IRAQ : The first word: Iraqis find hope in Sumerian symbols
In a country where youth creativity increasingly thrives in the digital marketplace, a growing number of Iraqis are turning their gaze far back — to the dawn of civilization itself. Amid handmade crafts, digital art, and jewelry design, many are drawing inspiration from the symbols and stories of Sumer, the world’s first known civilization, which emerged more than 5,000 years ago in the fertile plains of southern Mesopotamia — the land that is today Iraq.
For these young Iraqis, the fascination extends beyond aesthetics. It reflects a concerted effort to reconnect with a heritage that laid humanity’s earliest foundations of urban life, law, and writing.
From Uruk and Ur to Eridu and Lagash, the influence of the Sumerian past still resonates across Iraq’s soil and memory. Now, those echoes are finding new expression — not in clay tablets, but in metal, leather, and digital design.
Future Wears History
Among those spearheading this revival is Mustafa al-Rudaini, an artist and archaeologist from Baghdad who blends ancient language with contemporary craftsmanship. He converts cuneiform inscriptions — the wedge-shaped characters of Sumerian — into bracelets, pendants, and artworks that merge history with modern design.
“The idea came to me while studying archaeology,” Rudaini explained to Shafaq News. “I realized how disconnected many Iraqis have become from their own ancient identity. Through art, I wanted to rebuild that connection.” His designs are meticulously researched, each symbol reflecting historical and linguistic accuracy.
Al-Rudaini’s work offers a window into the rebirth of a language once thought lost forever. The Sumerian language, spoken by the inhabitants of southern Mesopotamia around 3100 BCE, was the world’s first written tongue — etched into wet clay with reed styluses.
Although it disappeared as a spoken language by 2000 BCE, scholars preserved it through Akkadian translations, and in the 19th century, it was deciphered from cuneiform tablets unearthed in Iraq. Today, Sumerian attracts archaeologists, philologists, and increasingly, Iraqis seeking a renewed link to their ancient roots.
Al-Rudaini’s revival aligns with this growing curiosity. Online, Iraqis share posts about learning Sumerian symbols, while universities report rising interest in Mesopotamian studies. “There’s a sense of cultural reawakening,” al-Rudaini observed. “We’re rediscovering who we are — not just as Iraqis, but as heirs of civilization itself.”
His handcrafted pieces, featuring inscriptions such as “freedom,” “love,” “life,” and “strength” in cuneiform, resonate deeply with Iraq’s youth.
“Every piece carries a message,” he noted, emphasizing that it’s not merely jewelry — it is identity in tangible form.
Heritage Sells
Al-Rudaini’s creations quickly attracted attention on social media, drawing buyers from Iraq and abroad. “Orders came from students, archaeologists, and even tourists,” he mentioned. “People want to feel connected to something that embodies pride — a history that began here.”
Beyond individual artistry, the revival reflects a broader cultural movement — an embrace of Iraq’s layered heritage beneath modern complexities. The Sumerian aesthetic has permeated décor, tattoo art, and fashion. “Sumerian symbols are not just historical artifacts,” al-Rudaini highlighted. “They have become a form of expression — a way of saying: We remember.”
Dr. Munahel al-Saleh, a sociologist at the University of Baghdad, interprets this fascination as both emotional and psychological. “After decades of conflict and fragmentation, Iraqis are reclaiming continuity,” she observed, noting that by reaching back to Sumerian roots, they find stability and meaning that transcend modern divisions.
She further emphasized that Sumerian imagery — once confined to museum walls — has become an accessible language of pride. “These cultural revivals are not nostalgia. They are acts of resilience. The youth are using art and language to signal: We existed long before destruction, and we will exist long after it,” she added.
Oldest Word Rings
This rediscovery extends beyond scholars and artists. Across Iraq, young people increasingly explore cuneiform symbols and integrate them into daily life.
Tiba Hassan, a university student from Najaf, wears a necklace engraved with the Sumerian sign for “hope.” “It reminds me that my ancestors once wrote this same word in clay thousands of years ago,” she reflected. “It’s a bridge between me and them.”
Similarly, Raad Mahmoud, a craftsman from al-Nasiriyah — near the site of ancient Ur — described how visitors to his shop frequently request Sumerian-themed souvenirs. “They view it as a mark of authenticity,” he remarked, emphasizing that it is distinctly Iraqi, not imported or imitated.
