Morocco’s Bīylmawn Festival and the Threat of Cultural Attrition
The Bīylmawn festival has recently made a comeback but not everyone is pleased with the highly stylized and artistically reimagined carnival.
Essays
Dune in 2024: A World Beyond Saving
The meta-narrative in Frank Herbert's Dune trilogy foresees the modern disaster of never-ending colonialism and a planet destroyed by oil.
Flaubert’s Poison Pen
Flaubert's theory of meaning and form rests on a mystical conception of the nature of writing, alongside the theory of music in writing.
The Mourning Diaries of Atash Shakarami
The diaries provide a complex double-layered narrative of Nika as a victim of regime brutality, and of Atrash as a survivor of state horror.
The Butcher’s Assistant—a true story set in Alexandria
While studying abroad in Alexandria, Bel Parker becomes a butcher's apprentice to immerse herself in the local language and culture.
How to Write About Kurdistan
A writer's satirical guide on how to write about the hapless, subjugated Kurds, if you're not already filming them for a documentary.
Wajdi Mouawad’s “Controversial” Wedding Day
Al Jadid editor Elie Chalala finds that Lebanese intellectuals’ defense of expat director Wadji Mouawad contrasts with state chokehold on freedom of expression.
A Bicentennial Remembrance of Lord Byron, Among Greeks & Turks
Lord Byron, a theatrical poet, created the concept of celebrity and, with his poetry, brought the Ottoman world to European audiences.
Omar Naim Exclusive: Two Films on Beirut & Theatre
Omar Naim set out to create a film about the Lebanese theatre scene where stage honesty clashes with street deceit.
Arab Shakespeare?
Georgina Van Welie, co-founder of Sabab theatre, shares her perspective on the "Arab" Shakespeare Trilogy for the first time
Palestine, Political Theatre & the Performance of Queer Solidarity in Jean Genet’s Prisoner of Love
"Prisoner of Love" acknowledges the limitations of language in capturing the reality of the Palestinian revolution, writes Saleem Haddad.
Laughing for Change—Activist Theatre Tours Egypt
Hara TV3 harnessed interactive theatre and comedy to address gender-based violence and FGM in Egypt writes its founder Nada Sabet.
What Is Home?—Gazans Redefine Place Amid Displacement
Continuously displaced Palestinians redefine "home" in Osama Kahlout’s surprising photographs from the war on Gaza.
A Small Kernel of Human Kindness: Some Notes on Solidarity and Resistance
Empathy requires knowledge and collective action to avoid blindly following the crowds, writes Nancy Kricorian.
Postscript: Disrupting the Colonial Gaze—Gaza and Israel after October 7th
In which the authors argue that, "If Israel, with Western support, achieves its aims in Gaza, it will constitute the end of fellowship among inhabitants of this planet."