Collaborative Media International

CMI Mission and History

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Dedicated to furthering intercultural dialogue and understanding between the USA, the North Africa / Middle East Regions, and world-wide through multinational collaboration, research, and education.

Founded in 2009.

CMI Founder, Director, Publisher

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George F Roberson is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in the Geography Human Dimensions Research Group; his work is focused on international collaborations and education and theorizing processes of engagement and change. His doctorate is also with that group culminating in an urban-humanistic dissertation on Tangier, Morocco.

Recent activities include: Fulbright Scholar to Tangier cultivating NGO’s with Dr Khalid Amine and the International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) (http://www.icpsmorocco.org/); Founder and Director of Collaborative Media International (CMI) for the development of educational materials, cutting-edge technologies and innovative funding models; Publisher and Project Director of Moroccan Arabic: A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija (http://tinyurl.com/yk3p8sl/); Chair of Partners for International Collaboration and Education (PICE, pronounced peace, a.k.a. ‘partners for peace’) a collaborative effort of ICPS and CMI to further international programming, education, and exchange (http://tinyurl.com/yl8tjyr/).

Roberson’s international experience reaches over fifty countries on five continents with a particular focus in the North Africa/Middle East and Mediterranean Regions with experience in more than ten Muslim-majority countries. In order to get boots-on-the-ground experience, one research trip included hitching solo from Morocco to Guinea-Conakry.

Prior to entering international research and education, he spent ten years as a social and business entrepreneur building sports marketing companies and ski coaching. He is also former Research Director at Colorado WINS, the state employee organization.

He splits his time between Denver, Amherst, and Tangier.

no man's land

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this page under contruction, please check back for updates

News Release

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Morocco-themed resources – Fulbright collaborations, proceeds to Morocco-based NGO. Proposals and partners sought.

Could there be a more important time to pay closer attention to Morocco and the North Africa / Middle East regions?

Please distribute --

Moroccan Arabic - a practical guide to learning Moroccan Darija - the Arabic dialect of Morocco (2nd edition). International Educational Resources Series. $20

Bowles / Beats / Tangier - Paul and Jane Bowles, the Beat Generation & the crossroads city of Tangier, Morocco. International Collaboration Series. $12

Shakespeare Lane - a contemporary reading of Tanjawi society - at the crossroads city of Tangier, Morocco - what will the citizens choose for their future? International Contemporary Voices Series. $10

For details, click here
(http://collaborativemedia.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome.html)

Proceeds to International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) Tangier. Producers of the Annual Tangier International Conferences. Details click here
(http://icpsmorocco.org/new/)

An all-volunteer cooperative of Fulbrighters and others: academics, students, artists, writers, community advocates.

Proposals sought: institutional and/or individual partners, granting, books, translations, conferences, etc.

Collaborative Media International (CMI): people, planet, peace - profits for places Denver, Amherst, Tangier, Worldwide - collaborative.media@ymail.com

Facebook, click here
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Collaborative-Media-International/194579233009)

Please support these fine institutions and Initiatives

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American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS), click here

Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF) click here

Cadmus Editions, click here

Critical Language Scholarship Program
Fes, click here
Tangier, click here

Human Geography: University of Massachusetts-Amherst, click here

Friends of Morocco, click here

Fulbright Scholar Program
Gary L. Garrison (Assistant Director, Middle East/North Africa), ggarrison at iie.org, and on the web, click here

International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) Tangier, click here

Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE), click here

Moroccan Arabic Verb Dictionary, Abdennebi El Haloui & Steve Bowman, eds. click here

Authorized Paul Bowles Web Site, click here

Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM), click here and here

Moroccan Arabic 2nd edition excepts

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Click on the images below to view them in a larger format:

Introduction
Table of contents
Special thanks

Collaborative Media International
People, planet, peace - profits for places
Denver, Amherst, Tangier, Worldwide

info

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Join in CMI's collaborative efforts

Read about our new international cooperative book publishing program and three new book titles available for purchase online worldwide on Amazon.com click here
Read about our new publishing model and new book for learning Arabic, click here
For a list of simple easy ways to help promote our new books, click here
Submit a manuscript to CMI for consideration, click here
Apply to become a CMI Contributor, Fellow, and/or member of our Editorial Committee, click here

CMI's core interests and values

literature - drama, travel, criticism, translation, biography, autobiography

visual media - film, video, live performance

language instruction

creative / innovative methods

empowering the margins

intercultural dialogue and engagement

alternative methods

regional foci - North Africa, Mediterranean, East Asia, North America

theoretical - post-colonial, feminist, place, social

multilingualism - English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Mandarin

building sustainable collaborations and organizations

NOTE: this page is under construction, please check back later for further updates

Apply to become a collaborator

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email for more information: collaborative.media@ymail.com

Please place 'collaborator application' in the subject line.

