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There will be a ceremony honoring the winners held under the patronage of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, minister of culture
The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language announced the names of the winners of its awards celebrating efforts to serve the language.
Mahmoud Al-Batal won an award for his work in teaching Arabic in the US, which included carrying out in-depth research into linguistics, much of which has been published in peer-reviewed studies.
The Saudi-based Manahij International Foundation received an award recognizing its development of educational materials and curricula for early years language learning and Arabic for non-native speakers.
Manahij was also highlighted for developing training packages for teachers, and praised for its “originality, methodology and innovation” in the field, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Algerian Ahmed Khorssi was recognized with an award for his contributions to the language by developing more than 30 computer programs including tools for correcting pronunciation.
He has published more than 15 studies in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology won an award for developing systems including an audio database, an automatic speech recognition system in local dialects, and other advanced tools.
Ramzi Mounir Baalbaki, from Lebanon, won an award that recognized his academic career that has spanned four decades
Baalbaki has authored 12 books and more than 80 research papers in Arabic and English in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Saad Abdel Aziz Maslouh, from Egypt, received an award recognizing a lifetime of academic achievements including the publication of 33 books and 29 research papers.
The Arabic Education Training Center for Gulf States, in the UAE, was awarded for developing evaluation tools and other educational content.
Mazen Abdulqader Mohammed Al-Mubarak, from Syria, won an award for his extensive scholarly work including the well-known book “Towards Linguistic Awareness.”
The National Coalition for Arabic Language in Morocco also received an award for promoting linguistic awareness in Moroccan society through lectures, seminars and intellectual forums.
There will be a ceremony honoring the winners held under the patronage of His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, minister of culture and chairman of the board of trustees of the academy, next Sunday in Riyadh.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language’s headquarters in Riyadh. (OIC)
“All of my friends who have met him still love him. He has made a huge impact on them just from that one day they saw him.”
Ahmed Ismail Hussein was known as the “King of Oud” because he was the master of the 11- or 13-stringed instrument.
Born in the late 1920s in Somalia, Hussein began playing the oud professionally in the ’40s after falling in love with it in his teens. He was instrumental in making qaraami — singing or speaking while playing the oud or drums — one of the most popular genres of music in Somalia.
In February this year, after a career spanning more than seven decades, Hussein retired. He was considered a founder of modern Somali music. A concert was held in his honor in London. — Hussein moved to the UK in 1974 — with artists whom he handpicked.
Despite his retirement, Hussein, who also went by the name “Hudeydi,” had no intention of slowing down entirely; he had plans to travel to Turkey and Djibouti.
But then he fell ill. Earlier this month, he was taken to Charing Cross Hospital in London. His condition deteriorated, and on April 8 he died from the coronavirus, a week before what would have been his 92nd birthday.
Nadifa Mohamed, a British author, said she spoke to Hussein a few days before his death, when he didn’t even seem to have symptoms. “I think the decline was quite quick from him developing symptoms to him being quite ill in hospital. It was quite shocking,” she told BuzzFeed News.
Despite his age, Hussein was otherwise a fit and healthy person, Mohamed said. “Everyone was like, ‘He was 92 he had a good life’ — but nothing. There was no warning,” she said. “It wasn’t as if he was sick.”
Mohamed said she had been friends with Hussein since 2012, when they met at the annual Hargeisa International Book Fair in Somaliland, a disputed territory that neighbors Somalia. More so than his musical genius, his sense of humor is what really stood out for Mohamed. “He was funny,” she said. “I think that’s the first thing I noticed.” (His nickname was Hudeydi, but he told the BBC in 2003 that he was also known as “‘the King’ because of my hot rhythms. I was always into rock ‘n’ roll and Elvis Presley”)
“Having a friend who is 50 years older than you is unusual, but I think his sense of humor was so young and easy to engage with,” Mohamed said. “And he was very warm. You could turn up to his door. You could bring whoever you wanted. He would feed you. He would make tea or coffee for you, tell you stories. He was very accepting of people, which was very unusual.”
