Culture

Remembering Mohammed Dib

The grand seigneur of French-language Algerian literature

21 July marks the centenary of the birth of Mohammed Dib, one of the founding fathers of French-language Algerian literature. Born in 1920 in Tlemcen, Algeria's national writer spent the greater part of his life in exile. He passed away on 2 May 2003 in the Parisian suburb of La Celle-Saint-Cloud. By Regina Keil-SagaweMore

Book review: Alice Zeniter's "L'Art de perdre": Rediscovering a lost chapter of (family) history The Algerian writer Kamel Daoud: Who is the Arab man?Obituary: the Algerian writer Malek Alloula – A prophet unaccepted in his own country Obituary: the Algerian author Assia Djebar – Trailblazer for her country, her gender and her continent Literature and collective trauma in Algeria: Moving beyond the examination of history

Iranian writer Amir Hassan Cheheltan (photo: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Kumm)

Book review: Amir Hassan Cheheltan's "Der Zirkel der Literaturliebhaber"

A literary cocoon

For decades, lovers of literature would gather at the house of writer Amir Hassan Cheheltan's family to debate classical Persian works – until politics forced its way into the readers' cocoon. By Gerrit WustmannMore

Interview with Iranian author Amir Hassan Cheheltan: "Literature is based on politics and eroticism"Amir Hassan Cheheltan's ''Tehran, Skyless City''; Reflecting the dark side of Iran's capital Iran and its authors: The perils of writing

Album review: Groupe RTD's "The Dancing Devils of Djibouti"

Foot-tapping fusion

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

Album review: "Sweet as broken dates"Album review: "Mummer Love"Album review: "Two Niles to Sing a Melody"Photo gallery: Taking the train from Addis Ababa to Djibouti Photo gallery: Yemeni refugees – destination Djibouti

Still from "Baamum Nafi", lit.: Nafi's father (source: Joye Didi Entertainment Company)

Islamism in Senegal

A fight for the soul of Islam

Violent Islamist fundamentalism has not yet come to Senegal, but it could – just as it has in Mali, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. A fascinating new feature film from Senegal shows how it could happen. By Aviva FreudmannMore

Islamists in Africa: The ever-present threat Senegalʹs "talibes" – begging for Islam ″Touba″ – a film documentary: Pilgrimage to Sheikh Bamba

View of the Tangier casbah (photo : Claudia Mende)

Tangier, Morocco

Of myths and modernity

It was American literary figures who propagated the myth of the city of Tangier in north-western Morocco as a den of permissiveness and danger. Notwithstanding this Western view of the city, Tangier is to this day a city that belongs to no specific culture or continent. Claudia Mende takes us on a literary tourMore

Interview with German anthropologist Dieter Haller: "Freedom of speech has long been empty rhetoric"Tangier takes center stage: Renaissance of the "White City"Tenth anniversary of the death of Mohamed Choukri: The "White Nightingale" of Tangier

Concert given by the Morgenland All Star Band (photo: Andy Spyra/laif)

16th Morgenland Festival Osnabruck

A virtual journey of sound across the Balkans

As a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, the Osnabruck Morgenland Festival took place via YouTube for the first time – transporting us to new cultural regions through music. Marian Brehmer attended several of the virtual concertsMore

Online edition of 16th Morgenland Festival Osnabruck on YouTube Interview with Michael Dreyer of the Osnabruck Morgenland Festival: A hub connecting the Orient and the Occident Morgenland Festival Osnabruck 2016: From the Balkans to the Levant

Franco-Moroccan band Bab L'Bluz (photo: Bab L'Bluz)

Album review: Bab L'Bluz's "Nayda"

Rocking the gateway to the desert

The Franco-Moroccan band Bab L'Bluz has named their debut CD "Nayda!" after the musical youth movement. Stefan Franzen introduces the unique music comboMore

Gnawa World Music Festival in Essaouira: A kind of "Moroccan Woodstock"Album review: Imarhanʹs "Temet": Keeping it real The master musicians of Joujouka: The faded myth of the goat-God

Forough Farrokhzad, "Poem about love", by Michael Ghahari (graphic design) based on Majid Mehdizadeh's calligraphy (photo: Michael Ghahari/Majid Mehdizadeh)

Book review: Kurt Scharf's "Halt aus in der Nacht bis zum Wein"

A window on modern Iranian poetry

Iran’s contemporary poets are less well known in Germany than the old Persian classics. Kurt Scharf has now translated 32 of them into German. Marian Brehmer dipped into the anthologyMore

Goethe and the Orient: Why did the poet's mind wander to far-off climes?Interview with the Iranian writer Abbas Maroufi: ″Self-censorship is the worst″The "Green Memories" project of Forough Farrokhzad: Desperation and hope set to music

Turkish TV series" Suleyman the Magnificent" (photo: imago/Seskim Photo)

