Films and Videos
Five projects from Austria, Iran, Morocco, Palestine, and Sudan were presented with the 2013 Aga Khan Award for Architecture on Saturday. The Award ceremony was held at the Castle of São Jorge in Lisbon in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam and Portugal's head of state, President Cavaco Silva.
At a special event held at the Ismaili Centre, Prince Amyn spoke in honour of the illustrious career of Professor Charles Correa, and acknowledged his long-standing partnership with the AKDN.
Milad-un-Nabi marks the anniversary of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him and his family). To commemorate this anniversary, The Ismaili Centre, London hosts an annual lecture on a particular aspect of the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet.
Mawlana Hazar Imam visited the Far East Jamat in Singapore, during which he met with a number of the country's leaders. A Jamati institutional dinner was hosted in Hazar Imam's honour, featuring a performance by Ismaili youth that illustrated some of the cultures of the Far East.
Prominent religious historian and well-known author, Karen Armstrong, was the keynote speaker at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby on 25 March 2012, where she delivered a lecture on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the relevance of his life to our present time, and Islamophobia – a clash of ignorance. The visit was part of Armstrong's “12 Days of Compassion” tour of Greater Vancouver, during which she was awarded Simon Fraser University's Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue in celebration of her innovative contributions to tolerance, understanding and compassion globally.
Speaking at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby, Professor Stephen J. Toope, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia said that creating an environment that fosters “global citizens” is crucial to seeing pluralism in action. His address marked the inauguration of The Ismaili Centre Lectures, a series of intellectually stimulating speaker-based events held at the Centre.
At a special convocation ceremony held on 13 January 2012 at the University of Ottawa, Mawlana Hazar Imam was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of the University for his service to humanity.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Open House London took place on the weekend of 22 – 23 September. Buildings such as the Bank of England Museum, the Royal Courts of Justice, the BBC Television Centre, and the Ismaili Centre, London opened their doors, inviting Londoners to to view and celebrate the diverse architecture of their city.
Masters of the Afghan rubab, the tabla and the dayra gathered at the Ismaili Centre, Burnaby on 4 November, where they conjured the rich musical legacies of Central Asia. The event, which took place in collaboration with the Aga Khan Music Initiative, was prefaced with an address by the British Columbia Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.
Twelve inspiring and talented artists from across the Middle East and Central Asia performed a beautiful and thought-provoking concert at the Ismaili Centre, Dubai recently. It was an important occasion for both the Ismaili Centre and the Aga Khan Music Initiative, intent on bridging gulfs that have existed for the past hundred years.
Mawlana Hazar Imam joined Jamati and institutional leaders at a dinner held in Nairobi on 15 July 2011. Hazar Imam was presented with a Qajar manuscript of Nasir Khusraw's Diwan on behalf of those in attendance. Guests were entertained by performances of students from the Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi, and well-known Ismaili Bollywood music artists Salim and Sulaiman Merchant.
Mawlana Hazar Imam attended a dinner with the Jamati and institutional leaders of Uganda held at the Kampala Serena Hotel. During the evening, President Huzur Mukhi Mohamed Lalani presented Hazar Imam a gift of an incense burner cover from Khorasan shaped in the form of a horse head, on behalf of those gathered.