Friday on “First Coast Connect” it was our weekly Media Roundtable with Florida Times-Union columnist Ron Littlepage, Florida Politics reporter A.G. Gancarski and contributing writer for the Jacksonville Free Press Charles Griggs. We also spoke with University of North Florida professor Parvez Ahmed about the upcoming presentation of the movie “The Sultan and the Saint.” Ahead of its concert Sunday in Jacksonville, we heard a live in-studio performance by Pharaoh’s Daughter.
Media Roundtable
Our panel discussed the possibility of Duval County Schools Superintendent leaving Jacksonville for Detroit. They also talked about a bill in Tallahassee that would ban professional sports teams from building or refurbishing stadiums of public land. The legislation would curtail expansion and renovation projects at Everbank Field because it’s owned by the city.
The Sultan and the Saint
It’s a provocative film that tells one of the great, lost stories from history. Set in the year 1219, “The Sultan and the Saint” speaks with urgency to our present time.
It is the story of Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt, and their meeting on a bloody battlefield during the period of Christian-Muslim conflict known as the Crusades. There is a screening of the movie followed by a panel discussion 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 9 at the Andrew Robinson Theater on the University of North Florida campus.
Pharaoh’s Daughter
New York band Pharaoh’s Daughter plays a free concert in town Sunday in Mandarin. Frontwoman Basya Schechter, was raised as an Hasidic Jew in an ultra Orthodox community, which she left, but still has maintained a love of traditional Jewish music. Pharaoh’s Daughter will be appearing 4 p.m. Sunday at the Jewish Community Center.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
