YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO:
A Night with Hafiz, a 14th-century Persian mystic and one of the most famous Persian poets
Date: March 30, 2013, 5-7 p.m.
At Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC)
1433 Madison St., Oakland, CA 94612
Program includes, screening of the "Travels with H: Hafiz in a New World" and discussion with the director Raeshma Razvi, followed by a guest lecture and poetry reading by Robert Darr, and an exhibition of calligraphy artworks from Hafiz's poems
About the Speakers
Raeshma Razvi, the Creative Director for Silkworm, is an accomplished documentary film director and producer. She is also an experienced youth facilitator and teacher.
Robert Abdul Hayy Darr is Hafiz specialist and a translator and interpreter of classic Islamic mystical texts.
About Hafiz
Khāwaja Shamsu Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمس دین محمد حافظ شیرازی), known by his pen name Hafiz (1325/26–1389/1390), was an Iranian poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian literature (Diwan) are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, as well as elsewhere in the world, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-fourteenth century Persian writing more than any other author. Themes of his ghazals are the beloved, faith, and exposing hypocrisy. His influence in the lives of Iranians can be found in "Hafez readings" (fāl-e hāfez, Persian: فال حافظ), frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music, visual art and Persian calligraphy. His tomb is visited often. Adaptations, imitations and translations of Hafez' poems exist in all major languages.
About "Travels with H"
Travels with H is inspired by and linked together by the poetry of Hafiz, a 14th century scholar, Sufi mystic, and poet who lived in Shiraz in the Persian Empire, now Iran. Hafiz continues to this day to be extremely popular in Iran, and influential in much of the Muslim world. Based on research, interviews, and my own artistic interpretations of Hafiz's poems, I've crafted 'video postcards' that take both documentary and fictional forms.
"I've used Hafiz's poems as a lens through which to see aspects of contemporary life and landscapes, with an emphasis on themes such as daily work and spiritual longing, home and exile, seeking and transformation, and beauty and its diverse manifestations. In these films I wonder about how the questions Hafiz asked in his poems peek out –all these years later and distance away—into our everyday lives. What emerges is a kind of poetic travelogue through the 'west' with some verses from the 'east.'" --Raeshma Razvi, director
Tickets:
$10 general, $5 students, children.
Tickets are available at the door
Food and refreshments will be served
This program is in English and open to public.
Due to limited space, RSVP's are strongly suggested by emailing: info@iccnc.org
For more information, email info@iccnc.org or call 510-832-7600.
