"The Second International Kahlil Gibran Conference" at the University of Maryland. Organized by The Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace; The Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland; and The Telfair Museum of Art (Savannah, GA), in collaboration with the international Association for the study of the life and works of Kahlil Gibran, The center for Lebanese Heritage Lebanese American university (Beirut Lebanon) , Min Ajil Lubnan and one world Publications (Oxford. UK) – May 3-6 2012 at the Mariott Inn & conference center UMUC University Boulevard Hyattsville
The conference consciously argues for Gibran's challenges at this moment of our era, focused on Gibran's life and work and explored Gibran's art and artistic contributions stating on its introduction:
"As crises proliferate across the globe in this era of accelerated globalization, where are the voices that can bring us the kind of wisdom, awareness, and balance so needed if we are to achieve justice, peace and that brotherhood of man" envisioned in humanity's perennial philosophies, East and West? In a world where anger, disintegration, corruption, disorientation and anarchy are the order of the day, Kahlil Gibran stands on his own, as one of those rare writers who actually transcends the barrier between East and West, emphasizing the importance of reconciling reason and passion, of balancing the physical with the spiritual, and of finding practical and moral solutions to the major global issues that face humanity today………
A. Organizers, collaborators partners and Sponsors
Conference Organizers:
This Second International Conference on Kahlil Gibran was organized by The George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace in association with a group of distinguished organizations which are:
The George and Lisa Zakhem Kahlil Gibran Chair for Values and Peace In The Department of Anthropology and the Center for International Development and Conflict Management in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences,
The University of Maryland in association with Darabi Associates Inc. (Florida, USA) Min Ajl Lubnan (Washington D.C., USA), And The Telfair Museums of Art (Georgia, USA) Conference Partners and Sponsors Association for the Promotion and the Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon
(Beirut, Lebanon) Babbage Simmel (Ohio, USA)
Gibran National Committee (Bisharri, Lebanon)
Global Technology Associates (Virginia, USA)
Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation (Kilkenny, Ireland)
International Association for the Study of the Life and Works of Kahlil Gibran (Maryland, USA)
Lebanese American University Center for Lebanese Heritage (Beirut, Lebanon)
Mourad Boutros (London, UK)
Oneworld Publications (Oxford, UK)
Conference Partners and Sponsors:
Association for the Promotion and the Exhibition of the Arts in Lebanon (Beirut, Lebanon)
Babbage Simmel (Ohio, USA)
Gibran National Committee (Bisharri, Lebanon)
Global Technology Associates (Virginia, USA)
Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation (Kilkenny, Ireland)
International Association for the Study of the Life and Works of Kahlil Gibran (Maryland, USA)
Lebanese American University Center for Lebanese Heritage (Beirut, Lebanon)
Mourad Boutros (London, UK)
Oneworld Publications (Oxford, UK)
B. Speakers and subject s of the conference
The introduction of the conference was held by Professor David Cadman:
"As crises proliferate across the globe in this era of accelerated globalization, where are the voices that can bring us the kind of wisdom, awareness, and balance so needed if we are to achieve justice, peace and that "brotherhood of man" envisioned in humanity's perennial philosophies, East and West? In a world where anger, disintegration, corruption, disorientation and anarchy are the order of the day, Kahlil Gibran stands on his own, as one of those rare writers who actually transcends the barrier between East and West, emphasizing the importance of reconciling reason and passion, of balancing the physical with the spiritual, and of finding practical and moral solutions to the major global issues that face humanity today.
"For Gibran, the challenges that confront the human race and life on this planet urgently necessitate not only a holistic and global approach, but, at root, a spiritual revolution, a paradigm shift and a quantum change in human consciousness. Gibran's English and Arabic prose and poetry represent, in fact, an anguished cry to humanity to rediscover its lost harmony with nature; to evolve a universal code of human rights; to promote the emancipation of women; to build bridges of understanding between cultures and religions; to lessen the gap between the rich and the poor; and to curb all forms of exclusivity — whether ethnic, nationalistic, or religious — in recognition of one common humanity and a shared spiritual heritage. If kept to the fore through research and study, these and other values enunciated in Gibran's work will continue to inspire many, touch their lives in countless ways and give them comfort, hope and joy in the prospect they afford of a genuine Culture of Peace – one in which the East and the West are equal partners."