Islamic popular culture

A match for Bollywood – the rise of Turkey's dizis

Turkey is the second-largest exporter of TV series in the world, boasting a growing presence on international screens from Pakistan to Chile. The "dizis" offer audiences an elaborately staged alternative to Hollywood and Bollywood. Marian Brehmer reports from IstanbulMore

Pakistanʹs premier Imran Khan: Playboy turned politician Erdogan and Turkish foreign policy: Neo-Ottoman rumblings Religion and media in Turkey: Reviving Sufism with Yunus Emre

Regina Keil-Sagawe and Albert Memmi in Essaouira in March 2010 (photo: GOUFRANI)

Obituary: Tunisian author Albert Memmi

Adieu, Albert!

Albert Memmi, Tunisian author and pioneer of a sociology of de-colonisation, died on 22 May 2020 in Paris. He was nearly 100 years old. He was the last of a generation of Maghreb novelists writing in French. A personal obituary by Regina Keil-SagaweMore

Portrait Albert Memmi: A sober look at freedom Malek Alloula: A peep inside the harem Qantara dossier: Arabic literature

Miniature from the Divan of Hafez, a.k.a. Khwaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi (photo: picture-alliance/CPA Media Co. Ltd)

Professor Nasser Kanani on the Persian poet Hafez

"The joyful audacity of his spirit, the melody of his poetry"

Over the centuries Hafez' legacy has exerted a unique influence on numerous poets in Europe, with many an Orientalist falling under his spell. In interview with Yasmin Khalifa, Nasser Kanani explores the great poet’s sensuality, mysticism and eleganceMore

Hafez in Europe: Persian poetry as reflected in German Romanticism Goethe anniversary: Orient and Occident Cyminology: A finely woven fabric of mysticism and music

Iranian Kurdish author and activist Ava Homa (photo: Sam Attar)

Book review: Ava Homa's "Daughters of Smoke and Fire"

Living with the sting of hatred

While "Daughters of Smoke and Fire" – Kurdish author Ava Homa's heart-rending debut novel – is about Leila, a young Kurdish woman, coming of age in contemporary Iran, the portrayal of a minority's struggle against oppression and assimilation transcends the personal. Richard Marcus read the bookMore

Ava Homa speaks at the United Nations Kurdistan: The future of a people: Good Kurd, bad Kurd Non-fiction: Joey Lawrenceʹs "We came from fire": A tribute to the Kurds

Palestinian author Sahar Khalifeh (photo: private; source: Facebook)

Book review: Sahar Khalifeh's "Passage to the Plaza"

It's all a question of timing

When Sahar Khalifeh’s "Passage to the Plaza" appeared in English this year, thirty years after its initial publication, it seemed out of sync – too late and too overshadowed by the coronavirus. Yet perhaps this is just the right time: its locked-in world of curfews and domestic violence speak to 2020 as much as it did to 1990. By Marcia Lynx QualeyMore

Who is hidden beneath the burka? An appeal to the West Lecture by Sahar Khalifeh: "Caught between Western oppression and Islamic fundamentalist suppression" at the Centre for Palestine Studies, SOAS University of London Interview with Palestinian American writer Susan Abulhawa: ″Literature is a facet of society″

Book review: "Moon Brow" by Shahriar Mandanipour

The angels of war

Over ten years after the publication of "Censoring an Iranian Love Story", Shahriar Mandanipour's latest novel, "Moon Brow", is now available in German translation. This is a story about the loss of youth, the horrors of war and a land in the iron grip of dictatorship. By Gerrit WustmannMore

Book review: Nava Ebrahimi’s "Das Paradies meines Nachbarn": The scars of war Interview with the Iranian writer Abbas Maroufi: ″Self-censorship is the worst″Contemporary Iranian literature: Reading outside the box

"Holy Quarter" installation and presentation by Monira al-Qadiri, 2019 in Munich's Haus der Kunst (photo: Maximilian Geuter/HdK)

Kuwaiti artist Monira al-Qadiri

In awe of the cosmos

With "Holy Quarter" by Monira al-Qadiri, Munich’s Haus der Kunst gallery is showing a work by one of the Gulf region’s most significant contemporary artists, in an exhibition that runs until the beginning of June. By Claudia MendeMore

Arts and culture in the Gulf region: The end of tolerance An Arab reading of the Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum: Tea with the bogeyman Interview with Malaysian artist Nadiah Bamadhaj: Freeing the body from conservatism

Helin Bolek, singer with the Turkish group "Grup Yorum", on hunger strike (photo: Fosem)

Death of Grup Yorum singer Helin Bolek

Against the death cult

Activist and musician Helin Bolek, member of the popular group Grup Yorum, died at the beginning of April after nearly nine months on hunger strike. She fell victim both to oppression at the hands of the Turkish state and a hostile cult of martyrdom present on the Turkish and Kurdish left, argues Tayfun GuttstadtMore

