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Social media fosters creative writing in the Maghreb
Published by Facebook
Social media has democratised literary publishing, paving the way for young Moroccan writers to publish works which previously would not have enjoyed publication through traditional outlets. By Ismail Azzam
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The language of migrants
Being a stranger in a second language
Kurdish writer and translator Nabaz Samad Ahmed reports on his ambivalence towards second languages as a result of his socialisation in Iraq
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Album review: Ayca Miracʹ "Lazjazz"
The magic of the Laz
Drawing on her Laz and Turkish heritage, the German-born singer Ayca Mirac has just released her first album – "Lazjazz" – a fascinating blend of ancient melodies, spellbinding dance rhythms and intimate jazz. Review by Stefan Franzen
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Moroccan school curricula
French, Arabic, Moroccan, Amazigh?
The debate about the status of Arabic in Moroccan schools continues unabated. With many of the existing colloquial dialects jockeying for recognition, Morocco faces a tough task when it comes to offering effective, balanced linguistic education for all. By Ali Anouzla
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Treasures of the ancient Middle East
Deciphering the first written language
Some time around 3200 BC, humans living in the ancient Middle East developed the first written language. George Smith presented fragments of the Flood narrative from the ancient Middle Eastern story of Gilgamesh at a conference in London in 1872 – and mankind’s first epic was rediscovered. By Melanie Christina Mohr
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Lubna Isamʹs "Sudanese Tales”
Tradition in the present
The art of storytelling has a long tradition in the Arab world. Folk tales and historical events were passed down orally over many generations. Now the Sudanese author Lubna Isam has revived the tradition. Interview by Eslam Anwar
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The Maghrebʹs Moorish-Spanish legacy
Andalusia begins in northern Morocco
Any journey to southern Spain, to Al-Andalus, is akin to the start of a dream that finds its beguiling continuation beyond the Pillars of Hercules, in the Andalusian cities of northern Morocco – Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Fes, Meknes, Larache and Asilah. The relationship between Morocco and Spain is closer than we think. By Mourad Kusserow
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The uncertain future of Modern Standard Arabic
A language in decline
Substantial numbers of schoolchildren in the Gulf are losing their ability to communicate in Arabic. The development may well herald the onset of language loss in the region. By Sawsan Khalaf
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Tayeb Salih′s ″Season of Migration to the North″
A literary hall of mirrors
Described as the most important Arab novel of the twentieth century by the Arab Literary Academy, Tayeb Salih's ″Season of Migration to the North″ was first published in 1966. For this year′s Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize Lecture, Professor Robert Irwin reflected on Salih′s unique mode of engaging with Western culture and the counternarrative he provides to post-colonial discourse. By Valentina Viene
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Germany's refugee influx two years on
Where there's a will
In 2015 and 2016, some 1.2 million refugees fled to Germany. Two years on from the start of the refugee crisis, how are these new arrivals integrating? Have the right steps been taken? Report by Claudia Mende
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Translating ″Mein Kampf″ into Arabic
Hitler′s paperchase
How the Third Reich′s plans to translate ″Mein Kampf″ into Arabic led to the creation of one of the most famous Arabic dictionaries. By Mey Dudin
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Citizenship law reform in Algeria
The tug-of-war over identity
In July of this year the Algerian cabinet passed a controversial law allowing only those with ″exclusive Algerian nationality″ to hold high office. Report by Federica Zoja