quality and variety. The audience is from different classes, rich and poor, and events are generally free of charge. We sometimes have to ask for 2 JD on entrance to cover our costs, but in general its free. 7. What facilities do you have? We use the Royal Cultural Centre and the Al-Hussein Cultural Centre. And we perform in other cities in Jordan, where we use public facilities. We used to rent these facilities, but over the last few years we have been exempted from rental charges.

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8. How do you promote your activities? We promote the festival through the TV, radio and newspapers, and the festival itself promotes the group. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are all volunteers: we dont get salaries for our activities. We recruit people we know, such as friends, friends of friends, etc. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We have artistic criteria. The general policy is to select performances, so everybody provides a CD or DVD of his work. We have a special screening committee that evaluates the artistic angle. We have nothing to do with the content of the performances, which can be political or religious, etc. 11. What is your network? We have relations with Arab theatre groups in Tunisia, Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon and with other groups in Italy, Switzerland, France, Britain, the USA and Latin America. With the Far East it has been more difficult to work, though we have collaborated with performers from Asia (India, Indonesia, Japan and China) and Africa (Burkina Faso and Nigeria), though these were more difficult to organize. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Once a year we have the theatre festival, which this year lasts for 12 days. It is always between 10 days and two weeks. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Admission is free. 14. How many artists are under contract? We make contracts with people who ask for them, but usually relationships are based on trust. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are international. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We organize workshops, symposiums and training programmes on theatre techniques, like street theatre. Last year, we organized the Second Arab Stilts Group, and this year we will do another workshop for street theatre with a Danish group. We also try to organize cultural exchanges, and we have done musical projects with Sweden and other countries. We also perform outside Amman. Sometimes we produce short films with young directors. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We have survived for 26 years, and the festival has survived for 15 years. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have relationships with theatre groups, the National Conservatory, the PAC, the fine arts colleges, and with our own network. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? They include Tunisia, Egypt, France, Switzerland and Italy.

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20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? There are negative aspects in societys general mentality. The conservative social structure hesitates about accepting art in general. The positive side is that every year we gain a larger audience among the people and the organizations. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? The dream would be to have our own place, equipment, theatre, offices and budget to produce everything we wanted to produce. I wish we didnt have to depend on outside funds to do our work. I wish we could have art projects going continually. We only have the festival, and then things stop. We need a stronger infrastructure for a real arts scene.

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Date: 23/03/09 Name: DIRECTORATE OF FINE ART AND THEATRE OSSAMA MACHINI THEATRE Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Fine art & theatre Function: Facilities and promoters Name: Samah al-Qasous Hassan Sabaiheh Role: Theatre directors History/Background: Theatre Contact Information: Samah al-Qasous: 0777511722 Iisamah@yahoo.com; Hassan Sabaiheh: 0795153116 hasanbaiheh@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Directorate was established in 1973. The ministry of culture wanted to develop culture in Jordan and make connections between the creative people in Jordan and promote them abroad. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have an international theatre festival every year at the Ossama Machini Theatre and the RCC. We also have a local theatre festival. We are planning to have theatre daily in the Ossama Machini Theatre. Machini was a famous Jordanian actor, and on 27 March we celebrate his memory. We have the Theatre itself and an exhibition room. Part of the Directorate is responsible for the Fine Art Academy, where art, theatre, painting, sculpting. etc., are taught. The Theatre is available for rehearsals and performances. We also perform in hotels during Ramadan, though we charge for this. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We come under the ministry of culture. There is the director, Salem Mudhan, and around seven theatre directors working with us. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The budget is around 600,000 JD, all of which is from the ministry. Half of this budget goes to the International Theatre Festival. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It has increased, though our goal is to reach of a budget of one million JD. We are also doing more activities, and we plan to present shows not only in Amman, but also in cities all over Jordan. This year we are concentrating on putting on performances in Karak, which has been designated cultural city this year. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The majority of our audience is a popular one and is made up of the kind of people who want to see theatre. During the International Festival, we also have a more cultured audience: a popular audience means people not working in culture or the media, whereas the cultural audience includes such people as well as artists, journalists and so on. When we put on more serious plays, we get a small audience, whereas when we put on comedies we get a full house. The audience is made up of people from different social classes.

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7. What facilities do you have? The theatre can take 180 people. Our exhibition area consists of three small halls. We have another small theatre with an outdoor stage for summer. 8. How do you promote your activities? We send SMSs and invitation cards, and we use the phone and word of mouth. We have a list of contacts of people working in theatre. Sometimes we use the media, such as TV and the newspapers. We are also able to contact people through the RCC, which is the largest theatre in Jordan. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are all government employees. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We dont select the work; the artist selects us. Artists come to us at the moment, though we are planning to implement further selection. 11. What is your network? We come under the ministry of culture, so if we want to make contacts we have to ask the ministry. In general, we use ministry contacts. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have perhaps five or six events or activities a month. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Events are always free. 14. How many artists are under contract? The people working here are employees. But when artists from outside work with the Directorate, we draw up a contract. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are Jordanian for the most part, though they also come from the Arab countries for the International Theatre Festival. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We are producing a book about the history of the theatre in Jordan, though it is mainly the ministry of culture that publishes books. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Our greatest success is that we have been able to reach a popular audience for theatre in Jordan. In the Middle East, culture is often seen as being for cultured people alone, and because of the religion and mentality its not always easy to reach a popular audience. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We collaborate with the RCC, and during the Festival we collaborate with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, the Emirates, and so on. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We collaborate most with Egypt and Tunisia, because they are very active and professional in theatre. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities?

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Theatre needs more encouragement. Its not considered to be important, and people sometimes do not have time for culture. Culture is not part of peoples mentality; they are interested in the economy and politics, but they are not interested in culture. Theatre needs a public. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would establish a daily theatre for performing popular theatre, making the Machini Theatre into a special theatre for popular theatre and comedies, as well as plays relating to society. We need to make people understand that theatre is important; we need to tell them this through the media and TV, etc. It should be a goal of the ministry to bring an audience to the theatre. At the moment, people also do not understand that art is work, even if the tickets here are presently free. While not everybody can afford to pay for tickets to go to the theatre, at the same time culture cannot always be for free.

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Date: 24/03/09 Name: FREE THEATRE Address: Jabal Weibdeh Discipline: Theatre Function: Troupe and venue Name: Abdel-Rahman Barakat Role: Director History/Background: Dancer and actor Contact Information: artbarakat@yahoo.com - 785256620 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Theatre started in 1999, and it was based on the idea of freedom. The idea was to create a group of Jordanian theatre artists to support and develop theatre in Jordan and to promote it internationally. The Theatre was the initiative of this group of Jordanian artists. They were at a festival in Morocco, and they decided to create a free theatre when they went back to Jordan. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have established a festival, the Free Theatre Festival, which invites participants from the Arab and European countries. This is held every year for Jordanian and Arab artists, but we plan to make it larger and extend it with more participants from Europe. It is open to all to meet, work and rehearse. We also organize events, such as poetry readings, theatre perfomances, dance, workshops, etc. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? There is the director and a group of artists, directors, actors, dancers, etc. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The Theatre benefits from sponsorship and from grants from the municipality and the ministry of culture. However, these do not cover costs. The Theatre is a non-profit organization. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? All kinds of people come, and performances are free of charge. 7. What facilities do you have? We have one meeting room and four small halls. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use the radio, TV, brochures, newspapers and press releases for all activities. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are all volunteers. Nobody is salaried. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? The Theatre is open to all artists that are serious and do good-quality work.

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11. What is your network? Our network is with places related to theatre in Jordan and in the Arab countries, such as the Emirates, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Syria. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Per year, there are three or four plays put on and one festival. This year, we have also held poetry reading and storytelling activities, as well as an exhibition. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Events are free. 14. How many artists are under contract? There is a paper to sign with the rules, etc., but its not exactly a contract. Its more to make sure that the artists are serious in their work. 15. Where do the artists come from? Mostly, they are Jordanian, but sometimes they also come from the Arab countries. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The Festival in 2008 was amazing and featured very high-quality work. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? The Theatre has partners with other theatre groups in the Arab world, particularly through the annual International Festival. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We partner with many countries; there are no special partners. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? In Jordan, the audience for theatre is still very small, and its not in the culture to go to the theatre. We have a problem with audiences as a result. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would say the target would be to develop the institution and the company.

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Galleries and Venues


Date: 21/01/09 Name: MAKAN Address: Jabal al-Weibdeh Discipline: Non-profit organization Function: Venue & promoter Name: Ola Role: Director History/Background: BA in Political Science from AUB, Lebanon; Masters in Management from the UK Contact Information: ola@makanhouse.net - 064631969 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Makan was founded in 2003. The purpose was to start an alternative space for art an alternative to the commercial galleries and the big organizations. There was a lack of spaces, and there was a need for a space that would allow artists and creative people to come together and express different ideas and projects. Makan is a place to communicate and interact, to create a space which is dynamic, different and changes according to various projects. I started just by looking for a space, and with the help of friends and family I was able to start this institution. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Makan works with all kinds of art, but we concentrate more on visual art. We organize workshops, projects, exhibitions, film screenings and art residences. We work with the community and organize festivals. Our aim is to promote contemporary artists. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Its a non-profit organization, which means that we dont have board members but instead have advisers. These are artists who give advice on projects and ideas. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Part of the funding comes from grants, a small part from donations, and another part from renting out the premises. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Our revenue has changed, yes. Compared to the beginning, it has increased a little because Makan has developed and become better known and has a wider network. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? I think we have reached our target, which is the younger generation from 18 to 35 years old. 7. What facilities do you have?

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We have a small apartment, one workshop area, and two studios for artists, as well as a main hall for exhibitions. The space is changed according to the needs of the project or exhibition. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use posters and flyers. We have a big mailing list. We use the media, including the press, Facebook, and things like that. We now have a large network of linked organizations outside Jordan, and we are working on a new Website which is going to be interactive. So, we hope to reach more people. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We reach them through the universities. Sometimes, the people who come to Makan propose to volunteer for us. We now have two students working for us, though they are also paid. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? It depends: for workshops and residencies we have a call for applications. For exhibitions, we sit with the artist and discuss the project. We like to stay flexible, so criteria change. The artist doesnt have to be famous, or doesnt need to have exhibited before. We are looking for different ideas, and contemporary art is our basic criteria. 11. What is your network? We are in contact with a lot of arts organizations outside Jordan. For example, we started Meeting Point in 2004, which has set up a large network in the region. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have an average of two to three events per month. These can be screenings, workshops, meetings with artists, and so on. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? There are no entry fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? We dont use contracts. We want to create relationships with artists, long-term relationships. We are always looking for new artists, but we keep up with artists we have worked with before. 15. Where do the artists come from? Most of them are Jordanian, but not only. We also have artists from the region, including Lebanon and Egypt. There are also artists from outside the region, such as the US, Argentina, and South America. We started an Arab Residency Programme last year. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Our greatest success has been to be able to operate until now 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have partnerships and cooperation with arts organizations in the region. Last year, we cooperated on a concert from Cairo. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? In the region, there are Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. Outside the region, there are Belgium, Holland and the UK.

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20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Censorship affects things: its difficult for artists to come up with ideas about social problems, sexuality and politics without being fearful. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? To find more people who are experienced working in this field. Another problem is to secure funding, but I suppose this is a global challenge in the art field.

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Date: 28/01/09 Name: DAR AL-FUNUN Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Art Function: Venue & promoter Name: Ala Younis Role: Acting director History/Background: BA in Architecture from Jordan; painting and video installation Contact Information: 0796699222 alayounis@gmail.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? We opened officially in 1993 as an initiative of the Arab Bank. There was a need for a non-profit centre that would be a regional hub for culture and art. As a result, it was decided to dedicate funds from the Arab Bank to this cultural project, the purpose of which is to promote and support Arab art and artists. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We have exhibitions, film screenings, book signings and musical concerts. We run workshops, art education programmes and seminars. We also have an artist residency programme. We have a publications section, and every exhibition includes a publication giving information about the work and the artists. Critics are asked to contribute essays in Arabic and English. We promote Arab art and artists, and we have been independent since 2002 and no longer have links to the Arab Bank. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? The Hameed Foundation has a director on the board of governors, though since 2002 the Dar alFanun has been independent of the Hameed Foundation. The founder and his family originally selected the board members. We also have advisers for each field, though these do much more than simply consult. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We have a budget of around US$200,000 a year donated through the Shoman Foundation. We dont accept other funding. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? The budget has increased because the premises are bigger, and we now have five rooms. Also, equipment for exhibitions is more expensive now, since artists work more and more in different media, such as video. We have also started a publications programme, so we need a larger budget. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? It depends on the exhibition, but it varies from children to old people, ordinary people to diplomats. We are located in East Amman, so we have people coming from everywhere. We also have a lot of tourists and schools come for visits. The guard at the entrance records people coming during the day, but its very various and varies according to the exhibition on at the time. 7. What facilities do you have?

