Oswego City School District

'Caravanserai' to promote understanding of Pakistani cultures

The first year of the program, opening in October, will bring musicians in the Sufi, ghazal and folk genres of Pakistan and a Pakistani filmmaker to Central New York.

Arts Midwest, a nonprofit regional arts organization, on July 26 formally launched Caravanserai projects at Artswego of SUNY Oswego; the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire in Littleton; FirstWorks in Providence, R.I.; Monmouth University in West Branch, N.J.; and the Myrna Loy Center in Helena, Mont. Arts Midwest has received $1 million in funding from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art for this cultural exchange program.

“The application process among arts organizations across the country was very competitive,” Artswego Director Mary Avrakotos said. “SUNY Oswego is delighted and honored to have been selected. Artswego plans to offer all of Central New York an opportunity to learn from and contribute to Caravanserai’s open-door invitation to better understanding of Muslim entertainment and cultures.”

Artswego’s partners in the project include WRVO, Oswego City School District, Mexico Central School District, Interfaith Works, Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel and several SUNY Oswego offices: the Institute for Global Engagement, the Office of International Education and Programs and the Office of Business and Community Relations.

Community dialogue

Among the key events in Central New York’s fall-to-spring Caravanserai:

* In a weeklong residency from Oct. 9 to 15, Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers and Ustad Tari Khan and Ensemble will perform at Oswego High School and Mexico Academy and Central School, speak to a variety of classes at SUNY Oswego and around the region, and take part in informance sessions at Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel and SUNY Oswego’s Sheldon Hall ballroom.

Qawwali, traditional Sufi devotional music that expresses human longing for the divine, has gained a worldwide audience. Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers are torchbearers for a tradition dating to the 13th century. Ustad Tari Khan’s name is inseparable from the exhilarating Middle Eastern percussion instrument known as tabla.

SUNY Oswego - News & Events: Caravanserai Launch

The pilot program’s title is “Caravanserai: A Place Where Cultures Meet.” Caravanserai traditionally were safe havens for caravans to stop and for travelers to exchange stories around the fire—places where cultures meet.

The first year of the program, opening in October, will bring musicians in the Sufi, ghazal and folk genres of Pakistan and a Pakistani filmmaker to Central New York.

Arts Midwest, a nonprofit regional arts organization, on July 26 formally launched Caravanserai projects at Artswego of SUNY Oswego; the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire in Littleton; FirstWorks in Providence, R.I.; Monmouth University in West Branch, N.J.; and the Myrna Loy Center in Helena, Mont. Arts Midwest has received $1 million in funding from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art for this cultural exchange program.

“The application process among arts organizations across the country was very competitive,” Artswego Director Mary Avrakotos said. “SUNY Oswego is delighted and honored to have been selected. Artswego plans to offer all of Central New York an opportunity to learn from and contribute to Caravanserai’s open-door invitation to better understanding of Muslim entertainment and cultures.”

Artswego’s partners in the project include WRVO, Oswego City School District, Mexico Central School District, Interfaith Works, Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel and several SUNY Oswego offices: the Institute for Global Engagement, the Office of International Education and Programs and the Office of Business and Community Relations.

Community dialogue

Among the key events in Central New York’s fall-to-spring Caravanserai:

* In a weeklong residency from Oct. 9 to 15, Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers and Ustad Tari Khan and Ensemble will perform at Oswego High School and Mexico Academy and Central School, speak to a variety of classes at SUNY Oswego and around the region, and take part in informance sessions at Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel and SUNY Oswego’s Sheldon Hall ballroom.

Qawwali, traditional Sufi devotional music that expresses human longing for the divine, has gained a worldwide audience. Qawal Najmuddin Saifuddin & Brothers are torchbearers for a tradition dating to the 13th century. Ustad Tari Khan’s name is inseparable from the exhilarating Middle Eastern percussion instrument known as tabla.

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