"The conference will devote particular attention to celebrating Lebanon, Gibran's homeland, as the meeting point of great civilizations such as the Phoenicians, the Chaldeans, the ancient Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Arabs. In the words of Gibran himself: "The phantoms of past ages walk in the valleys, on the heights the spirits of kings and prophets wander. My thoughts have turned towards the places of remembrance and shown to me the might of Chaldea and the pride of Assyria and the nobility of Arabia."
Early in his life, Gibran came to love his beautiful homeland, a love that developed over the years to become the greatest passion in his life, instilling in him a greater love for all mankind: "I am kindled when I remember the place of my birth, and I lean in longing towards the house wherein I grew… I love the place of my birth with some of the love for my land; I love my country with a little of my love for the world, my homeland." For Gibran, Lebanon was not only the name of a mountain, but a "poetical expression" and the very essence of his spiritual and intellectual creativity, hence his immortal statement: "Were Lebanon not my homeland, I would adopt Lebanon as my homeland."
Dr Tarek Chidiac the president of the "Gibran national committee "in Lebanon was invited to the conference and made the following speech:
" Professor John Townshend
Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences / University of Maryland
Professor Suheil Bushrui
Research Professor Emeritus,
The University of Maryland
Ladies and Gentleman,
In the name of the People of Bcharreh, the hometown of Gibran Khalil Gibran and in the name of the Gibran National Committee, I thank the organizers of this conference for their kind invitation and their warm hospitality, It is both an honor and a privilege to be able to represent the entity that preserved the heritage of a giant throughout conflicts, civil wars and most recently a desensitized modern society towards culture, arts and legacy.
Allow me please first to give you a quick overview about the Gibran National Committee to which I'm currently the president. The GNC was first elected by the people of Bcharreh in 1934, three years after Gibran's death and since then 14 consecutive committees have taken charge in order to preserve Gibran's belongings and act upon his will. The GNC has a developed organizational structure that is formed by 33 benevolent members elected by the people; those members elect 8 functional executives: The President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the Cultural Counselor, and 3 executive members.
The Committee's assets are diversified and count 6 buildings in different areas of Lebanon, around 40,000 square meters of Land on which schools and NGO's were built as per Gibran's will. The committee also owns and manages Gibran's Museum in Bcharreh that contains 440 of his paintings and many of his personal scriptures and belongings. Facing the Museum, the committee also inaugurated the Mary Haskel's square that is mainly used for cultural and artistic events.
The committee's mission lays on four major titles:
- Preserving the writings, paintings and scriptures of Gibran Khalil Gibran according to his will.
- Spreading his thoughts and ideas through the selling of his books and exhibiting his paintings.
- Distributing the profit that is generated by the previous actions to the neediest in his village and promote education through scholarships and financial aids in accordance to his will.
- The urban and touristic development of his hometown.
Ladies and Gentleman, sadly the word "globalization" in our part of the world became a direct synonym to conflict and cultural clashes, it is depicted as the evil tool to control and destroy values and culture. Numerous scholars have addressed this phenomenon over the past decades from many angles and drew different and sometimes contradictory conclusions, perhaps the most sublime mission of globalization was best expressed by the late Pope John Paul the second, and I quote: "Provided that the principle of common humanity is recognized, the world today and through globalization, must find a soul, a meaning and a direction. Globalization, for all its risks also offers exceptional and promising opportunities, precisely with a view to enabling humanity to become a single family, built on the values of justice, equity and solidarity." - end of quote
As official guardians of Gibran Khalil Gibran's both physical and cultural legacy, we must stress that Gibran strongly promotes those sublime virtues. In fact, Gibran was a pioneer in promoting social justice, equity and solidarity. We will leave the 'in depth' analysis of Gibran's writings to the well respected speakers of this conference, however we find that Gibran drew a great framework of how to address the topic of globalization and conflict through what he describes as, "words that fall heavy on the hearts", that are social responsibility and accountability. And I quote:
"The murdered is not unaccountable for his own murder,
And the robbed is not blameless in being robbed.
