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.
Essays
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.
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.
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.
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."
Genocide
In her latest essay, writer Jenine Abboushi reminds us that the ethnic cleansing and destruction of Palestinian society did not begin on October 7th.
Memory Archive: Between Remembering and Forgetting
Mai Al-Nakib explores memory, forgetting, and writing through the lenses of Woolf, Proust, and a Wim Wenders film.
Regarding the Photographs of Others—An Iraqi Journey Toward Remembering
Photographs of Iraqis imply doom due to generational violence, even in happy pictures.
A Proustian Alexandria
Claiming a past that never existed previously in the city, nostalgia overwhelms the inhabitants of Alexandria, writes Mohamed Gohar.