Category Archives: Blog

I’m sorry that I won’t be able to join my gamelan gang for this week-end’s spring concert in New York–as I’ll be making my way further east on the Silk Road. The concert will be directed by my gamelan guru of over a decade–our esteemed and beloved teacher from Java, I.M. Harjito. Accomplished dancer Anang Totok Dwiantoro will perform the dance piece, Menak Koncar, which originated in the Mangkunegaran court of Solo in Central Java. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear the dynamic range and subtle complexity of Central Javanese gamelan music performed by a group that the New York Times calls “a skilled ensemble…a treat to watch.” Welcoming music will begin 15 minutes before each performance, and light refreshments will be served. Seating is limited. Tickets available at this link. A limited number of tickets may also be available at the door. Questions? Email: nygamelan@gmail.com.

Cham Dance: The Art of Healing
Through Movement & Meditation
Special 1-Day Class
Saturday, June 27, 2015
1:00–5:00 PM

This class explores the art of cham dances by examining the Tibetan Buddhist masks on display in the exhibition Becoming Another: The Power of Masks. Participants will learn the history and sacred symbolism of the masks guided by cham master Lama Ugen Rangdrol Palden and Tashi Chodron. Experience the joy and healing power of this remarkable practice through an exhibition tour, movement, and meditation. No previous experience necessary. All materials included. To register, please click here.

After a lengthy whirl through all 5 Central Asian Republics, I finally arrived in the spiritual heart of Kazakhstan–the Sufi shrine of Ahmed Yasawi. As you can see, this stunning sacred site in Turkistan is a true Timurid treasure. Grateful to have reached the mausoleum of this revered mystic master, I decided to retreat there for several days, and explore the city’s celebrated Sufi history…

On Tuesday, volunteers from WA3I (our mental health awareness group in Beirut) spoke with high school students in Lebanon for Mental Health Awareness Month. My new Huffington Post article, Breaking the Silence: Mental Health Awareness Month in Beirut, contextualizes our ongoing efforts to destigmatize mental illness and increase mental health literacy in the Middle East…

Feeling empowered by the success of our first mental health awareness event at the American University of Beirut, our mental health awareness group WA3I accepted an invitation to speak with high school students at International College in Beirut. Yesterday, three of our volunteers took the stage at IC to share their personal experiences with mental illness in hopes of opening minds and erasing shame related to mental health issues in Lebanon. We were grateful to be accompanied by the school’s counselor. The event prompted questions from the audience on how to be a good support for a friend, and whether or not medication can be effective without therapy. As far as we know, this was the first time that first-person mental health experiences were shared in a high school in Lebanon (and possibly the Middle East). It was the perfect forum to discuss these important health issues during Mental Health Awareness Month.

Mental illness affects people of all ages, and it cuts across all race, gender, ethnic, and religious divisions. Our group alone consists of students, professionals, graduate students, and professors from a range of different backgrounds in Lebanon, Tunisia, Armenia, and America. The positive feedback we have been receiving from high school students, university students, parents, and mental health professionals in Lebanon and around the world is inspiring us to continue our campaign of raising awareness about mental health in the Middle East to open minds and save lives. Stay tuned to hear about our next groundbreaking event…

To contact WA3I, please send an email to: wa3ilebanon@gmail.com.

Today, I reached the popular Silk Road shrine of Ayesha-Bibi (legendary daughter of a Sufi poet), while exploring the Sufi heartland of Kazakhstan…

While exploring the Silk Road in southern Kazakhstan, I enjoyed hunting for this minaret in Sayram–it took a while, but it was well worth the wait!

If you travel to Almaty, be sure to visit the beautiful Russian Orthodox Zenkov Cathedral–a wooden masterpiece built in the early 20th century…

I started off my Saturday meditating with Buddha in the mountains of Kazakhstan–where colorful prayer flags were waving in the morning breeze from on high…

After a long day of climbing in and out of healing caves and shrines in Kyrgyzstan, I was delighted to visit this historic 16th century mosque at the bottom of the mountain…

Earlier this week, I enjoyed a mountaintop meditation retreat at this peaceful pilgrimage perch in the Ferghana Valley of Kyrgyzstan…

Here’s a nice summary (in Arabic) of a disability workshop I recently conducted in Lebanon. The empathy and dedication of the young disability advocates who participated was very encouraging and inspiring…

I’m honored to have my paper on disability and Iranian cinema, “From Leprosy to The Willow Tree: Decoding Disability & Islamic Spirituality in Iranian Film,” shared today at the Rethinking Disability on Screen symposium at the University of York. Since my last publication on Iranian film explored the earliest films ever produced in Iran (the chapter “Iranian-Russian Cinematic Encounters” in the book Iranian-Russian Encounters: Empires and Revolutions since 1800), I’m very pleased to have the opportunity today to share my current research on more recent award-winning Iranian films.

In the introduction to the 2013 edited collection Different Bodies: Essays on Disability in Film and Television, Marja Evelyn Mogk argues that “a gap between film studies and disability studies” still remains; “few film scholars appear familiar with disability studies”, and whilst “some disability studies scholars have a depth of experience in film theory, technical terminology or practice […] more are needed.” This one-day interdisciplinary symposium at the University of York will seek to bridge this gap. Bringing together UK postgraduates, early career researchers, established scholars and practitioners, working across a range of fields and disciplines, it aims to explore the ways in which cinema, television and other screen media have reflected – and shaped – subjective and objective experiences of impairment and disability throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Our aims are to enable constructive, interdisciplinary conversations on existing scholarship, to discuss new avenues of potential enquiry and to promote interest and growth in this important but relatively under-studied area.

Looking for adventure this summer? Then sign up for this spectacular safari and join me on the road in Tanzania and Zanzibar this August for the trip of a lifetime. Grab a spot now before they’re all gone!

Join the Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) from August 5-19, 2015 on an exclusive small group tour of Tanzania for alumni and friends. From the depths of Ngorongoro Crater to the Serengeti plains, exotic Zanzibar to coastal Saadani National Park, our small group encounters the breadth of peaceful Tanzania’s riches: abundant – and incredible – wildlife, tropical shores, varied cultures, and valued traditions. A safari to be savored; an adventure unequaled. Limited to just 24 travelers, space on this exclusive CAA tour will fill quickly. Please contact Mike Gilbert at michael@travelstudyservices.com to reserve a place on this unique and exciting journey!