Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Marrakech’s most iconic landmarks welcomed artists and visionaries today, transforming its ancient walls into a stage for dialogue, discovery, and cultural exchange.
The highly anticipated Marrakech Short Film Festival (MARRAKECHsFF) officially opened last night, running through October 1, across some of the city’s most iconic sites, including El Badi Palace, Cyber Parc Moulay Abdeslam, and Centre Culturel Les Étoiles de Jamaa El Fna.
This year’s edition welcomes El Salvador as the guest country, with a diverse lineup of international and Moroccan films.
Festival founder and director Ramia Beladel opened the evening by highlighting this year’s theme, “Ka wla Maka,” a Darija expression familiar to Marrakchis that emphasizes both action and the spirit of Bahja (happiness).
Beladel described the festival as an “act of resistance and resilience,” emphasizing its role in giving visibility to emerging filmmakers and preserving cultural dialogue.
The opening night drew an international crowd of filmmakers and industry figures, including jury members such as Jane Kim, producer of industry programming at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and the president of the Alexandria Film Festival.
The program at El Badi Palace began with a red Berber carpet and presentation, followed by screenings that brought together stories from Palestine, El Salvador, Morocco, and Kenya.
Highlights included “A Short Film About Kids” by Palestinian director Ibrahim Handal, competing for the International Nakhil Prize, “Not For Sale” by El Salvador’s Ale Pinto, presented as part of the guest country spotlight, and “Chikha” by Moroccan directors Ayoub Layoussifi and Zahoua Raji, in competition for the National Belarj Prize.
Now in its fifth edition, MARRAKECHsFF has steadily grown into a key platform for short-format cinema in the region, positioning itself as both a launchpad for emerging Moroccan talent and a bridge to wider international audiences.
Founded during the pandemic to revive open-air screening culture, the festival maintains an open call format with both national and international competitions, and includes programs such as low-budget support for local filmmakers.
By embracing diverse narratives and forging international collaborations, the festival strengthens Marrakutation as a hub foech’s repr cultural exchange.
Rather than competing with the larger Marrakech International Film Festival, this festival complements it – while remaining distinct – by putting shorter works and emerging filmmakers at the center of the conversation.
Egyptian Minister of Culture Ahmed Hanno announced Wednesday that Tamara-Haus has won the 2025 Best Practice Award for Preserving Architectural Heritage.
The award, launched by the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH) , was announced during a ceremony held at the Small Hall of the Cairo Opera House.
The event was attended by Cairo Governor Ibrahim Saber, NOUH CEO Mohamed Abou Seada, and former Minister of Culture Emad Abu Ghazi.
The ceremony also featured the opening of a photo exhibition showcasing the competing projects.
Tamara-Haus, built in 1910 in downtown Cairo, is a New Renaissance-style building owned by Al Ismailia Company.
It has been fully renovated and repurposed as a creative art space, hosting design studios and cultural events.
Architect Karim Al Shafai, CEO of Al Ismailia, and architect Mohamed Hassan, head of design of the project, received the award.
The event also honoured several local conservation projects, presenting certificates of recognition to initiatives such as the conservation of the Civil Protection building in Alexandria Governorate, the Dokki Police Station building in Cairo, and a residential building at 78 Beiram El-Tonsy Street in the Saida Zeinab district.
As 7 October marks two years of Palestinian resistance and resilience, Ahram Online revisits Gaza’s past with rare photographs taken before the creation of Israel.
Photos from gaza by Kegham Djeghalian
In 1948, 75 percent of the primary population of Gaza was refugees. Deir El-Balah and Khan Younis were originally refugee camps, established in 1948, for the displaced people of Palestine.
The first Israeli soldier to come into Gaza, 1956.
Gaza Mon Amour
In 2024, two exhibitions in Cairo honoured Gaza’s first photographer, Kegham Djeghalian (1910s–1981), an Armenian genocide survivor who settled in Palestine.
In 1944, Djeghalian opened Gaza’s first photography studio, Photo Kegham.
