Revue culturelle N°91

The African folk dance festival returned to the Ochre City from 25 to 29 October for its fifth edition.

The programme included

• symposia on various cultural themes: "Cultural heritage, its values and functions", "Cultural exchange and the fight against terrorism", "The Gnaoua heritage", etc.
• Concerts with Khalil Mounji and Maâlem Omar Hayat.
• parades, notably on Saturday 28 October with the participation of 32 Moroccan and foreign troupes.

This is a cultural initiative supported by the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Goethe-Institut Marokko, ThinkArt and Zamân Books & Curating. The aim is to examine the legacy of the Casablanca School, its pedagogy and its modernist aesthetic of the 1960s.

The initiative happens in an exhibition based around three themes: "Modernist aesthetics & popular art", "Artistic practice in everyday life" and "Democratising art".

The exhibition looks at the School's contribution to the development of different artistic practices in contemporary Moroccan socio-political reality.

"School of Casablanca" is curated by Salma Lahlou, independent curator and founder of ThinkArt, Casablanca; Krist Gruijthuijsen, director of the KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; and Inka Gressel, co-director of ifa, Berlin. The exhibition will be on tour at the ifa-Galerie in Berlin from 15 February to 14 April 2024.

Photo: work by Mohamed Melehi, a leading figure in Moroccan modernism and the Casablanca School.

The feature-length film by Moroccan director Jihane El Bahhar won this award, organised for the 14th edition of the New York film festival.

Synopsis: three love stories about marginalised protagonists whose destinies intersect in unexpected ways.

The Moroccan rap star unveils a track from his eagerly-awaited second album: "Weld Laadoul", which looks back at his family history and recalls that the artist recently lost his grandmother.

Applications are now open for the architectural competition for the National Museum of Archaeology and Earth Sciences in Rabat. Interested groups of architects and design offices must submit their applications by 9 November at the latest.

The museum will be run by the National Museums Foundation, chaired by Mehdi Qotbi. It will be located on the site of the former US embassy in Rabat.

"The essential mission of the museum will be to enable the public to discover the country's prestigious past through the wealth of its archaeological and earth science heritage (...) This heritage will enable the public to explore all the civilisations that Morocco has known and thus appreciate this precious legacy" - press release.

"I'll be the first Moroccan artist to sing at the 2023 Grammys alongside global stars such as Beyoncé, Jenifer Lopez, Marc Antony and Romeo Santos" - posted on his Instagram account.

Aimar Habibi recently released his latest single, 'Fatima', a tribute to his Hispano-Moroccan culture.

From 27 to 31 October, a dozen plays were presented at the Festival international des écoles supérieures d'art dramatique (FIESAD 2023).

Several universities were expected to take part in the event: the University of Music, Theatre and Media in Hanover (Germany), the École nationale supérieure d'art dramatique in Montpellier (France), the Institut supérieur d'art dramatique in Cairo (Egypt), the Institut supérieur d'art dramatique et d'animation culturelle in Rabat (Morocco), the National Arts Institute in Nouakchott (Mauritania), the University of the Arts in Utrecht (Netherlands), the University Theatre Centre in Mexico City (Mexico), the Film School in Lodz (Poland) and the Ecole nationale des arts et métiers de la culture in Dakar (Senegal).

The festival is organised in Rabat by the Issil Association for Theatre and Cultural Activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Communication (Department of Culture), the Mohammed V National Theatre, the Moroccan National Tourist Office and Chaoui Bois.

FIESAD 2023 not only provided a platform for up-and-coming young artists to showcase their exceptional work, but also fostered cultural exchange and mutual understanding between participants of different nationalities.

The exhibition, which runs until 24 November, showcases some forty works by the artist, whose practice has the distinctive feature of integrating calligraphy with painting.

"I combine elements of Moroccan identity with the human figure," the artist told MAP.

The solo exhibition is held at the gallery of the Mohammed VI Foundation in Rabat.

The cities of Casablanca and Ouarzazate have joined UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, on the occasion of World Cities Day, the UN organisation announced on Tuesday.

The two Moroccan cities, along with 53 others that have just joined the network, have been singled out for the place given to culture and creativity in their development strategies and for their innovative urban planning practices centred on people.

Casablanca became a Creative City in the field of digital arts, while Ouarzazate became a Creative City in the Film category.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation between cities around the world that have identified creativity as a strategic factor in sustainable urban development. With these 55 new members, the Network now includes 350 cities in over a hundred countries, covering seven creative fields: crafts and popular arts, digital arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature and music.

Photo: Ouarzazate, credits Wikipedia.