The righteous is not innocent of the deeds of the wicked.
And if any of you would punish in the name of righteousness and lay the ax unto the evil tree, let him see to its roots" – End of Quote-
Based on Gibran's perspective, I implore both Gibran's fans and critics today to dig deeper in the roots of the evil practices of globalization and point where the principles of common humanity were not put into practice, in order to highlight the importance of accountability and social responsibility that could help our societies benefit from globalization as a promoter of peace and not conflicts.
Again, in the name of the People of Bcharreh and the GNC we thank the organizers of this conference and extend the prayers of Gibran's home country for peace and global justice.
Thank you"
The program of the conference was also presented in both English and Arabic, strength for its major objectives:
1- The preparation of a complete and definitive bibliography of all the works Gibran produced in Arabic and English, the published works and the Manuscripts
2- The preparation of a complete bibliography of all critical and biographical works on Gibran, in whole or in Part
3- The preparation of a complete bibliography of translations into all languages of Gibran's works
4- The compilation of a catalogue of Gibran's drawings and paintings, including dates and brief descriptions of the circumstances in reach was produced , as well ad details of the collections in which they are currently held
5- The publications of a standard authorized edition of the collected works of Gibran, literary and artistic, with notes and commentaries
The opening lecture was presented by Professor David Cadman who spoke about A Crisis of Perception
All readings were taken from An Introduction to Kahlil Gibran, edited by Suheil Bushrui (Beirut, Dar El-Mashreq, 1970). The biographical commentary included
Passages from the diary of Mary Elizabeth Haskell and extracts of Gibran's letters to her taken from Beloved Prophet: The Love Letters of Kahlil Gibran and Mary Haskell and her Private Journal, edited and arranged by Virginia Hilu (London, Barrie and Jenkins, 1972). Extracts of letters to May Ziadah are taken from Love Letters: The Love Letters of Kahlil Gibran to May Ziadah, edited and translated by Suheil Bushrui and Salma Kuzbari (Oxford, Oneworld, 1997).
The mainly subjects of the conference
1. Dr. Suheil Bushrui – The Enduring Message of Kahlil Gibran
2. Dr. Riad Nourallah – 'Piping to the Spirit Ditties of No Tone': Almustafa for Our Time
3. Mr. Henri Zoghaib – Gibran's Lebanon
4. Dr. James Malarkey – Nuts to Crack on the Path to Enlightenment: The Enigmatic Aphorisms of Kahlil Gibran
5. Dr. Alexandre Najjar – Reading Gibran in the Midst of the Arab Spring
6. Ms. Tania Sammons – Kahlil Gibran's Representations of the Feminine Divine
7. Dr. Miles Bradbury – The Author in Search of Himself : Ameen Rihani's Hurrying Up About it (1922-1929)
8. Dr. Edmund Ghareeb – Andrew Ghareeb and the Art of Translating Gibran though the Arab American [Al-Majar] Press
9. Mr. Ernest Tannis – The Originality of the Famous "Ask Not…" Quote from President Kennedy's Inaugural Address
10. Mr. Taraz Darabi – Exchanging the Gifts of the Earth
11. Mrs. Susan Reynolds – Abdu'l Bah as Seen by Kahlil Gibran
12. Ms. Judy Saba – Unity in Diversity
13. Mr. Robert Andrews – Kahlil Gibran Stamp Presentation
14. Ms. Fatma Essassi – Gibran's Concept of the Unity of Being
15. Mr. Glen Kalem – Love is Work Made "VISUAL"
16. Dr. Jean-Pierre Dahdah – France: A Keystone in Gibran's Life
17. Mr. Guy Jones – Gibran in Ireland
18. Mr. Francesco Medici – Gibran in Italy
19. Ms. Rana Kazkaz – Kahlil Gibran: A Film in the Making
20. Mr. Mehrdad Nosrat – Gibran in the Persian Language
21. Dr. Ma Zheng – The Study of Kahlil Gibran in Contemporary China: New Development and Influences
The conference also presents some writings of khalil Gibran and some writings about khalil Gibran