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We have five areas, two of which can be used for film screenings. We have the Byzantine church, which is used for screenings as well. There is a large art library, free to use, and there is free wi-fi. 8. How do you promote your activities? We have an extensive mailing list. We send out invitations, and we advertise in magazines and newspapers. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We have volunteers, but very few. Sometimes we recruit art students. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? The selection of the artists depends on several factors. Some artists ask to exhibit here because they are interested in the Dar al-Fanun, but often we recruit artists ourselves. We try to be careful about representation: if we havent exhibited Lebanese art, for example, for a long time, we will attempt to do so. We also select art by theme and subject to match the institutions programme. 11. What is your network? We have a large network, linking us to institutions and organizations around the Arab world. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have four main exhibitions a year. We have a programme every Tuesday evening. We organize four or five activities a month, including the workshops, meetings with artists, screenings and concerts. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We dont charge entry fees. Nothing is for sale here except for the publications. These are priced at very low prices. 14. How many artists are under contract? We are a non-profit organization, so we dont issue real contracts. However, we clarify responsibilities on paper. 15. Where do the artists come from? We have artists from across the Arab world. The institution is a platform for Arab artists. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We have a small caf on the terrace. There are also DVDs in the library to watch videos from previous exhibitions. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We are a reference on the art scene in Jordan and the Middle East today, and the institution is much appreciated. The development of the institution is an ongoing success. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We are in relation with a lot of associations and organizations across the Arab world. We share information and databases with them about artists, and we are open to collaboration. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We have a residency programme with the Swiss cooperation agency and with UNESCO, but this year we suspended it because they had changed their system to make it much more complicated. It now

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requires a lot of paperwork, and we dont have time. We are going to cooperate with a UK foundation that is building an art residency network in the Middle East. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? There are two trends in Jordan, like elsewhere: a commercial trend and a more intellectual one that is more independent and focuses more on building a reputation. This affects the institution. In addition, Amman has a quiet arts scene, and people are more interested in other cities in the region that are more active. So this is also a challenge for us. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish we could find a formula for artists to work more here and to be more active to put the Jordanian art scene on the map. This is one change that would positively affect the institution.

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Date: 26/01/09 Name: DAR AL-ANDA Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Art Function: Gallery Name: Majdoline al-Ghezawi al-Ghoul Role: Director and founder History/Background: Creative design by correspondence Contact Information: info@DarAlanda.com - 0795557570 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded 30 years ago, though it is now in new premises (since 2002), as before we rented a place in Um Utheina. Since I was seven years old, I have known that I wanted to create and sell my work. I wanted to start a place that would stimulate all the five senses, and as a result I started a gallery with a cafe and music. I want people to come and feel, to smell, to see, and to hear something that will stimulate them. I started the institution because it was a passion of mine. There were no other places like this one at the time, and the Dar al-Anda is my vision of what a gallery should be. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We do a lot of art exhibitions, as well as video art and art projects for kids and concerts in the summer on the terrace. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have a good team of three or four people in the gallery. I ask for advice sometimes, and for opinions of the new artists we want to exhibit. However, few people are really committed to Dar alAnda. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? I own the place and run it as a non-profit organization. The ministry of culture does not give any kind of support. We cover salaries and electricity bills and so on with the money we get from sales. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Now there is a financial crisis, and maybe we are selling less. The crisis is certainly affecting our business. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We have a few collectors who come in from time to time from the Gulf. For the rest, our audience consists of established people in their 40s or 50s. We have a lot of nouveaux riches coming in, though the audience depends also on the personal contacts of the artists. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a guest room when a foreign artist comes to exhibit. We also have the gallery, three rooms, and the terrace. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use the Internet, and we have a long mailing list. We were the first gallery to have a Website in Jordan, so we have a good database.

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9. How do you recruit volunteers? People come and offer themselves, but most of the time volunteers dont continue with us. I think its a problem: volunteering should be part of an academic programme. Students should do one year of community or social work to give them commitment or passion for their country. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Most artists contact us. When I like a certain kind of work, I arrange to exhibit it myself. This is a pity, however: the ministry of culture should organize things more. The minister came here once, and she only asked me about the cactus plants outside. She didnt ask about the art how is it going; what should we do for art in the country, etc. Instead, she asked about the plants! We are trying to discover new artists selling at reasonable prices. A lot of artists raised their prices by 200% recently. We like to find new artists, new tendencies and new talents. Any new idea can be the basis for a new art movement. 11. What is your network? We have our own network of artists. It is made up of people we know. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? It depends. Some months are very empty, like during Ramadan. But we are very flexible. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We generally dont charge, though it has happened, for example for a play. When things are not free, the public does not come. At the play, the audience didnt want to pay at the end, so I had to pay the artists myself. 14. How many artists are under contract? We dont issue contracts. 15. Where do the artists come from? They come from everywhere. Art has no limits. Anybody who has talent and new ideas is welcome to exhibit. We have artists who come from the Middle East, Europe and Africa. We had a Japanese artist once. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We send out invitations to exhibitions, and we promote and host foreign artists. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We have had two great exhibitions by Palestinian artists. The first was an exhibition of nave art, and I made a book out of it, of which Im very proud. However, nobody has promoted the book since. The other project was also for a Palestinian artist who turned the names of people in prison into numbers in his work. Everybody was very moved, and the message was strong and clear. The ministry of culture should do these kinds of projects. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have had contacts with other galleries, and we have tried to collaborate and cooperate, but it hasnt worked. Everyone works by himself. The problem is that there are no professional institutes that can bring things together, and no authority that can organize all the different cultural centres. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Politics affects our activities. We have put on activities for Gaza, for example. Also, a lot of galleries concentrate on classical art, whereas we focus on contemporary trends. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? We need to see the whole sector better coordinated and restructured, possibly by the ministry. This is something that is very important and that is missing at the moment. Volunteer support work is also needed.

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Date: 26/01/09 Name: MOHTARAF REMAL FOR THE ARTS Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Art Function: Promotion and support Name: Abdul-Aziz Abu Ghazaleh Role: Director and founder History/Background: BA in English Literature from Jordan University; painting in Amman & sculpture in Italy; ceramics in Japan Contact Information: 0795815609 - ghazal22@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in 1999. Before that, it was my private home and studio. I started to think how I could open up the institution to the public: there was always a conflict between my privacy and my desire to open things up. Finally, I opened the centre with the help of friends and other artists. People could come and go, and the door was always open. After a few months, we decided to do events involving all kinds of art, not only visual art. Today, the Mohtaraf is an open space where people can feel at home. Its an interactive space, as people also help to make the institution. The first event was a literary night, and it was a great success. The present premises were opened in 2006 in a former school building. We have more privacy there, which is very important, and it is bigger than the old place. The centre has its own philosophy, and it is open to all, beginners or established artists. In the Arab region, the Mohtaraf is one of the few institutions of its kind. The founder is an artist; its completely independent; the place is completely natural (all the furniture was made by me in wood); and there is an interaction between the public, the place itself, and the events. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We hold art events, workshops, film screenings and theatre performances. We also provide rehearsal space for music bands and plays, as well as support, teaching and advice, and exhibitions. We have held workshops for disabled children and for children from refugee camps. Basically we have three programmes: teaching, events management and support. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the director, and I have artist friends who advise me and help me organize events. Its like cooperating with friends. There is someone responsible for public relations and events management. We also have people serving tea and coffee. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We dont have an annual budget. Since the place started, it has not received any funding from the government or foundations. We want to keep the place independent, which is one of our goals and principles. I sometimes get funding for events, though, by applying to private companies for sponsorship and sometimes to the municipality. But the place itself is self-funded. I also support it myself. It was very difficult at first, and it is still not easy, though over the last two years things have been getting better. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this?

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6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The majority of visitors are young, mainly students. The rest are older people. Most of them are linked with art, or have studied art or are artists. Other people come here for relaxation and to find a unique place dedicated to freedom of expression. 7. What facilities do you have? We have a theatre, a place for film screenings, an art gallery, a place for workshops, and a terrace on the roof. 8. How do you promote your activities? We put ads in the cultural pages of newspapers and magazines. We also use the media and the local radio. We use the Internet, email and Facebook. And we use mobile phones. Through experience, it has become easier to promote ourselves, and we now know the people that are likely to come and participate. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? Generally, people come to us, though sometimes we also look for them. There are no principles or criteria: anyone who wants to help is welcome. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? I ask for CVs and for examples of the work and then I decide. The criteria include the theme of the work, which has to match with the place and the quality of the piece. The Mohtaraf is a quiet place, so heavy metal concerts are not really appropriate, even though we did have one once! Generally, people come to me, though sometimes I also look for artists at special events. 11. What is your network? We have a network made up of international galleries and art spaces. And we are in contact with artists worldwide. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? It depends. Sometimes we have an event every week. From September until now we havent rested. Sometimes we take a rest and just continue with teaching and support. Every year, we have a festival, the Splash Festival, which is a kind of international symposium. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We generally dont charge. We have done sometimes, but we know that most of the public is made up of students. So when we ask for entry fees they are never over 5 JD, perhaps 2 or 3 JD. 14. How many artists are under contract? We dont issue contracts. But we are thinking of changing our procedures because we have faced problems with artists. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are international, but they mainly come from the Arab world. We have had artists from Europe, Asia, Malaysia, Japan and India, etc. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We are planning to found a theatre group. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work?

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Our greatest success has been the ability to keep the place going. Its a challenge, what with the financial situation. The greatest success has been to have been able to set up the place and to keep it going for 10 years. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Yes, with our network of worldwide galleries and other arts centres. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We are closest to institutions in Syria and Egypt. But we have relationships with a lot of international galleries and artists. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I havent been able to feel until now that arts places in Jordan have been able to influence people. There are reasons for that. Most of the centres and galleries are there for commercial purposes, not really for art. Also, they havent been able to find a balance between quantity and quality. I think the Mohtaraf has managed to influence people, however. We provide support, and the general atmosphere is motivating: you come in, and you see people playing music, painting, reading and sculpting. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to change a lot of things at the Mohtaraf, but perhaps most of all I would like to make it into a museum, not only an art centre. I dream of a place full of art, painting and sculpture. But things are dependent on time and money. To establish this place was a dream, however, so maybe my other dream will also happen one day. If I could change one thing about the art scene in Jordan, it would be to persuade the government to look at art in a different way and not as something for entertainment or use only. I hope it will look at art as something important that has a role in history and civilization. The problem is that people look at art the same way the government does, so I would like to see more awareness of art among the population as well.

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Date: 25/02/09 Name: ORFALI ART CENTRE Address: Um-Utheina Discipline: Art Function: Gallery Name: Rana Snober al-Sharif Role: Director History/Background: Business Administration in the US Contact Information: 0796577772 orfali@nets.com.jo - orfali@orfali.net 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Orfali Art Centre was founded in 1993, and at that time it was only the second gallery in Jordan. The premises were originally my mothers house; she is Iraqi, and she used to come and go between Jordan and Iraq. In Iraqi culture, art is part of life and is part of culture. My mother has a lot of artist friends, and she decided to make her house into a gallery. She went to the government to make it official, but the proposal was not accepted officially, so it had to be unofficial. In 1998, we renovated the premises. Then I went to the municipality, and it finally became an official gallery. There was a need for such a place, as there was only one other private gallery in Amman at the time. Many Iraqis were coming to Jordan because of the situation there, and lots of artists also came, and we needed a place for exhibitions. A gallery is not necessarily an income-generating business. You cant make a living from it, but it is a passion and a need. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? It is an arts centre. We have a hall for exhibitions and two rooms for teaching art classes. We teach children, teenagers and adults. We have evening classes every day. We hold events, like lectures, concerts and movie screenings related to art. We decided to hold these events in order to promote art and to reach an audience that was not previously interested in visual art. Every week, we have different events. The idea is that people will come, see the place, and then maybe come back for the exhibitions. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Its a family business. My mother is the owner, and Im the director. Its going to stay in the family. We have a committee that decides on the exhibitions that includes artists, collectors and critics. Sometimes we change the committee members. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We have no funds and no sponsors. We only have self-generated revenue from the classes and the exhibitions. Its 120 JD for 10 classes, and we take 30% commission on selling paintings. I could rent the place for three times this revenue, but its a family business and something we believe in. We had funds from the EU twice, both for special events and for the cross-cultural exchanges we participated in. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? The revenue has increased because the gallery has started to be known and the appreciation of art has increased in Jordan. We are still losing money, but its ok. The most important thing is to love what

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you do; money is not the most important thing. Its difficult to sell good art, and we focus on quality and not on quantity. We refuse to exhibit or sell commercial art. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? I think we can say that 60% of our audience is Iraqi and 40% is Jordanian. This is not our goal, but I think that because people know that my mother, the owner, is Iraqi, lot of Iraqis come here. Also there is an Orfali Gallery in Baghdad, so the Iraqis come here because it reminds them of Baghdad. We are not a copy of the Orfali in Baghdad: we dont want to be a replica and exhibit only Iraqi art. But in the minds of some people its a label we have. I think 70% of the people who come here are people who appreciate art, and 30% are people for whom art is a social matter. They come to exhibitions as social events at which it is good to be seen. Actually, the best audience I ever had was a group of children who had sight problems. They looked at paintings like no one had ever done before. It was amazing. Not a lot of people come to really look at art, but they did. Many Iraqi artists teach in schools in Jordan, so they also bring their students here. 7. What facilities do you have? We have one large gallery, two classrooms, a backyard with a screen and a store room. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use the Internet, word of mouth, and the media, such as newspapers, TV, the Iraqi TV channels, and the radio. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? In summer we sometimes have students come to us, but very few. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Yes we choose the best we have. The committee helps to decide who to exhibit. It has to be quality work, and it has to be original. I always take care to know if the artist respects his own work, if it is something true, and if it comes from the inside. I refuse commercial art: art is not about money, and I dont want to promote that kind of art. 11. What is your network? Our Website plays the role of a network. People contact us from all over. We have started to sell work through the Internet as well. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? I would say eight to 10 exhibitions a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We dont charge entry fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? All of them have temporary contracts when they exhibit here. 15. Where do the artists come from? They come from Jordan and Iraq. Most of them are Arabs. We have had Italian and English artists, as well as artists from New Zealand, but most of the time they come from Arab countries. We dont focus on Iraqis; as I explained, I think this is more in peoples minds, and so maybe fewer Jordanians come to ask to exhibit. There is also the fact that the number of good Iraqi artists exceeds the number of good Jordanian artists. There are very talented Jordanians, but art in this country is still young.

