The third year of the annual Great Works Project at Sindiana – The Arab Youth Village for Young Leadership, culminated in an assembly program in early December attended by more than 400 parents and friends.

The Great Works Project was initiated and developed by the informal education staff. It centers around cultural works such as books, plays, and musicals, which are studied in depth for a month by the entire school community of students, staff, and parents. It relates to all of Sindiana’s foundation principles by addressing issues of leadership, social and academic excellence, and culture and identity.

For one month all 440 students at Sindiana, and their parents, had studied the well-known play Ghorbeh by noted Syrian poet, writer and director Muhammad al-Maghut.  Written in 1974, the play includes political sarcasm towards political dictatorship and backwardness, and still manages to bring a smile as well as thinking about the reality of Arab communities wherever they are. In the context of the Arab society in Israel, the play raises questions about many issues such as injustice, immigration, extortion, negative thinking, etc.

Students performed a series of theatrical scenes and musical renditions that they had created in reaction and response to the play they had studied and discussed.

Dr. Ayman Agbaria, a member of the Mandel Institute for Leadership, a lecturer at the Haifa University and chairman of the Sindiana steering committee delivered remarks about the significance of the play.  Sindiana principal Andera Biadse explained the thought process the students went through and emphasized about the importance of this kind of cultural evening as part of Sindiana’s vision to involve students in in-depth learning of Arab culture and tradition.

Learn more about Sindiana here.