FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

March 19, 2008

MINI-SYMPOSIUM ON RELIGIOUS, ETHNIC AND LINGUISTIC IDENTITIES FEATURES ALGERIAN PLAYWRIGHT

GRINNELL, IA.--Grinnell College will focus on the Arab world in a mini-symposium on religious, ethnic and linguistic identities, Apr. 3-7, featuring French-speaking author and playwright Mohamed Kacimi.

Kacimi, a native of Algeria, has lived in Paris since 1982 and been recognized for his award-winning plays and adaptations performed on Parisian stages and abroad. He has also published novels, poetry translations, essays, editorials, and children’s books.

As an Algerian, he has written about the terror and violence of religious extremism. His latest play "Terre sainte" (Holy Land) depicts war-torn and occupied lands and will be performed in translation in Jerusalem, Stockholm, Kaiserhauten, Germany and New York. Kacimi’s writing also portrays religious identity by reflecting on how sacred writings are applicable today. As a visiting speaker at Grinnell, Kacimi will relate these views in three public events:

Apr. 3, 7 p.m.: Kacimi will present "On Being Arab in 2008," based on his book about the historical and contemporary images of Arabs. Professor of French Jan Gross and Daniel Gross, lecturer in modern languages, will deliver English translation.

Apr. 6, 4:30 p.m.: Kacimi will be joined by Heath visiting professor Konstanty Gebert, a Polish journalist, and Grinnell French-speaking faculty in a presentation and roundtable discussion in French of "What It Means to Speak French in 2008."

Apr. 7, 8 p.m.: The program, "Sharing Sacred Ground in 2008: Jews, Christians, and Muslims," will feature a bilingual reading of Kacimi’s "Abraham’s Confession" and "Heaven’s Irony," translated by Jan and Dan Gross, and performed by Grinnell students of French.

The mini-symposium is sponsored by the Center for International Studies, the Lilly Foundation, and the Department of French, with additional support from the Centers for Humanities and Peace Studies. All events will be held at the Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center located at 1115 8th Ave. on the Grinnell College campus.

-30-