Category: Arabic Language Contributions

World Arabic Language Day: December 18th. Seven Facts that will Surprise You

Arabic is spoken by more than 400 million people across the Middle East and in diaspora communities across the world.

Spoken by around 400 million people across the globe, the Arabic language in its classical form is also the liturgical language of Islam, the world’s second largest religion with at least 1.6 billion adherents.

Marked every year since 2012, the date was chosen based on when the UN General Assembly recognised Arabic as one of the organisation’s official languages in 1973.

In a statement released ahead of the occasion, Audrey Azoulay, Unesco’s director-general, said: “Throughout the centuries, Arabic has been at the heart of exchanges between continents and across cultures.”

She added the language was “used by so many great poets, thinkers, scientists and scholars”.

To mark the occasion, here are some facts about the language, which you may not have known:

1. There’s no agreement on how old the language is

Depending on who you ask, the earliest records of Arabic appear as far back as the second millenium BCE, around the eighth-century BCE or as late as the fourth-century BCE.

The reason for the debate is establishing what constitutes the Arabic language as we know it today.

Languages spoken today are evolved versions of languages that were spoken thousands of years ago, but determining at what point a language becomes so distinct from its ancestor that it can no longer be considered the same is up for debate.

Languages spoken today are evolved versions of languages that were spoken thousands of years ago, but determining at what point a language becomes so distinct from its ancestor that it can no longer be considered the same is up for debate.

2. The oldest Arabic inscription dates to 470 CE

A 2014 discovery by a French-Saudi-led team unearthed the world’s oldest known inscription written in the Arabic script – “Thawban Ibn Malik” were the three words etched into stone, alongside what is thought to be a Christian cross.

The stone slab was discovered in Najran in ­Saudi Arabia and is said to date from around 470 CE.

The text is thought to be written in an early version of the Arabic script known as Nabataean-Arabic, which evolved from historic Nabataean and Aramaic scripts.

The Nabataean kingdom lasted from around the 4th-century BCE to 106 CE and is famed for the structures Nabataeans carved out of rock formations, such as the one found at Petra in Jordan.

3. Arabic is related to Hebrew and Amharic

Arabic is a member of the Semitic language family, which itself is a member of the Afro-Asiatic family.

The Semitic family includes languages still spoken today, such as Hebrew in Israel and Amharic in Ethiopia, as well as extinct languages that were once widely spoken, such as Akkadian and Phoenician.

Belonging to a language family means that at some point the languages evolved out of a common dialect.

While there are no records of the original language, there are enough similarities between languages such as Arabic and Hebrew to make it clear that their origin is the same.

One of the most notable features of the Semitic languages is the triliteral root system, in which words are formed out of a combination of three consonants. 

4. There are dozens of Arabic dialects

Modern Standard Arabic remains a unifying dialect across the Arab world and is used in formal broadcasts, religious sermons and literature, but in day-to-day life Arabs speak a diverse array of dialects.

Sometimes differences between dialects can be so big that two native Arabic speakers cannot communicate without resorting to formal Arabic or a more commonly understood dialect, such as Egyptian or Levantine Arabic.

There are at least 30 Arabic dialects and the differences between any two are generally more stark the more geographically separated they are.

The biggest split is between the Maghrebi or western dialects found in North Africa and the Mashreq or eastern dialects found in the Levant.

There are many reasons for such dramatic differences in dialects.

As Muslim conquerors took over vast tracts of land between Morocco and Iraq, they encountered people who spoke other languages. As those people interacted with their new rulers, they had an effect on the language the new arrivals spoke.

There are also other factors, such as the influence of subsequent conquests by Turkic and European rulers and the independent evolution of languages separated by geography over long periods of time.

In that sense, the Arabic dialects are similar to the Romance languages, such as French, Spanish and Italian, which developed out of spoken Latin.

5. There’s an EU language closely related to Arabic

Maltese, the national language of Malta, was given official language status when the island joined the European Union in 2004, and is the only Semitic language to have that designation.

The country’s 450,000 natives speak a language that has its roots in Arabic, as it was spoken when the nearby island of Sicily was ruled by North African Muslims.

Although it grew out of North African dialects of Arabic, the Maltese language has taken on a lot of vocabulary from Romance languages, such as Italian, and is considerably distinct from Arabic as it is spoken today.

Nevertheless, the similarities will be obvious to an Arabic speaker. Greetings, such as merhba (welcome) and questions, such as x’jismek? (shi-yismek/what is your name?), will be instantly recognisable to an Arab.

6. Arabic was once spoken as far east as Central Asia

After the founding of Islam, successive Arab empires established control over a territory that spanned from Morocco in the west to the borders of what is now China.

This led to mass movements of people from the interior of the Middle East to areas on the periphery of the Islamic world to work as soldiers, administrators, religious leaders and merchants.

These new migrants brought their language with them and even in areas that did not become fully Arabised, their descendants continued to speak Arabic until very recently. 