The exhibitions were curated by his grandson, art director, visual artist, and fashion stylist Kegham Djeghalian, who sought to map out Kegham’s professional practice and socio-political engagement, reconnect with the intangible cultural heritage of Gaza, and rewrite a collective visual and oral historiography that safeguards the oral and visual narratives of the city for generations to come.
Kegham was very popular in Gaza and was affectionately known to Gazans as “Abu Bishara,” which means “good news” in Arabic.
They took him into their homes, making him “The Mohktar,” the wise man or the sage of the town whom you ask to settle disputes.
He photographed weddings, joy, sadness, summertime, iconic figures, trivial times, and everything as if he were safeguarding Gaza’s memories of all kinds and forms.
Tomb of the Virgin Mary.
The Tomb of Prophet Zakaria.
Temple, dome, church
Among the highlights is a rare photo collection by renowned photographers Lehnert and Landrock, who began their work in 1924.
Around 1925, they captured Jerusalem’s most iconic landmarks: the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and Church of the Nativity.
The Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem, is sacred in both Judaism and Islam. It is believed to be the place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son.
For Muslims, it is the third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven.
For Christians, Palestine holds profound significance as it is home to the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus is believed to have been born. It also has the site of his crucifixion and the tomb of the Virgin Mary.
In 691 AD, Caliph Abd Al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. It remains the oldest surviving Islamic monument.
It was constructed at the very site where Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Through the lens of young Dutchman
A rare photo collection of British Mandate-era Palestine, dating back to 1921, was on display at the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo.
Dubbed The Young Dutchman and His Camera by both Falestin and Haaretz newspapers, the collection of photos by Frank Schotlen (1881-1942) highlights a significant phase of Palestinian history.
It shows the impact of modernity on Palestinian society in the wake of World War I.
Among the most significant changes were the flourishing of cafes that served as cultural hubs, the modernization of school systems, and the growing importance of local newspapers, such as Falastine.
The photos also depict annual celebrations held by Palestinians to honour prophets, including Moses, Rubin, Samuel, and Al-Khedr.
77 faces from Palestinian history
In 2017, Palestinian Artist Ahmed Dari curated a photo exhibition at the premises of the United Nations’ headquarters in Geneva to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Palestine.
The photos included portraits taken by well-known 19th-century photographers such as Felix Bonfils, who arrived in Palestine in 1880 and focused on Nazareth and Bethlehem, and French photographer Dumas.
The collection also featured works from Jerome and Jean Tharaud, as well as researcher Sarah Graham-Brown.
In “Palestine 36,” director Annemarie Jacir recounts a year of Arab revolt against British colonial rule that she says is crucial to understanding current events in the Middle East.
“You can’t understand where we are today without understanding 1936,” Jacir told AFP a day after the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Palestinian filmmaker, who lives in the Israeli city of Haifa, was motivated to make the film, in part, to redress a lack of awareness about the consequences of British policies during the so-called mandate period, before Israel’s creation in 1948.
“I wanted to really point the finger at the British,” she said.
The film features a mostly Arabic-speaking cast, including Hiam Abbass from HBO’s “Succession,” and Jeremy Irons as a British high commissioner unsettled by rising violence and protests against the colonial administration.
With Jewish immigration from Europe increasing and Palestinian villagers concerned about further loss of land, Arab support for armed revolt against the British surges.
The film details the brutal crackdown launched to contain the violence.
Villagers are beaten, people are arrested en masse while soldiers torch homes after searching them for weapons.
They are tactics Jacir said Israel’s army learned from the British and have used since against Palestinians living under occupation.
But Jacir — who was born in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank — told AFP a key goal of the film was to shine a spotlight on the British colonial practice of divide and rule, which was used across the empire.
The narrative in “Palestine 36” builds toward the publication of the Peel Commission’s report, a British inquiry into the causes of Arab and Jewish unrest in Palestine.
The commission recommended Palestine be partitioned — with separate areas for Jews and Arabs — a finding that influenced the United Nations-backed partition plan that coincided with Israel’s creation.