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Also art is not considered as a profession here, whereas in Iraq it is. I wish we could have artists from East Asia, but its more expensive and complicated, and you need contacts. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We hold workshops sometimes, but I wish we could do more. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? I think people feel at home here. Every exhibition I do, I feel as if Im inviting guests into my home, and the public can feel this atmosphere. This is something precious. Actually, it is a real home, as my mother lives here. Also, we keep in contact with the artists. Its a real relationship we have, and its not for commercial purposes. This healthy relationship we have with our artists is very important. The success comes in the feedback, not how many paintings you have sold. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We do, but not as much as we would like. If there was more collaboration and partnership between arts centres, it would be great. It would stop the fighting between them about what to exhibit and when. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We collaborate a lot with Qatar. Our customers in summer are mainly from the Gulf. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I see positive trends, like more art teaching in the universities and more galleries and art centres in town. It is still not enough, though; we need more space for exhibitions. Galleries are most of the time booked up, and artists have to wait. Here, we wait three years between exhibitions by the same artist. If an artist has exhibited in a gallery in Amman, he should wait two years before exhibiting again. This is the only way to give everybody a chance. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? Well, its a dream that might come true: I wish this building could be an art institute on three floors, with teaching, art and music, and so on. I wish artists would stop making paintings just for the sake of selling them, and that they would work more just for themselves. I wish we could have more sponsorship and financial support for galleries in Jordan. I dont have rent to pay, but others do. Its a difficult job. I wish artists could find more support to go abroad to workshops and exchanges as well.

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Date: 28/01/09 Name: JACARANDA GALLERY Address: Jabal Amman Discipline: Art Function: Gallery Name: Barbara Rowell Role: Director and founder History/Background: Graphic Design Contact Information: 0779106022- Barbara@jaracandaimages.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Gallery started in July 2007, and it took us six months to open, from the idea to the opening. There was a lack of galleries focusing on art on paper and printmaking at the time and focusing on contemporary art. The Gallery is for sales more than for exhibitions, as this was also a lack in Jordan at the time. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We exhibit, but our main purpose is business to sell art. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Two people started and manage the Gallery. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We have self-generated revenue only. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Its too early to say. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Our audience is very various from students to adults interested in art. 7. What facilities do you have? We have one room, which is the Gallery. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use Facebook, email lists, magazines and newspapers. We also distribute flyers in cultural centres and elsewhere. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We dont have any volunteers. We have art students working at the Gallery during the day. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We choose the work ourselves, selecting what we consider to be worthy to be shown in the Gallery. The artist doesnt have to be famous. 11. What is your network?

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We are starting to build our network, and we are in contact with Australian artists and galleries, as well as with galleries in Canada, Lebanon and the UK. Its something we have to develop. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Three a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much? 14. How many artists are under contract? We draw up contracts with some artists, but not all of them. 15. Where do the artists come from? They come from everywhere. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We give advice on framing and decor. We manage all the process of an exhibition. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The exhibition we did last March was a big success. Generally, the trust of the artist is important, and artists will often ask to exhibit and sell their work here. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We share resources with our network. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We dont have any special partner countries. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? People are starting to be more interested in contemporary art. Before, they were more interested in traditional art, but now things are changing. This is a good for us. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? There should be more cooperation between art institutions. There is also a lack of encouragement and support for young artists. They need studios and tools to work and create. This change would affect us directly, of course. There is a huge gap between the number of talented artists and the number of facilities to support them.

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Date: 10/02/09 Name: DAR AL-TASWEER Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Photography Function: Venue, school and support Name: Linda Khoury Role: Director and founder History/Background: BA in Accounting, Jordan; photography studies in Beirut Contact Information: 0777861891 linda@darataltasweer.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded a year ago in January 2008. The idea had been in my mind for a long time, since I came back from Lebanon in fact. It took me a while to find a place, however. I wanted a bigger place, but it was too expensive. The idea was to promote photography as a form of art. Here in Jordan, photography is about photographing events, such as weddings, etc. So I wanted to make people aware of other forms of photography and help raise the quality of the work that is being done. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? I give classes, basic and advanced, for groups and individuals. We also hold photography exhibitions. A group class is 250 JD a month for three days a week and two hours a day. Private classes are 25 JD an hour. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im on my own. Its a private business. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Its hard to tell. I still dont know the budget, because until now all the income goes to pay the rent. My main income is from the classes and from my own work as a photographer. I earn a small income each month from my own work. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? There are very young and older people. Everybody can join. The students usually have their own cameras, though if they dont, they can use the equipment here. I accept everybody: if money is a problem, I give discounts, or even sometimes provide courses for free. I dont want money to be an obstacle. I also do voluntary work, and in the past I gave photography classes to the children of Princess Basma. 7. What facilities do you have? There is the gallery, a studio, a classroom, the dark room and my office. All the equipment is here, including chemicals and papers. The use of the equipment is included in the price of the courses. 8. How do you promote your activities?

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I use the Internet and email. I usually dont publish articles before exhibitions. I use Facebook and have a mailing list. This has been enough up to now. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? Students and family members help me sometimes. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Up to now, I havent selected work: people have come to me and asked to exhibit here. They come with their photographs, and I decide if the work is good enough to be exhibited. 11. What is your network? Most of the photographers in Jordan are commercial, not art photographers. Im a member of the Jordanian Photographic Society. They are amateurs, but they do artistic work. We dont have a real network yet. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We had seven exhibitions one year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? There are no entry fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? Up to now, we havent issued contracts, though this may come later. 15. Where do the artists come from? I have exhibited the work of three international photographers and four Jordanians. The three international photographers were Spanish, American and Italian. People also do projects in Jordan and ask to exhibit the pictures they have taken during the project. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Im working on a photography magazine in Arabic with a friend. Its a kind of service. The magazine is going to be cheap and published every three months. It will help people become more aware of photography. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? To start this place was a great success. Im very happy I did it and that it worked. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? The RFC wants to hold a joint workshop with us. I also collaborate with social organizations. I give classes in photography, and I collaborate with the Jordanian Photographic Society. I offer discounts if their members want to take classes, and I am a member of their jury. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I think the art scene in Jordan is growing. Before I went to Lebanon, there was nothing at all here. When I came back, I was surprised at what had started in Jordan. So, I think I started this place at a good time. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be?

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It would be great if I could relax and do my own photography. I wish I had time maybe later when the place is more settled.

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Date: 22/02/09 Name: ORIENT GALLERY Address: Shmeisani Discipline: Art Function: Gallery Name: Hala Jardaneh Tieby Role: Managing director History/Background: BA in Business Administration and Accounting from the US Contact Information: 0777440442 info@orientgallert.net 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Gallery was founded in 1996. I had travelled a lot and seen a lot of museums and galleries, and I wanted to start my own business when I came back to Jordan. I met an Iranian artist, and she gave me the idea of starting a gallery. There was a need for such an art gallery. There is still a lack of appreciation for art, and even now people dont understand that when I invite them to an exhibition its to see art and not only to buy it. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Its a gallery for personal exhibitions. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the director. I have consultants for events and marketing. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Its self-generated income only, though sometimes I have to make up shortfalls myself. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It increased from 2006 to 2008, when there was a boom and more awareness and interest in art, especially from the younger generations. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? After 40 years we now have an audience made up of artists, collectors and critics. We try to send invitations to schools for students to come: we would like to have different kinds of people coming, younger and from different backgrounds. 7. What facilities do you have? We have one room, the gallery and a storage room. 8. How do you promote your activities? We use email and SMS, as well as the newspapers, such as Al-Ghad, Al-Rai, Al-Dustur, The Jordan Times and The Jordan Star. We also use the radio, and we want to promote our activities on Mood FM, which a lot of people listen to. We also have our own database. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We dont recruit volunteers. When students come and ask about volunteering, I tell them to go to bigger places like Dar al-Funun. I think its more interesting for them to learn skills there than here.

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10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We have a line that we do not cross: no commercial art. We want good quality art; the artist doesnt have to be famous, but he has to have good potential. After years of experience, you develop an eye. 11. What is your network? We dont really have a network. Each gallery has its own style and audience. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have six to seven exhibitions a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? All of them have temporary contracts when they exhibit here. 15. Where do the artists come from? Most of them come from Arab countries, such as Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Egypt. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Its already a big success to be one of the best galleries here. We have a good reputation, and we started from zero. To meet all these wonderful artists and collectors has been a big success for me too. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We dont really have special partnerships. We want to concentrate on Jordanian artists: it is our mission to encourage and purchase the work of Jordanian artists. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The coming of Iraqi artists had a bad influence on Jordanian artists and put them in the shadows. However, today I think there are more collectors and more awareness of Jordanian art. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to build awareness more. I wish we could add more services to the gallery. I want to see more students and schools coming to the exhibitions. People need to learn about art from childhood on. I wish there was a summer arts festival for art in Jordan.

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Date: 03/03/09 Name: NABAD GALLERY Address: Jabal Amman Discipline: Art Function: Gallery Name: Nadia Zacharia Role: Director History/Background: Advertising, Lebanon Contact Information: 0795545597 n.zacharia@nabadartgallery.com - www.nabadartgallery.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? We opened on 28 November last year, and for our first exhibition we invited 15 Arab artists from different countries. I have always worked in art galleries, but it took a while to find this place. We are trying to introduce something new. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We are a gallery, but we also give art classes and have a studio. The classes are for children and adults. We are planning to organize lectures and maybe musical events in the summer as we have a nice garden. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? There are four of us who are partners. We share the management and programming. Its teamwork. We all knew each other before, and we all have experience in galleries and do our own research. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Our revenue is self-generated. As for the budget, it is too early to say. We work with sponsors, and we approach private companies. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Mainly, the audience comes from the older generation, though we are also trying to target the younger generation. As a result, we have started an account on Facebook to increase interest. You need money to be interested in art, and most buyers are well established. The audience is small, made up of people from the middle to upper class. We are trying to contact schools as well, in order to familiarize young people with art. 7. What facilities do you have? We have four gallery rooms, together with a studio and a storage room. We also have a garden terrace and balcony. 8. How do you promote your activities? We mail invitations, using a mailing list and text messages. We also use the media, such as newspapers, sending them information so they can write about the exhibitions. We have also done promotion on Mood FM, which has a programme on cultural activities.

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9. How do you recruit volunteers? 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? It has to be good work, of course. We look at artists CVs and work. It depends on the work, but most of them have already exhibited before, either in Jordan or outside. 11. What is your network? We collaborate with other galleries, such as one in Egypt. We have also built our own list of artists. We do research on the Internet. We know most of the artists here. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have seven to eight exhibitions a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? For the classes, two and half hours a week, four times a month is 60 JD. Another more intensive course costs 100 JD. 14. How many artists are under contract? We issue contracts to artists that ask for them. 15. Where do the artists come from? Most of them are from Arab countries or from Jordan, though we plan to have international artists as well. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? If someone has a project and we can do the artwork for it, we will do it. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We are still new, but the attendance at the exhibitions we have done has been good. The ambiance is very nice, and people like it. The first exhibition was very good, and we had artists from Tunisia and Morocco. It was their first time in Jordan, so this was also something new. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? So far no, but we are open to suggestions. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I think the politics of the region affect us. The War on Gaza affected us, for example. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like us to be more known in the region. I would like to bring good exhibitions to Jordan and to make a good name for the Gallery. I want us to be a reference in the arts.

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Date: 12/03/09 Name: CAIRO AMMAN BANK GALLERY Address: Wadi Saqra Discipline: Visual art Function: Gallery Name: Mohammad Jalous Role: Director History/Background: Painter Contact Information: 0795559207 aaljaloos@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The Gallery was founded in August 2008, and it is one of the most recent in Amman. The purpose was to support Jordanian art and to encourage young artists, who were the subject of the last exhibition. The difference with other galleries is that we are a non-profit gallery, and we dont take a percentage on sales. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Its just a gallery for the time being, but maybe in the future we will hold seminars for artists, collectors and the public in general. Our plan is to work in culture in general and not only in the fine arts. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the director and curator. We dont have board members, though we have a general manager. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The budget is from the marketing department of the Bank. I dont know the exact budget, because we work on projects and then find a budget for them. Up to now, we have had the full support of the Bank. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? In general, the audience is made up of art lovers. We put on exhibitions for the general public, and everybody is welcome. The last show, of young artists, particularly attracted young people. We have collectors in Jordan who also come to visit. There are different people with different interests. 7. What facilities do you have? We have the lobby of the Bank, which forms the Gallery and is the largest gallery space in Jordan. 8. How do you promote your activities? Through the media, such as newspapers and magazines. I would like to thank them because they also support the Gallery through advertising. We always announce events and openings in the media. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We dont need volunteers.