One such example is in Central Asia, where a variety of Arabic was spoken among some communities until the late 19th-century.

While thought to have numbered in the tens of thousands of speakers in the early Islamic era, today these populations have been assimilated into neighbouring Persian and Turkic-speaking populations.

Many descendants of these Arabic-speaking communities are still aware of their roots despite having forgotten their original language.

7. Arabic loanwords are found in many languages

Alcohol, arsenal, algebra, coffee, gauze, mascarade and safari are just a selection of words used in everyday English that have their roots in Arabic.

Safari for example comes from the Arabic for “journey” or safar, while Arsenal comes from the Arabic dar al-sina’ or “house of production”.

Some languages owe more of their vocabulary to Arabic than others. Turkish and Persian were heavily influenced by Arabic due to geographic proximity and conquest by Arab rulers, as well as the movement of Arabic speakers to areas where those languages are spoken.

Those additions are not always welcomed by nationalists in those countries and efforts have been made at various points to remove Arabic influence.

One of the most intense efforts in that regard was by the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who began a process of Turkification to replace Arabic words in the Turkish language with Turkic equivalents.

Nevertheless thousands of Arabic-origin words remain in modern Turkish.

source/content: middleeasteye.net (headline edited)

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A late seventh-century parchment featuring verses of the Quran in the Kufic script (Wikimedia/Richard Mortel)

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ARABIC LANGUAGE

Historic Arab Manuscripts Showcased at Pearls of Wisdom Exhibition in Abu Dhabi Palace

Influence on European Renaissance highlighted.

The month-long Pearls of Wisdom exhibition launched this month at Qasr Al-Watan, Abu Dhabi’s Presidential Palace, on the sidelines of the third edition of the Abu Dhabi Manuscripts Conference.

Running until Jan. 6, 2023, it will showcase valuable manuscripts in the fields of literature, heritage, religion, music, philosophy and science.

Split into seven zones, the exhibition will take visitors on a historical journey that deliberates on the influence of Arab culture in generating religious dialogue and contributing to knowledge that paved the way for the European Renaissance.

At the heart of the House of Knowledge, visitors will find themselves in an immersive gallery panel covering the Golden Age of Islamic civilization and two regions that are at the heart of medieval Europe: Al-Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula and Sicily in southern Italy.

Before visitors conclude their visit, they can head to the palace’s library to explore a collection of more than 50,000 books about the UAE’s history and politics along with topics including history, architecture, biology and ethnography.

Organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, the conference is being held under the theme “Arabic Manuscripts from East to West: Spain and Italy as a Model,” and in coordination with the National Marciana Library of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the University Library of Bologna in Italy, the National Library of Spain, and Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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The exhibition will showcase valuable manuscripts in the fields of literature, heritage, religion, music, philosophy and science. (Supplied)

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ARAB LITERATURE & MANUSCRIPTS

IRAQI Calligrapher Wissam Shawkat’s love letters blend tradition and modernity in new show

The artist’s latest exhibition of 50 works is the culmination of a lifetime spent studying ancient script.

One day in 1984, in Basra, Iraq, an art teacher taught his students calligraphy. He drew four letters on the blackboard in Ruqʿah script, a plain style often used for signage.

As the teacher drew the letters alif, bah, jim, dal, Wissam Shawkat, then aged 10, watched absolutely entranced.

“Seeing that Arabic letters can take that form was fascinating for me,” Shawkat tells The National at the Mestaria Gallery in Alserkal Avenue — where his latest calligraphy exhibition, Letters of Love II, is running until November 30. “I was really intrigued by this.”

Today, Shawkat is an international leading authority on calligraphy, a self-taught master who pioneered his own technique known as “calligraforms.”

On the eve of his solo exhibition, Shawkat is surrounded by 50 original artworks all centred on the theme of love. He stands in the middle, surrounded by a landscape of letters, composed and morphed by a myriad styles that push the boundaries of traditional calligraphy practices. The result is a delicate balance of ancient forms and modern sensibilities.

“Letters by themselves are like an abstract shape,” he says.

“If you take any letter in Arabic or in English, any part of that letter, you will end up with an abstraction. We give it sound or when it’s merged with another letter, we give it meaning. But in reality, it’s a form, a beautiful form.”

As a teenager, due to the sanctions imposed on Iraq following the Gulf War, Shawkat’s resources were limited. Despite this stark reality, the artist took what summer courses were available, worked in sign-making shops and practised with different mediums and brushes. He drew comics, decorated skateboards, created sketches for friends, and took any chance available to practice mark-making and the art of calligraphy.

“If you spend years writing and perfecting this form, it’s definitely something you’ll fall in love with,” Shawkat says.

“After all these years, I arrived at this point where I love the abstract form of the letters and I think that’s why I’m still making it.”

