Recep Tayyip Erdogan, disappointed by the European Union’s reluctance to integrate Turkey into its ranks, has re-directed his country’s diplomacy toward the Maghreb and Africa to expand Turkey’s sway in the Mediterranean, writes Dalia GhanemMore

Blending East African, Bollywood and Arab music traditions, Groupe RTD's "The Dancing Devils of Djibouti" is not only a stunning album, it is also the first internationally-released recording of music from this small and isolated country. By Richard MarcusMore

Reinhard Kleist is regarded as one of Germany’s finest graphic-novel illustrators and has travelled the Arab world extensively, discovering a fascinating local comics sceneMore

Born in a difficult space, this seven-story collection celebrates the work of prose artists from Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Iran, Sudan, Libya, and Iraq – the seven nations on Donald Trump′s January 2017 travel-ban diktat. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

Intelligent, soulful and emotional, the new album by Canadian Nigerian musician Sonia Aimy, "Nigerian Spirit", addresses a broad spectrum of themes: from how life in Nigeria has changed since Aimy's childhood, the sorrow of life in Somalia, to a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the problems of finding a good husband. Review by Richard MarcusMore

″Don′t tell me you′re afraid″ is a heartbreaking and remarkable book about a young woman, like every other refugee, who deserved a better fate. Catozzella not only tells the story of Samia Yusuf Omar, but in the process brings the experiences of every refugee to life. Richard Marcus read the bookMore

The dawn of 2016 has brought a new round of doomsday predictions that Saudi Arabia’s ruling Al Saud family cannot sustain its autocratic grip on power. The kingdom, pessimists argue, is caught in a perfect storm with economic problems, social challenges and foreign policy crises all converging at the same time. By James M. DorseyMore