Aman Mojadidi on Afghan Contemporary Art
For the first time, Afghanistan takes centre stage at this year's Documenta 13. The world's most influential international art exhibition has recently opened its doors in Kassel, Germany. The affiliated Documenta event in Kabul is curated by Aman Mojadidi. In this interview with Martin Gerner, he talks about the challenges facing Afghan contemporary art More »
"Mahatat" Dance Project in Cairo
Spontaneous flash mob art amid social upheaval and political turmoil – "Stop and Dance" is an ambitions intercultural dance project, which aims to promote mobile street art in Egypt. Amira El Ahl reports from Cairo More »
The Tunisian Calligrapher Nja Mahdaoui
Though often referred to as a "choreographer of letters", the Tunisian calligrapher Nja Mahdaoui is, strictly speaking, not really a calligrapher at all, and the signs that are the characteristic symbols of his work are not really letters. By Sarah Mersch More »
The Film ''Tracks of Cairo''
In January 2011, the German filmmaker Alexander Brief set off for Cairo to document the city's current music scene together with the ethnologist Johannes Roskamm. Shortly after arrival, the first popular protests broke out on Tahrir Square. Quite unintentionally, "Tracks of Cairo" turned out to be a musical as well as political diary More »
Nabil Ayouch's Film ''God's Horses''
God's Horses was the only Arab entry in the "Un Certain Regard" section of this year's Cannes Film Festival. In it, the Moroccan film director Nabil Ayouch investigates the reasons why young people turn to terrorism. Sonja Hegasy went to see it More »
Ravid Kahalani's Yemen Blues
Ravid Kahalani is Israeli, but his family originally hails from Yemen. He and his group, Yemen Blues, explore the richness of Jewish and Arab-Muslim music, transcending national, ethnic and religious boundaries in the process. Lewis Gropp reports More »
The Khoury Trio
Elia, Basil and Osama Khoury have been performing together as a trio for a decade now. Each a virtuoso on his own instrument with a firm grounding in both western and oriental music, the Palestinian-born brothers seek to develop new musical ideas by merging different types of music. Suleman Taufiq spoke to the Khourys in Paris More »
Interview with the Egyptian writer Baha Taher
He played a decisive role in the movement to topple the Mubarak regime. In interview with Karen Krüger, Egyptian writer Baha Taher talks about censorship, literature and the presidential elections More »
Daniel Barenboim and Arab Anti-Israel Sentiment
The Israeli star conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra were invited to perform in Qatar. Then, following pressure from Arab opponents of a normalisation of relations with Israel, the invitation was withdrawn. As far as the Jordanian author Fakhri Saleh is concerned, this is evidence of political naivety More »
The Iranian Writer Amir Hassan Cheheltan
Amir Hassan Cheheltan is one of a group of internationally known Iranian artists who have no intention of turning their backs on their country, and who will not allow themselves to be sidelined or frozen out by the regime. Stefan Buchen met him in Berlin More »
