Culture

Still from Hassan Faziliʹs "Midnight Traveler" (source: IMDb.com)

Berlinale 2019: Hassan Faziliʹs "Midnight Traveler"

That our voices wonʹt be silenced

Threatened with death by the Taliban, director Hassan Fazili fled to Europe with his family, filming their odyssey on his mobile phone. Itʹs not the first time that the refugee trek to Europe has been documented, yet the result is a film that not only serves as a political chronicle of our time, but is also a work of art. By Rene WildangelMore

Deportations to Afghanistan: No safe country of origin Afghan director Salim Shaheen: Master of dreams Interview with Siddiq Barmak: An Afghan view of suffering

Still from "Khartoum Offside" (photo: Marwa Zein/Berlinale)

Berlinale 2019: Marwa Zein's "Khartoum Offside"

Football, film and freedom in Sudan

Marwa Zein has made an impressive documentary about the Sudanese women's football team, if only the national football association would recognise it as such. The players are neither allowed to represent their country at international level nor set up a domestic women's football league. By Rene WildangelMore

Jafar Panahi's "Offside": Protected from the profanities of the bellowing fans Iran's stadium ban on women: Excluding the people Protests in Sudan: The yellow vests of Khartoum

German actress, film-maker and author Aryam Zaree (photo: Stefan Kluter)

Berlinale 2019: "Born in Evin"

Confronting a very personal trauma

When Ayatollah Khomeini came to power in Iran in 1979, he persecuted his opponents with severity. Maryam Zaree was born in a prison for political prisoners. With her film "Born in Evin" she breaks her silence. By Laura DoingMore

Obituary: dissident Ebrahim Yazdi: An emblematic figure of Iranian politics bows out Interview with Mahvash Sabet: Lyrical flights Qantara dossier: Iranian Cinema

Trailer of Florian Kunertʹs "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen" (source: YouTube)

Berlinale 2019: "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen"

Questing for a lost homeland

In the "Valley of the Clueless" in Saxony, where Arab contract workers were once employed alongside GDR factory workers, East Germans and refugees meet for a peculiar trip down memory lane. Rene Wildangel reports from this year's BerlinaleMore

Official "Fortschritt im Tal der Ahnungslosen" website Berlinale 2018: ″Central Airport THF″ by Karim Ainouz: Lives lived in waiting Germany′s Berlinale: Where film meets reality

Palestinian-British singer Reem Kelani (photo: Alexia Villard)

Album review: Reem Kelaniʹs "Why Do I Love Her?"

Sweet discomfort

As a prelude to the album she's currently working on, "This Land is Your Land", Reem Kelani has just released the four track EP "Why Do I Love Her" – recorded live at the Tabernacle in London. By Richard MarcusMore

Album review: Reem Kelani′s ″Live at the Tabernacle″: Cultivating fusion Reem Kelani – "Sprinting Gazelle": "I defend my right to defend my right"Official Reem Kelani website

Egyptian artist Soad Abdelrasoul at her exhibition opening in Cairo's Mashrabiya Gallery (photo: Jacob Wirtschafter)

Portrait of the Egyptian artist Soad Abdelrasoul

Creating her own universe

With her "Virtual Garden" exhibition at the trend-setting Mashrabiya Gallery in downtown Cairo, the 45-year-old painter Soad Abdelrasoul has confirmed her place as one of Egyptʹs leading contemporary artists. By Mahmoud SaberMore

Portrait of the Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib: "We are more similar than dissimilar""Human Cargo" art project: Plumbing the depths of refugee pain 4th Qalandiya International art exhibition: Showing for Palestinian solidarity

French author Cecile Oumhani (source: YouTube)

Book review: Cecile Oumhaniʹs "Tunisian Yankee"

Life is elsewhere

In her award-winning historical novel, French author Cecile Oumhani depicts the life story of a young Tunisian, who dreams of airship travel and a free and autonomous life, until his odyssey takes him via New York to the battlefields of the First World War. By Volker KaminskiMore

