Maghreb

In our divided times, the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival creates space for much needed international and interfaith dialogue.

Master of traditional and modern, Arab and Western musical fusions, Rachid Taha left a unique musical genre of his own making. An irreverent political activist always rooting for the underdog, he was not just an artist, but a force of nature pushing for social and political change both in the Western and Arab worlds.

Sudan is going through a period of transformation, and women are at the forefront of the movement for change. Leading with empowering songs, Alaa Salah represents the strength and energy of the Sudanese women who have been driving the movement forward.

During Pope Francis’ recent visit to Morocco, a stunning interfaith musical medley performed for the pontiff and Morocco’s king sparked controversy.

The persistence of peaceful mass demonstrations in Algeria and Sudan appear to be bearing fruit in a region desperate for change.

Manal Elattir, founder of Morocco-based social enterprise ASILA, is using traditional handicrafts and fashion to promote women’s empowerment, ethical fashion, and sustainable development in the North African country.

After four months of popular protests in Sudan and President al-Bashir having been forced to step down, regional and international allies are preparing for a post-Bashir Sudan by grooming a “reliable” successor to replace him. Former high-ranking government official, Salah Abdallah Gosh, seems to tick all the right boxes.

The eventual establishment of an independent Palestinian state appeared indisputable and inevitable when the Arab League wrote its charter in 1945. Over the past five decades, the organization’s support of the Palestinian cause had gradually diminished to reflect the increasingly normalized relations between Israel and countries in the Arab world. However, the League’s recent summit in Tunis reaffirmed the pan-Arab organization’s historic position advocating the cause.

In 2011, a wave of uprisings known as the Arab Spring took the Middle East and North Africa region by storm. Many have questioned whether the revolutions in the Arab world were successful. Even though institutional change has been slow, and in places nonexistent, the uprisings were effective in bolstering one powerful transformational agent: the youth.

Bowing to popular protests, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has resigned, but an entrenched, unpopular ruling class remains. Algeria’s protest movement, fueled by songs of dissent, will continue marching until the system is reformed.