Speakers

Full list of confirmed speakers available soon!

	Ghassan Ben Jiddo is a renowned Arab journalist. He is Al-Jazeera’s Beirut bureau chief, and the host of “Open Dialogue” on Al-Jazeera. He is particularly well-known for his powerful and incisive coverage of the 2006 war on Lebanon and the 2009 assault on Gaza, and has interviewed countless political leaders, artists and cultural workers, and other prominent personalities. In addition to his speech and presentation at the conference, Ghassan Ben Jiddo will host an episode of “Open Dialogue” featuring a live discussion with the Palestinian community in the United States.
	Haneen Zoabi is a member of the Political Bureau of al-Tajammu’ party in Occupied Palestine ’48, and participated in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, where she was a passenger on the Mavi Marmara, the grassroots humanitarian/blockade-breaking ship that was attacked by the Israeli military, killing nine international activists.
	Marcel Khalife is a world-renowned Lebanese composer, oud master and singer. He is recognized as cultural icon and endeared by millions in the Arab world. Khalife has a rich repertoire of more than 20 lyrical and instrumental albums. In his association with great contemporary Arab poets, particularly the late eminent Palestinian poet par excellence Mahmoud Darwish, Khalife seeks to renew the character of the Arabic song, to break its stereotypes, and to advance the culture of the society that surrounds it. Along with the many international awards that he has received through out his long illustrious career, in June 2005 Marcel Khalife was named UNESCO Artist for Peace for his artistic achievements and humanitarian and educational contributions. Khalife will speak on the subject of “Culture and Freedom”..
	Ibrahim Shalaby holds a Ph.D. in Fine Arts. He is an Interior Designer/Architect and President of CAOCA (Canadian Arab Organization of Culture and Art – a Not For Profit organization). Ibrahim Shalaby is a Canadian Jerusalemite Architect & Interior designer, who always says “I don’t live in Jerusalem it lives in me”. Born in Amman (Jordan), his art elicits feelings of nostalgia, warmth and love for Arab cities; he is influenced by the traditional heritage and culture of Arabs. Ibrahim paints real places that he has visited before – Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, U.A.E. He toured Palestine through Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilyah, Acre, Jaffa, Nazareth, Haifa, Tiberias and the Nativity of Bethlehem beside many Palestinian villages. Ibrahim has become an internationally known and respected Palestinian-Canadian artist and has retired from teaching, but now he is focused on supporting American and Canadian Arabs by promoting their culture. He will be a Guest Artist at the Popular Conference and has donated one of his pieces to the Raffle.