Letters of Love II was launched on November 11, a significant date for Shawkat. Not only did he leave Iraq on the same date in 2002, but 11 years ago, his solo exhibition, Letters of Love, took place in New York to major critical success.

Shawkat’s new exhibition is an extension of the technical ideas he first experimented with in the New York show, an homage to his personal milestones and, of course, a celebration of love.

“For me, love is a universal concept,” Shawkat says.

“Plus, I wanted to take calligraphy away from always being associated with religion. Historians from the West call it Islamic calligraphy, but it’s not true. The art of calligraphy is about the language, it’s not the religion.”

Shawkat took the Arabic word for love, “hub”, and some of its variations such as “mahaba”, meaning to have love for something, “‘ishq”, to long for something, and “gharam”, meaning desire, and reconstructed them — experimenting with the inner and outer forms of the letters and the composition of the words; blocking parts of their shape, opening up others; extending and bending; changing their silhouettes.

The range of forms and shapes he created within each frame are meticulously composed. They exist in relation to the frames and the spaces they occupy, possessing a uniquely stylised sense of harmony fuelled by Shawkat’s departure from the traditional “rules” of calligraphy.

Even the notion of freedom is expressed uniquely within the works. Free of the cliche of words bursting out of their frame or paint spilling out on to the physical space, freedom is organic and planned in Shawkat’s work. It teases and pushes the idea of Arabic letter forms and calligraphy into new spaces.

“I want to show something aesthetically beautiful,” Shawkat says. “When I’m sketching or putting together the work, everything I do is first in black and white. Colour comes as a second thing, I work with it later.”

It’s this focus on form and composition that gives the varied works an overall sense of grounded weight, rooted and connected to each other through a slow gravitational force, as opposed to an intertwined sense of drama.

Shawkat achieves this thorough planning, like an architect of words, an engineer of letters.

“When I started planning for this show, I went back and opened my old files from the New York show,” Shawkat says.

“I found some ideas that were interesting but weren’t refined yet. I took some of them and made them work, and now they are pieces in this show. It’s always a process, it’s progress. Sometimes it fails and sometimes it works.”

Shawkat’s work reveals not only an artist who has a significant understanding of the forms and symbolism of letters and language, but one with technical knowledge and prowess.

All the paper in the show is handmade, the ink made from personalised pigment colours. Each piece is a juxtaposition of these traditional materials with Shawkat’s forward-thinking experimentation in calligraphy.

It’s also these part-conscious, part-instinctive decisions that make Shawkat’s work timeless and appealing to an international audience, many of whom don’t speak or can’t read Arabic.

“I think people who don’t know Arabic fall in love with calligraphy for the same reason I first did in class,” Shawkat says.

“It’s because they enjoy the form. They look at them as beautiful abstract shapes. As simple as that.”

Letters of Love II will be on show at the Mestaria Gallery in Alserkal Avenue

The exhibition revealing the evolution of Arabic script – in pictures

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Wissam Shawkat’s solo exhibition Letters of Love II is on show at Mestaria Gallery in Alserkal Avenue until November 30. All Photos: Antonie Robertson/The National

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IRAQ

ARAB WORLD: Arab-Chinese Media Cooperation Forum launches Joint Broadcasting Initiative

Ahead of the Chinese President’s visit to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Ministry of Media and the China Media Group announced the launch of a joint partnership initiative to promote relations between Arab countries and China through media in a ceremony in Riyadh on Monday.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Arab-Chinese Media Cooperation Forum, which is being held today in Riyadh…between the Saudi Ministry of Media and the China Media Group,” Acting Minister of Media Majid Al-Qasabi said.

Al-Qasabi addressed the audience in a speech via video extending his support for the cooperation.

“We look forward to the cooperation today to launch new media initiatives that contribute to deepening the ties between the Arab and Chinese cultures and between their peoples,” he said.

The initiative, he explained, will promote the presence of Chinese media on Arab channels, translating Chinese television shows into Arabic.

Through the initiative, Saudi and Chinese television will also work together to create programs highlighting the stories of individuals from both Saudi Arabia and China who achieved success in each other’s countries.

The initiative will also create opportunities for travel between the two countries, opening a space for greater understanding and strengthening the relationship between China and Saudi Arabia through media and cultural exchange.

In line with the aim of improving communication, the ceremony was held in both Arabic and Chinese in the presence of Ambassador of China to Saudi Arabia Chen Weiqing, Director-General of the Arab States Broadcasting Union Abdulraheem Sulaiman, and Chinese politician Li Shulei, head of publicity at the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, president of the Arab States Broadcasting Union and CEO of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, presented the initiative in a speech during the ceremony.

“Saudi-Chinese relations are old and well-established and strong, and they are witnessing prosperity and expansion,” he said, citing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to China, the over 20,000 Arab students studying in China and the several schools in Saudi Arabia that teach the Chinese language and culture.