NOTE: this page is under construction, please check back later for further updates

International education, publishing, funding

2010-10-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Collaborative Media International
People, planet, peace - profits for places
Denver, Amherst, Tangier, Worldwide

Three new titles, three new international-themed book series - produced using all-volunteer cooperative publishing model:

Moroccan Arabic, 2nd Edition - for studying and using Arabic - new revised and expanded edition. Suitable for beginners, students, reference, and savvy travelers. Used by the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) language programs. Educational Resources Series - North Africa

Bowles / Beats / Tangier - delve into the literary crossroads - interdisciplinary multinational dialogue and debate. A must-read for everyone interested in Morocco. International Collaboration Series - North Africa

Shakespeare Lane - new play translation (Arabic to English) exploring society's complexities - by an emergent award-winning Moroccan playwright. A chance to learn about Morocco from an 'insiders' perspective. Contemporary Voices Series - North Africa

(page updated Spring 2011)

International Educational Resources Series -- North Africa

Moroccan Arabic - a practical guide to learning Moroccan Darija - the Arabic dialect of Morocco (2nd edition)
By Aaron Sakulich
Rajae Khaloufi, Editor
George F Roberson, Publisher and Project Director

Finally, a straight-forward and easy to use primer for the beginner – and now expanded and improved in this new 2nd edition. It incorporates both reader suggestions and grammatical refinements contributed by Abdennebi Elhaloui at the Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF ). It features: more details on the transliteration system; additional words; new word lists; and the text has been extended 20+ pages and has been completely revised and re-edited.

The book was written by a dogged student of the language and a natural teacher. It was edited by native speakers who are themselves teachers of Arabic in Morocco.

The book is dedicated by the author to Abdennebi Elhaloui - Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF), "one of the finest gentlemen to be found anywhere in the world".

Used by the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) language programs.

Practical and witty, it's basically the equivalent of a VCR repair manual, just a bare-bones list of how to do the important things: here's the present tense, here's the future tense, etc, etc. In other words, it's a reference book with simple examples, none of the filler, and a few youthful surprises. It's just the kind of cheat-sheet everyone craves.

Best of all, and unlike the others, everything is provided side-by-side in English, transliteration, and Arabic. And it uses a simple real-word transliteration system that is simply written the way things sound without the use of exotic linguistic symbols.

It’s the perfect book for everyone with an interest in contemporary Morocco: travelers, tourists, students, diplomats, business people, academics, artists, Peace Corp volunteers, Fulbright Scholars and student grantees, etc.

Many people contributed to making Moroccan Arabic a reality – and by agreement of all those involved, the proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the publishing program at the International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) - Tangier, Morocco.

Initial research for the book was conducted during a Fulbright graduate student grant. The ongoing project (encourage more people to learn Darija, provide improved study materials, and provide a funding stream for ICPS-Tangier) is sustained by the generosity of numerous all-volunteer partners – kindly lend your assistance by sending an email to collaborative.media@ymail.com

“Fills a gaping hole in Moroccan Arabic instruction. Based on the first-hand immersion experiences of a native English-speaker who navigated Moroccan culture and language for a year... and as a researcher in Morocco myself, I found it handy.” --Nabil Khan, Fulbright Student Grantee

"A must for all students of Moroccan Arabic. Creative, witty and an odyssey into Darija like no other... your best bab into the language labyrinth of learning Arabic." --Imelda O'Reilly, Fulbrighter and filmmaker (Fes, New York, Singapore, Dublin)

For more information, click here
To buy online, click here

International Collaboration Series - North Africa
Bowles / Beats / Tangier - Paul and Jane Bowles, the Beat Generation & the crossroads city of Tangier, Morocco
Allen Hibbard and Barry Tharaud, Editors
Khalid Amine, Project Director

A site-specific reconsideration of Bowles, the Beats, and Tangier centering on the complex tensions between aesthetics and ethics; it features a comprehensive introduction by Dr Allen Hibbard of Middle Tennessee State University.

This volume brings together a selection of papers by leading experts from the Annual Tangier International Conferences: Performing Tangier 2008 - Borders, Beats and Beyond. Drawing participants from around the world, the annual conferences provide a crucial space for constructive intercultural debate and dialogue. At this particularly divisive time in world relations (racial, ethnic, lingustic, religious, national, etc.), it is especially important to pay attention to such collaborative, intellectual, artistic, and constructive endeavors that not only honor our essential humanity but also provide a template for what the world could be like.

