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Sudanese Films & Directors We Should All Know
Suhaib Gasmelbari’s 2019 documentary Talking About Trees Image is a celebration of cinema and film, following four retired filmmakers as they work to reopen an outdoor cinema in Omdurman. Image via Hollywood Reporter.
DJ amen RA Compiles Music From Egypt We Should All Be Listening to Right Now
DJ amen RA (aka Ramy Abou El Oyoun) introduces us to Egyptian sounds and artists we should have on our radar. The first half of the playlist focuses on the instrumental side of the producers. The second highlights some of his favorite hip-hop artists, each with a unique voice and sound.
Tsawwar... Jinane Ennasri
Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. The second of this series is Jinane Ennasri, a Moroccan photographer.
More Pyramids Are Still Standing in Sudan Today Than in Egypt
A history of Sudan’s Nubian pyramids and why they look different from their counterparts in Giza. Image via Intro Africa.
Oscar Niemeyer's Unfinished Fair in Tripoli
A brief look at the Tripoli International Fair (Rashid Karameh International Exhibition Center), an unfinished relic of modernist architecture from the 1960s built on southern Tripoli’s orange orchards. Image via Anthony Saroufim & Design Boom.
Listen, Read, Watch: Iraq
A curated Listen, Watch, Read list spotlighting works from Iraq. Featuring an album by Natik Awayez, poetry by Nizak al-Mala’ika and Maysoon Pachachi’s 2021 film Our River….Our Sky.
Sah El Nawm: An Iconic Syrian TV Comedy Series
Mai J Abbassi reminisces about Sah El Nawm — a Syrian comedy series from the 70s — from huddling round windows to catch the newest episode to its satirical undertones and the love triangle at the heart of the show.
Kuwait’s 31 Iconic Water Towers
A brief history of Kuwait City’s iconic water towers — looking at their architectural design that brings together local and international aesthetic with functional purpose.
Rayess Bek’s Musical Evolution and Inspirations
Over his career, Wael Kodeih has gone by many names: From Aks’ser, Good Bye Schlöndorff to Rayess Bek, and his music has evolved with it. Here you’ll find the links to all the tracks mentioned in his Quartertones interview.
Tsawwar... Tanya Traboulsi
Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. The first of this series is Tanya Traboulsi, a Lebanese photographer.
Arabic Covers of International Hits: a Mixtape by The Lick Records
Compiled by record store owner Mohamad Rifaï (aka @ri_fo) who's behind @thelickrecords in Beirut, and features some of his favorite Arabic interpretations of international hits that even your grandad might know.
Listen, Read, Watch: Resistance
A curated Listen, Watch, Read list spotlighting works of resistance from Palestine. With work by Riad Awwan, Tawfiq Zayyad and Rakan Mayasi.
Who Built Casablanca?
A look at Casablanca’s colonial-era architecture and its main figures.
Kuwait's Drive-In Cinemas of the 1970s
A nostalgic personal essay in which Ghada Al-Bahar takes us back to the drive-in cinemas of 70s Kuwait.
Remembering Waddah Faris
Waddah Faris was one of the Arab world’s most foremost cultural figures. In this profile, Mysa Kafil-Hussein looks back on his vibrant life and his wonderful photography.
A Mixtape To Celebrate Music by Arab Women
Music writer and curator Danny Hajjar has compiled a five-and-a-half-hour long mixtape that celebrates the voices of some of the best up-and-coming (but also some old favorite) musicians from the Arab world. Make sure to play it at your next party.
Listen, Read, Watch: Algeria
A curated Listen, Watch, Read list from Algeria, featuring work by Dahmane El Harrachi, Mohammed Dib and Mounia Meddour.
Curating an Artist's (and Parent's) Biography
This blog dives further into the lives and artwork of Amine El Bacha, Paul Guiragossian and Saloua Raouda Choucair. Three leading artists of Lebanon’s art world, they were the focus of a Moving Biographies podcast episode entitled “Curating an artist’s (and parent’s) biography” — which featured a conversation between Mahita El Bacha Urieta, Manuella Guiragossian and Hala Schoukair — daughters of each artist respectively.
Andy Clarno Recommends Books on Transnational Solidarity & Liberation
Author and Associate Professor Andy Clarno’s book recommendations to learn more about transnational solidarity and liberation.
The Baron: Syria's First Hotel
A vibrant personal essay and travelogue that transports us to Aleppo’s iconic Baron Hotel, weaving together its history with its present.