“It was a British policy: first, we’ll bring (Arabs and Jews) together,” Jacir said.
Then “we separate… It was a tactic of control,” she added.
Jacir said the reception for the film at Friday’s world premiere was overwhelming.
“Yesterday was crazy,” she told AFP, an outpouring of support likely tied to widespread outrage over the conflict in Gaza.
She voiced hope that the film could foster broader awareness about the lasting impacts of the British mandate period in Palestine.
“I’m shocked how many people have told me when I tell them about the film, they were like, ‘the British were in Palestine?'”
Alrashid’s inclusion highlights her pioneering leadership and marks a milestone moment for Saudi women on the global stage
Under her leadership, SRMG has redefined how Arab media engages with audiences, while nurturing new generations of talent
Jomana R. Alrashid, CEO of Saudi Research and Media Group and chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, has made history as the first Saudi to be recognized on Time magazine’s TIME100 Next list.
An expansion of the iconic TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world, TIME100 Next highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, health, science, activism and more.
Alrashid’s inclusion highlights her pioneering leadership in business and media and marks a milestone moment for Saudi women on the global stage. Alongside Alrashid, the list includes names such as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, international football phenom Lamine Yamal, Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, and many more influential and emerging leaders in their respective fields.
Time magazine described Alrashid as “an architect of the Middle East’s shifting media landscape.” Since her appointment in 2020 as the first female CEO of SRMG, she has spearheaded the company’s comprehensive digital-first transformation, launched innovative media verticals and forged landmark global partnerships. These efforts have been reflected in the rapid growth of SRMG’s stock, signifying extensive trust by investors in her business development and management strategies across the media entertainment and technology sectors. Under her leadership, SRMG has redefined how Arab media engages with audiences, while nurturing new generations of talent.
As chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, she has championed the growth of the film industry across the Arab world, Africa and Asia, driving initiatives to empower filmmakers and foster international collaboration. This commitment has culminated in an unprecedented achievement, with over 80 supported films premiering and garnering awards and international recognition at the world’s most prestigious festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance.
These are filmmakers and their stories that once struggled to find a place in the international film industry, now making their mark on the global stage. Today, the Red Sea International Film Festival stands as a premier global destination for cinema, culture and creativity.
Alrashid commented on the recognition: “I am deeply honored to be included in the TIME100 Next list. This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the extraordinary teams I have the privilege to work with at SRMG and the Red Sea Film Foundation. It is also a testament to the vision and leadership that have driven the remarkable transformation taking place across Saudi Arabia and the wider region — a future built on innovation, creativity and storytelling that resonates globally.”
Alrashid’s selection underscores not only her growing global influence but also the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia’s creative and media industries in shaping conversations worldwide. As the Kingdom continues its ambitious cultural and economic transformation, her leadership represents both the spirit of progress and the power of storytelling to inspire and unite communities across the globe.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Jomana R. Alrashid, CEO of Saudi Research and Media Group and chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation. (Supplied)
The Arab world attracted 360 foreign renewable energy projects between January 2003 and December 2024, with investments surpassing $351 billion and generating more than 83,000 jobs, according to a new report from the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corp., known as Dhaman.
Five countries — Egypt, Morocco, the UAE, Mauritania and Jordan — accounted for 248 projects, or 69 percent of the total, with a combined investment value of $291 billion. These projects alone created nearly 68,000 jobs, representing 82 percent of employment in the sector.
The UAE led regional renewable energy investment over the past two decades, attracting 57 projects worth $88.5 billion, equivalent to a quarter of total investment and generating over 16,000 jobs.
At the corporate level, Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power topped the list by project volume with 20 initiatives, while UAE-based Infinity Power led in value, with projects totaling $34 billion.
Dhaman’s report also highlighted cross-border cooperation, noting that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt invested in 90 interconnected projects worth $113 billion, accounting for a quarter of all foreign-backed activity and creating 22,000 jobs.
