A few days ago Tom posted another installment of 10 African films to watch out for, one of which is the documentary “Underground/On the Surface,” on the popular “second-class” youth music genre mahragan shaabi. While we wait to see the documentary for ourselves next year, above and below are some home-made videos of young men dancing […]
It’s that time of year once more – Ramadan Kareem all! Last Ramadan I reminisced about my favourite sights and sounds in Egypt during our annual period of fasting and self-reflection. This year, food is on my mind. Particularly my favourite, much beloved dishes from Egypt, historically at the center of trade routes between Africa and […]
So much has been written on the Egyptian presidential elections already that it is a bit overwhelming to weigh in on them now. So let me be clear – this post is intended only to introduce some of our illustrious presidential candidates, the reasons why it never mattered who prevailed, and the awesome post-election battlefield […]
What is the nature of the Arab Revolution? Why did it start and where is it headed? Most important, what is the potential for the emergence of new forms of political democracy, social equality, and regional autonomy in the Arab world? Let me introduce my position by stating what the Arab Revolution is not.
Yesterday, 72 year old French-born Algerian-Lebanese songstress Warda Al-Jazairia passed away. Known just as Warda to her millions of beloved fans, she leaves behind a legacy comparable to such musical stars as Umm Kulthum. Warda died in Cairo, her adopted home since the 1970s.
The current issue of Bidoun magazine features a very timely conversation with Egyptian feminist Nawal el Saadawi. Her view that “nothing has changed” in Egypt since January 25 of last year and her contempt for the co-optation of the revolution from all sides are views many other Egyptians share. Her singling out of Wael Ghonim is […]
My brother, Karim, does a guest post on Mohamed Aboutrika, the 2008 BBC African Footballer of the Year, and arguably one of Egypt’s greatest players as well as a hero off the field. He announced his retirement in the wake of the stadium violence in Port Said.
I’m feeling a little puzzled by M.I.A’s video for Bad Girls (which originally appeared on her Vicky Leekx mixtape). In what I suppose is intended to be edgy imagery, M.I.A gyrates in the midst of ‘veiled’ women and men in kheffiyahs who drive fast cars. Some sites claim her target is Saudi Arabia’s ban on […]
On Wednesday, after Al Masry beat Al Ahly 3-1, attackers armed with knives and clubs stormed the pitch. Whether the armed crowds were only Al Masry Ultras or not is still being debated–after all, why attack the spectators and team members of the losing squad?