For Dalia Qasim, a graphic designer in Mosul, cuneiform patterns have become an integral part of her digital creations, from posters to logos. By weaving these ancient symbols into modern design, she creates a bridge between past and present, allowing Iraq’s earliest expressions of language to resonate within contemporary visuals.
These individual accounts point to a larger truth: the revival of Sumerian symbols mirrors the revival of memory. The world’s oldest written language — once buried beneath millennia of dust — now speaks again through the hands of Iraq’s new generation.
source/content: shafaq.com/en (headline edited)
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IRAQ
ALGERIA : 2026 Mediterranean Games: Algeria Secures Three More Bronze Medals and Strong Boxing Advances
Algeria boosted its medal tally on Tuesday with three additional bronze medals at the ongoing Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy.
In freestyle wrestling, Chaïma Chebila claimed the bronze medal in the Under 53 kg category after a dominant 6-1 victory over Morocco’s Zineb Ech-Chabki.
Earlier on Tuesday, another Algerian wrestler, Ibtissem Doudou, secured the bronze medal in the Under 50 kg category by overcoming Egypt’s Malak Ahmed Hassan Mohamed with a tight 3-2 score.
These two bronze medals raise the Algerian wrestling team’s overall tally to seven medals (one gold, one silver, and five bronzes).
Meanwhile, Nour El Houda Maïdi earned a bronze medal in the “Raffa” (Boules) competition. Maïdi successfully edged past San Marino’s Stella Paoletti with a narrow 7-6 victory.
Boxing: A Trio Advances to the Semi-Finals
In boxing, three Algerian fighters punched their tickets to the semi-finals, officially guaranteeing at least three more bronze medals for the national delegation. The advancing boxers are:
- Mustapha Abdou (80 kg), who defeated Tunisia’s Youssef Rafrafi via unanimous decision (5-0).
- Ismaïl Bekhsis (66 kg), who secured a flawless 5-0 victory over his Turkish opponent, Kanli.
- Amine Zanaz (55 kg), who edged past Morocco’s Ismail Bin Siyar with a 3-2 split decision.
These three boxers join their compatriot, Djoher Bennan (65 kg), who had booked her spot in the women’s semi-finals earlier in the tournament.
Following the fifth day of the 20th Mediterranean Games which are set to run until Thursday, September 3, Algeria’s overall medal count has climbed to ten, comprising one gold, one silver, and eight bronzes.
source/content: news.radioalgerie.dz
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ALGERIA
EGYPT : World-renowned harpist Manal Mohei Eldin pulls at heartstrings for three nights at Ithra
Egyptian harpist Manal Mohei Eldin captivated audiences at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, with three nights of performances blending classical harp techniques with traditional Arabic rhythms and melodies. The final show will be on Friday.
Known as one of the most prominent musicians in the Arab world, she is celebrated for calibrating the harp strings to speak “fluent Arabic” by incorporating traditional Oriental rhythms and melodies with classic techniques.
Arab News spoke exclusively to Mohei Eldin on Thursday night.
“As an Egyptian harpist, it is such an honor to receive this important invitation to showcase my work and my art in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” she said.
“It is not my first time here (at Ithra) — I’ve had the pleasure of working with the great Omar Khairat two years ago, but it is my absolute honor to say that this is my debut as a soloist playing my Arabic, oriental rhythms with my ensemble in the Kingdom.”
Indeed, while she was on stage previously at Ithra in 2024 as a key orchestra member supporting the legendary Egyptian composer and pianist, Khairat, this is her first show as a soloist, with her ensemble.
The Oriental Strokes Ensemble, who joined her on stage, consists of Shady Abdel Salam on violin I, Hossam Ezzat on violin II, Emad Morsy on the viola, Alaa Abdallah on cello. Also, Karim Wassef on bass guitar, Beshoy Rezkalla on accordion, Mahmoud Kamal on nay, Hesham Kamal on percussion, and Doha El-Guerzawi on percussion.
“It pleases me greatly that our first presence in the Kingdom is at Ithra specifically, where we are performing three nights,” Mohei Eldin added.