“We hope that this relationship will witness greater growth with the connection of interests and relations between the two peoples,” he added.

Toward the end of the ceremony, top media representatives from Palestine, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Iraq extended their support for the initiative.

Al-Harthi stressed the importance of media in any country’s diplomatic relations.

“To achieve a solid relationship between the two societies, the media must play this role,” Al-Harthi said.

Through the initiative, translated Chinese works will be broadcast in Palestine, Algeria, Jordan, Sudan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

source/contents: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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SAUDI ARABIA

TUNISIA: The 33rd International Carthage Film Festival: a breath of fresh air in trying times

Tunisia’s prestigious industry event enjoys another successful year, helping spread a love of culture across the country.

Another week of movie magic, street art and music has come to an end following the 33rd edition of the International Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia.

Titled “Hel Thneya”, which means “Open the Path” in Tunisian dialect, the festival once again cemented its status as a major cultural attraction for visitors of all ages, who flocked to cinemas and filled the streets en masse.

The festival, one of the eldest and most prestigious in the Mena region, ended on Sunday.

As is tradition, the capital Tunis was transformed into an open celebration of not only cinema but all forms of arts, with independent young painters getting the chance to show their artworks to the public for the first time and musicians performing every evening to audiences in the middle of Avenue Habib Bourguiba. For many, it was an opportunity to watch films that they don’t usually have the means or the opportunity to see.

Speaking outside the Theatre de Region Cinema, Downtown Tunis, Amina told The National she had been waiting for the festival to introduce her two children to the world of the cinema.

“As a family, we always discuss films together but we never find the time nor age-appropriate films to watch. This is a great opportunity to let them discover the big screen,” Amina said.

Amina’s daughter Ritej, who is in the sixth grade, was grinning with happiness as she prepared to enter the cinema hall. “I’m excited, I’m sure I’m going to enjoy this and tell my friends about it,” Ritej said.

Amina said that she often encourages her children to value the arts, with Ritej currently rehearsing for a school play, and she wishes there were more events like it in Tunisia.

This year’s International festival was an opportunity to revive the city. According to organisers, the festival aimed to showcase both new cinema productions and also timeless films that the younger generations needed to be introduced to.

This year, 72 countries participated with Saudi Arabia being the guest of honour and special emphasis placed on Palestinian and Spanish Cinema — a choice that organisers said highlighted the intersection between north and south, placing migration under an artistic lens.

The festival also paid tribute to Arab filmmakers, both living and dead, namely the Moroccan director Mohamed Abderrahmen Tazi and Egyptian director Daoud Abdel Sayed, as well as the late Algerian director Yamina Chouikh and late Tunisian director Kalthoum Bornaz.

“Through this 33rd edition, we continued to foster cultural decentralisation by bringing new sections to the festival and programming screenings in different parts of the country,” journalist and cinema critic Yosra Chikhaoui told The National.

“This year marks the first edition of JCC for kids. We are bringing more screenings as part of our “street cinema” section as well as continuing the special screenings for prisoners and members of the Tunisian army inside military bases,” Chikhaoui, who is a member of the festival’s media committee, added.

JCC in Prisons, now in its eighth year,is the fruit of a partnership between the Tunisian Ministries of Culture and Justice and the International Organisation Against Torture. This year, 12 films were showcased in three prison facilities, while juvenile detainees were transferred to Tunis for a special showcase in a cinema.

According to Ridha Behi, general director of this year’s festival, film screenings in prisons serve as a reminder of the right all people have to access and experience culture.

Awards, meanwhile, highlighted the multitude and variety on show, with a focus on filmmakers whose work depicts the struggles of their respective societies.

The Tanit d’Or award for best feature film was given to Tug of War, directed by Amil Shivji — marking the first time a film from Tanzania has won the award. Meanwhile, the Tanit d’Argent and Tanit de Bronze were respectively awarded to the films Under the Fig Trees by Erige Sehiri from Tunisia and Sharaf by Samir Nasr from Egypt

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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TUNISIA

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: ’17th edition Sheikh Zayed Book Award 2022″(SZBA) announces longlists for Literature, Children’s Literature, and Young Author Categories

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has revealed the longlists for its 17th edition (2022/2023) in the Literature, Children’s Literature, and Young Author categories.

The announcement was made as the SZBA judging committees begin the evaluation process for all the longlisted entries.

The Young Author category saw 954 submissions this year, an increase of more than 8 percent from the 881 received last year. The Young Author recorded the highest growth in number of submissions among all categories, and now accounts for 30 percent of total nominations across all categories.

The Literature category received 688 submissions this year, ranking second in terms of submissions, while the Children’s Literature category saw 386 participations, up nearly 63 percent from the 236 submissions registered last year.