The "Cy Twombly, Morocco 1952/1953" exhibition was held at the Fondation Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech from 4 March to 2 July. It was organised in collaboration with the Cy Twombly Foundation and the Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio. Today, it takes place at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the United States. This is the first time an exhibition from the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum has toured North America!

The exhibition is a journey across the kingdom undertaken by the American painter Cy Twombly in the early 1950s. Tangiers, Casablanca, Marrakech, Tiznit... The artist's paintings, drawings and photographs show Morocco's cultural highlights, as well as various Amazigh sites.

Photo: Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled [Cy, North Africa (I)], 1952, copyrights Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York.

The Golden Palm at the 38th Mostra de Valencia, held from 19 to 29 October, went to the Lebanese film "Riverbed" by Bassem Breche. The film also won Best Cinematography (Nadim Saoma) and Best Original Music Score (Sharif Senhaoui).

"Riverbed" tells the story of Salma and her daughter Thuraya, and their attempt to preserve, maintain and rebuild their lives with each other. Salma has survived for many years by protecting her independence, and has achieved peace by abandoning all attachments. But the past does not let go of Salma and brings back Thuraya, defeated, divorced and pregnant.

Faouzi Bensaïdi's feature film won two awards at the Valencia International Film Festival in Spain. It won the Best Director prize and the Best Actor prize, awarded jointly to Fehd Benchemsi and Abdelhadi Talbi.

Organised with the support of the Fondation Nationale des Musées and the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, this charity auction brought together a number of artists and art professionals.

At the event, collectors were able to choose from 119 works by Moroccan and African artists. Participating artists included Saïd Afifi, Amina Agueznay, Malika Agueznay, Ghizlane Agzenaï, Mustapha Akrim, Yasmina Alaoui, the late Leila Alaoui, Mounia Amor, Daoud Oulad Syad, Mohammed Arejdal, the late Mohammed Kacimi, Abdellah Saddouk, Walid Arhdaoui, Mo Baala, Amina Benbouchta and Ghany Belmaachi.

The Chairman of the National Museums Foundation, Mehdi Qotbi, praised the efforts of artists, gallery owners and professionals from the world of culture and the arts, who helped to organise this charity auction.

All the proceeds from this charity event will be paid into account 126 "Special fund for managing the effects of the earthquake" opened with Bank Al Maghrib.

This is an information system dedicated to Morocco's material heritage. It has been launched on the following website: http://heritagemaps.ma and includes a Moroccan archaeological map of more than 150 buildings and historic sites.

Launched by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, this new Géoportail is a dynamic archaeological map of Morocco featuring more than 150 historic buildings and sites. The site contains information on the construction history of these monuments, their inclusion on the national heritage list, their current state, their location, conditions for visiting them, etc.

The site aims to facilitate access to the national heritage for Moroccans, foreigners, researchers and experts. This platform allows Internet users to search for historical sites and monuments in Morocco, including those included on the World Heritage List and natural heritage sites, according to their location in the regions, provinces and communes.

The autumn session of the 44th edition of the Assilah International Cultural Moussem, held from 06 to 26 October, has come to an end.

The closing ceremony, organised by the Assilah Forum Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication (Department of Culture) and the municipality of Assilah, was marked by the presentation of prizes to a number of cultural players, associations and environmental initiatives, in recognition of their efforts to promote culture, volunteerism and environmental conservation.

This two-day symposium, on 27 and 28 October, is being organised by the Institut Académique des Arts, part of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. It looks back at Matisse's artistic career and the turning point that Morocco represented for him. Participants will also examine the significance of his works and their impact on the international perception of Morocco. This questioning opens up broader issues, especially on Orientalism.

The Permanent Secretary of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Abdeljalil Lahjomri, said that this meeting was an opportunity to look at the historical, political and personal contexts of Matisse's stays in Tangiers. The director of the Institut Académique des Arts, Mohammed Noureddine Affaya, added that this event highlights Morocco's role as a place of creation and inspiration, having welcomed numerous artists such as Henri Matisse and Eugène Delacroix.

Photo: "View from the window", 1912-1913, Matisse.

This is the 42nd edition of this international meeting of Gulf literature. This year's theme is "We speak books", and the guest of honour is South Korea. In recognition of his major contribution to the promotion of Arabic literature, Libyan writer Ibrahim Al-Kouni was voted Cultural Personality of the Year.

Dubai hosts more than two thousand publishers from around a hundred countries. The fair will host 1.5 million titles, including 800,000 Arab titles, with 600 book signing sessions. 127 Arab and foreign guests from 33 countries take part in 460 events in the cultural and artistic programme, which includes 130 performances by artists from 14 countries.