“The audience at Ithra is very involved and passionate. To be honest, I expected the majority of the seats to be occupied by Egyptians, but to my surprise, most turned out to be Saudis.”
On Thursday night, in between songs, someone from the audience shouted out a request for the musicians to play “Nassam Alayna El Hawa” by Lebanese songstress Nouhad Wadie Haddad, better known by her stage name, Fairouz.
“I don’t know him (the person who shouted out the request), but I played it even though it was not in the original program. It is clear to me that he knew my work and knew I had played that before. It makes me very happy that the Saudi audience loves music and they really know music,” she added.
The program consisted of such crowd favorites as “Zourouni Kol Sana Marra,” composed by Sayed Darwish; “Asmahan Medley,” composed by Farid Al-Atrash, Mohammed El-Qasabgi and Medhat Assem; and “Aziza Dance,” composed by Mohamed Abdul Wahab.
Images of the classic Egyptian stars who inspired the sounds were shown on the large screen as a backdrop.
A professor at the Cairo Conservatoire, Mohei Eldin began her musical journey in her native Egypt and has since performed on some of the world’s greatest stages.
She became a pioneer when she enrolled at 10 years old to pursue learning the harp at the Cairo Conservatoire, where she graduated with honors in 1987.
Upon receiving the coveted German Academic Exchange Service scholarship, she continued her journey with the instrument in Germany with Prof. Buss Lorberth at the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt and training with Giselle Herbert at the Hoch Conservatory Musik Hochschule in Wurzburg.
Since then, she became the first Egyptian solo harpist at the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, and she famously performed at the opening of the Egyptian Pavilion at the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Ancient Treasures Exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.
“The vast majority of Arabs love to sing along to words, and the fact that they came to listen to only musical instruments, and on an instrument (the harp) that isn’t very familiar to many in the region, honestly made me very, very happy,” she concluded.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Known as one of the most prominent musicians in the Arab world, Manal Mohei Eldin is celebrated for calibrating the harp strings to speak “fluent Arabic” by incorporating traditional Oriental rhythms and melodies with classic techniques. (Supplied)
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EGYPT
OMAN : Made-in-Oman board game wins international award
A board game designed and developed in Oman has earned international recognition after Abu Dhabi-based agribusiness group Al Dahra Holding won the Training Initiative of the Year award at the ICA Compliance Awards APAC & MENA 2026 for its ethics and compliance training programme built around the board game Fish Tycoon.
Developed by Muscat-based Arab Board Games, Fish Tycoon is a story-driven tabletop game that places participants in realistic workplace ethics and compliance dilemmas. Players vote, debate and make difficult decisions, with every choice shaping the outcome of their characters’ stories and encouraging meaningful discussions around ethical conduct.
Hasan Al Lawati, Founder of Arab Board Games, said the international recognition reflects the growing potential of Omani innovation in corporate learning.
“This award is a testament to the quality of Omani game design and our belief that training should be engaging, immersive and memorable. We have transformed learning from passive presentations into interactive experiences where participants become part of the story, making every decision count.”
Over the past three years, Arab Board Games has developed a range of customised training games covering ethics and compliance, organisational values, codes of conduct, health and safety, leadership, communication, alliance building and soft skills. The company has delivered its game-based learning experiences to organisations across Oman and the wider region, demonstrating how a product designed in Oman can compete successfully on the international stage.
source/content: timesofoman.com (headline edited)
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OMAN
PALESTINE: Renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour dies aged 79
Renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour died on Monday, 24 August, at Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem, where he had been receiving treatment. He was 79.
His death was announced by his family in an Instagram Story posted on his official account, two hours after they said he was in “critical condition.”
Mansour was a leading figure in Palestinian art, with a body of work closely associated with Palestinian identity, memory and resistance.
Born in Birzeit in 1947, Mansour was accepted to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, but abandoned the plan after the 1967 war, fearing he would not be able to return to Jerusalem. He instead studied fine arts at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, graduating in 1970.
Three years later, he co-founded the League of Palestinian Artists, which he led from 1986 to 1990. Its exhibitions were the first collective showcases of Palestinian art on Palestinian soil.
Mansour is best known for his paintings, which often explored Palestinian identity, displacement and resistance. In 1973, he produced one of his most prominent paintings, Jabal El-Mahamel (Camel of Hardships), depicting a tired, elderly Palestinian man in traditional clothing carrying the city of Jerusalem on his back.