The Children’s Literature category received 12 submissions from nine Arab countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. These included:

  1. “La Ahad Yal’ab Ma’ai” (No One Plays With Me) by Mohammed Alohaly from Saudi Arabia, issued by Al Hudhud Publishing and Distribution in 2022.
  2. “Lu’bat al-Nujoom” (The Star Game) by Afra Mahmood from the UAE, issued by Al Hudhud Publishing and Distribution in 2022.
  3. “Min al-Fajr ila al-Ghuroob maa’ Toyour Ghabat Alkharuwb” (From Dawn to Dusk with the Birds of the Carob Forest) by Flora Majdalawi from Jordan, issued by Majdalawi Masterpieces Books in 2022.
  4. “Mala Narah” (What We Don’t See) by Shaima Alwatani from Bahrain, issued by Afkar for Culture & Publishing in 2021.
  5. “Aba’at Abi” (My Father’s Gown) by Basemah Alwazzan from Kuwait, issued by National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature in 2022.
  6. “Jaddi wa al WhatsApp” (My Grandfather and WhatsApp) by Parween Habib from Bahrain, issued by Dar Al Saqi in 2022.
  7. “lastu Wahedan” (I Am Not Alone) by Rami Tawil from Syria, issued by Dar Al Saqi in 2021.
  8. “Rabieon Samet” (Silent Spring) by Razan Al Naeemy from Iraq, issued by Qindeel printing, publishing & distribution in 2022.
  9. “Abhathu an Shai’”(I Am Looking for Something) by Sahar Naja Mahfouz from Lebanon, issued by Dar Kiwi Stories in 2022.
  10. ” Einstein: Asrar Alkoutaa 99” (Einstein and the Secrets of the 99th Element) by Sharif Saleh from Egypt, issued by Wow for Publishing & Educational Services in 2022.
  11. “Rehla Dafeaa Molawana” (A Colourful Warm Journey) by Doha Jawad from Syria, issued by Dar Ashjar Publishing & Distribution in 2020.
  12. “Al Sorra Al Ajeebah” (The Wonder Bundle) by Nadia AlNajjar from the UAE, issued by Alfulk Translation & Publishing in 2022.

The longlist for the Young Author category ranged from theses to literary works and included 12 titles, submitted from eight Arab countries: Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, UAE, Iraq, Oman, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. The works on the longlist are:

  1. “Madeeh Al Ikhtilaf: Derasat fi Falsafat Al Ketaba wa Siasat Alhawiya ” (Praise of Difference: Studies in the Philosophy of Writing and Identity Politics) by Mohamed Bekkaye from Algeria, issued by Al Rawafed Culture and Nadim Edition in 2022.
  2. “Al Khetab Al Kasasi fi Ayyam Al Arab fi Al Jahileya: Kiraah Tadawouleyah Hijajeyah (Narrative Discourse in the Days of Arabs in the Pre-Islamic Era: A Pragmatic and Argumentative Examination) by Dr. Abdessattar Al Jamai from Tunisia, issued by Dar Kunouz Al-Marefa Publishing & Distribution in 2021.
  3. “Al Badawi Al Abiad” (The White Nomad) by Mutaz Albader from Saudi Arabia, issued by Dar Al Tanweer Publishing & Printing in 2021.
  4. “Aroos Al Kamar, Hekayat Al Holm Al Afriki” (The Comoros Bride: An African Dream Tale) by Mohammad Tarazi from Lebanon, issued by Arab Scientific Publishers Inc. in 2021.
  5. “Al Wahl wa Al Noujoom” (Dirt and Stars) by Ahmad Lutfi from Egypt, issued by Aseer AlKotb in 2022.
  6. “Al Tajreeb fi Al Khetab Al Sheary Al Emarati Al Mouaaser” (Experimentation in Contemporary Emirati Poetic Discourse) by Dr. Hessa Abdulla Al Ketbi from the UAE, issued by Sharjah Department of Culture in 2021.
  7. “Haraket Alfadh Al Hadarh Al Arabieyah min Bayan Al Jahedh to Aked iben Abd Rabbeh” (The Movement of Words in the Arab Civilization: From the Statement of Al Jahiz to the Unique Contract of Ibn Abd Rabbeh) by Dr. Ali bin Hamad Al Riyami from the Sultanate of Oman, issued by Alaan Publishers & Distributors & The Omani Society for Writers & Literati in 2022.
  8. “Nehayat Al Sahra’a” (The End of the Desert) by Said Khatibi from Algeria, issued by Hachette Antoine / Nofal in 2022.
  9. “Fawka Jisr Al Joumhoureyah” (Over the Republic Bridge) by Shahid Alrawi from Iraq, issued by Dar Alhikma Publishing & Distribution in 2020.
  10. “Al Belad Al Tounnouseaya fi Oyoun Al Rahhalah Al Alman” (Tunisia in the Eyes of German Travelers (1535-1881 AD) by Dr. Atef Salem from Tunisia, issued by Editions Arabesques in 2021.
  11. “Naqd Al Naqd Wa Tajalleyatoh Fi Al Tourath Al Nakdi Wa Al Balaghi Al Arabi” (Criticism of Criticism and Its Manifestations in the Arabic Rhetoric and Critical Heritage) by Dr. Issam Benchellel from Algeria, issued by Difaf Publishing & El-lkhtilef Publishing in 2021.
  12. “Fareedah Wa Sedi Al Mathloum” (Farida and My Oppressed Master) by Heba Ahmad Hassab from Egypt, issued by Al Mahrousa Center for Publishing, Press Service, and Information in 2021.