Looking ahead, electricity generation across 15 Arab countries is projected to expand by 4.2 percent, exceeding 1,500 terawatt-hours in 2025 and rising to 1,754 terawatt-hours by 2030. Production will remain concentrated in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Iraq and Algeria, which together represent nearly three-quarters of output.
Consumption is expected to climb 3.5 percent to 1,296 terawatt-hours in 2025, led by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Algeria and Kuwait.
Trade in electricity and power generation equipment also surged, with foreign trade in the sector up 8 percent to $39.2 billion in 2024. Exports increased 9 percent to $7.6 billion, while imports rose 7.8 percent to $31.5 billion. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco, Iraq and Qatar accounted for 81 percent of this trade.
Turkiye emerged as the region’s top electricity exporter at $446 million, while the US dominated power equipment supply at $6.6 billion. On the import side, Libya was the largest regional buyer of electricity at $59 million, while France topped power equipment imports at $593 million.
Headquartered in Kuwait, Dhaman was established in 1974 as a joint Arab entity owned by member states and four regional financial institutions. Its latest report is the second 2025 sectoral study focused on electricity and renewable energy in Arab economies.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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At the corporate level, Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power topped the list by project volume with 20 initiatives, while UAE-based Infinity Power led in value, with projects totaling $34 billion. File
The initiative aims to ensure that individuals with autism can access meaningful opportunities and social integration worldwide.
Qatar, in collaboration with international partners, has launched the Global Autism Advocacy Coalition (GAAC), calling on the global community to join forces in supporting people with autism and their families.
The initiative, announced during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, aims to move beyond awareness and promote concrete collective action for a more inclusive future worldwide.
The GAAC, led by Qatar Foundation (QF) alongside the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Autism Speaks, was unveiled during the UN’s High-Level Meeting on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and well-being.
Current estimates suggest that around 80 million people globally, approximately one percent of the world’s population, are on the autism spectrum, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated international support.
The coalition seeks to advance autism on the global agenda, encouraging governments, NGOs, charities, and private sector partners to allocate resources, develop inclusive policies, and share knowledge across research, education, technology, and community engagement.
Minister of Public Health, Mansoor bin Ebrahim bin Saad Al Mahmoud, described the coalition as “a beacon of what can be achieved when nations unite for good. By working together, we can improve the lives of millions of individuals with autism, helping them reach their full potential and showing the world that collective action delivers hope, dignity, and opportunity,” according to the Ministry of Social Development and Family’s press release.
Buthaina bint Ali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Social Development and Family, highlighted Qatar’s pioneering role in autism support.
“This moment reflects the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, whose leadership has long advanced dignity, inclusion, and opportunity for individuals with autism. In 2017, Qatar launched its first national autism strategy, creating a foundation for inclusive policies and services. Since then, Qatar has championed the rights of the autistic community through early diagnosis, education, and community services, ensuring inclusion at every stage of life,” she said.
She added, “Looking ahead, innovation must remain central to continued progress. For us, innovation is not only about technology, but also about re-imagining how social systems, family support, and community engagement work together so every individual can contribute meaningfully to society.”
Associate Professor Dena Al Thani, Co-Founder of the Autism Sensing Center of Excellence at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, emphasised priority areas for international cooperation, including early diagnosis, investment, and technological innovation in autism assessment and intervention.
Hilal Lashuel, Research, Development, and Innovation Advisor at QF, said: “Having a global voice for autism and launching supportive platforms for individuals with autism has become a global necessity, not a choice. Autism is a worldwide challenge that requires a global response and resources beyond the capacity of any single country or institution. One of the coalition’s main objectives is to strengthen integrated international collective action across all fields, translating decades of hope, investment, and progress into tangible solutions that positively impact individuals with autism and their families.”
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, has long championed global autism awareness. She said in a post on X: ““I welcome the launch of the Global Autism Advocacy Coalition, marking a milestone that shifts our efforts beyond awareness to collective action. This platform urges the international community to embrace its shared responsibility in addressing autism. As the first coalition of its kind, it will ensure autism becomes an international priority.”
