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Lebanon Still Overshadowed by Oblivion As Port Blast Aftermath Enters Fourth Year

Art has played an influential role in making sense of the loss felt after the August 4 explosion. Tom Young’s “Strong Angels” and other paintings show a human dimension of the tragedy and its civilian heroes, who “join forces to lift the city’s grief,” writes Darine Houmani of Diffah Three (The New Arab). “Despite all its devastation, the August 4 explosion brought greater impetus to preserve our heritage and brought about a database of our historical buildings that hadn’t been done before,” states Mona Hallak, an architect, heritage activist, and director of the American University of Beirut’s Neighborhood Initiative, as cited in The New Arab. Several weighed in on the rebuilding efforts, including Lebanese architect Jad Tabet, who proposed “rehabilitation” rather than “reconstruction,” focusing on preserving the city’s existing social fabric and inhabitants alongside the architecture (for further reading on Jad Tabet and architectural heritage, see Al Jadid, Vol. 4, No, 25, Fall 1998; Vol. 5, No. 26, Winter 1999; and Vol. 24, No. 79, 2020). As art historian and gallery owner Andrée Sfeir-Semler says, “You need to nourish people with art and culture because that is what feeds their souls.”

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Three Lives, One Melody

Two Refugees Build a Rhapsodic Connection Despite Oceans of Difference and Time
By Lynne Rogers
 
Pauls Toutonghi dedicates his thoughtful novel “The Refugee Ocean” to his cousin Marguerite, one of three main characters whose life Toutonghi skillfully interweaves with the story of Naim, a young Syrian boy. Confronted by the loss of several members of his family and his fingers in a bombing, Naim experiences the war with his mother and an elderly American model who faces her death with benevolent grace. Artfully crafted, Toutonghi twines these disparate three lives under the universal reaffirmation of music and the disastrous global ramifications of the tobacco industry.
Books

An Algerian Intellectual on Once-‘Arab Leftist Radicals’!

The Modern Arab Intellectual Forsakes Ideological Integrity, Following the Footsteps of Previous Enemies Who Accuse Him of Takfir and Treason
By Elie Chalala
 
Were I to sum up Amin Zaoui’s position on the Arab leftist intellectuals, who nowadays are considered part of the mumanah alliance — that is, Arab intellectuals who support the positions of Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen — a word of caution about the terminology used must be clarified: a distinction exists between today’s leftists and those of the 1960s, 1970s, and even part of the 1980s. Today’s leftists tend to be vulgar and lack the theoretical sophistication of their previous iterations. These critiques by Amin Zaoui, an Algerian novelist and essayist whose commentaries appear weekly in Independent Arabia, analyze the two mumanah generations, particularly emphasizing the contemporary generation of leftists who grew up in the new millennium and its current trends.
Essays and Features

Lebanon’s Civilian ‘Veterans’ Cope Differently Than Younger Generations in the Current Conflict!

By Elie Chalala


Lebanon has been no stranger to war and its memory, steeped in countless wars internally and externally throughout the past century. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza and southern Lebanon in October 2023, tensions have teetered a fragile line, a constant wave of insurmountable anxiety and fear — of the war’s escalation, dwindling comforts of security, and the country’s uncertain future. Despite efforts to keep panic at bay, the state of anxiety has skyrocketed amid foreign embassies’ calls for their citizens to leave Lebanon for security reasons.

Essays and Features

The Late Khaled Khalifa Hoped for Remedy and Redemption of the Arab Literary Prize Through Transparency

By Elie Chalala
 
Syrian novelist Khaled Khalifa’s sudden death last year in his Damascus home shocked the Arab literary world. The novelist, screenwriter, and poet has enraptured critics through his works, especially with his 2006 novel “In Praise of Hatred,” which was banned by the Syrian government. Khalifa’s passing at 59 leaves friends and acquaintances mourning the many words the writer left unsaid. At the same time, it becomes ever more prudent to heed his words, especially regarding the Arab literary prizes.
 
