Topic: Dialogue of Cultures | Intercultural Dialogue

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Ipek Ipekcioglum aka DJ Ipek (image: Melis Oezdil)

Eklektik BerlinIstan meets Anatolian folk

DJ Ipek's space-time continuum in sound

Eklektik BerlinIstan's DJ Ipek – Ipek Ipekcioglu – is famous far beyond her home city of Berlin. Now the music producer has released her first album as part of the musical project "Karmaturji". Daniel Bax had a listenMore

Elektro Hafiz: A musical maverickBerlin Museum of Islamic Art: "Islamic Art” goes digital Qantara dossier: Musical worlds
Hella Mewis in her cultural centre in Baghdad (image: TARKIB)

Life in Iraq

No politics, no religion, no sex

Hella Mewis refuses to give in. The head of a cultural centre in Baghdad has already been kidnapped once, but Baghdad is her home, and she’s staying. Lena Bopp finds out whyMore

Iraq's art and literature scene: Culture boom in Baghdad The cultural scene in Iraq: Returning to something like normality"Iraq's Invisible Beauty": Pictures, not wordsQantara-Themenseite: Brückenbauer im Fokus
Algerian author Said Khatibi (image: private)

Algeria – wasteland for Arabic literature

Big Brother is watching you

In May 2023, Algerian author Said Khatibi won the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Award in the young author category for his historical crime novel "Nihayat al-Sahra'" – in English, 'the End of the Sahara'. Claudia Mende caught up with Khatibi in Abu Dhabi for Qantara.deMore

English in Algerian schools and universities: What's the best language option for Algeria?Human rights in Algeria: Banned, intimidated, driven into exileRemembering Mohammed Dib: The grand seigneur of French-language Algerian literature
American vocalist and songwriter Galeet Dardashti (image: Galeet Dardashti)

Galeet Dardashti's "Monajat"

Dedicated to Muslims and Jews everywhere

Reminding people of the close ties that once bound Muslims and Jews in Iran and elsewhere, American-Iranian vocalist and songwriter Galeet Dardashti's "Monajat" travels through time to transcend seemingly impassable geographical and cultural borders. By Richard MarcusMore

Muslims and Jews in the Maghreb: A whispered historyJudaism in Iran: ″Jews and Muslims respect each other″Sephardi singer Yasmin Levy: "In my songs there is no war"The Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat: "Every place can be my stage"
Portugal: Campus project in Braga. Rehearsals for the grand finale at the Campus Concert of the Beethovenfest in Bonn (image: Madmo Springer)

Germany's Beethovenfest

Afghan and Iranian musicians join forces

Musicians from Afghanistan, Iran and Germany have come together to work on Bonn's Beethovenfest Campus Project 2023. The result can be heard on 14 September. By Anastassia BoutskoMore

Edward W. Said Days in Berlin: Music – facilitator of intercultural dialogue"The Lionesses of Afghanistan": No more 'white saviours', pleaseQantara dossier: Places of dialogue
The West-East Divan Orchestra was founded in 1999 by Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said (image: Peter Adamik)

Edward W. Said Days in Berlin

Music – facilitator of intercultural dialogue

How can Edward Said's ideas help people better understand Yoko Ono's performance art, pre-colonial rhythms from Africa or the music of Christian missionaries in Japan? The Edward W. Said Days in Berlin marking 20 years since the literary scholar's death explored a whole range of questions. Ceyda Nurtsch reportsMore

Inauguration of the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin: "Music for the Thinking Ear"Interview with Daniel Barenboim: ''Mutual appreciation is essential''The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra: Consoling concertosQantara dossier: Spotlight on bridge-buildersEDWARD W. SAID DAYS 26-27 August 2023: Celebrating the legacy of a visionary scholar
The Accademia del Piacere (image: Accademia del Piacere)

Arab-Andalucian music

Musical "Romances" between Muslims and Christians

On 19 August, the Accademia del Piacere ensemble from Seville will celebrate the marriage of Muslim and Christian musical culture in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries at the Cologne Philharmonic. Tunisian singer Ghalia Benali will join the musicians on stage as their special guest. By Stefan FranzenMore

Spain under Islam: Religious tolerance in Al-Andalus was a family affair Interview with Michele Claude: The wonderful world of MuwashshahatQantara dossier: Musical worlds
David Ben Gurion (standing) proclaims the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948 (photo: AFP/dpa/picture-alliance)

Israeli documentary "1948 – Remember, Remember Not"

The perspectives of others

For the first time, a new feature-length Israeli documentary shows the war of 1948 from the viewpoint of several parties involved in the conflict. The director has garnered praise in Israel, but also some fierce criticism. It is unclear whether the film will even be shown on the state TV channel that commissioned it. By Joseph CroitoruMore

