How Orshina is Trying to Preserve Aleppo’s Culture
The past few years have seen a steady resurgence of cultural events in Aleppo. Despite the radical changes the city has undergone and the setbacks they presented, some individuals have taken it upon themselves to preserve its history. Co-founders Aram Habeshian and Yaman Najeh established Orshina to highlight Aleppo’s vibrant culture, and from Orshina came Project 1500-KILOWATT —a unique event that emphasizes the importance of localization and preservation. Zila Demirijian spoke to Habeshian and Najeh about their project and what it means for the city.
Daftar Digest
We select the best from the Arab world each month, and put it in your inbox.
Curated Recommendations
Every time a guest joins us on one of our podcast series, they leave us with breadcrumbs to further explore some of the topics that they covered in the episode. Browse through some of the best recommendations for films, books, and music from the Arab world.
Staff Pick: Podcast Episode
Sonja Mejcher-Atassi
We did a deep dive into this episode of our This Is Not a Watermelon podcast with the author of "An Impossible Friendship: Group Portrait, Jerusalem Before and After 1948," professor Sonja Mejcher-Atassi.
Tsawwar
Tsawwar is a visual series enclosed monthly in our Daftar Digest and explores the stories behind a photograph taken in the region or by an Arab photographer.
Listen, Read, Watch: Palestine
Recommendations for what to Listen, Watch, Read list from Palestine, featuring Lana Lubany, Karim Kattan and Lina Soualem.
Prison Literature: A Defining Genre of Palestinian Literary Production
Prison literature forms an important part of the Palestinian literary canon, yet it is often overlooked and understudied. This article offers a brief introduction to the genre, its history, and some recommendations for works and authors to read. Photo from the Digital Archive of the Palestinian Museum via Mondoweiss.
Tsawwar... Adam Rouhana
Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. This week’s features a photo and blurb by Adam Rouhana.
Tsawwar... George Azar
Our new series, Tsawwar, explores places, people and moments in time through the eyes of photographers and their photos. This week’s features a photo and blurb by George Azar.
Listen, Read, Watch: Resistance
A curated Listen, Watch, Read list spotlighting works of resistance from Palestine. With work by Riad Awwan, Tawfiq Zayyad and Rakan Mayasi.
Quartertones Mixtape: December '23
To round off what has been a difficult end to 2023, December’s mixtape is dedicated to Palestinian sounds, old and new.
Quartertones Mixtape: November '23
November’s mixtape is dedicated to Palestinian sounds, old and new.
QUARTERTONES MIXAPE
This mixtape is a collaboration with music creator and producer DJ Bonita (Farah A Bishara) who writes: "The short timespan between 2005 and 2008 holds tons of memories for Khaleeji music…”
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