Alongside political imagery, his paintings repeatedly drew on cultural symbols of Palestine, helping to develop a visual vocabulary of his homeland.
An Orthodox Christian, his work also drew on religious iconography, often recasting the Holy Family as a Palestinian family, with traditional dress and symbols such as the keffiyeh linking biblical imagery to Palestinian identity and resilience.
Mansour also faced censorship from Israeli authorities, who often confiscated his works and restricted Palestinian exhibitions.
Mansour’s mud sculptures were designed to crack and change with time, reflecting themes of endurance, fragility and loss. This notion of endurance became central to his work, which came to embody sumud, the Palestinian concept of steadfastness.
Beyond painting, Mansour supported the development of artistic infrastructure in Palestine, co-founding the Al-Wasiti Art Centre in East Jerusalem in 1994 to preserve and document Palestinian art and connect artists living in Palestine with those in exile.
He taught at Al-Quds University from 2000 to 2014 and contributed cartoons and illustrations to the English-language Palestinian newspaper Al-Fajr and Al-Awda magazine between 1981 and 1993.
Mansour received numerous honors during his career, including the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture and the Nile Award for Arab Creators.
source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)
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PALESTINE
QATAR : Two of the world’s best universities add the Doha Historical Dictionary to their digital libraries
The Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language is one of the largest projects for the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
Cornell University in the United States and the University of British Columbia in Canada have included the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language in their digital library collections.
Cornell University in the United States and the University of British Columbia in Canada are ranked among the world’s leading institutions.
In a statement by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies on Tuesday, Mohammed Al-Obaidi, Executive Director of the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language, said that this provides researchers worldwide with unique historical material on the Arabic language for the first time.
“Making the dictionary available openly is a translation of the identity of the project, as it is a national project, and one of its most important priorities is to provide researchers wherever they are with the unique historical dictionary material that is available for the first time in the history of this ancient language,” said Al-Obaidi.
In the details, the American Cornell University has included the Doha Dictionary in its electronic library, within a hierarchical classification that includes the following titles: Near Eastern Studies, Arabic Literature, Dictionaries, and Dictionaries of Synonyms and Acronyms.
The university also assigned a special subtitle to the dictionary, Arabic Ontology, with a description that provides a tool for comparative research across dictionaries and, in its final form, aims to document the semantic transformation of each word in its blog.
The Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language is one of the largest projects of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
It was officially launched on 25 May 2013, and development continued for more than 12 years.
It was completed on 22 December 2025, with more than 500 researchers from across the Arab world contributing to its development. The project is also open to the public for comments, corrections and proposals.
For its part, the University of British Columbia in Canada has added the Doha Historical Dictionary to its library with a different hierarchical classification: Research Guide – Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences – Middle East Studies – Free and Open Sources – Dictionaries.
The description of the dictionary on the University Library reads: “The Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language is an ongoing project of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies located in Doha, Qatar. The first and second phases of the project covered the history of the Arabic language from the earliest written document to the fifth century AH…”
Al-Obaidi welcomed this step, expecting that more universities in the Arab world and beyond will follow suit.
“For more than a decade, we have been keen to adjust the scientific material of the dictionary according to the highest possible academic standards, and then we have made it available through a free electronic portal to be a help for researchers in all fields of humanities and social sciences,” said Al-Obaidi.
Al-Obeidi called on Arab universities and academic institutions to make the dictionary available to students and researchers.
He also invited Arab researchers, “wherever they are, to conduct studies that deal with the dictionary or employ its material.”
source/content: dohanews.co (headline edited)
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QATAR
SAUDI ARABIA : Villa Hegra: The first joint Saudi-French cultural hub expands its offerings
- Scriptwriting and tableware programs mark the next phase for the Saudi-French institution in AlUla
- Artists, filmmakers and designers turn cross-border collaboration into new forms of creative expression
Villa Hegra, the first joint Saudi-French cultural institution, has expanded its programming in 2026 with new residencies in scriptwriting and tableware design.
Villa Hegra was officially launched in October 2025 in AlUla and was inaugurated by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud, minister of culture, governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla, and chairman of the Villa Hegra Foundation.