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10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We are a non-profit gallery, so we choose the best artists in different fields, like painting, ceramics or sculpture. We dont take a percentage on sales, so we dont choose artists on the basis of sales. We choose real artists, and we focus on presenting different generations. We want to focus on young Jordanian artists. We encourage them by giving them a venue and media exposure. 11. What is your network? We are trying to establish an international network with contacts in Jordan and abroad. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have had four exhibitions thus far. We like to give a good amount of time for artists to show their work, with two months running time for each show. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? We dont charge entry fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? Contracts are for commercial galleries. We dont issue contracts. 15. Where do the artists come from? Until now, they have all been Jordanian. The next show will be of Arab artists, with Egyptians and so on. However, we are open to all, and we intend to invite European artists as well. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We help artists to sell their work. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? I feel positive about what we have done and the choices we have made. I feel the Gallery is going well. Its not only work: it has always been my dream, as an artist, to help and support other artists. Its good for artists to have a bank that supports art. Its a symbol of the private sector beginning to encourage the arts. We have to encourage the rest of the private sector to follow suit. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We are independent, since we receive funding from the Bank. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We dont have any special partners. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We have problems encouraging people to come to the exhibitions. Only a few people are interested in art in Jordan, and we have to grow the audience. This is the only problem we face: the audience. This is a problem for all art galleries and for all cultural events and associations. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish we could hold an international workshop for Jordanian and international artists at the Gallery. I also believe in childrens painting, and I think they are the future artists and the future public for art. I have already organized a competition for children artists in Amman. I would like to do the same thing again for the country as a whole.

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Educational Institutions
Date: 17/03/09 Name: NATIONAL MUSIC CONSERVATORY Address: Ras al-Ain Discipline: Music Function: Conservatory Name: Kifah Fakhouri Role: Director History/Background: PhD in Music Education from the US Contact Information: 064767221 nmc@go.com.jo 1. When was your Faculty founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in 1986. The purpose was to prepare students to study music as part of the development of their personalities. Her Majesty Queen Noor initiated it, and we started with a programme developed by a teacher from the United States. 2. How is the Faculty governed? How does one become a board member? We have a board, we call it the council, under the King Hussein Foundation. A board member should be a music lover and a philanthropist and someone willing to serve on the board. Membership of the board is by appointment: we recommend people, and the Queen then gives her approval. Usually we change the board every three years. 3. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We have around one million JD a year from fees and from support from the ministry of finance and the municipality. We undertake projects for fundraising purposes, and the private sector and individuals help. 4. What kind of programme do you offer? How much attention is given to theory and practice? We have two levels: the preparatory level (two to eight hours a week) for children, and the college level (full time or 132 credit hours) for students specializing in music. For the preparatory level, we teach all the instruments, plus theory classes. At the college level, we have five specializations: performance, instrument or voice, composition and conducting, Arabic music, and music education and therapy. 5. How many students register a year? Have there been changes over the past few years? In the preparatory level we usually have 300 students. In the college level we have 32. The institution started with 40 students, and numbers have been going up and down. In the late 1990s, before the war, we had an increase because of the number of Iraqis coming to Jordan. 6. What is the percentage of students in each field?

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The highest percentage is in orchestral instruments and piano, first piano, then guitar and strings, then Arabic instruments, and then wind instruments. In the college level, the highest numbers are in performance and music education. 7. How do you recruit teachers? Where do they come from? We use our contacts when teachers are not Jordanian. However, most recruitment is among Jordanians. We encourage Jordanians to become music teachers and put ads in the newspapers. 8. Where do your students go after their studies? The preparatory-level students are free to become musicians or to go onto other fields. The collegelevel students mostly become performers and teachers. Some continue music studies abroad, while others open their own businesses. 9. Do you collaborate with association or organizations? We are the Jordanian representative of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in the UK. We are members of the Association europenne des conservatoires, and we have an exchange agreement with a conservatory near Paris. We host the Arab Academy of Music, which is affiliated to the Arab League. I was president of the Academic Council at UNESCO. We also collaborate with the Middle East Foundation. Locally, we collaborate with institutes for music therapy, and our Bachelors degrees are awarded by Yarmouk University. We have another agreement with Jordan University. 10. What is your student audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Most students come from West Amman. We consider this to be a problem, so we have started working to get funds to give scholarships. We now have students from the SOS Village and from UNRWA as well. 11. How much are registration fees? The preparatory level starts at 510 to 1,000 JD, and college level is 3,000 JD a year. 12. What kind of other services do you offer to your students? We supervise examinations and we organize concerts for students to attend, as well as for the community as a whole. We offer training, not only teaching. Students can join the orchestra and the Arab music ensemble. We push students to perform outside Jordan at festivals and conferences abroad and to participate in competitions. 13. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Being able to develop the National Symphonic Orchestra and the Amman Music Ensemble was a great success. We were able to push the initiative to build an opera house, which is a project I think we started. The music education we do raises childrens awareness and encourages them to become professionals. The curriculum does not only encourage private study, but also encourages students to work in groups. 14. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We can say France, the UK, Egypt, Lebanon, South Korea and Holland. Its more European countries, because I think the interest in western countries is greater. 15. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I think the customs and traditions of the society affect us. Music is not really systematically taught in schools in Jordan; even though the government is encouraging, some religious thinkers do not encourage or support music as a part of the curriculum.

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16. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would give individuals 10 years of free tuition, and in this way we would be able to build up talent. Jordan is the only country in the Arab world where music is taught on a fee-paying basis. In other countries, the ministry of education makes sure that it is taught for free.

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Date: 08/02/09 Name: JORDAN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ART AND DESIGN Address: Jordan University Discipline: Art and design Function: Education Name: ABDEL-HAMID HAMAM Role: Dean, Faculty of Art and Design History/Background: Composer: BA Music, Vienna; MA Music, Sorbonne; PhD, the UK Contact Information: 0795630558 abdel_Hamid@hotmail.com 1. When was your Faculty founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? I have been dean of the Faculty since September 2007. The Faculty was established six years ago. It is the second art faculty to be founded in a state university, the first being at Yarmouk University. 2. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We need more money and more equipment. The new building has been halted owing to a lack of funds. We have enough to teach, but we hope the new building can be completed because the Faculty is dispersed across the University at the moment. 3. What kind of programme do you offer? How much is theory and how much practice? We have three fields of study: the visual arts, music and theatre. We have different concentrations in these fields. 4. How many students register a year? Has there been any change in the number of registration over the past few years? We could take up to 150 students, but we dont admit that number. We took 50 students this year, but numbers have been increasing. 5. What is the percentage of students in each field? Most of the students are in visual art. In music and theatre we have very few, perhaps only five this year. 6. How do you recruit teachers? Where do they come from? Most of them are Jordanian. We have very qualified staff: some of them studied in different art schools in Europe or the States, while some of them studied in Iraq or Russia. 7. Where do your students go after their studies? Some of them become freelancers. In the graphic-design field they can directly find a job. In music and theatre they have many opportunities because there are very few of them. Sometimes they find a job even before they finish the course. 8. 9. 10. 11. How is the Faculty governed? How does one become a board member? Do you collaborate with art associations or organizations? If so, which? What is your student audience base? Do you collect demographic information? How much are registration fees?

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12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

What kind of other services do you offer to your students? What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be?

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Date: 24/03/09 Name: RED SEA INSTITUTE FOR CINEMATIC STUDIES Address: 1st Circle Amman & Aqaba Discipline: Cinema Function: Educational institute Name: Claire Naber & Hala Ghawi Role: Project manager & HR manager History/Background: Hala Ghawi: Sociology and Business Administration; Claire Naber: Media and Cultural Studies, London; MFA in Creative Writing Contact Information: Hala Ghawi: 0797209040 - hala.ghawi@rsica.com; Claire Naber: 0797100400 - claire.naber@rsica.com ; www.rsica.com 1. When was your Faculty founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was an initiative of King Abdullah II, who wanted to build a sustainable media industry in the Middle East. Steven Spielberg was contacted at the USC Cinema School, and contacts were made with the RFC. Research was done and workshops held to find out what was needed. The idea was that Jordan needed to graduate students in cinema and film, since without producers films cannot be made. We needed to start an industry; we want the Middle East to be an exporter of media content and not just an importer. The Masters degree programme was created as a result. 2. How is the Faculty governed? How does one become a board member? We have a board of directors of about eight people, who are entrepreneurs and local leaders in different aspect of business. One is from the USC Cinema School and one is a Syrian filmmaker. At the beginning, we started the project under the RFC and they signed onto the board. We are a nonprofit independent academy related to the RFC. 3. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Fundraising is purely private, and members of the board are responsible for fundraising. The seed money came from the government, and most of the money is Jordanian. We are lucky that people have supported the Institute, since they realize that it will be a very important project for the region and the country. We have to make film more acceptable to the society. This is the first year, so we are just starting to calculate the budget. 4. What kind of programme do you offer? How much is theory and how much is practice? Studies are based on collaborative work in the first year. In the second year, students specialize in two or three fields, such as director, writer, producer, cinematographer, editor and sound designer. We want to make sure that students can make a career when they leave. Studies are full time, and students work sometimes more then 15 hours a day and at weekends. We look for good profiles, and the degree takes two years. They have to take production and business courses as well. 5. How many students register a year? Has there been any change in the number of registrations over the past few years? We had 25 students a year, but this year we have 21. Numbers will always be between 20 and 25. The number of applicants has increased. Next year, we will do proper outreach in the region and the country. The first year, we have focused more on setting up the school.

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6. What is the percentage of students in each field? We dont know. Its the schools first year. 7. How do you recruit teachers? Where do they come from? We are working with the pioneer behind the project, James Hindman, who was president of AFI in the US and has vast academic skills. He recruits staff. We have professors from the UK, Morocco/France, and the US. Some are ex-USC teachers, and we have someone from Sharjah University. We need faculty to help us set everything up, though we also have a system of guest faculty as well. These are professionals who come in once a week for workshops, for example. We are trying to do more and more of that from a regional perspective. 8. Where do your students go? It is too early to say. 9. Do you collaborate with art associations or organizations? If so, which? Of course, this is essential. We have good contacts, and we meet with everybody working on the art and culture scene. We want to create something sustainable. We want to focus and have collaboration. Filmmaking is collaborative work. We need actors, so we have weekly acting workshops at the Masters level offering specialized acting for screen. This is not part of an official diploma, but the level of the classes is very high. Of course, we also collaborate with the RFC, the SCI and all art and culture associations. Our network is also highly developed, and we want to make the Middle East a hub for media and film. 10. What is your student audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Most of them have chosen a path already, but they have to know what they want to do: we look for creative potential and the kind of person who is able to work in a group and dedicate all his time to work. So, we look for motivated and hard workers. The training is our responsibility, but students should have creativity and effectiveness. These people dedicate two years of their lives to this training, and we need passion, creativity and hard work. We have people from everywhere, and the school is open to everyone from a range of different backgrounds. They dont have to have worked in films before; sometimes, the best ones are the people who have never worked in films before. 11. How much are the registration fees? The application fee is US$75. Applicants submit a dossier, and if we are interested we do a personal interview. If we send them an acceptance letter, they can apply for a scholarship, though this will require a second interview. We have different kinds of scholarships. This year is going to be different, as we want to treat people equally and make sure they really deserve the scholarships. These come to over 18,000 JD a year. 12. What kind of other services do you offer to your students? Some students work and are paid, and we are going to set up further work-study opportunities. We also contribute to the community, and last winter we did a workshop with beginners at the RFC. There are also film screenings, etc. 13. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? The quality of the first class was our best success so far. We did a lot of research before setting up the school, and when the work came out the first semester we knew we had the right programme. The first films that came out speak for themselves. 14. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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We are open to ideas and collaboration. We have strong links with the US because of the way the school started. But we are open to collaboration with every country. 15. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? More and more young people are setting up business and cultural activities, and there is a bigger music scene and a bigger artistic scene. The arts are becoming more normalized and maybe more accepted. You can see more and more initiatives. Students are very interested in documentaries telling what they have been through and what they want to change. It is a way for them to express themselves. The first-year policy is that the first films will not be screened to the public, so students are completely free to experiment and express themselves. The second-year films will be shown to the public. 16. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? We want to work together with people to make paths for the students and to make sure they find a career path when they leave. We want to change the mentality of students here as well, since some apply for studies they dont really like and do not take them seriously as a result. However, this school is something new in this region, and the students know that. We want to increase collaboration with international filmmakers, in order to open our students to the world.

