Culture

"Palestine 36"

A film tracing the roots of colonial violence

"Palestine 36" depicts the 1936-1939 revolt against British Mandate rule. It recreates an often-forgotten turning point in Palestinian history in vivid detail.
By Asmaa al-Ghoul
Berlin-based rapper Siba

"Rage can be very constructive"

With "Dounana", Siba has struck a chord. Rapped in Arabic, the track takes aim at colonialism and imperialism and is spreading rapidly online. A conversation about anger, injustice and empowerment.
By Atifa Qazi
Lebanese film "Do You Love Me"

A complicated love

Lana Daher’s new film "Do You Love Me" is a journey through Lebanon’s film archives. Using collage, it traces the history of a country given to repressing its complicated and violent past.
By Hannah El-Hitami
Syrian novelist

The paradox of Colette Khoury

Syrian author Colette Khoury has died at 95. She wrote with unusual courage about women’s freedom, yet spent her later decades in the service of a regime that stifled the very ideals she once championed.
By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
Marrakesh and Casablanca

Two cities shaping contemporary art in Morocco

Morocco's art scene is diverse and growing, spanning independent spaces, commercial galleries and international fairs. While Marrakesh positions itself as a global hub, Casablanca's scene is closely tied to its history and political reality.
By Naima Morelli
Saudi poetry today

Between nomadic past and digital present

The new poetry anthology "Tracing the Ether" brings together 26 poets responding to a rapidly changing Saudi Arabia. It offers a rare glimpse of a literary scene whose breadth has yet to be fully reflected in English translation.
By Marcia Lynx Qualey
Club culture in Germany

Sounds of the "Stadtbild"

In Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne, "SWANA"-focused events are filling clubs. DJs and organisers are forging hybrid sounds drawn from South-West Asian and North African musical traditions, asserting identity in the face of exclusionary political rhetoric on migration.
By Nadine Schnelzer
Language politics

Can English replace French in Algeria?

English is gaining ground in Algeria's education system, challenging the long-standing dominance of French, a remnant of colonial rule. But the shift is far from straightforward, testing the ability of schools and universities to adapt.
By Nourredine Bessadi
Ramadan TV specials

Syrian drama after Assad

Television dramas are a Ramadan staple in Syria. This year, for the first time, viewers watched series written in a post-Assad era, some confronting past trauma, others offering satirical critique, sparking fierce debate over how the country's stories should be told.
By Sham al-Sabsabi
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas

A life rethinking the foundations of knowledge

Malaysian philosopher and polymath Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas has died aged 94. A lifelong critic of Western intellectual dominance, his work has shaped debates on modernity and education across the Muslim world.
By Muhammed Nafih Wafy
Author Taleb Alrefai

A window into the Kuwaiti soul

Does the German literary scene have a blind spot when it comes to Arabic literature? Abdulrahman Afif makes the case for the works of Kuwaiti writer Taleb Alrefai, whose socially critical literature deftly side-steps orientalist expectations.
By Abdulrahman Afif
Mukabela in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A distinctive and enduring Ramadan tradition

For Bosnian Muslims, mukabela, the daily communal recitation of the Qur'an, is an essential part of Ramadan. The tradition dates back to the Prophet Muhammad, was popularised under Ottoman rule and has survived dictatorship and war.
By Davud Muminović