Middle East conflict: Shoah and Nakba – two interlinked catastrophesThe Palestinian Nakba of 1948: An objective delineation of events75 years after the Nakba: Palestinians still long to return
Mekaal Hasan Band (source: Mekaal Hasan Band Facebook page)

Showcasing music from Pakistan

Back to the roots

Mekaal Hasan may not be a household name in Europe or North America, but he is a star in Pakistan. When COVID-19 struck, he and his Sufi rock band were forced to change their production approach. For "Rivayat", Hasan tracked down traditional singers and musicians from beyond Lahore. Richard Marcus had a listenMore

Qawwali ensemble "Fanna-fi-Allah": Searching for God's loveNew music from Pakistan: A captivating mix of soundsArooj Aftab's "Vulture Prince": Coping with pain in Urdu
Michael Dreyer, director of Osnabruck's Morgenland Festival (image: Liudmila Jeremies)

Morgenland Festival Osnabruck

Countering patriarchal cliches

Focusing on music from the Levant to Central Asia, Osnabruck's Morgenland Festival occupies a special place in the German festival landscape. Prior to the 18th festival, which begins on 21 June, Stefan Franzen spoke to festival manager Michael Dreyer about the musical concept, the political dimension, and whether the term 'Morgenland' [engl. 'the East', 'Orient'] is still in keeping with the timesMore

Morgenland Festival Osnabruck: Songs for days to comeMusic in the Middle East: Attuned to a different classicalQantara dossier: "Musical worlds"
Arabic Language Center booth at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair (image: ADIBF)

Abu Dhabi International Book Fair

"We're not looking for Western recognition"

The United Arab Emirates has made cultural dialogue its mission. At the 2023 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the country confidently presented itself as the custodian of Arab culture. Although the book fair is a place for authors and publishing companies to meet and talk, there were limits to what could be openly discussed. Claudia Mende reports from Abu DhabiMore

Literary power politics: Spotlight on the UAE's 30th Abu Dhabi Book Fair Abu Dhabi Book Fair: Arabic literature, criticism and commerceQantara dossier: "Arabic literature"
"Tabayun" art exhibition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (screenshot: Saudi Arabia state television)

Saudi Arabia's cultural revolution

Artists, but not individuals in the Western sense

"Saudi Vision 2030" foresees the accelerated modernisation of Saudi Arabia – and that includes the country’s culture. Huge amounts of government funding are being poured into the arts, while exchange with the West is welcomed. These new freedoms do, however, have their limits, as Joseph Croitoru reports.More

Reform in Saudi Arabia: Progress or megalomania?Tourism in Saudi Arabia: Journey to al-Ula'The Line' in Saudi Arabia: Mohammed bin Salman's febrile dream
Cover of Fawzi Boubia's "West-Oestlicher Divan" published by PalmArtPress (source: publisher)

Fawzi Boubia's "Mein West-Oestlicher Diwan"

A tale of disappointed love

German-Moroccan philosopher and writer Fawzi Boubia has long acted as a mediator between East and West, building cultural bridges in multiple publications. His strongly autobiographical novel "Mein West-Oestlicher Diwan" takes a merciless look at Germany's political and cultural trends, while celebrating its cultural and intellectual past. By Volker KaminskiMore

Islam for the 21st century? Look no further than GoetheGoethe anniversary: Orient and OccidentFuad Rifka: At home in German thought
Cover of Tayfun Guttstadt's album "Tarapzade" (source: www.tayfunguttstadt.com)

Dialogue of cultures

Tarapzade – "Seek it in yourself"

Tayfun Guttstadt’s debut album “Tarapzade” is a cultural voyage of self-discovery through two seemingly opposite musical worlds. Marian Brehmer had a listenMore

Music in the Middle East: Attuned to a different classicalKudsi Erguner's “La Melancolie Royale”: Ney music with a missionDeath of Grup Yorum singer Helin Bolek: Against the death cult
Young people in the Arab world (image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Belaid)

Philosophy, Arab world trend

Erich Fromm's advice for troubled times

The writings of German-American philosopher Erich Fromm (1900-1980) are trending in the Arab world. Claudia Mende asked Hamid Lechhab, translator of Fromm's works into Arabic, what might be behind thisMore

″Religious criticism around 1900″: Middle Eastern philosophy's take on IslamIslamic thinker Fehmi Jadaane: What is the essence of Islam, and does it need reforming?Islam and enlightenment: Beware of the myth Egyptian philosopher Hassan Hanafi: "Globalisation is Western gegemony"
Language areas of the brain in native speakers of German and Arabic (source: MPI CBS/DW)

Language and language acquisition

How the brain processes German and Arabic

Language develops in different areas of the brain. Researchers have been able to show that the way these are linked varies according to the respective native language – knowledge that could prove useful. By Katrin EwertMore

The demise of Modern Standard Arabic: Tongue-tied ArabsArabic in Latin script: Lost in ArabicMoroccan school curricula: French, Arabic, Moroccan, Amazigh?

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