Culture
Creativity is an overrated concept. It is not something we have but it is more of a void that we want to fill with emotions that keep us afloat, make us break, leave us speechless and helpless, and feeds us that drop of water that quenches our thirst not only to keep us alive but also to make us breathe in life relentlessly. Let’s take a look at the 12 reasons we choose to be creators:
Qahwa is a series of conversations conducted live on Instagram with inspiring individuals (and especially women!) in the Pink Jinn community from all over the Middle East and North Africa, where we talk culture, identity, politics and everything in between.
Cultural appropriation can be difficult to define and the line between appropriation and appreciation is often very fine, which can make it tempting to hide from debate all together for fear of getting it wrong. Our practical guide will help you understand cultural appropriation and recognise the power that we have as individuals and consumers to push back against discrimination and exploitation.
To mark Pride Month, we’re sharing a list of resources for anyone who’d like to learn more about LGBTQIA+ issues across the Middle East and North Africa, and in diaspora communities around the world. The list includes books, podcasts, articles, online platforms, music and Instagram accounts to follow.
Bedouin women’s poetry is a rich, if little-known tradition of verse that stretches from Pre-Islamic Arabia all the way to the present day. While known within the Gulf and preserved in local communities, it rarely receives large-scale attention, generally because the emotional lives of women are considered culturally sensitive.
This week we’ve teamed up with Amazing Amazigh to share the story of Dihya, the legendary Amazigh queen and warrior. Amazigh (or Imazighen) is the name given to the indigenous people of North Africa. Scroll down to read all about Dihya’s role in the history of North Africa and how she became a symbol of Amazigh resistance and a Maghribi (North African) feminist icon!
Jewellery in the Middle East and North Africa has always played a far more significant role than just that of adornment. One of its most valued functions was that of portable wealth, a practice that finds its origin in the times before finances almost automatically included monetary currency and banks. As such, jewellery was a major factor in women’s financial independence.
In the following list you’ll find a mixture of different platforms ranging from traditional media outlets to inherently modern and dynamic projects, sharing arts and culture from across the Arab world.
Throughout its rich history of trade, migration and empire, the East African coast – from Eritrea in the north to Mozambique in the south – has developed a unique cultural, religious and demographic identity that makes it distinct from the rest of the African continent.