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Media Organizations
Date: 17/03/09 Name: JORDAN TODAY Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Art and culture Function: Monthly magazine Name: Mirna Khalfawi Role: Editor History/Background: Marketing and PR Contact Information: 065660780 mirnakhalfawi@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Jordan Today is a magazine founded in 1991. It was established as a guide for tourists and Jordanians and as a listing of where to go with the objective of presenting Jordan as a lively country, focusing on the culture and society. No other magazine concentrates on cultural events in Jordan like we do. Viva and JO do some promotion and give some information on culture and art. However, there was a real need for a magazine like Jordan Today, though there is still a lack of information about culture and events nonetheless. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Half the magazine is a listing of where to go. The other half is editorial, and we try to cover certain areas to visit in Jordan. We try to feature an interesting Jordanian person, artist, or personality, and we feature or interview Jordanian artists. We contact every gallery and cultural centre to make sure we are covering all the cultural and artistic events in the country. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? The magazine is a small team. Because we are small, we have a personal relationship with organizations and galleries. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Our budget is self-generated. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The majority of the audience is made up of foreigners, and the magazine is distributed to embassies and universities. Its also widely read by Jordanians and is distributed to hotels. Our first target is foreigners, but of course its also widely read by locals. Though the audience is made up of different age groups, mainly it is composed of people between 25 and 35 years old. The magazine targets West Amman; its an English-language magazine, so it doesnt reach East Amman. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities?

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We collaborate a lot with advertising agencies and associations and with the organizations we promote and feature. We also do a lot of email shots. Collaboration is the most important thing for us. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We are always looking. We have contacts in universities, and sometimes foreigners come in asking to help. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? First of all, we mainly stay away from established or famous artists. We want to promote upcoming artists, the ones who need promotion. We look at the work, of course, and we sit with the artists to discuss. Its not always easy to find promising artists. Most of time, they call us, but a lot of them do not know how to promote themselves. 11. What is your network? Our network is made up of all the cultural centres, the embassies, galleries, students groups and PR and advertising agencies in Jordan. Some restaurants and retail outlets are also involved, such as Blue Fig, Canvas, Books@, etc. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We feature around five main events and lots of trips a year. Beside the directory at the end of each issue, we always cover some 10 events or personalities. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Its free of charge. 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? Most of the time they are Jordanian; if not, they are resident in Jordan. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Jordan Today is the first and only pocket guide dedicated to culture and art in Jordan. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We have had a lot of exchanges with art organizations in Dubai. Some establishments borrow our listing of what to do and where to go and they put their logo on it. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? A recurring issue that affects us when we cover an event is how difficult it is to get information. Some information is easy to get, but getting all of it is extremely difficult. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to see the magazine grow in size to double its present size, in order to include more and more artists. Every month, there are more artists in Jordan. Things are happening so fast that you can really see the difference on a monthly basis. I would like to get involved in raising awareness of the diversity and importance of art in schools throughout Jordan, especially in East Amman. West Amman is more developed, and all the present facilities are there.

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Date: 02/03/09 Name: JO MAGAZINE Address: Jabal Amman, 2nd Circle Discipline: Media Function: Magazine Name: Qais Elias Role: Director History/Background: BA in Film and Television, London Contact Information: 0796446222 qais@jo.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The first issue of JO Magazine came out in August 2003. We started when they werent any magazines in Jordan dealing with culture and society. There was a lack of information about society and culture viewed in a critical way. I still dont know any magazines that cover cultural issues. There are some cultural magazines in Arabic (Amman, Taiki), but they present things in a very old-school form. They are difficult to read, and I dont think they are read a lot. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We want to promote art and culture. The idea was to shed light on Jordanian talent and to promote the work of Jordanian artists. There was no platform when we started. We went to cultural events in order to promote them, doing reviews and portraits of artists. We also announced the cultural events that were coming up. We used to have a weekly magazine for young people in Arabic, but we stopped it. We are working now on JO Magazine in Arabic. Its not going to be an exact translation of JO, but it will have the same ideas and style. Its supposed to start publishing in April/May. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? JO is a magazine, and we have writers, editors and specialized contributors for each field, such as music, film, architecture, visual art, etc. We also work a lot with freelancers. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The budget for the cultural programme of the magazine depends on what events are taking place that month. We dont work with a budget and then see how many events we can cover on the contrary. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We did focus groups to know our audience better. Of course, because the magazine is in English we have a small audience of West Amman people and foreigners and expatriates. We want to widen the audience now, which is the reason behind the Arabic publication of JO. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote the magazine through different venues. We target some events that we also sponsor. We partner with various companies and radio and newspapers. The magazine is distributed through

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different strategies: we have VIP distribution, and we distribute to agents and to key places, such as hotels, waiting rooms, airlines, etc. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We dont. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We dont have the luxury to select particular artists or projects. It depends on who is the editor as well: he is the one in charge. We dont have criteria, or a style or direction in art that we support. We cover very various and mixed styles of art and artists. 11. What is your network? 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? It depends on whats happening. I would say a minimum of six to 10 cultural topics a month, from profiles to reports or promotions of upcoming events. We generally get information by word of mouth and through advertised events. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? We cover art happenings in Jordan and Jordanian art abroad. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We are going to start a Website for the magazine soon. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? I think launching an Arabic version of JO Magazine will be a success, along with the fact that we are in a financial position to do it. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I think there is a trend for more magazines because there is a need for outlets for advertising. But I feel there is also a lack of platforms for discussion about society. There is a lack of cultural promotion in the media in general, especially on TV. I want to work on that. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to be able to pay better salaries.

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Date: 01/03/09 Name: FARAH AL-NAS Address: Hashemi Discipline: Art and culture Function: Radio Name: Lina Abu Reziq Role: Presenter and producer History/Background: Music at Yarmouk University Contact Information: lina.abu.rezeq@hotmail.com - 0795071050 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? We started the cultural events programme seven months ago. I started it because not a lot of people go to cultural events, and I wanted to let people know about activities in town. Artists need exposure: art in Jordan is poorly advertised, and there is no knowledge about it. No radio station really advertises cultural events; they only do a few commercials, no real cultural programme. There was a lack of a cultural programme on the radio, and those on other stations were for intellectuals or artists and not for everyone. Also, the other programmes are still all in English. We are the only radio station that provides a cultural programme in Arabic. It runs for one hour a day, five days a week. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Its a three-hour talk show, and it takes place during the driving-home time from three to six in the afternoon. The first hour is about events: we advertise upcoming events and do reports on past events. During last two hours, we open a topic for discussion, and then we take phone calls. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the producer of the programme. We also have a director of the station and a programme director. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? For the cultural programme, we have no budget, and everything is done for free. We dont have advertising, and we have very few sponsors. The radio itself is a non-profit organization. We should have a budget for the cultural programme and in general, however. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? From the people who call, the audience is very various, from children to adults. However, we are still new, and the radio has only been going for seven months. Maybe later we will look for more demographic information. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? 9. How do you recruit volunteers?

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10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We promote culture and art in Jordan. We dont select we cover everything that is happening. We try to promote Jordanian artists the most, talking about the artist, where he studied, how he came up with his work, etc. 11. What is your network? I get information through Facebook and contacts with galleries and theatres. They send me emails whenever something is happening. I also get information from my own personal contacts. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Per day, we promote one event at least, though sometimes we will promote six or seven. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? Mostly, they are Jordanian, though they also come from the Middle East as a whole and from abroad on exchanges. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We give them reports, concerts and interviews with artists. We bring people together. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? People who call me saying that they went to an event we promoted and that they liked it. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? 70% of Jordanians listen to the radio, more than the number who read the newspapers. I try to influence people this way. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish we could do more interviews with artists. I wish the radio could cover more areas as well: at the moment, we cover of Amman and Zarqa. It would be nice if other radio stations could do this kind of programme as well, which would encourage people to go to cultural events.

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Date: 07/03/09 Name: JOCR8 WEBSITE Address: Wadi Saqra Discipline: Website Function: promoters Name: Tambi Jalouqa Role: Founder and director History/Background: IT in Jordan; Mathematics in Turkey Contact Information: 0777965134 tambi@binaryinteractivestudios.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The site was launched in July 2008. The purpose was to create an online community for Jordanian artists. There was a lack of one at the time, so we created our own platform. I had the idea, and with my partner we decided to start it. It was a totally independent idea. We felt the need to do it, and the site is not a commercial business. At the beginning, I knew some artists and we started by word of mouth. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? The idea is to give all Jordanian artists a space on the Internet and an online portfolio, so that people who have no money to create a Website of their own can have one on this site. We do interviews with artists, and we try to share their stories. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have three people working on the Website: a designer, a programmer and an editor. Today, there are 240 users and 100 artists with portfolios, adding up to almost 1,500 art pieces. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Its a start-up. There wasnt any initial budget, and we did things by ourselves. It costs us 300 JD a month to maintain. We dont have revenue from the Website yet. We are looking for sponsors, but this is still very much a project. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience is made up of people who work in graphic design and artists aged between 18 and 35 years old. Its a mixed group of different classes of people. This is one of the main reasons behind the Jocr8 site, because on-line artists are the same, whether they come from Zarqa or Amman. Everybody can show their art online, while only the rich can afford to have an exhibition. We want to hold events and to exhibit artists on the Web. 7. What facilities do you have? The artists can show their work on the Website as a kind of screen gallery. 8. How do you promote your activities?

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We promote by word of mouth. We dont have a budget for marketing. Some people have started to list the site on their CVs, and this encourages others. We were registered for the Jordanian Web awards. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We have online volunteers and people who collaborate and send us interviews and information. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We display Jordanian talent and Jordanian artists. Now we are trying to get other people from other nationalities to use the site. You dont have to be Jordanian to register. Most users are Jordanian at the moment, but the site is open to anyone who lives in Jordan, whatever their nationality. Anyone can post, but our editor chooses the features about the artists in order to highlight the good ones. 11. What is your network? 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We upload one interview a month and 10 portfolios a month. This is on average. At one point, the site will stop expanding, and then we will focus more on communication. We have started to try to create awareness of various issues, and we are thinking of starting competitions, etc. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? They are mostly Jordanian, or people that live in Jordan, but the site is open to anyone. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We are concentrating on the Website at the moment. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? A few days ago, we reached 100 portfolios on the site. When someone thanks us, its also always a mark of success. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? I dont think there is any one association that groups together all the artists, so we dont collaborate at the moment. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We are thinking of expanding the site to other Arab countries in order to collaborate and organize events. Until now, nothing has been done, however. Its just an idea for the moment. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We have statistics on how many people are looking at the site. When the Gaza conflict happened, nobody looked at the site. But after that, numbers started to increase again. Of course, politics in the region affects our activities. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? We would like to be able to find more funding for artists. If we partner with universities, and if they could give scholarships to recognize talented artists, this would be great. I wish we had better education and better jobs for artists in Jordan.

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Date: 11/03/09 Name: RADIO AL-BALAD Address: Wadi Saqra Discipline: Radio Function: Radio Name: Sawsan Zaideh Role: Manager History/Background: MA in Online Journalism, UK; BA in Literature Contact Information: sawsan@ammannet.net 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Radio al-Balad was established in 2000, and UNESCO gave it technical support and back up. We used training facilities provided by UNESCO. When I arrived in 2004, it was a radio Website, and then in 2006 we got an FM license. We are still on the Web as Amman.net, which is a community radio site for Amman. The idea was to have an independent radio station, like a form of alternative media. At that time, the media sector was mainly controlled and owned by the government. Instead of focusing on official news, we wanted to represent and be closer to ordinary people. We did research and asked people their opinion. We wanted the radio to be interactive, with people participating and creating the news. We had volunteers at the beginning, and this is how the cultural programme was born. Other media outlets carry cultural news, but in a different way: they promote events and support people close to the government. Independent artists have financial and coverage problems, and there was a lack of broadcasting about independent artists. We needed alternative media to broadcast good independent singers, for example, and we gave them space to produce programmes and to broadcast their songs. The idea was also to broadcast new singers, and we devoted 40% of our programming to broadcasting local production and alternative production. Our goal is to support independent local singers. The main problem has been that we are a non-profit station, so although people give their services for free, eventually they also want to be paid. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? The first programme was called Musica min Makadi about a Jordanian singer. We have a new programme now, Musica min Al-Sharq, in which musician Tarek Jundi explains the history and techniques of oriental music. The Aroma of Coffee is a cultural programme covering poetry, literature and local cultural production. We dont only have news or interviews; we also discuss issues. We talk about new cultural events and the work of the new generation on a weekly programme. We are also starting a new programme called Book Corner about literature. We had a programme in the past about international music, but this has now stopped. We held focus groups with our audience, and these revealed that the audience wanted to hear more poetry. So we now have a poetry programme as well. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the manager, and then there is the programming manager and the sound producer. The three of us form a committee, if you like. There is also the director-general, our boss. We have a board of trustees, the chair of which is Elias Farkouh, the publisher and novelist. The rest are media people. The board stays the same over time. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We try our best to get advertising, but much of it is for entertainment and not our kind of programming. It has been easier to attract international donors, such as UNESCO and foreign

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embassies. Our funding is not secure, however, and we have to fundraise for special programmes. If we succeed, the radio will continue. If not, it will stop. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Its always changing and is never stable. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We are interested to find out more about our audience. Its made up of people from Amman, of course, since the station is broadcast in Amman. But it is also available on the Internet, and this means the audience is also international. We wanted to target East Amman, but we thought we should find out who is listening to us in West Amman as well. There is a large audience, mostly young people in their twenties or thirties and middle class, often doctors and engineers. There are also a lot of university students. We have been able to do audience surveys on the Internet. 7. What facilities do you have? Its part of our mission to give opportunities to volunteers and trainees to use our equipment. We also provide training and teach them how to use the equipment. There are two training programmes, one short and one long. 8. How do you promote your activities? We dont have enough money for marketing, and we do not put a lot of money into it. The funds we have are for the programmes. This is a major problem. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? Sometimes they come to us, and sometimes we look for them. Regarding the artists, this is not a problem, since the art scene is not big and we have lots of contacts. Most of the time, we find our volunteers through our programmes. We have a university programme, and at night our audience is very young, teenagers, who call and ask for songs to be played. This has led to the formation of a kind of group of 50 to 60 people who call to talk about issues and events. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Yes we do, and this is one of our goals. We focus on local people and not commercial artists: the idea is to give a chance to good-quality and independent artists who dont have the chance to be broadcast on other media. We also target young artists, new styles and new generations. 11. What is your network? Our network comes from our programmes. We dont want to be linked to certain groups alone; we want to target individuals, not groups. We believe that the artists who are most in need are individuals. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? It depends on the programming, but usually we have three cultural programmes a week for six hours. Every three months, we change the programming. These programmes are one hour each in length. The same programme will be repeated, and every day we announce the cultural events that are coming up. We promote these programmes as well. We cooperate with Orangered, and every time they have an event we invite the artists and put our logo on the invitation cards. We have started to collaborate with Al-Balad too, but this is new and is not yet official. There is a ten-minute announcement about events in town. We also follow up on issues, such as the problem of censorship among poets and writers. Of course, we try to be balanced, but we are also progressive and believe in freedom of expression.