As for the Literature category, 12 titles made it onto the longlist by novelists, writers and poets representing eight countries: Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Sudan and Iraq. The titles are:

  1. “Almer: Akhtam Al Madeenah Al Fadelah: (Almer: Seals of the Utopian City) by Abdelillah Benarafa from Morocco, issued by Dar Al Adab Publishing & Distribution in 2022.
  2. “Hijab Al Saher” (A Magician’s Veil) by Ahmed Al Shahawi from Egypt, issued by Al-Dar Al-Masriah Al-Lubnaniah in 2022.
  3. “Aseer Nish: Rakan bin Falah bin Hethlain” (Prisoner of Nish: Rakan bin Falah bin Hethlain) by Ahmed Hamad AlSubait from Saudi Arabia, issued by United Takween Group Press, Publishing & Distribution in 2022.
  4. “Rasasa fi Al Raas” (A Bullet in the Head) by Ibrahim Issa from Egypt, issued by AlKarma Books in 2021.
  5. “Hourrass Al Houzn” (Guardians of Sadness) by Amir Tag Elsir from Sudan, issued by Hachette Antoine / Nofal in 2022.
  6. “Al-Qata’i: Thoulatheyat Ibn Tulun” (Al-Qata’i: Ibn Tulun’s Trilogy) by Reem Bassiouney from Egypt, issued by Nahdet Misr Publishing in 2022.
  7. “Abnaa Hura” (The Sons of Hura) by Abdelrahim Kamal from Egypt, issued by AlKarma Books in 2021.
  8. “Ifrah ya Qulbi” (Rejoice, My Heart) by Alawiya Sobh from Lebanon, issued by Dar Al Adab Publishing & Distribution in 2022.
  9. “Ila Ayn Ayyathouha Al Kaseedah” (Whereto, O Poem? An Autobiography) by Ali Jaafar Alallaq from Iraq, issued by Alaan Publishing in 2022.
  10. “Antakia Wa Molouk Al Khafaa” (Antioch and the Kings of Secrecy) by Lina Hawyan Alhasan from Syria, issued by Dar Al Tanweer Publishing & Distribution in 2021.
  11. “ Moujazafat Al Aref” (Knowledgeable Risk) (Poetic Work) by Mohammed Ibrahim Yaghob from Saudi Arabia, issued by Tashkeel Publishing & Distribution in 2022.
  12. “Kullo Aoushbaten Sawtouha wa Kullo Ghaimaten Kathalek” (To Every Grass Leave Its Sound, and to Every Cloud as Well) (Poetic Work) by Mohamed Ghozi from Tunisia, issued by Contraste Editions in 2022.

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award will soon be announcing the longlisted titles for the remaining categories in the 17th edition.

source/content: zayedaward.ae (headline edited)
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

EGYPT: Award Winners of the ’44th Cairo International Film Festival 2022′ (CIFF), 13-22 November

The 44th CIFF’s closing ceremony took place on the stage of the Cairo Opera House on Tuesday evening.

Awards of the 44th Cairo International Film Festival are as follows:

International Competition

The Golden Pyramid Award
Alam by Firas Khoury (France, Tunisia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

The Silver Pyramid Award, Special Jury Award, for Best Director
Love According to Dalva by Emmanuelle Nicot (Belgium, France)

The Bronze Pyramid Award For Best First or Second Feature
Bread and Salt by Damian Kocu (Poland)

Naguib Mahfouz Award For Best Screenplay
A Man (Japan), screenplay by Kosuke Mukai

Best Actor Award
Maher El Khair for his role in The Dame by (France, Lebanon, Sudan, Qatar, Germany, Serbia)

Best Actor Award
Mahmoud Bakry for his role in Alam (France, Tunisia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

Best Actress Award
Zelda Samson for her role in Love According to Dalva (Belgium, France)

Henry Barakat Award for Best Artistic Contribution (Awarded to the Cinematographer)
19B, cinematography by Mostafa El Kashef (Egypt)

The Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition 

Saad Eldin Wahba Award for Best Arabic Film
Mother Valley by Carlos Chahine (France, Lebanon)

Salah Abu Seif Award 
Riverbed by Bassem Breche (Lebanon, Qatar)

Best Non-Fiction Film Award
Far From the Nile by Sherief Elkatsha (Egypt, USA)

Best Acting Performance Award
Carole Abood for her role in Riverbed ( Lebanon, Qatar)