Leftist folk musicians go on trial in Turkey on 'trumped up' terror charges Shaking the status quo in Turkey: #Susamam rappers: "Turkish society is on our side"The Turkish music collective Bandista: "Every resistance movement has its own voice"

Extract from Riad Sattouf’s graphic novel "The Arab of the Future", Volume 4 (published by Macmillan USA)

Book review: Riad Sattouf’s graphic novel "The Arab of the Future"

Between worlds

Despite his main focus being on his childhood and youth, spent between East and West, Riad Sattouf also describes the current state of the Arab world in his much-lauded graphic novel series "The Arab of the Future". By Schayan RiazMore

Interview with graphic novelist Riad Sattouf: The eternal fascination with coming-of-age Lebanese comic artist Rawand Issa and "Not from Mars": Being illegal is unbearable Qantara dossier: "Arabic comics"

The German-language picture book market still struggles with dark-skinned protagonists. One way to boost diversity is to publish translations (photo (detail): Baobab Books)

Reflecting cultural diversity in publishing

German kidsʹ books need more dark-skinned protagonists

Children’s books shape the way we see the world as we grow up. In recent years calls have been growing for European publishers to reflect the increasing diversity. By Sonja MathesonMore

Interview with migration researcher Naika Foroutan: "We need a debate about ourselves"Germany's Literaturkfestival: Dissecting the toxic concept of Heimat Germany's new cabinet: Where's the ethnic diversity?

Tahrir Square's Mugamma Building (photo: MusikAnimal. Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)

Book review: Mohamed Elshahed's "Cairo Since 1900"

In pursuit of other modernisms

Cairo is often described as an ancient city, full of wonders that are thousands of years old. Yet Mohamed Elshahed persuasively argues, in the newly released "Cairo Since 1900: An Architectural Guide", that the city we see today was largely shaped by twentieth-century concerns. By Marcia Lynx QualeyMore

Urban renewal under Erdogan: Istanbul shantytown residents in limbo Urban development in Tunisia: Keeping the speculators out of Tunis Lebanon′s architectural heritage: A race against time

Founding members of The Moorish Science Temple of America (source: www.moorishsciencetempleofamerica.info)

Book review: Jacob S. Dormanʹs ʺThe Princess and the Prophetʺ

Birthing America's Nation of Islam

In the ʺPrincess and the Prophetʺ, Jacob S. Dorman traces the winding path and idiosyncratic heritage of Noble Drew Ali, founder of The Moorish Science Temple of America, and America's fascination with all things Oriental at the turn of the 20th century. By Richard MarcusMore

American Islam: Decades later, Malcolm X's legacy lives on African-American Muslims: The American values of Islam Non-fiction: ″Magic in Islam″ by Michael Muhammad Knight: Finding the hole in the fence

UAE author Ahmed Mansoor made honorary member of PEN

UAE author Ahmed Mansoor (photo: Martin Ennals Foundation)

Germany's PEN has appointed blogger, poet and human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates since March 2017, as an honorary member and is demanding his unconditional and immediate release. Mansoor is one of the few independent voices to have publicly denounced human rights violations in the country.More

Johnny Farraj and Sami Abu Shumays: Inside Arab music

"Inside Arabic Music" is a landmark piece of literature for countless students of Arabic music and anyone wishing to learn more about its unique vibe.More

Syrian Heritage Archive Project

Khusruwiyah Mosque in Aleppo (photo: Aga Khan Trust for Culture/Michel Ecochard)

The Syrian Heritage Archive Project was launched in 2013 in response to Syria's enormous loss of material heritage following the outbreak of hostilities in 2011. Teams at the Museum of Islamic Art and the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin are working to digitise and archive photo collections and research data on Syria.More

Nabil Saleh takes a walk through Baghdad

On a recent sunny afternoon, I took advantage of the partial lifting of the curfew imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus and decided to drive to central Baghdad, where I enjoy long walks through its aching streets.More

"Quarantine Kitchen": An Iranian artist documents people's routines during lockdown

From the Quarantine Kitchen series by Golrokh Nafisi (source: scenearabia.com)

Iranian artist Golrokh Nafisi has started a series of sketches, "Quarantine Kitchen", documenting the daily scenes and stories of Iranians' newfound time in the kitchen during quarantine.More

Dissident Iranian filmmaker wins top prize at Berlinale

The prestigious Golden and Silver Bears have been handed out at the Berlin Film Festival. Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof was awarded the Berlinale’s top prize, the Golden Bear, for his film 'There Is No Evil'.More

Female Arab directors: 11 films that you need to see

Still from Algerian director Narimani Mari's "Bloody Beans" (screengrab)