Hussein, she said, had a charm that would make everyone love him from the moment they met him. “It’s the way that I could turn up with a friend to play an instrument or something else, and he’d give me a big hug as he opened the door and he would go to my friend — whoever it may be — and do the same.
Usually when grieving, Somalis tend to visit the home of the deceased’s next of kin for days to offer their condolences and pray. But this is currently impossible during the lockdowns in place across the world.
After Hussein’s death, tributes poured in from Somalis around the world. On the day of his burial, people held absentee funeral prayers .
Inaalilaahi waa Inaa Ileyhi Raajicuun. Deeply saddened by the passing of Ahmed I Hussein ‘Hudeydi’ – one of the greatest Somali musicians of all time; AKA The King of Oud. My deepest condolences to Hudeydi’s family, fans, Somalis across the world,& his fellow Somali artists. pic.twitter.com/WPiRg75Avv
In a statement, the Kayd Somali Arts and Culture organization said Hussein’s “iconic legacy lives on through his music and in the memories of all of those of us who adored him and continue to do so.”
source/content: buzzfeed.com (headline edited)
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Ahmed Ismail Hussein (left) and Nadifa Mohamed (right), a friend. / Courtesy of Nadifa Mohamed
Inside the first show dedicated to NYC’s Public Library’s Middle Eastern collections .
Outside The New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the unmistakable scent of a halal food cart mingles with the sounds of various Arabic dialects, while two marble lions stand guard over Fifth Avenue. Inside, entire worlds are waiting to be discovered — including the often-overlooked stories of New York’s Middle Eastern and North African communities.
“Niyū Yūrk: Middle Eastern and North African Lives in the City,” the first exhibition dedicated to the Library’s Middle Eastern collections, opened Oct. 4. It will remain on view in the Ispahani-Bartos Gallery until March 8.
Curated by Hiba Abid, the exhibition contains around 60 objects — photos, books, periodicals and audio — dating from the 1850s to 2024. It centers specifically on the library’s own holdings, rather than attempting to tell a comprehensive history of MENA life in New York, Abid tells Arab News.
Drawing from over a century of rare materials the exhibition uses tangible objects to express the intangible: memory, identity and immigrant culture.
“It’s not a love letter. It’s a realistic letter,” Abid says, adding that these communities have long navigated complex questions of belonging, language, and preservation.
“The communities, from the very beginning, were wondering, ‘Where should our kids go to school? If they go to the public New York schools, they would probably lose their language, but we want them to still know Arabic and be aware of our traditions and values,’” she said.
The exhibition is divided into four chronological sections, designed to help guide visitors of all ages, from young children to seasoned scholars.
The first section, “Roads to New York,” focuses on the earliest waves of immigration. One of the first featured figures is Hatchik Oscanyan — later known as Christopher Oscanyan — an Armenian man born in what is now Türkiye. He came to New York in the mid-19th century and sought to educate Americans about the complexity of the Ottoman Empire. He wrote plays and newspaper articles, as well as “The Sultan and His People,” a book that offers insight into the region’s diverse ethnic and religious makeup.
The second section, “A Life in the City,” explores how immigrant communities began to form and thrive in New York, including in what was once known as Little Syria on Manhattan’s Lower West Side — an area that still exists today. They were entrepreneurs who opened restaurants, shops, and began publishing Arabic newspapers.
One of the most groundbreaking was Al-Hoda, founded by Naoum Antoun Mokarzel and his brother Salloum. “In the basement of Al-Hoda Press, they adapted the linotype machine from Latin characters to Arabic characters, which is very hard (because Arabic is) a cursive language,” Abid says. “By this technological innovation, he actually allowed other presses to form and to publish newspapers, periodicals, and books,” which then circulated throughout North and Latin America — and back to the Middle East.
In other words, New York was instrumental in literally building the Arabic press and exporting news to the Middle East.
Abid emphasizes how vital the library’s historical collections are to telling these stories.
“The library has been collecting these materials since the late 19th century,” she says, adding that many of them have been digitized, enabling audiences to interact with them in a new way.
