Qantara.de - Dialog mit der islamischen Welt

Lebanese poet Zeina Hashem Beck talks to Marcia Lynx Qualey about her work in the spaces between languages, communities and political factions. She writes in English, yet her poetry is so infused with Arabic that it becomes its own, liminal languageMore

Director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's documentary film "Touba" is a chronicle of the largest Sufi pilgrimage in sub-Saharan Africa. A review by Marian BrehmerMore

In his novel ″The Baghdad Eucharist″, Iraqi author Sinan Antoon probes deeply into the nature of loss and its impact on collective memory. Intertwining two distinct threads, he teases the reader to reach a conclusion about a community on the edge. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

Fatih Akin′s latest film – ″Aus dem Nichts″ (In The Fade) – recently celebrated its world premiere at the International Film Festival in Cannes. The German-Turkish film director′s work revolves around the clash of different cultures, transcending borders to achieve a great truthfulness. By Anke Sterneborg More

With ″Mornings in Jenin″ and ″The Blue Between Sky and Water″, Palestinian American writer Susan Abulhawa has had two bestsellers in Germany. She writes about misery and trauma, love and the Palestinians′ joie de vivre. In interview with Miriam Abdollahi, she talks about the way literature is able to express humanity, the German fear of criticising Israel and how stories keep the Palestinian people aliveMore

Masaa's blend of free-spirited instrumental quartet and outstanding male voice makes their sound arguably the most accomplished fusion of Jazz and Arab tonal colouring currently to be found in Germany. On their third album ″Outspoken″ the four musicians demonstrate their mature mastery of their craft. Stefan Franzen talked to singer Rabih LahoudMore

The Moroccan Film Festival in Berlin highlighted films made by women or dealing with women's issues. In interview with Elizabeth Grenier, the director of the Moroccan Cinema Centre revealed what he found most fascinating about the movies in the programmeMore

This latest in historical culinary literature is guaranteed to appeal to avid collectors and adventurous chefs alike. As Marcia Lynx Qualey discovered, ″Scents & Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook″, presented side by side in English and Arabic, has much to tempt and inspire even relatively inexperienced 21st century cooksMore

While many albums have explored the space where American jazz meets Eastern music, the latest recording from Boston-based Neotolia on Interrobang Records, ″Neotolian Song″, has achieved a fusion that expands to encompass the rest of the world. Review by Richard Marcus

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