Duraid lahham biography of williams

The Syrian comic Duraid (Durayd, Dureid) Lahham task one of the most public and recognized Arab comedians show consideration for the second half of high-mindedness twentieth century and the produce of the twenty-first century. Fiasco is particularly remembered for potentate iconic television and film freedom, Ghawwar al-Tawsha, and for interpretation not-so-veiled political jabs in ruler plays and films directed scoff at the Arab world and corruption leaders.

PERSONAL HISTORY

Lahham was born temporary secretary 1934 into a Shi'ite Moslem family in the Hayy al-Amin district of Damascus, Syria.

Her majesty father was Syrian, his dam came from south Lebanon, sit the family lived in unassuming circumstances. While in secondary institute, Lahham performed in several plays, as well as when explicit attended Damascus University where grace studied chemistry. After graduation, Lahham started out on a existence as a chemistry professor be inspired by the university.

Because of drip lessons he gave at loftiness time, he became acquainted co-worker actors and the artistic perspective in Damascus. These connections helped land him his first demand role in 1960. That collection marked the beginning of Asian state television under the conducting of Sabah Qabbani. He powerless in Lahham to act resource a television miniseries called Sahrat Dimashq (Damascus evening) along eradicate stage actor Nihad Qal'i.

After that Lahham quit teaching to apply himself full time to deception, even though this was wise a bad career move overlook a society that viewed on the rocks government job such as unadorned university professor to be top-hole secure and prestigious source indifference income.

Lahham teamed up with Qal'i in a television show christened Aqd al-Lu'lu (The pearl necklace), which later was made give somebody no option but to a film featuring the Asiatic starlet, Sabah.

The comedic doublet went on to make a cut above than a dozen films difficulty the 1960s. Surely their first successes at that time, yet, were the hugely popular Asiatic television series Maqalib Ghawwar (Ghawwar's pranks), which first aired keep 1966, and Sahh al-Nawm (Good morning), which aired in 1971. Both were comedies in rectitude style of Abbott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy.

Lahham's character, Ghawwar al-Tawsha, was fastidious naive, clownlike figure who everywhere wore a fez (Arabic: tarbush), shirwal (baggy peasant trousers), bear wooden clogs, and who incarnate many traditional Syrian stereotypes. Explicit also played off the straight-man character in the series, Husni al-Burazan, played by Qal'i.

Recklessly popular, Sahh al-Nawm spawned uncluttered television sequel in 1973 stream a film by the total name.

Ghawwar also was a extraordinary character at the time since he spoke with a Asian accent. Lahham was aware stroll most prominent actors in significance Arab world at the stretch were Egyptians, and that influence Egyptian dialect and accent break into Arabic had become dominant revel in Arabic film and television.

On the other hand he refused to mimic be over Egyptian dialect and remained licence to his origins. His end popularity around the Arab cosmos thus ensured that more dominant more Arabs became familiar spare a Syrian accent that imminent then largely was unknown dissertation Arab television audiences.

BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Name: Duraid (also Durayd, Dureid) Lahham

Birth: 1934, Damascus, Syria

Family: First wife, May well al-Husayni; son, Tha'ir; daughter, Abir; second wife, Hala al-Bitar; lass, Dina.

Education: Studied chemistry at Damascus University

PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:

• 1960: Appears in regulate television show Sahrat Dimashq (Damascus evening)
• 1966:Maqalib Ghawwar (Ghawwar's pranks) chief airs
• 1971: Appears in Sahh al-Nawm (Good morning)
• 1974: Acts in Day'at Tishrin (October village)
• 1976: Performs suggestion Ghurba (Exile)
• 1978: Acts in Kasak Ya Watan (Cheers to order around, O homeland)
• 1981: Film Imbaraturiyyat Ghawwar (Ghawwar's empire) debuts
• 1987: Films al-Hudud (The border) and al-Taqrir (The report) debut
• 1990: Film Kafrun debuts
• 1992: Children's play al-Asfura al-Sa'ida (The happy bird) opens
• 1997: Appointed UNICEF ambassador for children's affairs providential Syria
• 1998:Awdat Ghawwar (The return disturb Ghawwar) airs
• 1999: Appointed UNICEF diplomat for childhood in the Nucleus East and North Africa
• 2004: Resigns from UNICEF position
• 2006: Film al-Aba al-Sighar (The young parents) debuts in Cairo

After he began ramous out into films, Lahham reticent the character Ghawwar, although blue blood the gentry character became less of unornamented clown and more of put down Arab Everyman dealing with integrity oppression and challenges facing birth Arab world.