Not-to-be-missed events:

The session by keynote speaker, Iraqi singer Kadim Al Sahir. Moderated by TV presenter Nada Al Shaibani and billed as a 'meet and greet' with the Iraqi singer, fans and culture lovers will be able to hear Sahir discuss his successful career, his creative impulses and some of the stories behind his greatest songs.

The session with Algerian writer Ahlam Mosteghanemi, returns to the Book Fair to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her first novel, 'Memory in the Flesh', considered one of the landmarks of Arabic literature, with over a million copies sold.

The session with the indispensable Bassem Youssef, who has been making the headlines in the media and on social networks since his speech with the American journalist Piers Morgan on the situation in Gaza.

Photo: Bassem Youssef, copyrights AFP.

From 9 to 14 November, Apt organises another edition of its festival, the FCAPA, as well as a special exhibition dedicated to the work of Nadia Rais, a Tunisian animation film-maker.

Among the Arab feature films to be screened:

• "Animalia" by Sofia Alaoui - Morocco
• "Deserts" by Faouzi Bensaïdi - Morocco
• "Indivision" by Leïla Kilani (Morocco)
• "The packs" by Kamel Lazraq - Morocco
• "Behind the mountains" by Mohamed Ben Attia

The Festival also set up the 10th edition of the "video marathon", which involves producing, shooting and editing a 3-minute film in just 48 hours.

The programme is available at https://www.africapt-festival.fr/

A permanent online exhibition will be on view throughout the year, with a monthly renewal of the catalogue, declares Alexandre Roubtzoff Gallery.

With a selection of 60 works by 14 artists, both emerging talents and well-known names, "the virtual exhibition offers an opportunity to explore works that highlight the diversity and vitality of the contemporary Tunisian art scene, through expressive paintings and innovative sculptures, each reflecting a variety of themes, from cultural identity to formal experimentation" - press release.

The participating artists are Mabrouk El Kamel, Faycel Mejri, Hamda Saidi, Mehdi Bouanani, Najet Edhahbi, Wissem Ben Hassine, Abdelhamid Thabouti, Mohamed Ghassan, Imed Jemaiel, Adnene Haj Sassi, Adel Akremy, Sahbi Chtioui, Tahar Mguedmini and Hamda Dniden.

Photo: Mabrouk El Kamel (Bzaow), "The sunflowers".

Premiered on 27 October at the Salle du 4e Art, this new production by the Théâtre National Tunisien is supported by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and the African Culture Fund.

The play "I dreamed about you yesterday" (60′) is a simulation of the phenomenon of violence and an adaptation of a text in which the lexicon of violence and that of love coexist. Actress Lobna Mlika conveys a mother's disappointment at her son's use of violence without feeling the slightest compassion. In a high school in the town of Ezzahra, on the outskirts of Tunis, a scene of violence shows the assault committed two years earlier by a pupil against his teacher.

Tunisian cinema won three awards at the 12th International Maghreb Film Festival in Oujda, Morocco. The festival, which focused on the theme of "Cinema: a way for people to live together", rewarded Mohamed Mrad for his performance in the film "Fractus", directed by Nader Rahmouni. A special mention was given to the feature film "Spylist" by Fredj Trabelsi. As for the short film competition, the prize for best direction went to the film "Le chemin de l'oubli", directed by Ali Marwen Chekki.

The exhibition is on show at the Alexandre Roubtzoff gallery until 4 December. It showcases a collection of works reflecting the evolution of Tunisian painting, as well as the Orientalist, anti-colonialist and contemporary movements.

The artists on show are : Charles Théodore Frere (1814-1888), Auguste Emile Pinchart (1842-1920), Marthe Chapsal-Saint-Maxen (1861-1950), Rodolphe D'erlanger (1872-1932), Albert Marquet (1875-1947), André Delacroix (1878-1934), Alexandre Roubtzoff (1884-1949), Moses Levy (1885-1968), Ernest Pierre Guerin (1887-1952), Vsevolod Andreevich Filippov (1893-1976), Max Léon Moreau (1902-1995), Aly Ben Salem (1910-2001), Ammar Farhat (1911-1987), Noureddine Khayachi (1918-1987), Hatim Elmekki (1918-2003), Jellal Ben Abdallah (1921-2017), Ali Bellagha (1924-2006), Zoubeir Turki (1924-2009), Mahmoud Sehili (1931-2015), Brahim Dhahak (1931-2011), Nja Mahdaoui (born 1937), Ridha Bettaieb (1939-1993), Khalifa Cheltout (born 1939), Habib Bouabana (1942-2003), Hamda Dniden (born 1944), Rafik Elkamel (1944-2021), Hamadi Ben Saad (born 1948), Tahar Mguedmini (born 1948), Adel Megdiche (1949-2022), Sahbi Chtioui (born 1953).