The third section, “Impressions,” flips the gaze, revealing how Middle Eastern immigrants perceived New York and the US.
“Many immigrant groups embraced American values… but many (Arabs) actually didn’t like New York and didn’t like American values and left after a few years here or after a few months.” The exhibit highlights these ambivalences and the tensions of assimilation.
The final section, “In Our Own Skin,” is the most contemporary and, for Abid, the most personal. It includes raw, vulnerable stories that reflect racial identity, Islamophobia, and resistance. Among the most powerful pieces is the short documentary “In My Own Skin,” directed by Jennifer Jajeh and Nikki Byrd, which features interviews with five Arab women in New York, and was filmed just one month after the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
“The interviews are absolutely amazing. Every time I talk about it, I have goosebumps,” Abid says. “The way they talk about it — it is still very relevant today, as if nothing changed much, except that we’re probably more powerful because we are aware of this and we know how to organize and to fight back. We have the vocabulary now, and the community.”
That spirit of organization is embodied by Malikah, a grassroots collective founded by Rana Abdelhamid in 2010 as a self-defense class for Muslim women on Steinway Street in Queens. The movement has since expanded into a larger project of empowerment, healing, and solidarity — and is featured in the exhibit’s final section. The powerful sound of the athan, or call to prayer, has been important to this cultural shift.
While images of the Statue of Liberty — based on an Egyptian woman — didn’t make the cut, but Abid stresses its significance on each guided tour. On this occasion, though, she wanted to focus the visitors on lesser-known gems.
Having lived in New York for the past four years as a Tunisian immigrant who spent much of her life in France, Abid says she finds New York to be more diverse than anywhere else she has ever lived.
“I live on Atlantic Avenue in the Syrian corner. The things I witnessed here and in Middle Eastern parts of New York, like Astoria, I could never see anywhere else — even Paris,” she says. “When you go to the exhibition, you actually think, ‘Damn! We actually did a lot. And we’re here, you know—we’re here.
“It shows how New York was central to all of these struggles and how New York — thanks to its MENA community — was actually connected and aware. It puts New York on a global map, you know? I think New York is incredible terrain for this. It’s the space for it. That’s what this show is about, ultimately.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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A poster from 1920 promoting Columbia Syrian Arabic Records — Columbia was one of the major American record labels to recognize the commercial potential of ethnic music markets in the US. (Courtesy of The New York Public Library)
Annual event at King Faisal Center spotlights heritage, intellectual legacy
The official celebration of the 13th Arab Manuscript Day was inaugurated on Sunday by Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the board of directors at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
Held under the theme “The Arab Manuscript: Life of a Nation and Pioneer of Civilization,” the event was organized in collaboration with the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh.
Prince Turki said: “This day calls upon the memory of thought and allows the soul to listen to the echoes of centuries past.”
He added that Arab Manuscript Day went beyond celebrating paper and ink and honored the consciousness and intellectual legacy that shaped Arab and Islamic civilizations.
He recalled that the late King Faisal bin Abdulaziz received a delegation from the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Riyadh more than 50 years ago, near the site of the current center.
The meeting, he said, was a moment of “intellectual enlightenment,” during which King Faisal described heritage as a vital part of identity, comparing it to “a rich fountain of culture that never stops flowing.”
Abdulrahman Al-Khunaifer, adviser at the center, said that the day symbolized the convergence of time and place, at which “Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad, and Cordoba meet Riyadh and Diriyah” to celebrate the enduring legacy of the handwritten book.
He added that the center had produced thousands of titles and research projects that had kept the Arab manuscript “alive and beating” throughout history, and that the hosting of this year’s celebration represented the culmination of those efforts.
Three awards were presented during the ceremony: Yahya Mahmoud bin Junaid, a Saudi professor, was named the Heritage Research Personality of the Year in the Arab World.
In his acceptance speech he described heritage as a living tool for understanding modern society and the evolution of intellect, calling for the creation of a comprehensive digital index of heritage books to support researchers.