Interview with Habib Selmi: "Tunisians are mature enough"Book review: Joseph Andras′ ″De nos freres blesses″: A shameful chapter Germans and Ottomans in the First World War: A partnership of privilege

Turkish acting legends Metin Akpinar and Mujdat Gezen (photo: picture-alliance/abaca/Depo Photos)

Artists in Turkey

Erdogan′s new targets

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is cracking down on artists, strongly rejecting any criticism, even from those with conservative backing. But what does he hope to gain from the increasingly aggressive tirades? By Aram Ekin DuranMore

German-Turkish film festival defies the odds: Sending a message Turkish pianist Fazil Say sentenced for insulting Islam: Playing the wrong tune Turkish Television Series: Muhtesem Yuzyil: Too much sex, too little heroism

Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib and artist-in-residence at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia (photo: Erwin Thamm)

Portrait of the Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib

"We are more similar than dissimilar"

Since 9/11, Beirut-born Lebanese-American artist Helen Zughaib has used her art to project positive images of Arabs and the Middle East to a mostly American audience. Based in politically charged Washington D.C., her goal is not to take sides, but highlight the consequences of life-changing situations. By Yasmine SalamMore

"Human Cargo" art project: Plumbing the depths of refugee pain 4th Qalandiya International art exhibition: Showing for Palestinian solidarity "Modern Art in the Arab World: Primary Documents": Pioneering volume or seminal work?

Turkish author Omur Iklim Demir (photo: Omur Iklim Demir)

Book review: Omur Iklim Demirʹs "Buch der entbehrlichen Gedanken"

Artfully enigmatic

The Turkish writer Omur Iklim Demir walks a fine line between realism and surrealism. And the stories in his "Buch der entbehrlichen Gedanken" (The book of superfluous thoughts) succeed in creating such a whirl of time and space that the reader is continually confounded. By Joseph CroitoruMore

Interview with the Turkish author Baris Uygur: "Even we're lost for words sometimes"Book review: "Embers" by Murat Uyurkulak: The oddballs of Ominosia A literary anthology of the Gezi protests: Gezi lives!

Mauritanian author Mbarek Ould Beyrouk (Editions Elyzad, Tunisia)

Book review: Mbarek Ould Beyroukʹs "The Desert and the Drum"

One of a kind

Mbarek Ould Beyroukʹs "The Desert and the Drum" centres on a young womanʹs coming-to-political-consciousness in contemporary Mauritania. Winner of an English PEN Award, this translation, from the French by Rachael McGill, is being touted as the first-ever Mauritanian novel to be published in English. Marcia Lynx Qualey read the bookMore

Interview with literary translator Hartmut Faehndrich: "What I don't see is an on-going interest in Arabic literature"Interview with Mauritanian artist Saleh Lo: "If I can restore some of their dignity, my work will have been a success"Book review: Mohamedou Ould Slahi's "Guantanamo diary": Diary entries from the darkness

Still taken from Mohammed Ben Atiaʹs "Dear Son" (distributed by BAC Films)

Mohamed Ben Attiaʹs "Dear Son"

O Sami, my son, my son

Of the many books, plays and films inspired by the story of the Islamic State movement, "Dear Son" by Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia offers something different. Far from the drama of the battlefield, he focuses on the anguish of the family that the fighter leaves behind. By Schayan RiazMore

A new age dawns for Tunisian cinema: Press reboot!Raed Andoni's "Ghost Hunting" at the Berlinale: The ghosts that lurk Interview with director Tamer El Said: "In the Last Days of the City": Between light and dark

Iranian author Fariba Vafi (photo: Nashr-e Markaz)

Book review: Fariba Vafi′s "Der Traum von Tibet"

Women suffering in silence

Fariba Vafi is one of Iran′s most popular contemporary novelists. Written in her unmistakeably lucid, almost simple style, her latest novel to be translated into German once again looks at the issue of female identity and the role of women in a changing Iranian society. By Volker KaminskiMore

Interview with the Iranian author Fariba Vafi: "Cliches have no place in writing″Fariba Vafi's novel ''My Bird'': The Iranian dream of emigration Book review: "I'm Probably Lost" by Sara Salar: Silent rebellion