Essays and Features

Grand Prix de la Francophonie Marks Pinnacle of Abdelfattah Kilito’s Profound Impact on Ancient Arabic Literary Traditions

By Al Jadid Staff
 
Moroccan literary scholar and writer Abdelfattah Kilito’s efforts in spreading recognition for Arabic literature have been honored again in the form of the Grand Prix de la Francophonie, one of two prestigious prizes awarded annually by the French Academy. The award, which marks Kilito’s second prize from the French Academy since he received the French Academy Award in 1996, celebrates the author for his contributions to developing the French language worldwide. A renowned Arabic literary critic, Kilito has authored several books in Arabic and French, devoting himself to safeguarding ancient Arabic literature. His book “Thou Shalt Not Speak My Language” (2002) remains a valuable resource for scholars on the Arabic literary tradition, establishing him as one of the greatest Arab and Francophone writers.
Essays and Features

The Tragedies and Political Realities of Aleppo’s Old Red Light District

By 
Naomi Pham and Elie Chalala
In a tale that spans generations, a recent novel shows the suffering of Syrian society through the abuse of sex workers and a struggle to make their smothered voices heard. Syrian novelist Ibtisam Ibrahim Tracy’s latest work, “Daughters of Lahlouha” (House of Culture for Publishing and Distribution, 2021), introduces readers to Syrian women suffering under both French mandate and Syrian regimes, social oppression, political tyranny, and the machinations of intelligence services over the past century. The novel was recently reviewed by Salman Zainuddin in Independent Arabia.
The corpse of the novelist Farida al-Raydah greets readers in the opening pages of the novel, crumpled in a chair with torn remnants of paper in her hands. On her computer lies an open, blank document entitled “Novel.” When a deliveryman named Abdel al-Salam discovers her, he searches through her belongings and finds the ready-to-publish manuscript of her novel discarded in the neighborhood trash bin.

Book Examines Lasting Legacy of Assassinated Cartoonist, Whose Work Drew on Experience of War and Exile

By 
Elie Chalala

A beloved artist in and beyond the Arab world, Palestinian political cartoonist and caricaturist Naji al-Ali's influence continues after 30 years after his death by assassination. Boualem Ramadani in the New Arab Diffah Supplement recently discovered a French book dedicated to al-Ali’s work, the first of its kind in France. Though published only in French, the book — "Le Livre de Handala" by Sivan Halevy and Muhammad al-Asaad, published by Scribest — includes important input from Naji al-Ali's eldest son, Khaled. He endeavored to preserve his father's legacy through the project. The book was first published in 2011 and received a new edition in 2015 with an updated preface from French political cartoonist Siné.

Beating Up the Already Battered: Modern Arab Media’s Role in Bullying and Harassment

By 
Naomi Pham

Harming, intimidating, or mocking the vulnerable are familiar behaviors; some have witnessed the abuse from afar, while others have experienced it. We used to think of bullying as something that children do in the schoolyard, and ideally something they learn to stop after reflection and normal maturation. But beyond the playground, bullying and harassment serve as standard practice in fields like modern media. Arab media and television promote harmful and offensive depictions to impressionable audiences for higher ratings and money. Media networks also give platforms to regressive messages that cause both emotional and sometimes physical harm.

Plot Twist Ties up Distribution of Controversial Arab “Life Smuggling” Film

By 
Naomi Pham

Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab’s 2019 “Amira” faced a storm of social media backlash following accusations that the film belittles the Palestinian struggle. Diab — director of the well-received “Cairo 678” (2010) and “Clash” (2016) — has pulled the film from any future screenings, including Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. This decision comes after Jordan’s Royal Film Commission ultimately withdrew “Amira” as its entry as the Oscar’s 2022 Best Foreign Film.

Poet, Publisher, Painter, and Patron of the Arts: Remembering the Extraordinary Etel Adnan (1925-2021)

By 
Elie Chalala
 
Lebanese-American writer Etel Adnan, beloved by many for her ‘meditative’ voice and colorful language in writing, passed away on November 14 in Paris at 96, leaving behind an evocative legacy of poetry, novels, and art that vividly depicted war, history, and nature.

Egyptian Belly Dance Losing Touch with Roots as Cultural Phenomenon

By 
Naomi Pham

Belly dance in Egypt has undergone major cultural and social transformations since the mid-20th century. Dancers often perform at live gatherings and across social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. However, belly dancing as an art form has become redefined in today’s age. It has increasingly been the target of criticism, the latest being a claim by Abdel Halim in Al Araby that the dance has deteriorated further under neoliberalism.

Beauty Before Age Remains Dominant Casting Trend in Arab Film

By 
Naomi Pham

The presence of women on the Arab silver screen has historically suffered under patriarchy. Though the “male gaze” is not exclusive to Arab cinema and television, the marginalization of women on the screen has increasingly affected Arab discourse. Hiyam Bannout’s article “Masculinity Dominates Arab Drama and Marginalizes Women” in Independent Arabia explores the lack of veteran and older actresses occupying major roles in film. Arab actresses are “dramatically marginalized” once they turn 40, brushed aside in favor of young actresses at the expense of limited talent and experience, according to Bannout.

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