Essential reading for all -- makes a great reader for university courses.

This book was produced through the generosity of numerous volunteer partners and granters.

For more information, click here
To buy online, click here

International Contemporary Voices Series -- North Africa
Shakespeare Lane - a contemporary reading of Tanjawi society - at the crossroads city of Tangier, Morocco - what will the citizens choose for their future?
By Zoubeir Ben Bouchta
Rajae Khaloufi, Translator
George F Roberson, Editor
Amine Khalid, Project Director

Set in a key world 'contact zone' (a meeting place and point of negotiation for diverse peoples), it is an enlightening and timely look at society and engagement. Told from multiple insiders' perspectives, it provides invaluable context to today's complex, troubled and volatile relationships between the USA/Europe and the North Africa/Middle East regions.

Written by Moroccan National Theatre Festival Award winner, Zoubeir Ben Bouchta. Translated from Arabic to English. Essential reading for all -- makes a great reader for university courses. The book was produced with the generosity of numerous volunteer partners; the project was developed during a Fulbright Scholar grant.

For more information, click here
To buy online, click here

Additional information on buying CMI books

Amazon and Amazon UK orders are usually sent out in about one day. Orders can be sent anywhere worldwide by either either standard or expedited shipping. The fastest and least expensive mail-order delivery to Morocco appears to be via Amazon.com - delivery options and rates can be viewed here

The book is also available through your favorite bookstore (but is NOT available for direct purchase from the publisher nor members of the collaborative team).

It is available wholesale by Ingram Book Company and Baker & Taylor -- the two largest book wholesalers in the USA; and by Gardner Books and Bertams|THE -- the two largest book wholesalers in the UK.

Bulk institutional orders may be arranged through the publisher:
collaborative.media @ymail.com (delete space before @)

All sales are final.

Sales proceeds go to support International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) Tangier

For information, click here

The ICPS International publishing program is a product of a new strategic partnership with Collaborative Media International (CMI)

For complete partnership information, click here

Follow CMI / ICPS international publishing on Facebook page, click here

Shakespeare Lane

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check back later for updates

web globe tracker test

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Manuscript submissions

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email for more information: collaborative.media@ymail.com

Please place 'manuscript submission' in the subject line

NOTE: this page is under construction, please check back later for further updates

Help promote CMI books

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Customer reviews

It is quick and very helpful to have positive customer reviews posted on the book’s webpages -- especially on Amazon.com

Short, pithy comments help most: look for the customer reviews tabs - it is very easy to set up an account, if required:

1) rate at 5 stars
2) use an eye catching “comment title”
3) simple, compelling comment
4) qualify yourself as expert

What makes a good review?

Be detailed and specific.

Think of what others will want to know before buying: i.e. the accessible, youthful, practical, high-value nature of the books. Could also mention CMI’s larger goals (building constructive alternatives to the status quo, promoting intercultural activites) and methods (collaborative, cooperative, all-volunteer). Can also respond to other's reviews -- especially if their comments are wrong, misleading, and/or misinformed. Reviews will be posted within 48 hours.

Ideas for other ways to help

Ask your local library to buy it for their shelves
Ask your university / college library to buy it for their shelves
Buy a copy for yourself
Buy a copy and donate to a library
Recommend to your students and colleagues
Use as required text in your classes
Announce on listserves with which you participate

NOTE: this page is under construction, please check back later for further updates

Morocan Arabic update

2009-07-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the generosity of numerous all-volunteer contributor-collaborators worldwide, we're pleased to announce that a revised and expanded edition of Moroccan Arabic: Shnoo the Hell is Going On H'naa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija - the Arabic Dialect of Morocco (2nd edition) has been released.

Incorporating reader suggestions, student input, and Moroccan and US American academic review, the new edition features more details on the transliteration system, additional words, new word lists, and the text has been completely revised and re-edited.

Thanks to:

All buyers and users.

And to: Abdelmajid Elsayd; Soufiane Chami; Megan Pavlischek; Sarah Dohrman; Imelda O'Reilly; Saadia Maski; Jennifer Roberson; Jonathan Lange; Chris Gaffney; Richard Sakulich
Elias James Grove; Nabil Khan; Marvin Carlson, Fazia Afzal Khan; Edwin Bodensiek; Gary Garrison

And to: the Tangier American Legation Institute Museum (TALIM); American Institute for Maghreb Studies (AIM)

And to a number of anonymous peer reviewers

If we've somehow forgotten to include your name or institution above please dont fret -- let us know!

