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Tunisia and the European Union

Rebooting Democracy

Much to the disappointment of the protesters, both individual EU member states and the EU itself have been slow to react to the events in Tunisia. As Tunisia's most important partner, the EU has the opportunity to support the regime change in a constructive manner. By Isabel Schäfer
Hosni Mubarak's Resignation

Pharaoh KO

We are experiencing a key moment in world history, in the light of which the events in Tunisia – as vital as they were for the Egyptian revolution – seem like a mere overture, writes Stefan Weidner
Interview with Abed Azrié

Orient and Occident in Balance

Syrian artist Abed Azrié was born in Aleppo and has lived in Paris since 1967. He says that only there is he able to develop freely. Suleman Taufiq visited him in his home district of Montmartre
Interview with Abed Azrié

An Exploration of Contemporary Music and Oriental Heritage

In his latest album "Venessia" the Syrian musician Abed Azrié opens himself once again to a wide range of thematic sources and musical influences. Saleh Diab spoke with the artist, who now lives in Paris
Berber Singer Houria Aïchi

"Infatuated with Mythical Cavaliers"

Algerian Berber Houria Aïchi's new project bravely brings an archaic Berber tradition into the modern age. Stefan Franzen spoke with the musician, who lives in France
Moroccan Youth between Rock and Gnawa

Shouting for Change

Many young Moroccans feel that the country's mainstream media are offering them a very limited notion of musical culture. But with the evolution of the Internet, international music has become more easily accessible. Layla Al-Zubaidi reports
The Appeal of Moroccan Gnawa Music for Jazz and Pop

A Trance-scendent Fusion

The interplay of gnawa groups with famous jazz, pop and blues musicians from all over the world is the trademark of Morocco's Essauira festival. Why exactly does gnawa exert such a fascination over international musicians? Andreas Kirchgäßner takes a look
The Tuareg Band "Tinariwen" from Mali

From Armed Struggle to Music

Only when the governments of Mali and Niger negotiated peace agreements with the Tuareg, did the musicians of the band Tinariwen swap their Kalashnikovs for guitars and focus on music. Naima El Moussaoui met their guitarist Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni
Jon Balke's and Amina Alaoui's Album "Siwan"

The Free Spirit of Al Andalus

As opposed to medieval Europe, the arts in Muslim Spain, were free. Now the album "Siwan" celebrates the music and the spirit of Al Andalus, demonstrating that Islamic civilization is one of the cornerstones of Western culture, as writes Richard Marcus
New West-Eastern Jazz Divan

A Humanist Consensus for a Multicultural Society

Back in the seventies, when the first experiments bringing Western and Eastern music together in jazz were taking place, musicians trusted in the power of the sounds themselves. Since 9/11, such experiments have taken their orientation from religious, literary and philosophical texts, as Alessandro Topa found out when he listened to three new releases on the ECM label