The award for Heritage Institution of the Year in the Arab World went to the National Laboratory for the Conservation and Restoration of Parchment and Manuscripts in Kairouan, Tunisia. Its director, Manal Rimah, said the recognition was a tribute to Tunisia’s cultural institutions.
The Heritage Book of the Year went to “The Collection of the Gems of Navigation in the Compendiums of the Benefits of Agriculture,” edited by Ihsan Thannoon Al-Thamiri, a professor from Iraq.
He described the work as an encyclopedic documentation of Arab agricultural knowledge, the result of a long period of dedication.
Since its founding in 1983, the center has become one of the leading global institutions in manuscript care. Its collection includes around 30,000 manuscript titles and 150,000 digitized manuscripts, reproduced in collaboration with major libraries and museums worldwide.
The center has also cleaned and restored about 330,000 books, manuscripts, and documents, reinforcing its position as a key scientific and cultural platform for future generations.
“What King Faisal began five decades ago with the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts is now being continued by his sons and grandsons with modern awareness and cultural dedication,” Prince Turki said as he reflected on the Kingdom’s vision of knowledge and culture as pillars of progress.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Left: Prince Turki Al-Faisal gives his opening remarks on the occasion of the 13th Arab Manuscript Day at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies; Since its founding in 1983, the center has become one of the world’s leading references in the field of manuscript care. It holds around 30,000 manuscript titles and 150,000 digitized manuscripts. (Supplied)
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)
‘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.
Saudi Arabia actress and filmmaker Sarah Taibah has nabbed a role in a social media campaign for US luxury jewelry house Tiffany & Co.
The actress shared a post on her Instagram account, in which she goes about her day adorned in various pieces by Tiffany & Co.
“Sketchbook in hand, eternal sunshine of a stormy mind, and days rarely slow down. Absolutely in (love) with HardWear by @Tiffanyandco, it’s been my little talisman throughout,” she captioned the short clip.
The HardWear collection draws on a design from 1962, according to the brand.
“HardWear is an expression of love’s transformative strength. Like New York, the city in which it was born, the collection embodies an enduring resilience and ability to be free,” the label wrote on its website.
The collection features necklaces, bracelets and earrings with interlocked links, veering into a more industrial aesthetic than the dainty jewelry the house is known for.
Taibah shows off a pair of diamond encrusted earrings, along with a necklace and watch from the collection that was handcrafted in Switzerland.
Taibah shot to fame for her show “Jameel Jeddan,” the first local production that was wholly created and starred in by a Saudi Arabia woman.
The plot of the 2022 release was anything but typical. Strong-headed Jameel wakes up from a five-year coma and is forced to finish her last year in high school and rejoin an unfamiliar society.
As a coping mechanism, she begins to experience glitches in the form of an animated alternative reality.
Taibah is working on an offbeat Saudi romcom “A Matter of Life and Death,” which she wrote. The film is being directed by Anas Batahaf and will star Taibah and Yaqoub Al-Farhan.
Her collaboration with Tiffany & Co. is not the first time she has worked with a global luxury brand.
In February, Spanish fashion house Loewe unveiled a Ramadan campaign directed by Lebanese-Sudanese auteur Dana Boulos and starring Taibah and Saudi Arabia Olympic rower Husein Alireza.
The cast included Omani artist Mays Almoosawi, Kuwaiti visual artist Najd Al-Taher, Emirati film director Sarah Al-Hashimi, Kuwaiti DJ Cascou and Bahraini contemporary artist Salman Al-Najem.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Sarah Taibah shot to fame for her show “Jameel Jeddan.” (File/ AFP)
Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, on Saturday won a top prize for his childhood adventure under economic sanctions in “The President’s Cake”.
His first feature-length film follows nine-year-old Lamia after her school teacher picks her to bake the class a cake for President Saddam Hussein’s birthday or risk being denounced for disloyalty.
It is the early 1990s, the country is under crippling UN sanctions, and she and her grandmother can barely afford to eat.
The pair set off from their home in the marshlands into town to try to track down the unaffordable ingredients.
Hadi dedicated his Camera d’Or award, which honours first-time directors, to “every kid or child around the world who somehow finds love, friendship and joy amid war, sanctions and dictatorship.