Page under construction, please check back later

Aaron Sakulich academic bio

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Sakulich academic bio

Arabic language resource book: revised and expanded, same low price

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NEW - 2nd edition (this page updated Spring 2011)

Moroccan Arabic - Shnoo the Hell is Going on H'naa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija - the Arabic Dialect of Morocco (2nd edition)

Aaron Sakulich
Rajae Khaloufi, editor

ISBN: 978-0982440933
Book Type: 6 x 9 inches, Perfect Bound, 166 pages

Available now for quick, convenient, and secure mail-order delivery worldwide via these direct online links:

Amazon.com - for delivery to North America and worldwide, click here

Amazon.co.uk - for delivery to the UK, Europe, and worldwide, click here

Orders are usually sent out in about one day. Orders can be sent anywhere worldwide by either either standard or expedited shipping.

The fastest and least expensive mail-order delivery to Morocco appears to be via Amazon.com - delivery options and rates can be viewed here

The book is also available through your favorite bookstore (but is NOT available for direct purchase from the publisher nor members of the collaborative team).

It is available wholesale by Ingram Book Company and Baker & Taylor -- the two largest book wholesalers in the USA; and by Gardner Books and Bertams|THE -- the two largest book wholesalers in the UK.

Bulk institutional orders may be arranged through the publisher:
collaborative.media @ymail.com (delete space before @)

All sales are final.

Innovative education, publishing and funding model

One of the strengths of CMI's operational models is that our books are ALWAYS in stock and are mailed directly to readers at any address and all countries. When an order is placed online through one of our partners (like Amazon, see above) the books are printed, packed, and shipped worldwide within hours.

Furthermore, our publishing model harnesses our collective intellectual, creative, and social capital to provide a much needed funding stream to our intercultural, educational, and artistic activities.

CMI is an all-volunteer not-for-profit academic NGO serving the world through main operational hubs in: Denver, Colorado; Amherst, Massachusetts; and Tangier, Morocco.

About the book

For an overview of the book, click here
For book excerpts, click here

Many people contributed to making the book a reality (all volunteer) and by agreement of all, the proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the publishing program at the International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS) - Tangier, Morocco, for information click here

This project was an outcome of the Fulbright Research Scholar and Fulbright Student Grantee programs, for more program information, click here; for more information about the grant, click here; for information about about the Moroccan American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE) click here

Praise for the book - what travelers, students and scholars are saying on both sides of the Atlantic

“The first edition of Moroccan Arabic was a much-needed delight, a lively and engaging introduction to the language, as authoritative as a traditional textbook but much more accessible and entertaining. With the growing international interest in North Africa, this second edition, combining the work of U.S. and Moroccan scholars, is especially welcome.”

-- Marvin Carlson
Distinguished Professor of Theatre
Comparative Literature and Middle Eastern Studies
The City University of New York

“A must-have, low-cost, high-utility manual for navigating the at-times confusing, yet crucially important events unfolding in North Africa and the Middle East today. [And supports a worthy Morocco-based academic NGO] that pulls together a remarkable gathering of scholars and artists from around the world each year at its annual conference held at the breathtakingly beautiful historic Kasbah Museum of Tangier.”

-- Fawzia Afzal Khan
Professor, Montclair State University

“A great resource. I wish had this book when I was traveling and researching in Morocco.”

-- Jennifer A Roberson
Professor of Islamic Art
Sonoma State University, California

"I am so excited about this book! Congrats to the writer, editors, and publisher. Mabrook!”

-- Sarah Dohrmann
Writer - New York City
Fulbright Scholar to Morocco - Fez and Asliah

The sub-title of the book is hilarious! Buy it - a great resource for anyone serious about exploring modern Morocco and learning Arabic.

-- Soufiane Chami
Arabic Teacher, Berkeley, California
(MA in English from Abdelmalek Essaâdi University - Tetoaun)

"I love the sense of humor woven throughout – it’s an enjoyable read. A great example of collaboration."

-- Edwin Bodensiek
Director of Outreach and Public Relations
Council for International Exchange of Scholars - Fulbright
Washington, D.C.

This book fills a gaping hole in Moroccan Arabic instruction. In Dr. Sakulich's book one finally has a resource book that is accessible, not tied to a single institution, and based on the first-hand immersion experiences of a native English-speaker who navigated Moroccan culture and language for a year. Highly timely, and as a researcher in Morocco myself, I found it handy.