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13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? We dont issue contracts with artists: they are mostly volunteers, and it is a relationship based on trust. 15. Where do the artists come from? Mostly, they are Jordanian, but we also do programmes with Arab and international artists. In the Middle East, we have done a lot of work with Lebanese, Egyptian and Palestinians artists. For the programme of world music, we have had Asian, African, European, Russian and Latin American artists. The main idea is to develop taste by helping people to know about different styles. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We believe we are serving our audience, as well as the community in general. We follow up ministry activities and those of the municipality. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? I think the main success has been in the songs we have broadcast; we have created an audience for this kind of music. We discovered that we have three main audience segments: one for the teenage night show; one for the news show; and one for the songs. The other success has been to give a chance for artists to be heard and to organize voluntary programmes and training. We are empowering people who can use their skills later by learning how to produce themselves. The overall idea is to give a new idea, and a more complete picture, of culture. The other media broadcast one kind of culture only, or talk about cultural matters as if they were talking to foreigners. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? As I said, we partner with Orangered and the Al-Balad Theatre, and we are also in contact with other associations and individual artists. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? Last week, we had a joint programme with Syrian radio called Arabesque, a cultural programme. We have agreed to do this once a month. We are a member of Amark, a world association for community broadcasters, of which we are the only Arab member. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The main problem is access to information, especially when its from the municipality. Information is treated as if its secret, especially where the government is concerned. We depend on volunteers, and we always feel its a problem that we cant pay them a salary. The other thing is to do with donors: when you work in the cultural field, it is difficult to find donors. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would close the commercial radio stations. The media does not offer what the audience wants. The audience gets what is given to it. If you give it good-quality cultural products, the audience will respond. I believe youth is the victim here, and I would like to give similar exposure to commercial and independent local products, say on a 50/50 basis. The best radio broadcaster at the moment is Fan FM, which is a military radio. They have the best broadcasting and the best coverage because they are exempt from taxes and the director is a businessman connected to the royal family. So, I also ask for fair competition. I want to change donors priorities, as well as competition and the advertising market.

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Date: 14/03/09 Name: TAIKI MAGAZINE -- Municipality of Amman Address: 3rd Circle, Amman Discipline: Literature Function: Magazine Name: Basma al-Nasour Role: Director History/Background: Lawyer and writer Contact Information: 0799054671- 06-4632571 egales_60@yahoo.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The magazine started in 2003 as one of the cultural services provided by the municipality. It was the idea of the former mayor, and it is directed at a female audience. The purpose was to have a cultural magazine focusing on womens issues and to help make people aware of womens art and women artists. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Taiki is the name of an ancient goddess, whose mission was to bring safety. She is a very good symbol for what Jordanian women artists want to achieve. We try to give our readers an awareness of Arab women writers, though in each issue we also feature women artists from across the world. We discuss Jordanian experience and Arab experience, as well as international experience. Its a serious magazine with high-quality content. Women participate in the magazine, but we also have many male writers. However, the subject matter is always related to women. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Its run by the municipality. The magazine is free and is a public service provided by the municipality. Beside the magazine, we organize two events a month. There are board members: Im the director, and in addition there are four people on the editorial committee, including a literary critic. We havent changed the board up to now, because those people on it are the best and have experience with the magazine. The board meets every two weeks. Appointments are made by the mayor on my recommendation. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Funding comes from the municipality. There is no self-generated revenue. We are trying to get other funds, but havent succeeded yet. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It changes a little from time to time but not substantially. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We print 2,000 copies of each issue, and these are sent to all the cultural centres in Amman and to other cities in Jordan, as well as the universities, the Writers Union, the Womens Union, embassies in Amman and Jordanian embassies abroad, and Arab cultural centres. We get feedback from women readers and writers. The audience is mainly made up of cultured people, though we also try to attract everybody.

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7. What facilities do you have? We hold two events a month. In summer we use the garden, and in winter we use the exhibition hall. We are planning to start a caf, which is our next step. 8. How do you promote your activities? Through newspapers, TV, email, and the press mainly the local one but also the Arab press. People call and ask when the next issue will appear. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We collaborate sometimes with people from other departments in the municipality. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We have contacts with Jordanian writers and we ask for advice. Sometimes we hold roundtables. We try to employ well-known names, though we also try to focus on younger artists. 11. What is your network? We are based at the municipality, but we need other contacts for funds, etc. We are trying to build a network, and we are in contact with people in Rome and in Egypt, beside Jordanian contacts at the cultural centres. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have two activities a month. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? There are no fees. 14. How many artists are under contract? When you write for the magazine, you receive payment of US$100. 15. Where do the artists come from? The artists we discuss are Jordanian and Arab, though we have also had contributors from the Far East and elsewhere. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Being able to keep the magazine going, to bring people to it, and to engage their interest has been our greatest success. Its always crowded with people, and I consider the magazine to be a huge success. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We partner with the municipality and the cultural centres. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? In the editorial, I always try to be up to date and in touch with issues, though not affected directly by them. We try to affect people and society more then they affect us. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to have a coffee shop, gallery and art centre related to the magazine. I would also like to change the mentality of the society, as people sometimes still dont take women seriously.

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Private-sector Companies
Date: 01/03/09 Name: AMMAN CENTRE ITI / PIONEERS PRODUCTION COMPANY Address: PAC/6th Circle, Amman Discipline: Theatre and film Function: Platform and production company Name: Sawsan Darwazeh Role: President and director History/Background: MA in Theatre from Beirut; BA in French Literature from Damascus; work in television, film and radio Contact Information: pp.sawsan@gmail.com - 0795752023 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The ITI was founded a long time ago, and its first director was Havez Hussein, I would say in the middle of the 80s. Its part of the ITI programme that was started by UNESCO in the 60s, I think. The Pioneers Production Company was founded in 1995. I had also founded a creative company, called the Mirror Company, in my name, and I started to work on films, theatre, TV productions, writing workshops, video-clips, music, etc. This was in 1987. Pioneers is the technical services company that I came up with. Im also the director of Mirat Media, in addition to being executive director of Pioneers. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? The mandate has to do with networking with other ITIs across the world and to expose Jordanian theatre to foreign theatre, performance and publication. Its also to find suitable programmes for exchanges. However, there is not a lot of funding for this type of programme, and we havent been able to find ways of financing the ITI as a production centre, which is why it remains restricted to providing information. ITI creates the philosophy, the subject matter, of what we want to do, be it a film, a TV programme, or a theatre play, and Pioneers then carries it out. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? There are five board members, but we dont have general assembly members. We have affiliates at the Al-Fawanees Group, the PAC, the Syndicates, and so on. The organization is a commercial company. The board is not open to the public: you can become a member if you are a partner. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? It should really be backed by the ministry, but I have used my own money for five years: no funds, nothing. I think its not that difficult anymore to find funds we could go to the ministry, but they dont understand what the organization stands for. We havent registered it as an NGO, preferring to keep it as a communications platform. The Syndicate was not interested in taking charge, though I asked them to take over responsibility for the ITI since they are the official Syndicate for theatre. We only have self-generated revenue, meanwhile.

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5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It has increased a lot in relation to the quality of the product, the demand of the market and the demand of the Arab TV stations. We have programmes we produce for ourselves and others that we produce for others. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Our audience, if we can say that, is people working in theatre. Our audience has also changed, because fewer and fewer people are watching Jordanian TV. When we started, Jordanian TV was very important, but now, with the satellite channels, it is becoming less and less important. Our audience now is more in the rural areas. Our subjects are very Jordanian, or very to do with Amman. 7. What facilities do you have? We provide technical services, cameras, equipment, an editing and sound studio, and a team. 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote them through Amman theatre days and at independent festivals. We collaborate with these, and we publish a theatre newsletter in the name of ITI. Several cultural centres advertise us as well: we have a mailing list, and since the theatre scene is very small here, everybody knows about it. We also advertise on international sites and networks. For people from abroad, we are very well known in the area now. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? We dont really recruit volunteers. We host smaller projects that are related to community work, offering them space in the company, partnerships and collaboration with young filmmakers and media people. We have hosted low-budget film projects, and we want to create a kind of hub for filmmakers, but at the same time you have to have a network of these people. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Last year, we sent Nadia Amran, a famous actress in Jordan, to represent us at a meeting in Italy. But basically we dont participate in exchanges because of a lack of funds. We dont have an application procedure. If someone comes to us with a good project, we do a personal interview. The project has to involve the community in some way, whether in film, media or theatre. It has to be ethically right, original and of an avant-garde nature. There has to be a good team. It doesnt work all the time, by the way. Its a kind of marketing for us as well. 11. What is your network? It is made up of the PAC, the Syndicate, the Amman Theatre Festival, Jordan University, Yarmouk University, independent troupes, the Al-Fawanees Group, and individuals, such as theatre actors, writers, etc. We have affiliated independent directors and film NGOs, as well as festivals in the Arab world and TV stations that we co-produce with. There is also my own network: I was born in Damascus, studied in Beirut, and then came to Amman, so I have access to these three countries. I know lots of independent filmmakers or theatre directors. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We send out information, though I dont know what people do with it. In theatre, I personally do things, using the media as a kind of umbrella. I try to work on one play every two years. I get invited to festivals and events. As far as TV production is concerned, lets say two projects a month. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract?

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We draw up written agreements, if not always contracts. Thats why we collaborate with many freelancers. 15. Where do the artists come from? Mostly, they are Jordanians. Sometimes, when we make pan-Arab TV programmes, we employ directors from other countries. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We work on many projects, such as the Arab Institute for Film, a residency programme to teach filmmakers, which we hosted for one year. I personally work with them as acting director. That was a form of community work. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? A favourite project was the series of portraits entitled The Other, which was produced by Mirror Media and the Pioneers Production Company. We did 50 portraits of Arab artists and made 50 films about them. We wanted to focus on artists that are not really under the spotlight, to give them credit and do them honour. They were artists who were trying to make an impact on their societies and the politics of their countries. They were people who were passionate for change and dialogue. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Its a worldwide network: sometimes we co-produce a project with various TV stations. The Caravan Cinema Programme was a great project, and we have had partnerships with Egypt, Lebanon, Rotterdam, the IMA in Paris, and so on. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We have worked a lot in Lebanon and Palestine. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The ministry does not see our activities as a priority. Funding has always been a problem: its the ministry of culture or nothing. However, the ministry does the minimum, and there is no real plan for subsidies and encouragement. Everything depends on names. There are no groups. Now, with satellite television, things are more open to other countries, but you can still be focused on the audience in your own country. The RFC is very helpful for filmmakers, but at the same time its very difficult when you are a young filmmaker as the competition is intense. When a project is coming along, you find yourself competing with a lot of people, and things can be very unfair. For example, the RFC got funding from the Arab Fund for Culture and Art, which was hilarious for me as they were taking funds from a body that was also independent. There is a problem here of what counts as an NGO and what does not. People play on both sides and take advantage. Things should be clearer. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would like to make this a really active centre with real physical spaces and employees. Then, we could be more active, follow up more projects, and not only be an information centre. I would love to see a properly institutionalized system in this country for subsidies, funding and grants for cultural projects. I would like to see a clearer system for companies, where you could develop a healthy competitive, and creative atmosphere, and not a tribal arrangement, and not just here, but also throughout the Arab world. At the ministry of culture, the only way they want to work with the theatre sector is by buying plays. They have 14 million in the budget, and yet there is no clear programme for funding, residencies, performing art, buildings, etc. Nothing is well organized. The only good programme they have is the sabbatical year for 10 artists each year. And then they complain that we use foreign money and foreign funds. When you apply, it should be through a system, not to people you know.