Special Mention for Film
I’m Coming Home by Yassine Redissi (Tunisia)

Special Mention for Best Actress
Lyna Khoudri for her role in Houria (France, Belgium)

International Critics’ Week Competition 

Shadi Abdel Salam Award for Best Film
PAMFIR by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk (Ukraine, France, Poland, Chile, Luxembourg)

Fathy Farag Award
Joyland by Saim Sadiq (Pakistan)

Special Mention
Victim by Michal Blaško (Slovakia, Czech, Germany)

Short Film Competition

Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film
Rosemary A.D. (After Dad) by Ethan Barrett (USA)

The Special Jury Award
My Girlfriend by Kawthar Younis (Egypt)

Special Mention
One F*cking Wish by Piotr Jasiński (Czech)

Special Mention
Riverbed by Bassem Breche (Lebanon, Qatar)

CIFF Cash Awards

Best Arab Film Award (USD 10,000)
19B by Ahmad Abdalla, Produced by Mohamed Hefzy (Egypt)

Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film (EGP 10,000)
Rosemary A.D. by Ethan Barrett  (USA)

Youssef Cherif Rizkallah Award (Audience Award, USD 15,000)
Alam by Firas Khoury produced by Marie Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa and distributed in Egypt by Mad-Solutions (France, Tunisia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)

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EGYPT

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) : Sham Al Bakour, Syrian School Girl, 7, who survived horrors of civil war Crowned Champion of the ‘Arab Reading Challenge 2022’ at Dubai Opera House

Syrian girl, 7, who survived horrors of civil war crowned Arab Reading Challenge champion.

Sham Al Bakour named sixth winner of prestigious title at Dubai Opera House awards ceremony.

A Syrian schoolgirl who survived a deadly missile attack during the civil war in her country has been crowned Arab Reading Challenge champion in Dubai.

Sham Al Bakour, 7, was only six months old when her family’s car was struck during violence in Aleppo in December, 2015.

Her father was killed while she and her mother survived the horrific attack.

She has now completed a remarkable journey from tragedy to triumph to win words of praise from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

In footage released by Dubai Media office, Sheikh Mohammed is seen speaking to Sham as she clutches her winner’s trophy at a ceremony at Dubai Opera House on Thursday.

Her success was met with warm applause by a large audience at the Downtown Dubai culture spot.

“She sustained injuries in the head and at the hospital doctors stitched them,” said Sham’s mother, Manal Matar, 33.

“I have been her support along with my family and her father’s family.

“I noticed she had a passion for memorising texts and Quran verses since she was less than three years old so I supported her.”

A young symbol of hope

She said that Sham has been an inspiration for the children in her family and school.

“Her cousins wait to see what she reads to learn from her.

“Her school mates will certainly be inspired. This challenge will help raise a generation that can rebuild Syria.

“Love of reading must start at a very young age.”

The young literature lover read 70 books to win a competition that attracted 22 million entrants from 44 countries.

When asked about what she would do with the Dh1 million prize money, she said she would give it to her mother.

“We haven’t thought of what to do with the money yet. The focus is on Sham, she is my investment for a better future,” Ms Mattar said.

Sham secured top spot ahead of Adam Al Qasimi from Tunisia in second, and Rashid Al Khateeb from Jordan, in third.

Reading is ‘food for soul and mind’

The young winner said reading offers an opportunity to transport yourself to new places with every turn of a page.

“I’m very happy to win and would like to invite all my friends and all young people to read. Reading is food for soul and mind,” Sham said.

“Reading takes you places, every story introduces you to different people and takes you to a new place.”

The youngster impressed judges with the confidence and clarity with which she expressed her ideas and opinions.

“It was a unanimous decision on Sham, who showed confidence,” said Lailah Al Obaidi, professor in Arabic language and literature at the University of Sharjah, and one of three judges.

“Sham will pave the way for the generation of the future because at this young age, she will be a motivation for more young readers in the Arab world.”

The annual winner is selected based on the pupil’s ability to articulate general knowledge, their critical thinking and communication skills, plus the diversity of books they have selected.

The Arab Reading Challenge was launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2015 to encourage a million young people to read at least 50 books in a year.

Helping to shape young minds

Noor Aljbour, from Jordan, won Dh300,000, along with the title of Outstanding Supervisor, in recognition of her work guiding and motivating pupils through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The obstacles and the amount of work to prepare for this edition of the reading challenge were huge because its the first to happen after Covid-19,” Ms Aljbour said.

“Pupils returned to schools lacking the passion for reading, this meant that we needed to encourage pupils not only to read but to also pick up on their studies.”

Morocco’s Mukhtar Jasoulet school won the Dh1 million Best School award.