--Nabil Khan
Fulbright Scholar to Morocco - Fes and Rabat

A wonderful resource for learning this rich variation of Darija – this guide provides English speakers with the tools necessary to overcome the difficulties of learning Moroccan Arabic. Far from being an ordinary dry text-book, Shnoo the Hell is Going on H’naa playfully combines the features of professional linguistics with lively real world sensibilities. Packed with conversational examples, extensive explanations and comprehensive glossaries, render this book a faithful companion on your travels to the other side of the Atlantic.

--Rajae Khaloufi
Tangier, Morocco
Editor, Translator, Webmaster, Teacher
(Master's Candidate, Fahd School of Translation - Tangier)

Moroccan Arabic is a compact companion to Moroccan Darija written by a born teacher, Aaron Sakulich and put together by an exemplary Cultural Geographer, George F. Roberson. This book enhances effective language instruction and builds a collection of everyday conversation resources for Anglo-American students and scholars.

-- Dr Khalid Amine

ICPS President - Tangier, Two-Time Fulbright Scholar to the USA

Collaborative team (alphabetical order)

Khalid Amine, for info click here

Rajae Khaloufi, for info click here

George F Roberson, for info click here

Aaron Sakulich, for info click here
Fulbright Graduate Student (PhD) Grantee to Morocco 2007-2008
a.sakulich @gmail.com (delete space before @)

In association with

Andy Reynolds - Graphic designer, andynco @earthlink.net (delete space before @)

Yiqing 逸清 (CHENG, Li) - YQ studios, lcheng8 @gmail.com (delete space before @), for info click here

Institutional partners - for more information

International Centre for Performance Studies (ICPS)
Khalid Amine, PhD, President, ICPS welcome page click here

Collaborative Media International (CMI)
George F Roberson, PhD, Director and Publisher, CMI welcome page click here

Special thanks

Thank you for buying this book: by special agreement of all our partners, the proceeds from the sale of this book go to support the ICPS publishing program.

Contribute

This book would never have been possible without the generous contributions of many people. Your suggestions, corrections, and input for a planned 3rd edition (and other correspondence) may be contributed by email to: collaborative.media @ymail.com (delete space before @), contributors will be acknowledged here

More ways to join in our collaborative efforts:

For a list of simple easy ways to help promote Moroccan Arabic, click here
Submit a manuscript to CMI for consideration, click here
Apply to become a CMI contributor, fellow, and/or member of our editorial committee, click here

About the cover

The cover design was contributed by Andy Reynolds, a Washington, DC-based graphic designer andynco @earthlink.net (delete space before @)

The front cover photo was contributed by Yiqing 逸清 (CHENG, Li) of YQ studios (info click here) lcheng8 @gmail.com (delete space before @). It was taken in spring 2008 near the city center in Tangier.

The back cover photo was contributed by George F Roberson, Fulbright Scholar to Morocco ’07-‘08 (info click here) collaborative.media @ymail.com (delete space before @). It was taken in spring 2008 in the Iberia neighborhood of Tangier.

NOTE: this page is under construction, please check back later for further updates

Initiatives in intercultural theory and practice

2009-03-02T16:53:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Collaborative Media International
People, planet, peace - profits for places
Denver, Amherst, Tangier, Worldwide

Three new titles, three new international-themed book series - produced using all-volunteer cooperative publishing model:

(click image to view in larger format)

For details and ordering information,
click here

Educational Resources Series - North Africa

Moroccan Arabic, 2nd Edition - for studying and using Arabic - new revised and expanded edition. Suitable for beginners, students, reference, and savvy travelers. Used by the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS) language programs.

International Collaboration Series - North Africa

Bowles / Beats / Tangier - delve into the literary crossroads - interdisciplinary multinational dialogue and debate. A must-read for everyone interested in Morocco.

Contemporary Voices Series - North Africa

Shakespeare Lane - new play translation (Arabic to English) exploring society's complexities - by an emergent award-winning Moroccan playwright. A chance to learn about Morocco from an 'insiders' perspective.

For details and ordering information,
click here

Get involved on Facebook, click here

Partners and additional resources, click here

Annual Performing Tangier International Conferences
June 2 -5, 2011
Tangier, Morocco

For information, click here

Collaborative Media International
People, planet, peace - profits for places
Denver, Amherst, Tangier, Worldwide

CMI posts are best viewed in Mozilla Firefox, for info click here

(updated Spring 2011)