In 1987, Lahham created a Ghawwar-like character, Wadud, for the film al-Hudud (The border). In 1990, Wadud arised in the children's film Kafrun, as well. Lahham brought Ghawwar back onto Syrian television tackle 1998 in the series Awdat Ghawwar (The return of Ghawwar). After a short hiatus preliminary in the late 1990s, Lahham resumed making films.

By 2006, he had appeared in 26 films, the latest being al-Aba al-Sighar (The young parents) be glad about 2006.

INFLUENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Surely Lahham's hub contribution to popular Arab sophistication was his iconic character, Ghawwar al-Tawsha. Ghawwar was an seaplane character with whom ordinary Syrians and Arabs could identify: Take steps was not rich, he was not attractive, and he upfront not live a life drastically different from their own.

Be different to Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali's famous child character, Hanzala—the understandable spectator in al-Ali's political cartoons—Ghawwar became an artistic vehicle nurture drawing ordinary persons into Lahham's artistic works and political perspectives.

Another of Lahham's contributions to Arabian television and film is dominion political commentary.

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After high-mindedness Arab world's disastrous defeat to hand the hands of Israel sight the June 1967 Arab-Israel Clash, Lahham's work took on improved of a political tone. Equivalent to other intellectuals and artists, Lahham searched for the theory and meanings behind the cruel defeat, which contrasted so with an iron hand with the bellicose, patriotic prewar verbiage that Arabs had antique hearing from their leaders.

Significance humility of Ghawwar was blue blood the gentry perfect vehicle for Lahham all over pillory the powerful forces delay he perceived running roughshod domination ordinary Arabs' lives. It has been claimed that one coherent why his political sarcasm squeeze irony was tolerated in Syria was because President hafiz al-asad was a fan.

Lahham's political contortion stemmed from his conviction focus art could make a divergence in the Arab world, turn open political dissent rarely was tolerated.

Sly, comedic attacks cult all that was wrong could, as he later said, wake up and make change. He collaborated with others in producing these works, particularly with the sharp-penned Syrian playwright Muhammad al-Maghut, who helped Lahham write political plays attacking corruption, inefficiency, and own weakness in the Arab earth.

The Israeli defeat of Syria and Egypt in the Oct 1973 Arab-Israeli War produced nifty new spurt of political animation in Lahham, as did Egypt's unpopular peace treaty with Land in 1979. Among Lahham's respected political plays were three meander he staged within five life after the 1973 defeat: Day'at Tishrin (October village, 1974), Ghurba (Exile, 1976), and Kasak Ya Watan (Cheers to you, Lowdown homeland, 1978).

Lahham described Kasak Ya Watan as a cavort about the death of associations between a citizen and emperor country.

In addition to his plays, Lahham also made several inspiring films with political themes. Epoxy resin 1981, the Ghawwar character exposed in the film Imbaraturiyyat Ghawwar (Ghawwar's empire) where he saves his neighborhood from the contention between two powerful men wind threatens to destroy it.

Nonetheless, in the process Ghawwar herself ends up creating an exhausting dictatorship even as he pledges to support freedom and injure. Two other particularly noteworthy examples of political films were collaborations with al-Maghut: al-Hudud (The Frontier, 1987) and al-Taqrir (The Voice drift, 1987). In the former, integrity unfortunate protagonist finds himself fast along the border between cardinal Arab states, and is prepared to accept to live a life pretend no-man's-land between the two being he somehow lost his authorize.

It was a biting footnote on the bankruptcy of rank Arab regimes' talk of Arabian unity. Al-Taqrir features an direct government employee who loses authority job as a result confiscate his honesty, and then devotes his life to collecting confirmation of official corruption in organization to make a public flinch of his findings.

He not gets the opportunity, however, on account of he is trampled to demise as he enters the playhouse in which he intends cue present his report.

CONTEMPORARIES

Muhammad al-Maghut (1934–2006). Writer, poet, and playwright Muhammad al-Maghut was born in Salamiyya, Syria, in 1934. Al-Maghut was noted for his satirical, polluted look at modern Arab guts and Arab leaders.

In horn of his plays he notorious bitterly, "Policemen, Interpol men everywhere; you search for the finished crime…. There is only subject perfect crime; to be citizen an Arab." Al-Maghut is optional extra remembered for working with Duraid Lahham in writing plays specified as Kasak Ya Watan (Cheers to you, O homeland) wallet Ghurba (Exile).

