Arab culture
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Alcohol ban in SyriaWill Damascus soon sober up?
In June, a ban on serving alcohol is due to come into force in Damascus. Bar owners are worried, while the population remains divided. Some consider the ban necessary, others see it as a serious infringement on personal freedoms.
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"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.
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Historical photographs of SyriaAn obsessive archivist
Ahmed Hasan sold his house to pursue a passion for historical photographs. His collection traces Syria's history through everyday life.
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Literature in YemenThe last bastion of beauty
Yemen's cultural scene has been hard hit by years of war, but not completely silenced. While many writers and intellectuals have left the country, the small literary club Alamaqah remains active, a testament to the resilience of Yemeni culture.
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Artists in SyriaReclaiming 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.
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Stefan Weidner on pre-Islamic poetry"Poetry in its true fullness"
Stefan Weidner has gathered pre-Islamic poems and translated them into German. His new book "The Arabic Divan" revisits these centuries-old works and explores how their verses serve as a vibrant predecessor to today's social media.
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Bushra Khalfan's "Dilshad"Three generations of Omani history
Bushra Khalfan's award-winning "Dilshad" traces the story of one family through 20th-century Oman, shedding light on the untold stories of marginalised women and their fight for agency.
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Samia Mehrez's "The Many Lives of Ibrahim Nagui"Reframing a divided legacy
Ibrahim Nagui was a pioneer of Egyptian romantic poetry. In this new part-biography, part-memoir, his granddaughter Samia Mehrez offers an intimate view of his work and influence.
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French-Moroccan band Bab L'BluzMorocco's electrifying abundance
Swaken is the title of the second album from French-Moroccan quartet Bab L'Bluz. The band based around singer Yousra Mansour delves even further into the facets of the music found between the Atlantic coast and the Sahara
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Middle East conflictLife in Palestine before the Nakba
"Against Erasure" documents the diversity of life in Palestine before the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948, building a solid foundation for sorely needed, well-grounded discourse on the Middle East
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Jordan's natural heritageJordan's mission to save its ancient olive trees
Many of Jordan's olive trees are an integral part of the country's identity and culture. Having survived thousands of years, they are now under threat from a series of very modern phenomena
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Fikra culture magazineShowcasing Palestinian perspectives
Fikra culture magazine publishes literature and art by Palestinians from all over the world. The editors hope it will serve as a platform for the dispersed community to debate and dream – and defend itself against censorship from all sides