Western critics too often overlook the contribution of Arab women behind the camera. The following 11 titles – in no particular order – are an introduction to the vast pool of Arab women directors whose films are estimated to constitute half of all independent films produced in the region today.More

CNN's Amanpour interviews 2019 Man Booker International prizewinner Jokha Alharthi

"Celestial Bodies" is the first Arabic novel to win the Man Booker International Prize. Amanpour speaks with Omani author Jokha Alharthi and translator Marilyn Booth.More

Arabic literature to be published in translation in 2020

In recent years, the number of Arabic books – both fiction and non-fiction – available in translation has been on the rise. The ArabLit team has put together a list of titles scheduled for publication in 2020.More

The rise and fall of Egyptian Arabic

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi delivers a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2018 in New York City (photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images); Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser addresses the Egyptian people on 31 March 1968 (photo: STF/AFP/Getty Images)

Once the lingua franca of the Arab world, Egypt's dialect is in decline along with the country's cultural and political leadership, says The EconomistMore

Arab music down the decades

Iranian-Saudi acappella artist Alaa Wardi and Anghami have combined 42 of the most popular Arabic songs, dating back to the 1900s, in a video that gives a whole new meaning to music in the digital age.More

Mirna Bamieh delves into Palestinian cuisine

Mirna Bamieh, artist and cook, is fighting the appropriation and disappearance of Palestinian cuisine by reviving old food practices and forgotten dishes.More

Kurdish artist Shanaz Jamalʹs robe for religious co-existence

Iraqi Kurdish artist Shanaz Jamal, 40, embroiders a robe decorated with religious symbols of communities of Iraq's multi-ethnic north, in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region, on 27 March 2019 (photo: Getty Images/AFP/S. Hamed)

On the long white fabric of Shanaz Jamalʹs lovingly embroidered religious robe, the cross faces the crescent and the three-branched wing of the Zoroastrians to the nine-pointed star of the Bahais: with her embroidery, Jamal aims to reconcile the multi-ethnic north of Iraq recently ravaged by jihadistsMore

Harvard Law School's "Words of Justice" include Koran Sura

Included in Harvard Law School's Words of Justice exhibition, Verse 135 of Sura Al Nisa adorns the entrance hall: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both".More

Arabic literature and the African other

Poster advertising the second Annual Arabic Novel Conference hosted by La Maison du Roman in Tunisia, its focus "Black-skin issues" (source: La Maison du Roman)

Racist, anti-black stereotypes persist in Arabic literature. It reveals a racial anxiety and othering of Africa among celebrated Arab authors, writes Mona Kareem.More

A photographic tour of Europe's mosques

Prayer hall of the Pasha Cammii, in Tetovo, Macedonia (photo: Ahmed Krausen)

Mosques have been part of the European landscape for centuries, as this photo essay by Ahmed Krausen demonstratesMore

Albukhary Gallery of the Islamic World: "A soaring miracle of art"

It goes without saying that The British Museum's 4-million piece collection of historical objects is one of the most unparalleled in the world. But for the last four years, the museum has been working hard on one project in particular: a brand new gallery dedicated exclusively to the Islamic world.More

Modern art and antiques on show at Lebanon cube museum

Lebanon's Nabu Museum (source: nabumuseum.com)

Named after the Mesopotamian god of wisdom, the Nabu Museum opened in late September to showcase the cultural wealth of an ancient region devastated by conflict.More

New publication: ArabLit Quarterly

Cover of the first edition of ArabLit Quarterly (published by ArabLit.org)

The ArabLit Quarterly officially made its debut on 15 November 2018. This latest publication is the work of the award-winning literary website ArabLit.org., founded and edited by regular Qantara reviewer Marcia Lynx Qualey.More

Archaeological discovery sheds light on Islam's Early Golden Age

DCT Abu Dhabi's archaeologists recently discovered the UAE's oldest mosque in Al Ain. The excavation of the 1000-year old mosque along with a network of falaj dating back to the Abbasid Caliphate, is expected to shed new light on UAE’s history at the dawn of Islam.More

A.B. Shawky's "Yommedine": a coming-of-age comedic road trip

A Coptic leper and his orphaned apprentice leave the confines of the leper colony for the first time and embark on a journey across Egypt to search for what is left of their families.More

Pre-Islamic "ruin poetry" has a message for today

Imruʹ al-Qais, an exiled poet-king, is credited as the originator of the "ruin poetry" form – one of his poems is said to hang in the Kaaba at Mecca (source: The British Library)

The ruins that inspired pre-Islamic poets hold new meaning for today’s Arabic writers, writes Paul CooperMore

William C. Chittick lectures on Ibn Arabi

"It is He who is revealed in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every eye, worshipped in every object of worship, and pursued in the unseen and the visible. Not a single one of His creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and original nature" - Ibn Arabi, Futuhat al-MakkiyyaMore