Most recent articles by Schayan Riaz
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"The Seed of the Sacred Fig"The story of an Oscar nomination
Shot and set in Iran, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" is this year's Oscar nomination from Germany. The film deftly portrays political and intergenerational conflicts in Iranian society but ignores the Kurdish origins of the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement.
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"The Lionesses of Afghanistan"No more 'white saviours', please
Journalist Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi was forced to flee Afghanistan with her family as a child and grew up in Germany. To mark the publication of her book "The Lionesses of Afghanistan", she spoke to Qantara.de about growing up between two cultures, her focus on Afghan women and the media's distorted view of the country. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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Djinns, migration and racism"You don't have to be Huseyin or Emine to understand"
Columnist and editor Fatma Aydemir is one of the most scintillating voices in new German literature. In her latest novel, "Djinns", she tells a migrant family story from six different perspectives. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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Cem Kaya on Turkish pop cultureAs multi-faceted as Asia Minor
Known for his documentary films about Turkish pop culture, German-born director Cem Kaya's latest work "Liebe, D-Mark und Tod" (Love, Deutschmarks and Death) focuses on the musical culture of Turkish migrants in Germany. He talks to Schayan Riaz about his creative processes, German-Turkish relations and of course, about the music
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Muslims in the WestCan democracy tolerate Muslims at all?
"Muslimaniac" is what political scientist Ozan Zakariya Keskinkilic calls Western society's invention of Muslims as a problem: a shimmering term that mixes social construction and obsession with the passionate, ironic spirit of breaking free from stereotypes. Brilliantly and bitingly, he writes about consistent alienation and paves the way towards rapprochement. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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First ever antidiscrimination chatbotMeta: standing up to racism
Former lawyer Said Haider has invented a chatbot for those seeking advice on anti-discrimination issues – Meta is the first chatbot of its kind in the world. In conversation with Qantara.de, Haider talks about the development of Meta, his experience of discrimination and Meta's future prospects
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Interview with Iranian-German author Siba Shakib"The notion of home is bound up with loss"
Iranian-German author and filmmaker Siba Shakib was born in Tehran. Her best-selling novels deal with themes of heritage and the past. She speaks to Qantara.de about her new novel "Der Kirschbaum, den sie ihrer Mutter nie schenkte" (The Cherry Tree She Never Gave Her Mother), home, religion and the identity politics debate. Interview conducted by Schayan Riaz
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Isabella Hammad on "The Parisian"A new generation of Palestinian artists
Isabella Hammad’s "The Parisian" is an engaging and accomplished debut based on the life of her great-grandfather. Set during the end of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Palestinian nationalism, it is a classic coming-of-age novel. In interview with Schayan Riaz, the young British author with Palestinian roots talks about racism, the publishing world and giving a voice to Palestinians
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Podcast on the Hanau terrorist attack one year on"From 1990 to 2020 Germany's far right killed about 200 people"
On 19 February 2020, a right-wing terrorist murdered nine people in the German city of Hanau: Gokhan Gultekin, Sedat Gurbuz, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Hamza Kurtovic, Vili Viorel Paun, Fatih Saracoglu, Ferhat Unvar und Kaloyan Velkov. Journalists Sham Jaff and Aline Jabarine talk to Schayan Riaz about the ongoing search for answers
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Interview with Irish author Colum McCann"Apeirogon" – an entire kaleidoscope of pain
Israeli Rami Elhanan’s daughter Smadar was killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber in 1997, Palestinian Bassam Aramin’s daughter Abir was shot in the head ten years later by Israeli border police. Irish author Colum McCann takes the lives of these two men as a starting point to tell a story of war, friendship, grief and hope. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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Interview with Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri"We are lucky to be alive today"
In August 1978, four men set fire to the Cinema Rex in the Iranian city of Abadan, killing more than four hundred people inside. The event is said to have started the Iranian Revolution to overthrow the Shah's regime. Forty years later, "Careless Crime" by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri depicts four men planning to burn down a cinema in a contemporary Iran where ghosts of the past haunt the current society. Interview by Schayan Riaz
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Interview with Melisa Erkurt on her book "Generation haram""Teachers must be taught not to become racists in class"
Melisa Erkurt came to Austria from Bosnia as a child with her parents. As a journalist, she now writes about education, which is also the subject of her latest book “Generation haram”, which focuses on education’s so-called losers. Interview by Schayan Riaz