Culture

Architecture in Libya

Reclaiming a vanishing colonial heritage

As Benghazi’s Italian-era architecture slowly disappears, an exhibition brings together architects and artists rethinking the city’s history — reassessing the colonial past without celebrating it.
By Naima Morelli
Cherien Dabis's "All That's Left of You"

Palestinian identity on screen

In "All That's Left of You", Cherien Dabis intertwines a three-generation family saga with the history of Israel and Palestine, placing her within a growing movement of filmmakers negotiating Palestinian identity through cinema.
By Amin Farzanefar
"In the Land of the Forgotten" by Aliyeh Ataei

Stories of war and the fight for freedom

With a keen sense for nuance, Aliyeh Ataei describes a life between Iran and Afghanistan, one marked by resistance, a search for identity and constant confrontation with social norms.
By Gerrit Wustmann
Algeria

A DIY cultural renaissance

A new independent, youth-led movement is reshaping Algerian culture. Four young artists reflect on their experiences and efforts to carve out space outside of official frameworks.
By Nourredine Bessadi
Art in Istanbul

Curating on shifting ground

The art world came to Turkey in September for two high-profile events: Contemporary Istanbul and the 18th Istanbul Biennial. Against a backdrop of political crisis and growing censorship, organisers and artists found creative ways to stay relevant.
By Naima Morelli
Jina Khayyer's "In the Heart of the Cat"

The Iran that Germany wants to see

A novel about Iran, full of errors, clichés and exoticism—yet lauded in Germany. "In the Heart of the Cat" exposes how readily the German market embraces stereotypes, as long as they fit readers' expectations.
By Omid Rezaee
Zia Qasemi's "The Midnight Collector"

Afghanistan—a restless country

A short life that represents an entire country: in "The Midnight Collector", Zia Qasemi recounts the life story of a man with a physical disability and reveals why Afghanistan has much more to tell us than we often believe.
By Gerrit Wustmann
Documentary "The Moelln Letters"

An indictment of forgetting

In 1992, shortly after German reunification, neo-Nazis in Mölln carried out an arson attack targeting Turkish families. "The Moelln Letters" follows the survivors, who just recently discovered the hundreds of letters of solidarity withheld from them for decades.
By Schayan Riaz
Artists in Syria

Reclaiming space, testing limits

Since Assad's fall, Syrian artists and intellectuals have been seeking ways to respond to a transformed reality. Four cultural workers reflect on the shape of the cultural sphere in the new Syria.
By Mohammed Magdy
Afghan poet Matiullah Turab

A critical voice even the Taliban listened to

Afghan poet Matiullah Turab has unexpectedly died. Turab saw himself as the modest voice of a tormented people—and even the extremists listened.
By Emran Feroz
Books on Israel-Palestine

The perennial question of the West

New publications on the Israel-Palestine conflict: Alena Jabarine writes about inequality and arbitrary violence in the West Bank, Omar El Akkad settles scores with the West and Gilbert Achcar analyses the ideological roots of Hamas and Zionism.
By Elias Feroz
Moroccan Gnawa festival

A Sufi tradition on the world stage

A festival in Morocco is bringing Gnawa music to the mainstream. Shaped by migration, slavery and a long struggle for recognition, the once marginalised Sufi tradition is now internationally renowned.
By Vanessa Barisch