Gate of Tehran – Days of Experimental Sounds

Welcome to the Persian sound laboratory

Mehdi "Peter" Pirhosseinlou lives and works as an artist in Tehran. He regularly organises concerts and festivals in Iran with the artist collective "House No. 4", which he founded. "Gate of Tehran" is an electronic sound spectacle currently showcasing in Berlin. Interview by Laura OvermeyerMore

Official "House No. 4" website Music and power in Iran: An instrument of propaganda and control The history of jazz in Iran: Creating a confluence

Ayca Mirac performs at Jazz Schmiede in Dusseldorf, 14 March 2018 (source: Facebook; photo: Michael Weilandt)

Album review: Ayca Miracʹ "Lazjazz"

The magic of the Laz

Drawing on her Laz and Turkish heritage, the German-born singer Ayca Mirac has just released her first album – "Lazjazz" – a fascinating blend of ancient melodies, spellbinding dance rhythms and intimate jazz. Review by Stefan FranzenMore

Album review: Gaye Su Akyolʹs "Istikrarl Hayal Hakikattir": Singing the revolution Syrian oud player Bahur Ghazi: Hoping for a phoenix Ravid Kahalani's Yemen blues: ''Your language is my language''

Festival of feminist artists

Loud, louder, tashweesh!

At the Goethe-Institutʹs Tashweesh Festival, artists and intellectuals from North Africa, Europe and the Middle East meet to discuss stereotypical gender images. By Caren MiesenbergerMore

Interview with the Egyptian theatre director Laila Soliman: Revolutions past and present Book review: Zahra Ali's "Islamic Feminisms": Female emancipation based on the spirit of Sharia Suspended Territories exhibition: Beyond the veil

Egyptian BookTubers Nada El Shabrawi and Shady (photo: Goethe-Institut)

Literary trends

Introducing Egypt's BookTubers

Nada El Shabrawi was the first Egyptian to create her own professional BookTubing channel in 2017. In her videos she talks about books that have struck a nerve with her. Shady also produces shows online that offer tips on literature. In interview, the two discuss this new trend, their passion for literature and the Arab public's responseMore

Profile: Hoda Marmar, administrator of Beirutʹs Bookoholics: Truly, madly, deeply into books Arab teens and Young Adult literature: The new wave Kurdistan′s Book Cafe: In praise of female entrepreneurs

Islamic scholar Peter Heine (source: Klaus Wagenbach Verlag)

Book review: Peter Heineʹs "The Culinary Crescent"

Pepper... a universally-used condiment

Delving into Peter Heine's cookbook, now also available in English, you are left with the feeling that he bit off more than he could chew. "The Culinary Crescent" reads like a mishmash of a thousand and one culinary arts. By Marcia Lynx QualeyMore

Non-fiction: ″Scents & Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook″: Muslim master chefs In praise of fusion food: Hummus with a twist International understanding through cuisine: Food for thought

Mohamed El Sagheerʹs "Gallert Epic"

Hamlet in Egyptian

What would actually happen if the famous theatre hero Hamlet were to rise from the dead and live among us? Would the Prince of Denmark be able to cope with the modern world? Or would another tragedy ensue, as in Shakespeare's play from the early 17th century? By Eslam AnwarMore

"Mahatat" dance project in Cairo: Stop and dance!Book review: ″Tahrir Tales: Plays from the Egyptian Revolution″: The drama of protest Cairo's Al Darb Al Ahmar Art School: The chance of a lifetime

Jafar Panahiʹs "Three Faces"

An anti-feminist manifesto

In May 2018, Jafar Panahiʹs film "Three Faces" was screened at the Cannes International Film Festival and won the prize for the best screenplay. It is the Iranian film directorʹs fourth film since the Mullah regime sentenced him to a 20-year ban on travel and work in 2010. Review by Fahimeh FarsaieMore

A taxi ride through Tehran Jafar Panahi's "Offside": Protected from the profanities of the bellowing fans Obituary: the Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami: Pioneering spirit Silent and moving images from Abbas Kiarostami

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

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

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