Afghan Coalition Announcements

This October, please join the Afghan Coalition and our colleagues for the Global Knowledge Conference: Afghan and Iranian Diaspora Cultures and Communities in the Bay Area. The event will take place Thursday-Saturday, October 22 – 24.

Location: Biella Room, Library & Music Building 1055
25800 Carlos  Bee Blvd., Hayward, CA 94542
$35 through Oct. 15
$50 at the door (space permitting)
Campus parking $7 per day

The Conference Agenda

I. Thursday, Oct. 22, 5-7 p.m., Biella Room, University Library
Reception, art exhibition, and short documentary and discussion

II. Friday, Oct. 23, 3-8:30 p.m. Music Building 1055
Plenary,  “Framing the Afghan and Iranian Diasporas,” will feature Farid Younos, CSUEB lecturer and radio and TV commentator, a welcome by CSUEB President Mohammad Qayoumi, keynote address by Alam Payind, director of the Ohio State University Middle East Studies Center, poetry and dance, and a buffet of Afghan foods.

III. Saturday, Oct. 24, 8:15-6:30 p.m., Music Building 1055
Plenary:  “1979 – 30 Years Hence” will feature Fatemeh Keshavarz, author of  “Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than ‘Lolita’ in Tehran,” sessions on “Community Research in the Local Afghan Diaspora” and “Social Activism in Iranian Diaspora,” Personal and Immigration Narratives, roundtable discussion on “New Directions in Afghan and Iranian Scholarship,” and a Closing Plenary, plus a buffet of Iranian foods, and both Afghan and Iranian sweets.

Conference Details
Afghan Coalition Executive Director Rona Popal will be presenting along with Parvin Ahmadi, assistant superintendent of the Fremont Unified School District; Nushi Safinya, director of Studies for International and Multilingual Students at St. Mary’s College; and Vida Samiian, dean of the CSU Fresno College of Arts and Humanities.

The conference will lead off with a reception, art exhibition, short documentary and discussion from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 22 in the Biella Room of the University Library.  Yuko Kurahashi of the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State University will present her short documentary on the making of “Beyond the Mirror,” a theatrical  performance by the Bond Street Theatre of New York and the Emile Theatre of Kabul, and a discussion will follow.

The conference opening plenary at 3 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Music Building 1055 will bring together Farid Younos and Nushi Safinya on “Framing the Afghan and Iranian Diasporas,” with Diedre Badejo, dean of the CSUEB College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences, moderating.

Najia Karim will set the stage for dinner and a short Iranian dance performance by reading Afghan poetry. Later,  CSUEB President Mohammad Qayoumi will introduce Payind’s keynote address.

The conference will resume on Oct. 24 with the plenary, “1979 – 30 Years Hence,” with two parallel sessions on  “Community Research in the Local Afghan Diaspora” and “Social Activism in Iranian Diaspora.” Sessions will highlight personal immigration narratives by Abubakr Asadulla, M.D., of the CSUEB Student Health Center, Sahar Haghighat, a CSUEB graduate student. The sessions will be followed by a roundtable discussion on “New Directions in Afghan and Iranian Scholarship” and a closing plenary.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Afghan Coalition; the California State University; Fresno College of Arts and Humanities; Zale Video and Film; CSUEB Associated Students Inc.; Balkh Bakery & Deli; and Nushi Safinya, Director, Studies for International and Multilingual Students, St. Mary’s College.

To register, send your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and a check for $35 per person, payable to CSUEB CLASS, to:

Global Knowledge Conference
CLASS, MB1501, CSUEB,
25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, CA 94542.

Conference information and updates are at: http://class.csueastbay.edu/Global_Knowledge.php
CSUEB welcomes persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodation upon request. Please notify event sponsor a minimum of two weeks in advance at 510-885-3183 if accommodation is needed.