Photo: "The dancers with a ball" by Sahbi Chtioui.

This book, written in Arabic, was recently published by Dar El-Akram, with the support of the Ministry of Moudjahidine and Having Rights. It focuses on the role of Algerian women during the War of Independence, citing no fewer than 169 "moudjahidates and martyrs".

The Higher Council for the Arabic Language has announced that it will be re-issuing its dictionary with 36 new volumes on the Arabic language from 18 December.

"These new volumes, which will be published by the CSLA in partnership with the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) and the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo (Egypt), will be added to the 35 volumes previously published in two stages" - press release.

He noted that "the fundamental difference between this dictionary and the Lisan Al-Arab (encyclopaedia of the Arabic language) is the explanation of the words, with supporting examples, in addition to the study of its chronological development since its creation" - press release.

La Palestine a été à l’honneur de la 26e édition du Salon international du livre d’Alger à travers l’organisation de plusieurs expositions de livres et conférences sur la littérature et l’histoire de la Palestine, en plus de soirées poétiques de solidarité avec le peuple palestinien.

The Ministry of Culture and Arts dedicated a space to Palestine in its central pavilion, where a dozen works in Arabic on the history, culture and literature of Palestine and the struggle of the Palestinian people were exhibited, with the participation of the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Algiers.

As part of the celebrations to mark the State of Palestine, the Ministry of Culture and Arts has also set up an independent space outside the central pavilion, called "Espace Ghaza", until 3 November, where a number of meetings, symposia and poetry evenings have been scheduled, with the participation of Palestinian writers such as the writer and poet Ibrahim Nassrallah, who led a symposium on the novel and the Palestinian cause.

The Algerian actor has died at the age of 60.
Born in Tindouf, the deceased joined the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus (Syria) in 1987, before embarking on a career in theatre, appearing in several works, including "Zir Salem", "El Mouhakama El Adjiba" and "Nihayat El Louaba". His last appearance was in the play produced by the TNA, Qahwat El Guelmi, in the role of the moudjahid Ami Ali.

Abdelhalim Zribi received numerous awards in Algeria and abroad, including the prize for 'Best Male Role' at the National Festival of Professional Theatre in 2009 and an award at the Edinburgh Festival (Scotland) in 2011.

Yesterday, the President of the Republic paid his respects at the Martyrs' Shrine in Algiers, in memory of the martyrs of the Glorious War of National Liberation, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 69th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1st November 1954 Revolution, which coincides with the war between Hamas and Israel.

Abdelmadjif Tebboune declared: "The anniversary of this memorable date coincides with the serious repercussions of the impenitence of the Zionist occupation in its barbaric aggression against the Palestinian people and the persistence of its recurring crimes of extermination in the Ghaza Strip.
Algeria reiterates its appeal to all regional and international parties to awaken the conscience of the international community and put an end to the barbaric strikes on children, women and the elderly. Algeria appeals to all those who love freedom and justice, and to people of goodwill, to put an end to this crime against humanity committed by the Zionist occupier, in full view of the whole world".

The artist's solo exhibition is on show at the Maison Abdellatif in Bou Saada. The exhibition is all the more topical because of its theme, which deals with climate change in the aftermath of last summer's fires. Through the birds, Faiza Taghani also evokes the theme of migration and freedom. On show until 11 November.

A new play, based on fragments of texts by the writer, poet and playwright Kateb Yacine, will be produced by the eponymous Regional Theater of Tizi Ouzou (TRTO), according to Abderrahmane Zaâboubi, the head of this cultural institution.

The text of the new play, which will be produced and staged at the TRTO, will be written by two playwrights and a researcher specialising in Kateb's work, as part of a writing workshop to be held at the end of October, based on a fusion of his literary, dramatic and poetic texts.

For its third edition, the Norval Sovereign African Art Prize has shortlisted thirty artists, including four Moroccans: Safaa Erruas, Amina Agueznay, Youssra Raouchi and Ghizlane Sahli.

The works of the nominated artists will be exhibited in Cape Town from 14 February to 15 May 2024. The Grand Prize will be awarded on 13 February, the day before the exhibition. The works will be auctioned by Sotheby's in equal parts for the benefit of the artists and the Norval Foundation learning centre. The Public Prize is open to all (to vote, follow the link here).