Born from the long-standing relationship between Saudi Arabia and France, Villa Hegra is an institution dedicated to intercultural cooperation, located in AlUla.
Designed as an open platform for creativity, education and exchange, it supports contemporary creation across visual arts, design, film and the performing arts, while fostering dialogue between the AlUla community and international audiences.
Two announcements in 2026 highlight that momentum, showing how Villa Hegra is moving from its October 2025 launch into tangible progress through expanded residency programs.
In May 2026, Villa Hegra and Film AlUla — working with Afalula (the French Agency for AlUla’s development) — announced a scriptwriting residency, delivered with Le Groupe Ouest and LIM² | Less is More, to support early-stage feature development through sessions in Brittany and AlUla.
It includes two tracks; an international cycle for eight filmmakers and a national cycle for eight Saudi and MENA-based filmmakers.
In June 2026, Villa Hegra announced its first tableware-design residency (June 8-July 17) in Champignelles, Burgundy, developed with Campus Mana and supported by the Culinary Arts Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture.
Six Saudi female designers, selected through an open call that closed May 10, will create Villa Hegra’s first tableware collection through hands-on workshops and exchanges with local artisans across textiles, woodwork, ceramics and metalwork.
A product of the strategic partnership between RCU and the Afalula, the initiative is aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.
It aims to harmonize AlUla’s cultural heritage with its global aspirations, positioning the region as a hub for arts, culture and sustainable tourism.
Feriel Fodil, CEO of Villa Hegra, described the institution’s distinctive position within the global network of cultural villas.
“Villa Hegra is quite unique in the network of cultural villas in the world. It’s the first Saudi-French cultural institution in the Kingdom, born from the friendship between the two countries,” she told Arab News during the launch in 2025.
She emphasized that the villa was designed to serve local, regional and international audiences through its diverse programs. These include creative workshops for children and teenagers, artist residencies jointly led by Saudi and French artists, and collaborations with French institutions such as the Philharmonie de Paris.
Fodil traced the origins of Villa Hegra to a 2018 intergovernmental agreement between Saudi Arabia and France, aimed at developing AlUla as a major cultural and tourist hub.
“Another agreement in 2021 laid the foundation for this new villa, positioning it as part of a major global villa network,” she said, referring to its alignment with other prestigious French cultural villas such as Villa Medici in Italy and Villa Kujoyama in Japan.
The governance structure of Villa Hegra reflects a balanced collaboration between Saudi Arabia and France.
Fodil said: “The villa is unique because it’s a space of co-direction and co-creation between Saudi Arabia and France. The goal is to ensure that there is a partnership between the two countries, enhancing what’s best in France and enhancing the dialogue between Saudi Arabia and France.”
She said that this partnership was evident in the villa’s curatorial direction, which was jointly overseen by Saudi and French curators.
Together, they guided artist residencies and programs that blend the cultural strengths of both countries. For example, Fodil said: “We have a Saudi artist, Badr Ali, working with USM to produce artwork, and a French artist, Paul Emilieu Marchesseau, working with local artisans from AlUla to produce the furniture for the villa.”
In addition, the villa’s partnership with the Philharmonie de Paris will bring music workshops to children in AlUla, reflecting its commitment to nurturing local talent. “This dialogue is part of the DNA of the villa,” Fodil said.
Saudi artist Badr Ali, who contributed to Villa Hegra’s design, told Arab News, “As a painter, my practice has always been within intimate spaces — gallery walls, where you are told not to touch the work or cross the line.”
Ali said that when invited to be part of Villa Hegra, “it brought me into a completely different realm, transforming my work into functional art that’s part of daily life.”
He added that his work for Villa Hegra included interactive pieces that allowed people to sit on them, store their belongings, and use them in daily life.
Ali also spoke about his collaboration with USM, a Swiss brand known for its modular furniture systems. “I visited factories in Switzerland to see how the materials were made and how they could be adapted into furniture and public spaces.”
His experience, Ali said, gave him insight into how functional art could blend practicality with creativity.
Ali further reflected on the significance of this shift in the Saudi art scene.
He said that functional art was still new in Saudi Arabia, but was gaining traction as people moved away from viewing art as a “precious object” to something that is interactive and useful.
“It’s a welcome change, especially in Saudi Arabia, where functional art is still new. It adds a layer of creativity and practicality to the arts scene,” he said.
