Health
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Documentary film: "For Sama"
The girl from a country in ruins
"For Sama", the film by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts that was crowned best European documentary at the last European Film Awards, gives us a very personal view of the war in Syria and the suffering of the civilian population. By Schayan Riaz
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Zanzibar's traditional healers
Traditional healers are booming on the island of Zanzibar. The so-called Mgangas use herbs, massages and holy scriptures for their treatment. Above all, their patients seek protection from evil spirits. By Nermin Ismail
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Suicide on the rise in Tunisia
A last desperate stand
Tunisia is considered a paragon of the Arab Spring. Despite democratic reforms, however, a mood of political frustration and economic despair still prevails, particularly among young people. Since 2011 the country has seen an increase in the number of suicides – an act some see as a form of political protest. By Hannah El-Hitami
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Social inequality in the Arab world
There is no state in Lebanon
Poverty is more than a lack of money, as the World Bank definition confirms. Moreover, it is harder to bear in countries where social inequality is more marked and individuals have less chance of social advancement. Mona Naggar recounts her observations from living in Beirut
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Organ trafficking
Profiting from Pakistanʹs poor
Many people in Pakistan regard selling their organs as their only way of escaping poverty. Muhammad Iqbal was one of them. He sold one of his kidneys. Today the father of eight is a broken man. Sattar Khan reports from Lahore
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Book review: Dima Wannousʹ "Die Veraengstigten"
Naked despair laid bare
In 2011, the year of the Syrian revolution, Dima Wannous left her homeland and moved to Beirut. At that point she had published a volume of short stories and a novel, but afterwards she suffered writerʹs block. Her new novel is something of a personal account about overcoming trauma in the wake of dictatorship and war. By Volker Kaminski
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Civil society in Africa
Sudan′s young people roll up their sleeves
Sudan′s younger generation has already faced all manner of crises, from the conflicts and struggles of a country in the process of breaking apart, economic crises, to problems in health and education. It′s a generation that anticipates the worst and has no concept of peace. But idle? Hardly. By Abdul Salam al-Haj
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Syria′s traumatised children
The horror that never fades
Children in Syria are growing up as a traumatised generation. Many have never known life without war. Processing such experiences is extremely difficult, says psychologist Elise Bittenbinder in interview with Jeannette Cwienk
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Attempts to decriminalise hashish in the Arab world
To legalise or not to legalise
In a number of Arab countries, people have launched campaigns to have hashish legalised. So far, their efforts have met with little success: there is still stiff opposition from both conservative politicians and religious circles. By Reda Ghoneim
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"Aleppo Evil" spreading in Syria
A plague of parasites
The "Aleppo Evil" is spreading rapidly in Syria – an infectious disease spread by sandflies, insects for which the rubble of destroyed cities offers the perfect breeding ground. And once again, the West is looking the other way. By Stefan Buchen
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Morocco's abortion ban
Acknowledging reality
There are plans afoot to liberalise Morocco's abortion laws. While an initial draft reform presented by the Ministers for Justice, Religious Affairs and Human Rights in mid-May has been sharply criticised by some women's rights organisations, doctors are expressing cautious optimism. By Martina Sabra
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Health and immigration in Germany
Language barriers to psychotherapy for immigrants
Language is a crucial part of therapy when treating psychological disorders. Yet how is therapy possible when the therapist and the patient don't even speak the same language? This is often a huge problem for immigrants. Marcus Lütticke has the details