She added, “The State of Qatar’s commitment to the causes of autism extends beyond its national border and is rooted in our belief that every individual deserves the opportunity to thrive and lead a fulfilling life. On this occasion, I urge governments, stakeholders, and development partners to move beyond awareness and commit to concrete collective action, including the meaningful allocation of necessary resources.”
I welcome the launch of the Global Autism Advocacy Coalition, marking a milestone that shifts our efforts beyond awareness to collective action. This platform urges the international community to embrace its shared responsibility in addressing autism. As the first coalition of… https://t.co/EaHBKDJsG9
Sheikha Moza’s leadership has been instrumental in raising international attention to autism, with her 2007 proposal leading to the UN General Assembly’s adoption of World Autism Awareness Day, held annually on 2 April.
Through Qatar Foundation programmes, including the Renad Academy, and the newly launched Autism Strategy 2025-2035, Qatar continues to expand inclusivity, research, and support services for individuals with autism, setting a global example for collaboration and meaningful action.
The World Bank has opened a new regional hub in Riyadh to serve the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as the Washington-based lender continues to boost its presence in the region.
According to a press statement, the new Riyadh hub will be co-located with the World Bank Group’s Gulf Cooperation Council regional office, bringing its leadership closer to country teams, clients, and regional partners.
The opening of the new regional hub signals the deepening ties between the World Bank and Saudi Arabia, as in December, the lender signed a strategic agreement to launch a new global knowledge hub in Riyadh to facilitate regional and global knowledge exchange, joint research, and capacity-building initiatives aimed at advancing global development impact.
Commenting on the opening of the new regional hub, Ousmane Dione, vice president of the World Bank for the MENAAP region, said: “Riyadh is not only a gateway to the region’s transformation, but also a powerful platform for global knowledge exchange and policy innovation.”
He added: “It is especially meaningful to mark this relocation on Saudi National Day, a moment that celebrates the Kingdom’s transformation and its growing role as a global convener of development knowledge.”
In the press statement, the lender added that the opening of the new regional hub aligns with the 50th anniversary of technical cooperation between the World Bank and Saudi Arabia.
In recent months, the institution has awarded a $650 million disaster management loan for Turkiye, a $146 million grant to Syria to help restore reliable, affordable electricity, and $930 million in financing to help improve Iraq’s railway performance, boost domestic trade, and diversify the country’s economy away from oil.
The regional hub development aligns with Saudi Arabia’s government-backed regional headquarters program, launched in 2021, which offers incentives such as a 30-year corporate income tax exemption and withholding tax relief, alongside regulatory support for multinationals operating in the Kingdom.
A Saudi Press Agency report in March said that over 600 international companies, including Northern Trust, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Deloitte, have already established their regional bases in Saudi Arabia.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The new Riyadh hub will be co-located with the World Bank Group’s Gulf Cooperation Council regional office, bringing its leadership closer to country teams, clients, and regional partners. Shutterstock
‘From Ocean to Gulf: Heritage Music of the Arab World’ is a series by Ahram Online, in partnership with the AMAR Foundation (Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research). In this article, we present the music of the city of Tunis from the dawn of the 20th century till the years of independence.
Many Tunisians rightly endorse this multi-cultural identity. Its variations are reflected across Tunisia’s different regions, echoing the visionary observations of the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldoun (1332–1406), himself born in the country centuries ago.
This multilayered landscape of cultural expressions is associated with social and religious practices and at different instances combines music, dances and classical and colloquial poetry.
Furthermore, it is geographically configured by the plains, the Atlas mountains, and the Mediterranean sea, and forms a continuity beyond political borders with Libya to the southeast, Algeria to the west, and sub-Saharan Africa to the south.
‘A living mosaic’
To Tunisian singer Ghalia Ben Ali, Tunisian music is a living mosaic shaped by centuries of cultural blending and conquests, yet always anchored in the people’s voices.