Villa Hegra not only seeks to enhance the cultural landscape of AlUla but also aims to establish itself as a landmark in the international arts scene.
Fodil explained that the villa embodied both local and global ambitions. “The villa is positioned with global ambitions, on top of having a local ambition to enhance the cultural landscape of AlUla.”
Ali echoed this, emphasizing how the villa represented a broader cultural shift. “It’s about moving beyond the precious art object and creating something interactive and invaluable — a reflection of how art can seamlessly integrate into everyday life. It’s exciting to see this shift happen here, in AlUla.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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SAUDI ARABIA
ALGERIAN-FRENCH photographer Bruno Boudjelal presents 20-year journey across Africa
Presented at the Les Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles – a summer photography festival in France – that runs between 6 July and 4 October, French-Algerian photographer Bruno Boudjelal showcases his body of work Goudron, Tanger–Le Cap, a hazy journey across the African continent from north to south.
The exhibition Goudron, Tanger–Le Cap brings together the body of work from the photographer’s travels across the African continent for over 20 years.
Photographs and Super 8 analogue films accompany the publication of a photography book by EXB, allowing readers to delve into around 15 stories of people Boudjelal encountered along the way.
The photographs are conceived as hazy, fleeting wanderings through landscapes and cities where human figures occasionally emerge. The viewer’s eye searches for an impossible point of focus, as though doubt and questions have replaced certainty and answers.
“After this long journey, it seems to me that all these obstacles to the movement of people and goods are a real factor in underdevelopment. It is this invisible border that I address in my work, this barrier that blocks you at every step,” the exhibition notes state.
Boudjelal did not initially intend to become a photographer, let alone to photograph Algeria. Formerly a guide in South Asia, he was advised to take photographs. For someone who had not even realized he was Algerian, the search for his roots in Algeria during the civil war subsequently became an important part of his work.
His distinctive visual style took shape after the viewfinder of his camera was stolen in Algiers. During a visit to McDonald’s, a young girl lent him a disposable camera she had won with a children’s meal. He continued photographing in Algeria with the camera for 10 years.
“I didn’t know how to work any other way than with the McDonald’s,” he admits. His photography became one of movement, with landscapes and people crystallizing in the colourful blur that would define his visual signature.
He was then advised to photograph without a viewfinder and without framing his shots — the starting point for what he calls “non-photography.” Faced with the impossibility of stopping, framing, and pressing the shutter, he explains: “You always have to give the impression that you’re going somewhere; you can’t wander aimlessly.”
He adds: “This non-practice of photography, or rather this particular practice, comes from my confrontation with Algeria during the dark years.”
In 2003, he presented ten years of work in Algeria at Arles, bringing that chapter to a close.
Former Libération journalist Florence Aubenas then encouraged him to return to the African continent. He joined the “Ports of Africa” project, with Gabon as the first stop on his journey. Libération hired him for nine months to cross the continent — an unusual contract that was largely unknown among photographers of his generation and astonishes young photographers today.
Between autumn 2004 and autumn 2005, he completed the journey in one continuous trip. A subsequent split within the newspaper reshaped its editorial team, and the new team was unaware of the completed journey.
Ten years later, in 2025, nine images from the project were published as part of the book 50 Years in the Eye of Libé. “As I was about to cross Africa, I thought I would change my way of photographing, that my photography would evolve. I was wrong. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but when you pass through the major capitals, they remain very difficult to photograph,” he says.
Placing visitors in the middle of the stories
For Boudjelal, the photographic act goes hand in hand with a natural curiosity about the stories of the people he encounters. “I want to place visitors in the flow of these individual stories,” he says.
The roughly 100 stories he collected over the years remain largely undisclosed. The question remains open for him: what will he do with all the stories that were not included in the book?
In 2003, while exhibiting at the Rencontres de Bamako, he encountered talibé children in the park surrounding the museum hosting the exhibition. These children, found across Francophone West Africa, are officially entrusted by their families to imams to receive religious education. Unofficially, however, they are often required to collect money for the imams through begging.
Boudjelal met Yousou, one of these children, who was originally from Gambia. His father and later his uncle had entrusted him to imams. The imam exchanged him and his friends for other children in Bamako. A year and a half later, the paths of the two friends crossed again by chance at Dakar’s bus station. The child told him that the imam had exchanged him again in Dakar for other children.
