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sommaire editorial

4 Chawki Abdelamir 36 A Symphony of Coffee
nouveau Directeur général, et Culture from Baghdad to the
nouveau cap pour l’Institut du Bustle of America
monde arabe
38 Dr. Saad Al Masoudi
12 Interview with Le journaliste qui touche les cœurs
Professor Dr Alaa Al-Alaq
Director General of the Department 40 Joan Marie Kelly, artist,
of Cultural Relations social anthropologist, ethnologist If the monuments could speak
and an activist
14 Baghdad’s Global Summit: "Can you imagine," my colleague said one day, "if to play while they were on duty. The famous
Uncovering a Harmony of Ideas and 46 Interview with the monuments could speak? I’m sure they could archeologist Irvin Finkel of the British Museum
Unity Loubna Yassen teach us many things." believes it is a copy of the game board of the
Dutch-Syrian artist Royal Game of UR. Through his diligent study of
18 Interview with During a recent visit to Iraq and the Baghdad cuneiform writing, he has managed to
Museum, I discovered the rich and impressive
rediscover the rules of the game so that it can be
Dr Irvin Finkel 49 Meet Dr Saaib Ghazi history of Mesopotamia while walking around in played again, some 3,500 years later.
Curator in the British Museum an outstanding Iraqi Canadian this historical sanctuary, feeling so humble at the
in London Filmmaker thought of these people who once lived in this So, today we can sit in our living rooms and play
land and knew and used these items in their daily a game that people in ancient Iraq used to play
lives. during their hours of leisure. Isn’t that fantastic!
26 The Oldest Board Game – the 53 Ghani Alani
Royal Game of Ur – was it the first le maître de la calligraphie Since time immemorial, there have been bouts Dr Finkel says in his interview that there are
game of strategy? contemporaine arabe of turmoil of all sorts in this region, sometimes approximately 130,000 clay tablets in the British
-- as recently -- appallingly destructive. Museum, and that they give us all sorts of
32 Interview with Since the 1991 Gulf War, one of the most information on how people were living then –
Faik Al-Aboudi destructive, people have often suffered terribly. business letters, love letters, and all kinds of other
Some were forced into exile with their
information including how to get rid of ghosts.
painter and designer sorrows and losses, whereas the ones who
remained suffered their own losses, including the Perhaps we should pause and put things in
34 The National Museum of Iraq loss of their loved ones, while hardship engulfed perspective. We were not the first people on the
their world. Today, things are obviously planet and hopefully we'll not be the last ones. So,
improving in Iraq, and it is reassuring to see such perhaps the time has finally come for us to start
progress in the country. Indeed, a new Iraq reflecting upon what, of all that we have accomplis
is visibly in the making. hed, we shall leave to future generations. While we
do not have a Royal Game of UR to allow future
The museum has opened its doors again to generations to know our culture and civilization as
visitors. Some of the stolen archeological we learn about Mesopotamia and its rich past, we
The views expressed are the Mailing address: Editor: Marit Fosse pieces have been returned, although there do have our own broad and deep cultural heritage,
responsibility of the authors and do DIVA International Diplomat Deputy editor: Evelina Rioukhina are many that were lost to the country during including the immense fruits of our literacy -- our
not necessarily reflect the views p/a Salle de Presse 1 the war. The Iraqi authorities, together with own version of the 130,000 clay tablets. Rather
® of DIVA Palais des Nations Graphic Design: Iris Hariz UNESCO and INTERPOL, have done an than devoting ourselves to mindless consumerism,
1211 Geneva 10
© www.divainternational.ch
impressive job, resulting in the return of many of
Tel: +41 22 917 43 01 Contributing to this issue: the stolen artifacts. we might be well advised to focus on our
accomplishments and how best to pass along to
DIVA International is a publication Robert J. Parsons, Alfred de Zayas, those coming after us -- as priceless a legacy as
of Graficim Media Ltd E-mail: Pierre-Michel Virot, Annegret Matari, On one of a pair of colossal lamassus from what we have from ancient Mesopotamia.
29 Linconl’s Inn Field, Holborn, diva.international@gmail.com Jean-Michel Wissmer, the Palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad (in modern- Upon this note, I wish you all a nice day!
WC2A3EE, England Christian David, Veronique Vesval, day Nineveh Governorate), there is a sketch
Daniel Albertini Milord. of a game that the guards of the Temple used Marit
ISSN: 1660-1934

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