“I was inspired by the Amazigh music of South Tunisia, for it’s alive. When I was young, helping my mother do house chores, we used to sing. Young girls would create new wedding songs or songs about our daily lives; there were no newspapers or films to talk about this, “she said.
Moufadhel Adhoum, a Tunisian composer and oud player, showcases the diverse music of Tunis City, as well as the North, Mid, and South of Tunisia:
Ma’luf music is of Andalusian origins. As for Mezwed music, itincorporates a bagpipe-type instrument that shares the same name as the genre, accompanied by a darbuka or similar percussion instruments. However, El Kef Governorate, in northwestern Tunisia, bordering Algeria, has its own repertoire of songs inspired by the region’s customs and traditions, as well as the slopes of the Atlas range.
In the South, El Forja music consists of songs associated with weddings and occasions, whereas Stambeli represents an African dimension of Tunisian spiritual music. As for the Sufi practices, they include El-Ziyara music, chants that accompany visits to Shrines.
However, Shaabi music is a blend of Berber (Amazigh), Arabic, and African, influenced by the region’s natural setting, the desert and camel rhythms. It expresses sentiments about love and historic events. Instrumental genres are also present in Tunisia and feature instruments such as oud, rababa, and nai.
Crossroads
Tunisia has consistently been positioned at the “crossroads of the Islamic and European worlds” throughout various historical periods, as noted by historian Kenneth J. Perkins.
In the latter part of the 19th century, these dynamics paved the way for the interaction of the dominant political, economic and military forces at that time, namely Ottoman rule and European powers.
Under the leadership of the Husainid dynasty (1705-1957), Western-inspired reforms based on the Ottoman Tanzimat were introduced during the Ottoman administration.
Additionally, cultural connections were enhanced with countries such as France, Great Britain, and Italy, alongside other Ottoman states and the Maghreb on a different level.
Colonial cultural dominance
In 1837, a military music academy was founded in Bardo, west of Tunis city, which was succeeded by a symphonic orchestra in 1872.
Communities from these nations living in Tunisia introduced their cultures.
They initiated a significant cultural shift in local music practices, shaped by these nations’ various traditions, which later gained another layer with the establishment of a French protectorate over Tunisia in 1881.
New legislation was implemented to restrict traditional musical traditions among Tunisians, favouring and prioritising the European communities in Tunisia, according to researcher Alla El Kahla.
Francophone culture became a defining force in Tunisian society, with the capital developing into a cosmopolitan centre that saw the establishment of key institutions, including the National Archives (1874), the National Library (1885), and a network of museums across the country.
Simultaneously, traditional regional arts faced scrutiny regarding their worth, societal standing, and performance settings, as noted by the researcher Ruth Davis. Meanwhile, commercial recording began in Tunisia in 1904, coinciding with its development in Europe, where European brands dominated the market ahead of local or Arab brand names such as Baidaphon.
The foreign brands consisted of Pathé (France), Gramophone (England) through its French brand Zonophone, and Odéon’s French subsidiary (Germany). More about these record companies is available through AMAR’s podcasts and Bernard Moussali’s book, Le Congrès du Caire de 1932 (edited by J. Lambert: chap IV). Local record labels followed in 1930, such as Bembarophone.
A music school rooted in European traditions was founded in 1897, which subsequently became the Conservatoire National de Tunis after the nation gained independence in 1956. The musical life witnessed the emergence of orchestras and venues such as café halls and theatres that hosted European musicians, dancers, and actors performing mainly for foreign audiences. These performances eventually attracted Tunisian artists and audiences to music and theatre.
The Egyptian influence
The emergence of theatre groups from Egypt, including the Egyptian Comedy (Al-Comedia Al-Masryia), the Egyptian Troupe (Al-JawqAl-Maṣri) directed by Suleiman El-Qardahi, and Ibrahim Higazi’s troupe (1908 and 1909), came a few years later. Additionally, the Salama Higazi troupe introduced musical theatre to the Tunisian theatre scene in 1913.