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Date: 18/02/09 Name: ORANGERED Address: Al-Weibdeh Discipline: Music Function: Events manager Name: Lama Hazboun Role: Director and co-founder History/Background: BA in Political Science and Public Administration, Beirut Contact Information: 06-4623297 lama@orangered.net 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Orangered was founded in 2004, when my partner and I decided to create a company for events management. We were working in the music field, and we found that Jordan had a lot of talent but there was a lack of marketing. So, we decided to do something to promote and manage art. There was a need for cultural events management at the time. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We organize cultural events with a focus on music because there is a need for this. We organize festivals, concerts, etc. We promote culture. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Orangered is an independent company registered at the ministry of trade. We dont have any links with the ministry of culture. We didnt want any pressure from the ministry, which works on folklore. We are both directors and managers. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Our budget varies every year, basically because we work on projects and not on a fixed budget. I would say that generally 30% of the budget comes from funding from private companies and semigovernmental institutions like embassies. 30% comes from sponsorship, and the rest comes from selfgenerated revenue. Sometimes, we get donations from social organizations that are exempted from taxes. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? Our budget is increasing because we are doing bigger projects. Last year, we did half the projects of the year before, but earned twice the revenue. We are able to do bigger events because of our experience and reputation. At first, we used to sponsor a lot of events for marketing purposes. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience varies depending on the event. Generally, the public comes from different backgrounds and classes. Our target is to reach the middle and lower classes and the youth, which is the next generation. Sometimes, we organize private events for the elite, the rich, because the profit is good. 7. What facilities do you have?

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We have a large network among sound providers and venues. Sometimes we use our terrace for concerts and jam sessions. 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote our activities through publications, print media and press releases. We use the local media, including the radio and newspapers, and our mailing list and database. We also have media partners. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? They come to us; we dont have to recruit them. If they do a good job, we keep them. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We focus on quality first, and then we pay attention to style, ensuring that it is creative, original and professional. We do not accept ordinary cover versions, for example, but if the style has been changed and is original we will accept them. 11. What is your network? We have a network of artists. At first, we started with people we knew and from there we built up our network. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We put on around 30 events a year, from concerts to private events and bookings. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? If the band is new on the scene, we dont charge entry fees. If not, they are a maximum of 15 JD, 5 JD minimum, sometimes 3 JD, but then it is not profitable. 14. How many artists are under contract? For each event we draw up a contract. We cant make long-term contracts with artists. 15. Where do the artists come from? We promote Jordanian artists, but sometimes we do events with artists from Lebanon, Syria, Europe and the US. However, the further away an artist is, the more expensive the project will be! In April, we are organizing a Sufi festival with artists from Jordan, Iran, India, Egypt, Morocco Syria and Holland. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We distribute CDs, something which did not exist in Jordan before. We sell CDs in Jordan and Europe. We also do marketing and PR for cultural events. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? 2008 was a very good year for us: we did the Ziranian event, and 10,000 people came! The Fete de la Musique was also a big success this year; it was done in the streets, and a lot of people came. The success of this year lay in the large amount of people that attended the events. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We dont have partnerships, but we collaborate with many institutions, such as Makan, the Al-Balad Theatre, the RCC and the embassies. This year, we want to start to collaborate with social institutions. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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We collaborate a lot with Lebanon, which is very active, but also with Syria and Palestine. Outside the region, we collaborate a lot with Holland. They have a lot of independent associations that are very active, as well as a lot of funds. Its very easy to work with them. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We try to do events that the society can accept and not be offended by. We avoid rave parties with drinking, for example! But its also not our goal to do them: we want to entertain people, but the first goal is to make them more aware of music in Jordan and more generally. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would add production facilities. We have such facilities in Jordan, but they are expensive and not very accessible.

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Date: 04/03/09 Name: GREYSCALE 3RAMRUM Address: Jabal Amman Discipline: Film and media Function: Production company Name: Abdelsalam Akkad Role: Manager and partner History/Background: Communications & Advertising Design in New York Contact Information: www.greyscalefilms.com - 0776600626 a.akkad@greyscalefilms.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? The purpose was that I had been dreaming of Web TV for a long time. We wanted an alternative platform for people to share ideas, first in Jordan and then internationally among Jordanian expatriates in the Middle East and Europe. The main issues we wanted to cover included anything related to culture and youth. We started a year ago. It took us time to find people who didnt need to be told what to do. I needed people who could work independently. I realized how bad the education is here! We have guidelines, but our employees create what they want. We just give technical guidance. There was a lack of this kind of platform to exchange ideas and focus on different issues when the company started. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? It is intended to deal with social issues, cultural events and the profiles of artists. There are to be comedy sketches, and stories on economic, cultural and social issues. Hopefully, the Web TV site will be launched in one months time. Its going to be interactive. We want to share information, and we expect peoples comments to guide us. We want to do a debate show to see what the public wants to debate. Anybody can come in, pick up a camera, and make a show for 3Ramrum. We are ready to train them. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? We have six full-time staff, as well as contributors from the West Bank, Cairo, Damascus, Irbid and Aqaba. Around 35 people have contributed to the Web TV do far. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We havent launched the Web TV yet, so we will see. Its going to be self-generated revenue. Its cofunded by us, Greyscale Films, and by IX, 40% by them and 60% by us. Its not a big budget to start an activity like this. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? We want to target anyone who uses the Internet to watch videos. We target the youth. We cover serious issues, so people aged 16 and upwards. Its Arabic Web TV, so of course we also target Arabs. 7. What facilities do you have?

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At Greyscale, we provide anything related to film, such as lighting and cameras. The set-up is very new, actually: we brought it in from the US. The infrastructure is terrestrial video based. We have four computer terminals and four cameras. These are lent to creators for free: we give them equipment and ideas. Its designed as a form of collaboration. 8. How do you promote your activities? We are going to start to put advertising on Websites like Facebook, which is low cost and very effective. We act as media sponsors for art and cultural events, and we have our own mailing list. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? There are no volunteers in Jordan, which is why there is no industry. There are Palestinians waiting to go back to Palestine, but they dont invest in Amman. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Anything contemporary: there are no real criteria. This is our system: anybody who is interested can come. This is how we work. People come and go with their ideas. We want a serious underground media platform. We have one red line on ethics, however. We deal with sexual issues, though we are going to wait a bit before discussing homosexuality. The idea of 3Ramrum is to get 60% of what we use from the public. I have ideas in mind, but young people have different priorities. 11. What is your network? We have a large network. We contact networks of artists in the different Arab countries, and we provide media coverage services. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Basically, we have produced 180 films in eight months. We are going to launch with 60 pieces. Every day, we are going to upload two stories. The tempo has to be good. Telecommunications and satellite networks govern the media, and we want to try to create a new tempo, approach and infrastructure. Everything is new in this project, but if it survives it means we will have a place on the media scene for new things. For example, if I do something about an issue in Jordan, peoples comments will then lead to another production. This is how its going to roll. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? We have artists from Beirut, the West Bank, Damascus and Cairo, but until now they have mainly been Jordanian. We are moving step by step. We want to rotate the budget: we spend it in Amman, then we stop a month and then we spend it in Beirut and other cities. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? The 3Ramrum team is free to decide to co-produce or to help others produce audio-visual material. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? To keep this international Web TV on a low budget, to cover all expenses, and do all this with only six employees for one whole year this is already a big success. We are tired, though. We need more money. The daily rate is very high. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations?

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I have been begging the cultural associations to send me information. But they dont do it! Maybe they consider their activities to be a secret: a major problem in this country is transparency. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? Greyscale has an office in Beirut now. This office can provide services for 3Ramrum. My people go there to produce. Greyscale Film is one company; this company will own another company, Greyscale Web, which owns 3Ramrum. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? We want to set trends. We want to create cultural movements. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish we could go more into art and culture on a bigger scale and in more depth and create the possibility for artists to communicate on Web TV. This is our main goal: to make artists know each other and communicate.

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Date: 03/02/09 Name: KHARABEESH Address: Second Circle, Amman Discipline: Animation Function: Creative content Name: Wael Attili Role: Director History/Background: Architecture and engineering Contact Information: wael@kharabeesh.com - 0795512892 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? It was founded in August 2008. Kharabeesh is a creative content company, looking at visual narration for story-telling. I wanted to find an outlet for my work as a designer for cartoons. I started with my blog, and people who were interested in working with me started to contact me. There is a huge lack of Arabic content in the Arab countries. The content we have is imported from outside, especially from Europe and the US. I wanted to create a company specializing in Arabic content. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? We create original content for Arab communities. We create scripts and storyboards, animations and cartoons. We work with the media, including TV, radio stations, Web TV and mobile operators. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the director, and there are three partners. We are a team of animation artists. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? The funds are provided by our partners, and using these we have begun to sign contracts. Up to now, the business has been self-funded. One of the partners is from a business and marketing background, one is in multimedia, and the third is an architect. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Our audience is from the younger and also adult generations, and we focus on Arab society. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? We use our own network. We launched our Website recently, and we depend a lot on social networking, such as Facebook. All of us have experience in the field, so we all have connections. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? Everybody is on salary. We base our work on revenue sharing. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Basically, we are lucky to have our animators. It was hard to select them. Some of them came to us and proved themselves. We tested them out for a few weeks or months to see if they were really

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passionate about what they were doing and if they were passionate about Kharabeesh. Passion is more important for me than skills. We have both storytellers and animators. 11. What is your network? We have a network with the media and advertising and graphic-design companies. Jordan is a small country, and its very easy to know everybody. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? So far we have created more than 10 shows or products in six months. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? All of them are under contract. 15. Where do the artists come from? They are all Jordanians. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? Sometimes we work in design, but its not really the business of Kharabeesh. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? We have built a great team and a great portfolio, and we have established a creative concept of business in a short time and on low budgets. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We partner with the media, radio stations and TV, and we co-produce. We partner with directors and production companies. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? We partner with companies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Egypt is our next goal. We have a long way to go, however, as our company is still very young. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Mentalities are still a bit old-fashioned sometimes, but they are changing and people are looking for creativity. We are not exposed enough at the moment to new ideas. The first problem we face is ourselves. We have to break with the stereotypes in our country. We are afraid to criticize the government and the politicians. We need someone who has the guts to start to break with the fear and the stereotypes. This is what we are trying to do. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would try to stabilize the company and to make sure that everybody is happy, financially and mentally. I would love to incubate more talent.

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Date: 10/03/09 Name: RUBICON Address: 1st Circle, Amman Discipline: Animation and entertainment Function: Entertainment company Name: Lara H. al-Safadi Role: Producer History/Background: Contact Information: 0795613833 lara.safadi@rubicon.com.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Rubicon was established in 1994. The purpose was to start an animation company. We wanted to promote Jordanian talent in animation. It started as a small company, and now its a large group. Rubicon Group today is the Middle East and North Africas largest and best-established entertainment company with its headquarters in Amman. We also have offices in Dubai, Washington DC and Los Angeles. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? There is the Rubicon Holdings Group, which consists of Rubicon Studios for multi-media and 2D and 3D productions, and Rubicon Education, Rubicon Licensing and Merchandizing, and Rubicon Themed Entertainment. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? This is a private company. We have a private structure, and it is a Jordanian company. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? Revenue is self-generated, though we welcome co-production. We are now co-producing a new season of the Pink Panther with NGM. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It should grow, though revenue depends on the market. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Basically, we service more then one area: we have an audience of school students, and the business audience consists of stakeholders and partners. For animation shows, we target children, preschoolers and teenagers. The Pink Panther is an example. We have two targets: consumers and business. 7. What facilities do you have? We are the largest private studio in the Arab world, and we have won awards for being the best animation company. 8. How do you promote your activities? We participate in international and regional fairs and festivals. We announce new productions using press releases. We held a gala dinner in New York under the patronage of Queen Rania: we were on MBC, BBC, CNN, etc. We use the media and the press.

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9. How do you recruit volunteers? We dont. We are looking to have an animation academy here, however, as we started an industry and we want to polish talent with the facilities we have. This is about job creation, and we welcome trainees from all over Jordan. We have already had a trainee programme. There is no animation academy in Jordan at the moment, so there is a need for this in the industry. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Basically, its about talent, not about the CV. We take responsibility for training and capitalizing on human resources. This is a new profession. Most of the people we have we trained ourselves. There is a lack of professionals in the industry here at the moment. 11. What is your network? We have a national, regional and international network. Sometimes, we need musicians, but we dont have a real network of animators. We need a hub of creative people. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We have plenty of events. For long-term productions, we have one to two a year. We also produce eeducation-based multimedia programmes and entertainment, for which we are responsible for the creative and conceptual aspects. It varies: there is the long-term media and the short-term. I would say in the range of 12 to 15 events a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? Our productions are available on DVD in the Middle East and worldwide. For e-education, this is a Middle East initiative that was launched in 2003 in 100 public schools. That was a private-public partnership. We did the e-mapping and the e-science components. It was free for the children in the public schools and was part of the curriculum. 14. How many artists are under contract? All of them are under contract. 15. Where do the artists come from? The majority are Jordanian, though we have a good percentage of Iraqis. We have a minority of international artists. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We make TV shows for kids, books, prints, marketing materials for companies, branded entertainment, TV packaging, e-learning materials, commercials and 3D materials. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Producing the first animated production for children in Jordan and the Middle East was a great achievement. Opening doors for further partnerships in the Middle East and internationally will also be a great achievement and will increase job opportunities. Starting an animation company was a very big challenge. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Anyone who can complement our work we collaborate with. We have partners everywhere, including Japan and India. We want to create original and high-quality content for the region. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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We are targeting the world, so we care about choosing the right partners, though anyone who wants to add value to the region is welcome. We choose them. The priority is Arabs, but we want to reach a maximum audience. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? Animation is a new field in Jordan, which is good because we want to create original content. It follows international standards and work flows, while also being acceptable in the region. We want to see our characters Ben and Izzi around the world, because they explain how the Arabs have contributed to civilization. All our creations have an objective and a message. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be?