The Norval Sovereign Prize for African Art aims to benefit contemporary artists, working in Africa or from the African diaspora, by increasing their international visibility. It is the result of a collaboration between the Sovereign Art Foundation and the Norval Foundation.

Photo: Youssra Raouchi, "I is the other. Acrylic and oil pastels on canvas. 150 x 144cm.

This self-taught artist discovered painting at a very early age. It became his means of expression, even before speech. Between his studies at New York University and his martial arts competitions, he continued to paint. He opened a studio in Brooklyn and developed his self-portraits in a chiaroscuro world where musculature reigned supreme. His paintings are imbued with his childhood nightmares, and feature headless bodies and animals. It took him sixteen months to complete a painting following the explosion in the port of Beirut.

Whether it was the process or the subject itself, everything in this canvas was my way of painting the emotion I felt after the explosion. A mixture of guilt, absurdity and, in fact, the impossibility of thinking and moving forward" - interview given to OLJ.

Since this summer, he has had a studio in Byblos, where his new paintings inspired by ancient Greek sculptures can be seen.

Photo: Ramsey Chahine, "Self-portrait after the explosion in the port of Beirut".

In Lebanon, France, Brazil and the United States, over 90 venues around the world are hosting the Palestine Cinema Days festival. The 10th edition of the festival organised by FilmLab Palestine was due to be held from 24 October to 2 November in five Palestinian towns in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Naturally, the event had to be cancelled. However, with the idea of "maintaining spaces where the experiences, stories, lives and broken dreams of Palestinians are seen and heard", the organisers have come to an agreement with several cultural players to share "90 free screenings".

"A necessary platform at a time when history is being distorted", say the organisers of this initiative, who in their press release deplore the fact that "Palestinians are dehumanised, blamed for their suffering, while the value of their lives is considered inferior to that of Israeli civilians".

Coinciding with the date of the Balfour Declaration, the event is launched on 2 November to provide "a platform for censored Palestinian voices and to combat the falsification of history and propaganda that has been going on for a long time". Fifteen screenings are planned in thirteen French cities, making France the first host of the festival - ironic given the French government's position and support for Palestine.

FilmLab Palestine has proposed eight documentary and fiction films to its partners:

• The issue of Palestinian prisoners through "The Ghost Hunt" by Raed Andoni, himself a victim and survivor of Israeli jails;
• The journey, testimonies and personal stories of 12 Palestinian women in Carole Mansour's film Stitching Palestine;
• A documentary about young surfers: "Gaza Surf Club" by Mickey Yamine and Philip Gnadt;
• The story of two friends practising an acrobatic sport in Gaza, "One more jump" by Emanuele Gerosa;
• The reconstruction of a massacre committed on a Palestinian family in 1948 by the Haganah, the core of the Hebrew State army, "Farha" by Darine Sallam;
• The destruction of the town of Nazareth by the Israeli army in 1948 in Elia Suleiman's fictional film 'The Time That Remains';
• The life of a Gazan family in a refugee camp in Gaza under an Israeli curfew in Rashid Masharawi's drama 'Couvre-feu';
• A tale of love between two young teenagers in Gaza against the backdrop of the blockade in "The Tale of Three Diamonds" by Michel Khleifi.

All the screenings can be viewed on this map.

On 9 October, two days after the Hamas attack on Israel, the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, the Hungarian Oliver Varhelyi, caused a stir by declaring on X (formerly Twitter) that all payments to Palestine were being "immediately suspended". Later that day, in the face of an outcry from several Member States, including Spain, Ireland and Portugal, the European Commission finally announced that it wanted to "review" its development aid programme for the Palestinians, i.e. almost 300 million euros in 2022 and 1.7 billion euros planned between 2021 and 2024. The aim? To ensure that no European funding enables any terrorist organisation to carry out attacks against Israel", said the Commission.

To survive in the face of the forthcoming drying-up, Nidal Kaabi believes that Palestinian cultural organisations must learn to "reduce their dependence on this aid by developing income-generating activities and sharing our resources". For him, there is no question of "giving up the right to resistance in order to receive financial aid".

Others go further. For example, the Adaleh coalition, which defends the socio-cultural rights of Palestinians, announced a boycott of institutions supporting the state of Israel, like NGO Adalah boycotting Rosa Luxembourg Foundation.

Photo: A street destroyed in the Jenin camp in the West Bank after an Israeli raid on 30 October. Photo: Reuters.

A theatre companion of Ziad Rahbani and Georges Khabbaz, Boutros Farah died aged 79 after a long illness.

