The first female signing for label Def Jam – the label behind superstars from Jay-Z and Rihanna to BTS and Justin Bieber – in Southeast Asia, SYA's debut single "PrettyGirlBop" tackles misogyny and acceptance in her Muslim-majority homelandMore

For Western listeners, the sound of the sitar is perhaps the most cliched musical symbol of India. Sitar player Hindol Deb, who lives in Cologne, Germany, has just released his debut album, which explores new ways of combining the Hindustani long-necked lute with jazz. Stefan Franzen had a listenMore

Jordanian writer Jalal Barjas' novel "Notebooks of the Bookseller", which won this year's Booker International Prize for Arabic Fiction, was celebrated at a symposium during the Berlin International Literature Festival in September. A large number of Germans and Arabs interested in Arabic literature attended. On the sidelines, journalist Rim Najmi caught up with Jalal BarjasMore

Abdulrazak Gurnah is the fourth author from sub-Saharan Africa to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Is the tide turning for African writers? By Annabelle Steffes-HalmerMore

The streaming festival "Female Voice of Afghanistan" by the Zeitgenössische Oper Berlin gives Afghan female musicians a global platform – at a time when their situation has worsened dramatically. Stefan Franzen reports for Qantara.deMore

On 14 October 2021, streaming giant Netflix expanded its service to include films either produced by Palestinians or with a Palestinian theme. "Palestinian Stories" comprises 32 award-winning movies available to viewers all round the worldMore

German actress Katja Riemann has made a short yet impressive documentary about a special project in Moria. In her directorial debut, she shows how young refugees learn the basics of filmmaking. The film, part of the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin programme, can be streamed until 3 October. Rene Wildangel reports for Qantara.deMore

"American*ish" – co-written by Aizzah Fatima and Iman K. Zawahry, and directed by the latter – is a rom com for an America too many don't want to acknowledge. Whereas most mainstream American TV and films present the Muslim immigrant community as a monolithic group with a kind of hive mind, this film goes out of its way to break the mould. By Richard MarcusMore

In her debut novel, Fatima Daas makes use of traditional narrative forms reminiscent of Koranic suras. The piercing, insistent rhythm of her writing style addresses topical issues such as same-sex love, gender and questions concerning her identity as a French woman with Algerian heritage. Volker Kaminski read the bookMore