[FA Worldmusic] Khalifa

[Julia Banzi]

	Dialogues such as the debate regarding  Marcel Khalifa are  an 
important starting point to understanding the cultural tapestry that 
underlies all musical performances.  It prods us to question: Isn't any 
musical presentation political in some way?  What can we present that 
cannot be viewed as political in some manner by some members of the 
communities we serve?  Even choosing not to present something which 
could be construed as political could be viewed as  political.   I am 
working on organizing a music festival and this question plagues me.   
Creative suggestions as to how some of you have resolved this ethical 
dilemma would be much appreciated.
	The topic of censorship deeply touches our efforts at creating 
peaceful understandings between varied cultures.  Our ensemble 
Al-Andalus (www.Andalus.com) is composed of artists of Jewish, Muslim 
and Christian backgrounds. Philosophically, we work very hard not to 
"preference" any one culture and instead present historically informed 
Andalusian works from the three cultures.  Unfortunately, as a 
consequence we receive little concrete support from any one community 
except from those members who are truly committed to the idea of 
creating peaceful co-existence.   We are truly grateful for this.  Much 
of our fan base comes from audience members who are, like ourselves of 
mixed Jewish-Muslim-Christian backgrounds and/or who have children of 
mixed ancestry.  In our work, we also  create new works rooted in the 
Andalusian legacy yet reflective of today's global soundscape aimed at 
younger generations of listeners.  I encourage those interested to 
sneak a listen to our varied discography 
(http://cdbaby.com/group/banzis).
	Dr. Julia Banzi
	Ph.d. Ethnomusicology
	Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to Morocco

	Tarik & Julia Banzi
	Al-Andalus
	www.Andalus.com
	Contemporary Andalusian Music