We all remember his publication "Beirut July-August 2006", which recounted the war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.

Since 7 October, the artist and illustrator has been sharing his drawings every day on his Instagram account, relentlessly denouncing the horrors experienced by the people of Gaza. His black and white illustrations appeal to our emotions and our imaginations. Far from the debates - which are often as sterile as they are hateful - his pencil humanises the people of Gaza and reminds us, with glaring simplicity, of the horror of the war and the urgent need for a ceasefire.

One drawing in particular struck a chord with his followers, that of a bin bag. Underneath it, Mazen Kerbaj wrote "I never thought I'd see anything worse than the body of a murdered child, until I saw the images of a father carrying his son's remains in a plastic bin bag".

Bassel Choughari is the head of the M Climate Solutions investment fund, which invests in companies that provide solutions for decarbonising the world. Based in Paris, M Climate Solutions is part of the Montpensier Finance investment fund, a portfolio management company founded by Guillaume Dard and approved by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).

"This award strengthens our determination to intensify our action for a sustainable future, with the confidence of investors" - company chairman Guillaume Dard.

The fund's objective is to participate in the evolution of international equity markets by investing mainly in shares of companies whose initiatives or solutions contribute to reducing the impact of climate change, and to developments linked to the theme of energy and climate transition.

Photo: Bassel Choughari, presentation of the United Nations Sustainable Fund 2023 award, Abu Dhabi, 17 October 2023. Photo DR.

The Lebanese writer, nicknamed "the Françoise Sagan of Arab literature", died aged 86. She was a key figure in feminist Arab literature, writing about sexuality, sexism and freedom. Her last book, "Le Vaisseau de Hanan vers la Lune" (Hanan's Ship to the Moon), published in 1963, was censored in Lebanon for being excessively erotic.

Photo: copyrights OLJ.

Published by Editions d'Avallon, the young author imagines life and the world if Albert Camus had not died in a car accident. She has taken the liberty of imagining that he was not dead, but in a coma from which he would not awaken until twenty years later, in a hospital in Russia - according to some theories, Camus' accident was the work of the KGB. This takes us back to the 1980s. Albert Camus was 67 at the time.

It took the author no less than ten years to write this book, and she reread all of Camus's work and listened to his speeches and the words of his daughter, Catherine Camus, over and over again.

The book reads mainly like letters to her great friends, the poets René Char and Louis Guilloux, and to Maria Casarès.

Jean Marc Nahas' solo exhibition runs until 15 November at the LT Gallery in Beirut. His paintings offer an introspective exploration of the Lebanese capital, reflecting the duality between the fragility of the city and the perpetual anguish that accompanies its existence.

The second edition of the Al-Sweilem Cultural Street Festival takes place in November and aims to showcase the cultural significance of the historic Al-Sweilem street.

With a colourful entrance inspired by film strips, a section dedicated to the 1950s will bring children closer to their parents with games, cartoons, music and shops selling products from that era.

The 1960s section will feature iconic games from the era and road signs inspired by popular cartoon characters of the time. The 1970s entrance has been designed to resemble a Chatter Telephone toy, while the 1980s section will display iconic games, such as the Atari portable.

Twice a finalist at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023, the Tunisian tennis player is taking action. "It's very hard to see children and babies dying every day. It breaks my heart. So I've decided to donate part of my winnings to help the Palestinians. She insists that this is not a "political message, just one of humanity".

The Algerian artist is interested in the representation and appropriation of the female and male bodies through photographs influenced by the colonial period. The exhibition is based on photographs from archives and documents collected during the artist's research at the Museum am Rothenbaum (Markk) in Hamburg, Germany, and the Ethnographic Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

Jana Caroline Reimer, curator of the Department of North Africa, West and Central Asia and Ancient Egypt at the Markk, points out that Amina Zoubir's reproductions show the extremely high number of women affected by this colonial appropriation of their bodies.

"What distinguishes the work of artist Amina Zoubir is her ability to deliberately deconstruct these difficult portraits, as well as the images and imagination they convey. The people portrayed are thus elevated to the same level as the subjects, breaking away from their original historical context to make them visible in a new way." - Yasmine Azzi-Kohlhepp, founder and director of Ayn Gallery.

Amina Zoubir has a degree in contemporary art theory from the Université Paris-8 and in graphic design from the École supérieure des beaux-arts d'Alger, and lives between the French and Algerian capitals.

Photo: The photographs in this exhibition are taken from archives and documents collected during the artist's research at the Museum am Rothenbaum (Markk) in Hamburg, Germany, and the Ethnographic Museum in Stockholm, Sweden (photo supplied and obtained from the Arab News website).