These initial encounters sparked the foundational growth of Tunisian theatre. They brought the Arabic language and themes drawn from Arab history and heritage to established spaces that European traditions of music, opera, and theatre had previously dominated. Cultural exchanges from Egypt to Tunisia included screenings of early Egyptian cinema and visits by rising stars such as the Naguib Rihani Troupe (1933), followed two years later by a solo tour from his collaborator Badia Masabni with leading vocalist Nadra.
Other prominent figures, including George Abiad, Zaki Talimat, and Youssef Wehbe, also performed in Tunisia, as documented by Dr. Sayyid Ali Ismael in his study of Tunisian-Egyptian theatrical ties (1889–1962).
The author of the study traces these encounters back to the 1889 Paris Expo, when troupes from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco shared the stage within the curated “Cairo Street” venue and presented their folk arts. The credit goes to these international expos for the oldest recordings of Tunisian music, notably the 1900 Paris Expo.
It was not long before a Tunisian-Egyptian troupe (Sodq Al-Ekhaa) was created in 1909, subsequently substituted by two Tunisian troupes, Literary Pride (Al-Shahama Al-Adabiyya) and Literary Arts (Al-Adāb), respectively in 1910 and 1911.
Other troupes followed their track across the country. While Al-Adāb expressed opposition to France, Al-Shahama Al-Adabiyya put forth no political agenda. One of the pioneering female names in theatre and music was Habiba Msika (1903-1930), who rapidly rose to stardom in theatres and café halls. Musicians integrated Western and Egyptian elements and practices, with the socio-cultural and political centrality of Egypt at that time.
Egyptian reference points sustained until different perceptions of authenticity grew in succeeding decades, as indicated by the researcher Salvatore Morra, who worked closely on the concepts of authenticity and modernisation in Tunisia.
Revival initiatives looked critically at possible local and regional relevant contexts of Tunisian heritage and identity beyond Egyptian aesthetic idioms and Western influences. Furthermore, the scholar Anas Ghrab points out three mechanisms that significantly transformed the musical aesthetics of traditional Tunisian art music. These include a rise in the number of musicians, the implementation of notation, and the incorporation of new instruments.
HUMAIN, a Public Investment Fund company has announced the launch of its Horizon Pro PC, billed as “a groundbreaking laptop designed to revolutionize agentic artificial intelligence personal computing.” Agentic AI systems can act independently and with initiative with limited, or no, human oversight.
The launch was announced by HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin during the Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Hawaii.
According to a press release, the Snapdragon processor family at the core of the HUMAIN Horizon Pro deliver “leading AI performance and a powerful CPU so that the PC can operate up to 100 times faster than human thought.”
It added that the company’s upcoming proprietary HUMAIN ONE operating system “enables users to manage enterprise workflows, communications, and AI applications from a unified, adaptive interface designed to anticipate needs and accelerate decision-making.” It added that the new PC “offers zero-latency wake time, over 18 hours of battery life, a 40-percent reduction in power consumption compared to competing systems, and advanced thermal architecture for sustained, high-performance use across demanding environments.”
HUMAIN’s AI integrates the Arabic-first large language model “ALLaM” and “operates locally for maximum speed and data privacy, with the flexibility of hybrid AI to tap into the cloud when complex processing or broader insights are required, offering enterprise users the ideal blend of performance, control, and scale,” according to the company.
Amin said: “The HUMAIN Horizon Pro represents a paradigm shift in agentic AI personal computing, especially for enterprise environments where AI actively collaborates with users, both locally and in the cloud, to boost productivity.”
Amin also announced that HUMAIN will give away 500 of its PCs to students as part of its launch initiative to “help unlock new potential for learning, creativity, and future leadership in AI-driven fields.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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HUMAIN launched its Horizon Pro PC, a groundbreaking laptop designed to revolutionize agentic AI personal computing. The announcement was made by HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin during the Snapdragon Summit in Maui, Hawaii. (SPA)