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Date: 15/03/09 Name: CRAZY PIRANHA Address: Jabal Hussein Discipline: Animation Function: Company Name: Amer Kokh Role: Director History/Background: Law in Jordan Contact Information: amerkokh@crazypiranha.com 0795993327 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? I started as an illustrator. Since I was in school, I have been making cartoons for the Saudi Arabian market. I wanted to open my own business to sell my own cartoons. The company opened in 2005 as a cartooning company, and we started doing cartoons for Dubai and games. The purpose was just to start: I didnt have any experience in this market, but our cartoons for teenagers and adults were a big success in Dubai. We havent done much in Jordan, where the business is still new. On a personal level, my family are all lawyers. I wanted to go to Canada and study animation, but it was too expensive so I did law as well, which I never liked. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? Anything related to animation, and we have a sister company doing 3D material. We do anything related to commercial series, films and games anything that can be drawn. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the owner and the animation director. We have an animation team and sound studio and a sister company doing 3D. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We work on projects, but we dont produce anything ourselves in its entirety except for the games. The producers call, and they have their own budgets for their products. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? It depends on the client. Working with US is different from working with others; they pay better, but they want a lot of scenes and characters. In the Middle East, budgets are more limited, so our work is more limited. In the whole Middle East, however, the field is booming, really growing. I know 14 companies that opened in 2009 in just a few months. The problem is that most of them are not artistic, and in this field you have to be an artist. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience is made up of teenagers. My major field is horror, and I think the audience comes from all social classes. The material is on satellite TV and YouTube. However, the dialect used is that of Dubai, and I dont know if Jordanians can always follow whats happening in the cartoons. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? Our work promotes itself, so we dont need a marketing strategy. We dont even have a Website; at the moment, it is just a blog. We are working on a really excellent Website, though.

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9. How do you recruit volunteers? 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? Its very hard to find animators and artists, as mostly they already work for Rubicon. We dont hire a lot of people, though I am always looking for creative people who are talented and speedy, because we have deadlines to meet. Speed and quality are hard to find in Jordan, so I work mostly with people from outside. 11. What is your network? In Jordan I know everybody: its a matter of personal contacts and friends. A network has started in Dubai for animators in the Middle East. My network is in Dubai, where there is more energy and money. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? I would say on average two series a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? Im the only one who draws here, though I also have six animators and six sound people. For larger projects, I work with Koreans and Indians. I criticize Jordanians: they dont devote energy to projects; they just want results; they cant stick to a deadline. I think 3D is starting to be taught, but you still need talent. 15. Where do the artists come from? In this office, they are Jordanian. Most of them are qualified in Computer Sciences, but they are talented. I had to train them to reach the level I wanted, however. I have met more then 100 artists working in animation here in Jordan, but I only chose one. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? I think I still havent achieved half of what I want to do. However, my greatest success has probably been the cartoons we did in Dubai. Next year, I want to start doing games, which I am sure will also be a great success. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? Collaboration doesnt work in our field. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? For me, the important thing is to stick to quality for the client and deadlines. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The problem is that we dont focus enough on Jordan, which makes me sad. I have tried to find companies and producers to work with here, but I havent been able to, maybe because the field is new and that scares people. Maybe it is because there has yet to be a famous success in the field in Jordan. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I dream of producing our own films. I think we are on the right path.

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Date: 11/03/09 Name: 3ALA RASI / ERUM COMPANY Address: Um Utheina Discipline: Animation Function: Website Name: Omar al-Abdallat Role: Cartoonist and co-founder History/Background: BA in Graphic Design from Jordan Contact Information: 0795141434 omar@erum.com.jo 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Our company started a year ago, but the Website started three years ago when we were working as freelancers. We wanted to make our Website professional with daily cartoons and animations. Three months ago, we started to work with the Al-Dustur newspaper to start a cartoons page. Its every Wednesday, and they have asked me to start doing daily drawings. I used to work in graphic design, but I stopped four years ago. People here consider graphic design to be a computer job, not a job involving ideas. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? I draw cartoons for newspapers. But in this field its hard to earn money, as people think its a hobby and not a real job. We have our own Website, and we have started a radio show. Our next step is TV, but we havent been able to do this yet. TV samples cost money, and we cant do them for free. On the Website, we do entertainment content, with new animations appearing every two or three days. I write something on the site every day. We work on social issues mainly, and we like to make fun of Jordanian society: I think we have to start blaming ourselves before blaming others. We won an award for the site last year. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? Im the cartoonist, and I have two partners, one responsible for the site and the other to manage the company. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We take money from the mobile company, which is the only thing making money right now. A big company wants to support us, but it also wants to take over 50% of the company. We will accept because we need help and support, but we dont like it as this company does not work in the arts field. People like our ideas, and our work is in the newspapers. We dont receive donations or have sponsors. We are not in the business world, and we dont have contacts. Maybe we should have started with a businessman on board, but people dont believe in cartooning as a job. Its new in this country, though I have also worked with Rubicon and have contacts with other animation companies. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? We were doing well at the beginning, but now that we are improving content-wise and winning awards we have financial problems. 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? The audience is made up of young people from the universities who are teenagers or in their twenties. However, the audience also includes anyone who likes entertainment and is made up of different

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classes of people from East and West Amman. The project is for the whole of Jordan, not just people from Amman. Al-Dustur is the second-largest newspaper in the country, and it supports us a lot. Every Wednesday, it has a full page for our work. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? We have weekly advertisements in the newspapers, and we also advertise on our Website. In a few months, we will be one of the 100 best Websites in Jordan, which is another advertisement for us. The ranking was done by alexa.com. 9. How do you recruit volunteers? A lot of people want to help us, and we pay them as freelancers. We dont take volunteers: we need professionals. 10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? I cant support artists financially. The company is a bit of a one-man show. I would like to involve other artists, but financially I cant afford it. I wish we could have three to five cartoonists working on the Website, for example. 11. What is your network? There is a cartoonists society that now has 20 members, up from 10 when we started. However, the society has no office or meeting place. It is just a list of names. There are four or five famous cartoonists in Jordan, who all work for the newspapers. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? We put out around three new animations weekly on the Website. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? All of us are under contract. I am full-time, and we have freelancers. 15. Where do the artists come from? All of them are Jordanian. We have a lot of talent here, but much of it does not get a chance. 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We provide content; thats it. Im trying to convince the team to make commercials, but we need help with marketing. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Our Gold Award for best entertainment Website was our greatest success in a competition organized by the government and large companies. I also won a personal award for cartooning. The work with Al-Dustur was also a big step for us. These achievements mean that we are doing good things for the region. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? I have tried to collaborate, but people here have problems working together. They all want to be a one-man show. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region?

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We tried to work with people in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but it hasnt worked out. We need better marketing for our work. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? The trend of everyone wanting to be a one-man show is very bad. People dont consider cartooning as a profession either, seeing it as more of a hobby. Its hard to make a living out of it. It takes time. Sometimes, you face censorship as well, which makes things harder. Al-Rai is the biggest newspaper in the country, but its owned by the state and doesnt want cartoonists. They dont like people making fun of society, whereas I believe humour has the power to change society. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I wish I could do more international business. When I see the books of Garfield, for example, I wish we could do something like those. But again we need teamwork and collaboration, and thats difficult here. I wish we could create Jordanian or Arab cartoon heroes. All our cartoon heroes at the moment are from the West.

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Date: 25/02/09 Name: BLOUZAAT Address: Amman Discipline: Graphic design Function: Commercial Name: Ahmad Sabbah Role: Co-founder and director History/Background: Graphic Design, Jordan Contact Information: 0777454145 sabbagh@syntaxdigital.com 1. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? Blouzaat was founded a year and a half ago in late 2007. Basically, my partner at Syntax and I decided to try to introduce urban art into Jordan. We decided to set up a t-shirt shop selling shirts with graphic art designs. The idea was to commercialize urban art. Blouzaat is an experimental platform where people can be in contact with each other. 2. What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? The shop is an urban art gallery, selling t-shirts and urban art. Its on the 1st Circle in Amman, and we also have an online store. We will sell more online in the future, I think, and we are working on that. Urban culture is developing here, so it was a good time to start something to support it. The shop is open only two days a week: we all have other jobs, so this is all we can afford. 3. How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? There are four of us, and we collaborate on everything. Its registered as a commercial business, and sometimes we get friends to help us. 4. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, inkind donations and charitable donations? We dont get any donations, though we are now working on ideas to cover our costs. We sometimes apply for sponsorship for cultural events: we organize an event and get sponsors for the material, in order to promote Blouzaat. We are going to work with Makan to get more sponsorship, though this will be self-generated revenue only. 5. Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? 6. What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? Its young creative people, people who have creative backgrounds. 7. What facilities do you have? 8. How do you promote your activities? We promote events through the media, Facebook, blogs, newspapers and posters anything that doesnt cost money! 9. How do you recruit volunteers? They are friends or people who offer their help.

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10. Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? We are Jordanian/German artists: Im Jordanian, and Mikel is German. We feature our work, the work of the team. 11. What is your network? We work with Makan, but we dont have our own network. 12. How many events do you have per week / month / year? Nothing is fixed yet, but I would say three to four events a year. 13. If you charge entry fees, how much are they? 14. How many artists are under contract? 15. Where do the artists come from? Jordan and Germany 16. What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? We plan to offer design services to generate more revenue. 17. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Its a bit early to say, but I would say the way we started was a success. It was almost a bet to see if it was going to work or not. It worked faster and easier than I thought it would, so this was a success, I think. 18. Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? We hold events to promote Blouzaat in cooperation with Makan. 19. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? Its one of our goals, but up to now we havent partnered with other countries. We are dreaming of a regional or worldwide network for urban art. 20. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? I think urban art is a developing trend in Jordan, and this is good for our work. 21. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be? I would try to create more artwork and more art products. Blouzaat is related to fashion, which was a good medium to communicate our ideas, but we want to go more in the direction of art now and move away from fashion. We hope to come up with more work and to form an urban style network in Jordan and abroad.

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Annex 1: Sample Questionnaire for Individual Practitioners


Subject Group: Individuals Date: Identity of informant: Name: Role/Function: Discipline or Activity: Background: Age: Contact Information: 1. How long have you been active in the artistic field? What got you started? Was it an easy decision to make? 2. Did you study art? If so, where? 3. What is the nature of your current involvement? Are you a member of a community/association/organization? Do you participate in interdisciplinary groups? If so, for how long? 4. How do you fund your work? 5. Can you live from your work? Do you think this is possible in Jordan? 6. What community facilities or resources do you use? How often do you use them? 7. Are the resources adequate to your needs? Are they accessible and available? 8. What networks do you participate in to share information or resources? 9. What is your impression of your audience? 10. Where do you exhibit or perform the most? If you perform abroad, what are the differences with Jordan? 11. What unmet needs do you have as an artist? 12. What trends do you perceive affecting the artistic scene in Jordan? 13. If you could change one thing about the situation of the arts in Jordan or your personal situation, what would it be? 14. Additional comments?

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Annex 2: Sample Questionnaire for Organizations and Institutions


Subject Group: Organizations Date: Identity of the Organization: Name: Address: Discipline: Function: Identity of the informant: Name: Role: History/Background: Contact Information: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. When was your organization founded? How did it get started? What was its purpose? What is your mandate? What kind of programming do you do? How is your organization governed? How does one become a board member? What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenues, in-kind donations and charitable donations? Has your level of revenue changed? To what do you attribute this? What is your audience base? Do you collect demographic information? What facilities do you have? How do you promote your activities? How do you recruit volunteers? Do you feature or fund local artists or projects? If so, how do you select the work? What is your network? How many events do you have per week / month / year? If you charge entry fees, how much are they? How many artists are under contract? Where do the artists come from? What kind of other services do you offer to your members or the public? What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? Do you partner or share resources with other organizations? What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be?

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Annex 3: Sample Questionnaire for Educational Institutions


Subject Group: Educational Institutions Date: Identity of the Organization: Name: Address: Discipline: Function: Identity of the informant: Name: Role: History/Background: Contact Information: 1. When was your Faculty founded? How did it get started? What is its purpose? 2. How is the Faculty governed? How does one become a board member? 3. What is your annual budget? What proportion is from grants, self-generated revenue, in-kind donations and charitable donations? 4. What kind of programme do you offer? How much attention is given to theory and practice? 5. How many students register a year? Have there been changes over the past few years? 6. What is the percentage of students in each field? 7. How do you recruit teachers? Where do they come from? 8. Where do your students go after their studies? 9. Do you collaborate with association or organizations? 10. What is your student audience base? Do you collect demographic information? 11. How much are registration fees? 12. What kind of other services do you offer to your students? 13. What do you consider to be your greatest success? Why did it work? 14. What are your most important partner countries inside / outside the region? 15. What trends do you perceive affecting your activities? 16. If you could change one thing about your situation, what would it be?

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