The Imagined Beginning and Its Margins Essay In his essay, Jwan Tatar poetically outlines Kurdish identity in a Syria where fear is the link that binds all its residents. By Jwan Tatar
Dimitri in South Damascus Essay A rupture amidst the ongoing war in Syria: Qosay Amameh recounts the deportation of the remaining members of the opposition from the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk in May 2018. By Qosay Amameh
Perspectives Middle East & North Africa Perspectives Middle East & North Africa is a publication series of the Middle East & North African offices of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung. With this series, we intend to let experts from Southeastern Europe express their views about current political issues in their region. The series will provide political analyses and assessments that are well-founded, concise and relevant. Our aim is to make a contribution to a highly diversified debate - in which people from Southeastern Europe with a special insight into what is happening in their part of the world can express their thoughts. We intend publishing contributions from think tanks and universities, from journalists, politicians, as well as civil society representatives. representatives.
Reminiscence of Coming Times - Souvenirs from Beirut Essay “Mid-October, 2019. The mood across the country was like the opening passage to a novel that promises to turn sad. But on the 17th of that month, something unexpected began, setting the course for a very different story” - Abraham Zeitoun remembers. By Abraham H. Zeitoun
The Nayf: A Short Story about Complaint and Dignity in Algeria Essay On February 10, 2019, Bouteflika announced his fifth presidential candidacy, and six days later protests erupted in Algeria: the Revolution of Smiles. The protagonists of Salah Badis' short story meet in front of a dysfunctional ATM in one of Algiers' richest neighborhoods, and a conversation between strangers unfolds. By Salah Badis
A Permanent Temporariness Essay January 25th marks the beginning of the Egyptian revolution of 2011, which has been followed by a counter-revolution that continues to this day. More and more political and cultural actors end up in prison or flee into exile. As part of our series “Reminiscence of the future”, Alia Mossallam illuminates the inner spaces of the revolution, where fear and courage, kindness and monstrosity are inherently close to one another. By Alia Mossallam
Files from a Revolution Gone Rotten Essay Tunisia is often deemed the main success story of the “Arab Spring” after long-term dictator Ben Ali was ousted ten years ago. But in the first contribution of our series “Reminiscence of the future”, Rim Benrjeb writes about a revolutionary spirit that is in danger of falling asleep, patriarchal and state violence, and the impossibility of discussing all of this with one's own father. By Rim Benrjeb
10 Years Arab Spring Essays This series of literary essays by authors from the region reflects what the protagonists hoped for and how they look today at what they have achieved, a kind of "look back to the future". They make clear how important personal confrontations are in order to develop political alternatives.
Inspiring victories in a long and vicious war Portrait The participation of women in political events was a real battle that they paid for dearly, not only as political players but as women as well - A portrait of Mozn Hassan a feminist and human rights activist. By Dina Samak
Egypt today: Covid-19 on top of repression, repression on top of Covid-19 Interview Amidst the Covid-19 crisis in Egypt, a recent chain of events reveals the systemic violence that the regime of President al-Sisi exerts. To address those developments, what’s behind them and how international actors might respond to them, we are speaking with Amr Magdi, Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch. By Johannes Gunesch
