Ifa exhibition: Syrian Short Films and Videos
How have Syria's independent artists been addressing the escalating violence in their native country since the start of the uprising against the Assad regime? For the first time ever, the ifa-Galerie in Berlin is showing videos and short films by Syrian artists inspired by the revolution in an exhibition entitled "Bewegte Bilder" (Moving Images). By Charlotte Bank More »
The Academy of the Arts of the World in Cologne
A new kind of arts centre has opened its doors in Cologne. But the Academy of the Arts of the World is not an academy in the traditional sense, but a society of international artists that would like to provide an artistic forum for topical global issues such as circumcision, thereby contributing to intercultural dialogue. Birgit Görtz attended its opening event More »
Interview with the Iranian Virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor
The Iranian Kayhan Kalhor is one of the great virtuosos of the kamancheh, a Persian string instrument. In an interview with Shahram Ahadi, the composer talks about the art of improvisation and how he became a young soloist in Iran More »
Rabih Abou-Khalil and his new album ''Hungry People''
After devoting himself to femininity with "Songs for Sad Women" and to Atlantic melancholy with "Em Português", it was probably inevitable that his new work would finally mirror current events in the MENA region. Oud master Rabih Abou-Khalil explains to Stefan Franzen how he combines a plastic chicken, fish & chips and a bankers' banquet into a musical feast with political-surreal features More »
Jabbour Douaihy's Novel ''June Rain''
Jabbour Douaihy's new novel revolves around the trauma of Lebanon's civil war. The story deals with the power of recollection, the effects of history, and how one must constantly affirm one's own past anew. Andreas Pflitsch has read "June Rain" for Qantara.de More »
Interview with Youssef Ziedan
Youssef Ziedan is a bestselling Egyptian author, philosopher and scholar of history. He is also director of the Manuscript Division of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the New Library of Alexandria. In this interview with Susanne Schanda, he says that being revolutionary is also about asking questions of authority More »
Turkish Pianist and Composer Fazil Say
Last week, the court case against the celebrated Turkish pianist and composer Fazil Say began in Istanbul. Say faces charges of spreading anti-Islamic comments via Twitter. Supporters and critics alike say that the case highlights Turkey's shortcomings in terms of freedom of expression. Thomas Seibert has the details More »
Saudi Prize for Translations
In Berlin, Saudi emissaries have presented the world's largest prize for translation. But the show and the obsequious ritual that go with the prize seem to be more important than anything else: one previous winner has only received a fraction of the prize-money he was promised. According to Werner Bloch, it was a bizarre event More »
Amir Hassan Cheheltan's ''Tehran, Skyless City''
In "Tehran, Skyless City", Amir Hassan Cheheltan describes the journey through life of an underdog who arrives in Tehran as an uprooted, orphaned inmate of a home and with a high degree of criminal energy, rises through the ranks to become the director of a torture prison. A review by Volker Kaminski More »
Iranian Propaganda Cinema
The Iranian regime has supported the making of a big budget propaganda film, "The Golden Collars". In it, the 2009 Iranian uprising against the regime is presented as a malicious plot initiated by foreign spies and manipulated by the West in order to destabilize the country. Stefan Buchen on a crude piece of propaganda More »