In the category for Arab pupils living in foreign countries, Nada Al Satri from Belgium was named the champion.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with the six finalists at the Arabic Reading competition at Dubai Opera. Left to right, Mohammed Jamil (Bahrain), Rashid Al Khateeb (Jordan), Sham Bakour (Syria), Adam al Qasimi (Tunisia), Ghala Al Enzi (Kuwait) and Areej Al Qarni (Saudi Arabia). All photos: Ruel Pableo for The National

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) / SYRIA

EGYPT : The Digital Archive Preserving the Fading Art of Egyptian Typography

Two graphic designers decided to share their most inspirational street finds with everyone on the internet – and launched an online platform to let everyone else share as well.

In Egypt, where there are streets and roads and passageways, there are signs and posters and billboards dating back decades and even centuries, each reflecting their own era of styles, tastes and contexts. It’s a beautiful mess of typography that often gets lost with time, and the Egyptian Type Archive was born to capture and encapsulate it for good.

The founders, Toka Assal and Abdo Mohamed, met online and bonded over their shared interest in street typography, drawing inspiration from their travels to cities across Egypt, from Aswan to Minya and Port Said. As graphic designers and type artists, they decided to share their most inspirational street finds with everyone on the internet – and launched an online platform to let everyone else share as well.

“When we started we didn’t even have a logo, we just used a picture I took of some text on a microbus that said ‘Semsem’ and ‘Semsema’,” Mohamed tells CairoScene. “We found out later that those were the names of the bus owners, a brother and sister. Although we know it’s not professionally designed, the text really looked like it was. But now everything is digital and fast-paced, so we’re losing the artistry and craftsmanship of typography and calligraphy.”

Exclusively focused on Arabic street typography in Egypt, the Egyptian Type Archive has amassed a loyal community on Instagram. They collectively document any text they stumble upon, from the quirky to the horrific to the beautiful, whether it’s an ancient sign on a vintage shop or an announcement sprayed on the walls of a local cafe.

“My favourite finds are food carts, their typography has a very distinct style embodying the essence of street art,” Asal shares. “It’s also very instinctual with the text written tackling hasad or rizq.” Here Asal refers to written prayers or phrases traditionally used to ward off the evil eye, or invite God’s blessing – a visual manifestation of deeply held beliefs and spirituality.

Mohamed and Asal’s view on what constitutes art or on the nature of street typography questions notions of ‘professionalism’, where they treat every sign and piece as a story on its own. Initially, they wanted to document the names of the calligraphers until they found that – more often than not – the text is created by commission, so the artists don’t normally sign their names under their work.

Although strangers in the street often regard them with confusion when they see them taking pictures of manhole covers or old movie posters, the founders believe their documentation serves a purpose to typographers, designers, and Egyptians at large. Through their work, and the work of their burgeoning community, they preserve a dying visual culture and ensure it survives to the next generation of Egyptian creators.

source/content: cairoscene.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E) : Sharjah Ruler Launches 19 New Volumes of the ‘Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language’ taking the Completed Volumes to 36 Covering 9 Letters so far.

H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, launched on Tuesday, 19 new volumes of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language at the headquarters of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah.

The 19 new volumes of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language cover four letters, bringing the total number of letters edited so far to 9, thus increasing the number of completed volumes of the project to 36.

The volumes of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language were issued, directed and printed in Al Qasimi Publications in Sharjah.

Sharjah Ruler welcomed the attendance of members of the Academy from different countries, praising their great efforts in working on the historical dictionary, which is one of the valuable achievements that must be worked and built in order to spread, learn and teach the Arabic language.

His Highness announced an endowment to support these Academies in fulfilling their mission to the fullest, pointing to the importance of establishing private centres owned by the Academy.

Sheikh Sultan addressed the great efforts in supporting the learning of the Arabic language in Sharjah, pointing out to the vision and idea of establishing Al Qasimia University, which came as a culmination of His Highness’ efforts to support the Arabic language and Islam. “Here in Sharjah, we established Al Qasimia University, and this university is mine, and it graduates many students from Japan to the Americas,” he said.

The Ruler of Sharjah stressed the importance of preserving Arab traditions in any place and time of all members of society, because this is a part that integrates with speaking the Arabic language and shows belonging.

His Highness said, “We have worked to establish special institutions for the Arabic language, and we have established them with decrees and laws in order to preserve them, so as not to make them blown by the wind, and make the lovers of this language responsible for them.”

The Ruler of Sharjah concluded his speech by talking about the ancient history of Sharjah, as it was mentioned in the report of the leader sent by Alexander the Great when he came to Persia in the year 331 BC. M, pointing out that Sharjah and its people preserve the language, literature and poetry, highlighting their roles in supporting and spreading science and knowledge.

For their part, a number of attendees from the Academy expressed their appreciation to His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah for providing great support for the Arabic language.

The Sharjah Ruler launched the first 17 parts of the “Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language” at the opening of the 40th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair 2021. With the official launch of the dictionary’s website, people can search and read all the completed volumes.

source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)

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SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)