The pieces created by designers Sheikha Noor al-Khalifa and Sheikha Haya al-Khalifa play with opacity and transparency, based on the principle of borrowed and shared pieces. With their sailor collars, detachable hoods and quilted jackets, the new pieces were presented at the RAK Art Foundation in Bahrain, a non-profit art gallery founded by Bahraini artist and collector Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa al-Khalifa.

The Kingdom's Commission for Literature, Publishing and Translation has launched its Saudi cultural exhibition in Paris, which will run for a fortnight until 10 November and will be attended by entities and organisations affiliated to the Ministry of Culture.

The main aim of the exhibition is to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, by encouraging intellectual participation and strengthening the presence of Saudi creatives on the local and global scene.

Conferences, round tables, short film screenings... there's no lack of activities! The themes covered range from Saudi literature to poetry. Another round table will look at King Salmane's Charter for Architecture and Town Planning.

The French publishing house Assouline will be launching the book "Makkah: The Holy City of Islam" by Meraj Nawab Mirza, historian and geographer at Umm Al-Qura University. The book includes photos by French photographer Laziz Hamani.

The Pharaonic inscription of King Ramses III at Tayma is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 21st century. It testifies to the depth of trade relations between the Nile Valley and the Arabian Peninsula, which date back more than three thousand years.

The hieroglyph was found on a rock at Al-Zaydaniya, near the Tayma oasis in north-west Saudi Arabia. It bears a royal signature (double cartouche) of King Ramses III, who reigned from 1192 to 1160 BC.

Photo: Saudi WAM news agency.

The Arab Film Festival, which takes place every year in San Francisco, has been postponed in a show of solidarity with the beleaguered Palestinian people. The 27th edition of the event was due to take place from 10 to 19 November.

Jordanian filmmaker Amjad Al-Rasheed's "Inshallah a Boy" has won the award for Best Narrative Screenplay at the sixth annual Mystic Film Festival in Stonington, south-east Connecticut. In September, the critically acclaimed film won the Venice Biennale Award at the Venice Film Festival. It also won the Gan Foundation Prize and the Rail d'Or for Best Feature Film at the Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week.

"Inshallah Walad" was the first Jordanian film to compete at the Cannes Film Festival. It was screened as part of Cannes Critics' Week. The ninety-minute film was shot in Amman in just five weeks, and had notably benefited from a production grant from the Jordan Film Fund and the RFC in 2019. The film stars Mouna Hawa, Haitham al-Omari, Salwa Nakkara, Yumna Marwan, Mohammed aI-Jizawi and Eslam al-Awadi.

The film tells the story of a young widow, Nawal, and her daughter who are about to lose their home. Synopsis: "After the sudden death of her husband, 30-year-old Nawal must fight for her share of the inheritance to save her daughter and her home, in a society where having a son would be a game changer."

The writer and specialist in Islamic architecture aims to shed light on the vestiges of Islamic civilisation around the world through the prism of architecture. Outside the borders of the Arab world, he focuses on Chile and China.

"From an academic point of view, I've always found it a bit ridiculous to have such a narrow vision. I wanted to make this a global book. Let's not pretend that everything stops being interesting after the sixteenth century, let's just carry on into the twenty-first. "- Eric Broug.

The book, published by Thames & Hudson, features numerous photographs of almost 350 museums, mosques, mausoleums, tombs, public baths and other buildings (not necessarily religious) from over 60 countries, varying in scale and size.

"My heart aches with all that is happening in my home country," she wrote on Instagram on Friday. "I've decided to postpone my tour until further notice. Gaza, I pray for you. I wish peace to my people.

The Sharjah Art Foundation's annual exhibition runs until 14 January at the Old Al Diwan Al Amiri in Al Hamriyah. The event is usually known for hosting dozens of photographers. But this year, the event focuses on four photographers and a collective.

To discover:

Moroccan photographer Oumaima Abaraghe's work on the fragmentation and inaccessibility of Morocco's colonial archives. The artist cross-references a wide range of historical photographs, arranging them in strips and obscuring their original subjects. She sometimes reshapes these archive photographs in the form of silhouettes on translucent paper, underlining the difficulty of articulating Moroccan history through archives. She takes dozens of photographs showing the exploitation suffered by the country during its colonial period and mixes them with family photographs. This process bears witness to the role played by personal narratives in challenging the fragmented state of colonial archives.

