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Cultivating fusion

Since the early 1990s, the Palestinian-British singer, musicologist and broadcaster Reem Kelani has carved a unique niche for herself on the Arab and international music scenes. Her new album ″Reem Kelani: Live at the Tabernacle″ provides renewed confirmation of her rare talent. By Susannah Tarbush

Between the pots and pans

The Arabic music scene is booming. The Goethe-Institut is therefore creating new spaces and networking opportunities for local artists. Living rooms and kitchens from Tunis to Baghdad are being converted into concert halls. The Musikraum project showcases the sound of Middle Eastern indie-pop between the pots and pans and reveals what it is that Sudanese girl groups sing about. By Friederike van Stephaudt

Voice of the people

Cairo is a mecca for lovers of Arab underground and independent music. Although the government and the Egyptian Music Syndicate are constantly trying to intimidate bands and eliminate critical texts, Cairo′s music scene retains something of the spirit of the Egyptian revolution. Claudia Mende interviews Egyptian DJ and musician Mohammed Safi

Once valued, now proscribed

In recent months, both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have begun withdrawing literature relating to the Muslim Brotherhood from the public domain. Tracts and treatises that once held pride of place on bookshelves – with some even enjoying official textbook status – are being confiscated and burned. By Joseph Croitoru

A drop in the ocean?

The Suez Canal extension can be seen as a political success for Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. But Egyptian experts doubt that a single large-scale project such as this will be enough to power up Egypt's sluggish economy. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo

The Ethic of Dance Is a Shock for Many

The eighth contemporary dance festival "On Marche" is taking place in Marrakesh this year. In spite of the fact that there is still considerable resistance to the idea of dance, the festival still manages to turn public places into open stages which are enthusiastically received by the public. By Astrid Kaminski

″Where are the youth?″

Back in early 2011, there was a spark of hope. The entire international community appreciated the Arab Spring uprisings, which were driven by young people demanding change in Egypt and other Arab countries. It seemed that everything was going to be fine. Six years later, a sense of gloom prevails in Egypt. By Basma El-Mahdy

"Walls of Freedom": immortalising the Egyptian Revolution

Graveyard silence replaces revolutionary euphoria

On the first anniversary of Egypt's January revolution, there was a huge festival on Cairo's central Tahrir Square. On the fourth anniversary, demonstrations were banned and the square blocked off by the army. By Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo

U.S.-Iranian conflict set to escalate

Trump’s sweet revenge could swiftly turn bitter, after all the U.S. attack is a direct declaration of war against the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and its elite Quds troops commanded by Soleimani. By Karim El-Gawhary