“You are the real heroes,” he said.
He later shared the stage with dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won the festival’s Palme D’Or top prize for his “It Was Just an Accident”, the tale of five ordinary Iranians confronting a man they believed tortured them in jail.
“The President’s Cake” has received excellent reviews since premiering last week in the Directors’ Fortnight section. Cinema bible Variety called it a “tragicomic gem”.
Deadline said it was “head and shoulders above” some of the films in the running for the festival’s Palme d’Or top prize, and “could turn out to be Iraq’s first nominee for an Oscar”.
– Palestinian films –
Also from the Middle East, Palestinian director Tawfeek Barhom received his award for his short film “I’m Glad You’re Dead Now”.
After giving thanks, he took the opportunity to mention the war in Gaza.
“In 20 years from now when we are visiting the Gaza Strip, try not to think about the dead and have a nice trip,” he said.
US President Donald Trump sparked controversy this year by saying he wanted to turn the war-ravaged Palestinian territory into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Outside the main competition, Gazan twin brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser on Friday received a directing award in the Certain Regard parallel section for “Once Upon A Time In Gaza”.
One of them dedicated the award to Palestinians, especially those living in their homeland of Gaza, which they left in 2012.
He said that, when they hesitated to return to Cannes to receive the prize, his mother had encouraged him to go and tell the world about the suffering of people in Gaza.
“She said, ‘No, no, no, you have to go. Tell them to stop the genocide’,” he said.
Amnesty International last month said Israel was carrying out a “live-streamed genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, claims Israel dismissed as “blatant lies”.
Following its screening, Kaouther Ben Hania’s film The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025) received a 22-minute-long standing ovation — the longest in the Venice Film Festival’s history – culminating in theatre-wide chants to “Free Palestine.”
The film had its world premiere at the 82nd edition of the renowned Venice Film Festival, which runs until 6 September.
The film is also Tunisia’s official submission to the 98th Academy Awards.
The first screening of the film was completely sold out hours before its showing.
Several artists from the film’s cast and crew attended the screening, including lead actor Motaz Malhees, who held a photo of Hind Rajab on the red carpet and raised the Palestinian flag on the stage of the theatre after the film’s conclusion.
The film’s unprecedented success was reflected in the longest standing ovation in the festival’s history, with chants of “Free Palestine” resonating across the hall.
The Tunisian-French co-production also stars Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, and Saja Kilani.
“Film anchored in truth”
In a post-screening press conference, Kilani declared that “the Voice of Hind Rajab does not need our defence. This film is not an opinion or a fantasy; it is anchored in truth. Hind’s story carries the weight of an entire people.”
Film director Ben Hania also commented on Trump’s plans to turn Gaza’s coastline into a “Riviera,” saying, “When I think about Hind playing on the beach, and I think about this project, [I find myself asking] in what world do we live in?”
Hind Rajab
The film recounts the events of 29 January 2024, when Red Crescent volunteers received an emergency call. A six-year-old girl named Hind Rajab was trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue.
While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her.
The film uses real-life voice recordings between Hind and the Red Crescent correspondents, who attempted to rescue her from the unrelenting Israeli attack.
Explaining her vision for the film, Ben Hania said, “What I wanted was to focus on the invisible: The waiting, the fear, the unbearable sound of silence when help doesn’t come. Sometimes, what you don’t see is more devastating than what you do. At the heart of it is something very simple, and very hard to live with. I cannot accept a world where a child calls for help and no one comes. That pain, that failure, belongs to all of us.”
Kaouther Ben Hania
Kaouther Ben Hania is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the Arab World, known for her bold storytelling and cinematic innovation.
Her 2023 film, Four Daughters, won the L’Oeil d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2024 Academy Awards.
Her 2020 feature, The Man Who Sold His Skin, was nominated for Best International Feature and won Best Actor at Venice’s Horizons Section.
Earlier works like Beauty and the Dogs (2017), Zaineb Hates the Snow (2026), and Le Challat de Tunis (2012) also earned international acclaim.