Mohamed Mahdy, an Egyptian photographer renowned for his photographs of marginalised populations, focuses here on the fishing communities in the Al Maks district of Alexandria. The community is disintegrating in the face of the city's redevelopment and is threatened with mass eviction. It juxtaposes family photographs with images showing the destroyed houses and property scattered around the district.

The Franco-Algerian photographer Cléa Rekhou documents the daily lives of men in France's only rehabilitation centre for victims of domestic violence. The portraits, in cold tones, are full of nostalgia and regret.

Photo : Mohamed Mahdy.

The impressively large exhibition features nearly 120 works by Arab artists, including 78 that have never before been exhibited in Sharjah. The exhibition includes works by leading artists such as Inji Efflatoun, Dia Al Azzawi and Kadhim Hayder. Each of these works, as well as others previously exhibited, has a historical and artistic value that exemplifies the trajectory of Arab modernism.

One of the key works is Nazek Hamdy's 'Lotus Girl', a painting of an Indian woman created by the Egyptian artist in 1955. The work bears witness to Hamdy's time as a student in India, with mural paintings of Bengal and, perhaps most strikingly, a lotus flower - an important symbol in both Indian and Egyptian cultures.

Two works by the Palestinian artist Zulfa Al Saadi also constitute a second 'hot spot'. These include "Man with a Goat", painted in the 1940s, and "Pharaoh's Hat" (Tomb of Absalom), from the same period. "Al Saadi challenges the idea that women didn't exhibit [at the time]," says Sultan Al Qassemi. "She had a solo exhibition 90 years ago, in 1933 in Jerusalem."

The works echo the current situation and the massacre of Gazans, with Palestinian artist Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara's 1987 untitled ceramic, which employs fantastical figures in its homage to Palestinian culture; Saudi artist Abdulhalim Radwi's "Palestine", a 1997 work dedicated to the resilience of the country's population; and Emirati artist Abdul Qader Al Rais's "Waiting", a 1970 canvas that evokes the melancholy and struggle of Palestinian children.

Photo: The Lotus Girl by Nazek Hamdy (1955). Pawan Singh / Le National.

From North Africa to the Middle East, they are united in their support for Palestine in this track, "Rajieen", released on the American label Empire. Among them are two of the Arab world's biggest hip-hop stars, Egyptians Afroto and Marwan Pablo, as well as Jordanian Issam Alnajjar, Syrian singer-songwriter Ghaliaa Chaker and Tunisian singer Balti. The video clip for the track was shot in Jordan at the Olive Wood studios, combining archive footage of Palestine with images of the current situation in the country. All proceeds from the track will be donated to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.

Gallery Bawa in Kuwait has organised an auction, the proceeds of which will be donated to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society's emergency fund to help the people of Gaza. The sale had a target of $10,000, which was reached on Saturday, just five days after the sale was launched. In the meantime, dozens of other artists have submitted works to take part in the campaign.

Nourie Flayhan, Alymamah Rashed, Aya Mobaydeen, Said Elatab and many others participate.

Photo: "The Last Supper" (2021) by Shadi Abou Sada.

Karim Serjieh's feature film recently won an award at the Festival international Jean Rouch, and is shown at the Festival du film franco-arabe de Noisy-le-Sec and the Festival international de la création documentaire de La Rochelle.

"The Aleppo Pact" is not the diary of a revolution, nor the chronicle of war events. The film follows the thread of an intimate resolution - shared with others - which is that of the loyalty of a "son" and a witness to his country at war. How does one decide whether to stay or leave, and what are the consequences of these two decisions?

Karim Serjieh traces the collapse of one reality, the nightmarish emergence of a new one, and in the midst of it all, the 'non collapse' of himself, confronted with fatherhood in the most intense situation of chaos. Honest and clear-sighted, the film offers itself, through this openly personal dimension, as a universal key to understanding the tragedy of the Syrian conflict, as well as any experience of destruction.

The annual competition, created by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, saw an unprecedented turnout of 24.8 million students for this 7th edition, including 22,500 students with disabilities, from 46 Arab and foreign countries.

To see the 2023 winners, visit the event's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/arabreading/

Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance has hailed the "unprecedented" operation launched by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas against Israel on 7 October, saying that the day will be inscribed in the Iranian calendar as the "Epic Day of Palestinian Youth".

Dance prodigy Mehdi Kerkouche bewitches the audience with his latest show, 'Portrait', at La Scala in Paris. Transgenerational and trans-identitarian, the watchword is inclusivity. His show is an ode to the universality of dance and its magic. For an hour, the eight dancers tell the story of the ties that bind individuals in society, and more specifically within the same family. A must-see!