“We travelled by train without tickets. It was the best moment of my life; I had never felt so free,” he told Boudjelal, then aged 11. Living on the streets had become an escape from the imam, who had “tortured” them, in his words.
An African photography scene yet to be discovered
For the past 20 years, Boudjelal has returned to the continent to conduct workshops with French cultural institutes and other institutions, including fine arts schools in Kinshasa and N’Djamena. Through these workshops, he has trained young local photographers.
For some, the workshops became stepping stones, including a young photographer from Lagos whose work was later exhibited at MoMA. Boudjelal stresses the importance of being present and receptive to the hidden talent of local photographers. He points to the lack of funding, connections, and openness that continues to prevent many of these young photographers from gaining wider exposure.
Geopolitical challenges also hinder the circulation of this talent, including the situation in Mali, which is increasingly affecting the Rencontres de Bamako photography festival.
“Whether you go to Egypt, Chad, Burkina Faso or Ghana, you find people who have just as much talent and different forms of expression,” he says. “All you have to do is give them your attention and talk about their work.”
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This article was originally published in Al-Ahram Hebdo (French) on 12 August 2026. Additional editing and translation: Ahram Online
source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)
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FRENCH / ALGERIAN
IRAQ : Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi — An Arab genius who helped shape human knowledge . Died 786 or 791 CE.
The 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), opening on 13 September 2026, has selected Al Khalil ibn Ahmad Al Farahidi as the events’s Focus Personality. This choice reflects a profound cultural vision that positions heritage as a productive force for the future, reviving an inspiring and historic intellectual legacy.
As a foundational figure of Arab-Islamic civilisation, Al Farahidi reorganised the Arabic language through a rigorous scientific approach. He authored Kitab Al-Ayn, the first Arabic dictionary organised phonetically; founded the science of Arabic prosody; and contributed to linguistic and methodological thought, which have remained a reference for over twelve centuries.
The selection of Al Farahidi takes on greater significance when considered in the context of the cultural project ked by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC). Since the inception of the ‘Focus Personality’ concept for ADIBF, the aim has been not only to honour prominent figures, but also to reintroduce them to new generations as contributors to global knowledge.
Previous editions have celebrated the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Ibn Khaldun, Naguib Mahfouz, and Ibn Sina. This series reflects a coherent vision, presenting Arab culture as an integral part of the global dialogue, and linking historical achievements to present and future challenges.
In this context, Al Farahidi is an ideal choice
Today, the world is experiencing rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, big data, and computational linguistics — all of which rely on modern on system architecture, concept classification, and structural language mapping. Al Farahidi took a similar approach that centuries ago, when he conceive of language as a system that could be analysed and understood according to precise rules that extends far beyond its function as a means of communication.
Celebrating Al Farahidi confrms the rich scientific legacy of the Arabic language, positioning it as a partner in th digital future. Investing in Arabic begins with understanding the genius of its founders. This is in line with the ALC’s strategy of developing creative industries, supporting publishing, and enhancing the Arabic language’s in the digital environment, and linking it to innovation and contemporary knowledge.
The designation also reflects a broader Emirati vision of cultural stewardship. Major international book fairs have become platforms for shaping cultural narratives, building soft power. and fostering civilisational dialogue. For this reason, the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair places the ‘Focus Personality’ within a broader cultural discourse that encompasses the ‘Book of the World’, the Guest of Honour, as well as diverse programmes of intellectual panels and presentations.
This approach underscores the ALC’s belief that culture is a strategic investment in people rather than being an elitist activity. Choosing Al Farahidi as this year’s Focus Personality delivers a clear message to researchers, students, technology developers, and publishers. While a linguistic renaissance starts with celebrating historic achievements, it must be sustained by actively drawing on that heritage to drive modern innovation and knowledge creation.
Al Farahidi left more than a legacy of linguistic scholarship; he left a method of systematic thought. His selection as the Focus Personality celebrates the idea that civilisations that can interpret their heritage through the lens of the future are best placed to shape their future.
source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)
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1965-1970 Sculpture of al-Frahidi in Basra / source pix: en.wikipedia.org
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IRAQ (or born in Oman)