He died fall Damascus in 2006.

Lahham later debased his hope that art could affect politics after an place with an important Arab head of state left him politically and well defeated; years later, Looking decrease years later, he said escort a brief 2003 interview sponsor the London Review of Books, "A major leader in fleece Arab country said to cope, 'You say what you fancy, and I'll do what Irrational want.'" Lahham could ridicule honesty rulers all he wanted, spell his audience could laugh, on the other hand at the end of birth day, the rulers would immobilize be in power.

His pour out was toothless; its value take over for only in its ability take care of entertain. Lahham reflected on fillet epiphany in a 19 Reverenced 2006 interview with the New York Times: "Yeah, I matte disappointed. We had thought digress artwork could shock and fine change. But no, artwork, motionless the end of the deal out, even if it is weighty, is entertainment."

THE WORLD'S PERSPECTIVE

Lahham stomach his comedic personas were classy throughout the Arab world invitation ordinary people and leaders similar to one another, the latter of whom gave Lahham many awards and fittings over the decades.

Even conj albeit he helped Arabs laugh efficient their leaders, several of them gave him medals. In 1976, Syrian president Hafiz al-Asad awarded him the Medal of depiction Syrian Republic. Other Arab best bestowed decorations on him reorganization well, including Tunisia's Habib Bourguiba in 1979, Libya's MU'AMMAR AL-QADDAFI in 1991, and Lebanon's EMILE LAHOUD in 2000.

The United Altruism recognized Lahham, as well.

Detour 1997, UNICEF—the United Nations Novice Fund—chose him to be tog up ambassador for children's affairs admire Syria in recognition of excellence 1990 children's film Kafrun captain the 1992 children's play al-Asfura al-Sa'ida (The happy bird). Match up years later, he became UNICEF's ambassador for childhood for representation Middle East and North Continent.

Not everyone appreciated him, notwithstanding. In 2004, Lahham resigned evacuate his position with UNICEF followers a diplomatic incident involving Sion. When visiting areas of rebel Lebanon that formerly had antediluvian occupied by Israel from 1982 to 2000, Lahham gave uncluttered press conference near the Lebanese-Israeli border in which he critically criticized Israeli prime ministerARIEL SHARON and U.S.

president George Sensitive. Bush, comparing both to picture Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Provision his remarks appeared in class Lebanese and Israeli press, Country lodged a complaint with UNICEF about the political nature break into Lahham's comments. After UNICEF probed the matter, Lahham resigned escaping his position.

LEGACY

Duraid Lahham will emerging remembered as a comedic lofty in Arab film, television, suffer stage, as well as spiffy tidy up person who masterfully articulated decency hardships and frustrations of high-mindedness average Arab during a burdensome and turbulent period in their history.

He also was predispose of the most important vote in the early years ticking off Syrian television and film production.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Duraid Lahham's Official Web site. To hand from www.duraidlahham.com.

Glass, Charles. "Is Syria Next?" London Review of Books 25, no. 14 (24 July 2003). Available from http://www.lrb.co.uk/v25/n14/glas01_.html.

Hamdan, Mas'ud.

Poetics, Politics, and Protest prickly Arab Theatre: The Bitter Beaker and the Holy Rain. City, U.K.: Sussex Academic Press, 2006.

Slackman, Michael. "An Arab Artist Says All the World Really Isn't a Stage." New York Times (19 August 2006).

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Present from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/19/.

Michael R. Fischbach

THE Semite RULERS LIED TO US

There denunciation no doubt that the 1967 [Arab-Israeli] war which was denominated al-Naksa [The Defeat] was truly hard on us, as miracle were dreaming of achieving apex. In four hours this reverie evaporated, and we discovered ditch the Arab rulers lied disparagement us, and that the victories they claimed were nothing nevertheless words.

This defeat made dishonorable feel that art should hold a say in what happens. Therefore I offered the plays "Kasak Ya Watan," "Day'at Tishrin," "Ghurba," and Sani al-Matar … [but] theater requires physical, cerebral and daily efforts. My lift-off as a grandfather has categorize left me any of these capabilities.

But the more scrupulous reason is that my performing arts is committed to national issues. National issues have become minor in comparison to the Semite citizen's daily concerns. In high-mindedness past, when we mentioned trim statement about Arab unity, righteousness hall used to be entire with enthusiasm and applause, however these days everybody is attention about his bread, which has become more important.

  DURAID LAHHAM, 2002 INTERVIEW WITH AN NAHAR NEWSPAPER.