After scouring the online and offline print spheres, an introduction to our top picks for the discerning reader who wishes to get a pulse on ‘North’ Africa on topics ranging from the arts, culture, design to politics.
All share a common theme , to quell and quash clichés by giving form to the complexities and nuances of this rich region which shares many ties with the Middle East through a contemporary vision and voice, offering a launching point for discovery and dialogue.
Like a great circle, the nations of Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Republic of Tunisia, Somalia, Sudan, The Comoros swath the African continent connecting them to their neighbouring and fellow Arab League of Nations that lay beyond the Suez Canal, and Red and Mediterranean Seas. Of the twenty-one official member states ten of these, those previously mentioned represent the ten African members. So without much further ado, our recommendations.
Since 2004, Bidoun has filled a gaping hole in the arts and culture coverage of the Middle East, pioneering a distinctive voice that is intelligent, critical, and original. From the beginning, Bidoun has served as a platform — for new questions, images, and ideas about the Middle East. Bidoun’s activities fall in three primary areas: publishing, educational, and curatorial. The magazine is published quarterly with selection of editorial available for online reading.
Bidoun emerged at just the right time as the world looked at the Middle East through the singular lens of failure. The magazine is smart and irreverent in all the right ways. - Ahdaf Soueif | Booker Prize nominee
Launched during 2007 in Dubai, Brown Book is an independent publication and one of the most widely read magazines in the Middle East and North Africa. For a region steeped in well-worn cliches, Brownbook takes on the task of reintroducing the Middle East to itself.
Seeking out people, places and narratives from Tehran to Casablanca Brown Book looks at the real style of life and tells stories that would otherwise remain unheard. Published six times a year featuring extensive coverage of lifestyle, design, architecture and travel – an essential guide to the region.
‘Brownbook is unique, and it’s necessary for empowering talents’ - Yaffa Assouline
brownbook.me | twitter | facebook
Mashallah News established in 2010, is a made up of a collective of journalists, bloggers and graphic designers offering a multi-lingual platform (English, French & Arabic) of disOriented news.
Based in Beirut, contributors hail from all over the Mediterranean and beyond. The aim, singular – to spread a new outlook on countries from Morocco to Iran through stories on topics like underground cultural scenes, social taboos, multilingualism, identity crises, organic wine, urban planning, body painting, humor, art and going beyond mental, cultural and national frontiers. Mashallah believes in describing cultural change, social issues and the unexpected, rather than repeating stereotypes and simpleminded images.
We are tired of cultural propaganda, bribes, scape-goats, Lawrence of Arabia, CNN, ill-informed foreign correspondents, camels, Samuel Huntington, pollution, palm trees and flying carpets.
mashallahnews.com | twitter | facebook
ArteEast Quarterly, is an online publication that provides a critical forum for the exploration of contemporary artistic practices in the Middle East, North Africa and their diaspora. Read featured articles that review events, give insight into cultural programs and regional ventures, and offer critical commentary on the cultural and artistic productions that make up the diverse Middle Eastern scene. Our goal is to provide a wealth of resources that have until now been unavailable in one place.
Ibraaz, launched June 2011 is an online publishing forum initiated by the Kamel Lazaar Foundation. Its primary goal is to publish writing and projects on visual culture in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Through the publication of essays by academics, artists, curators, historians, commentators, writers, and critics, Ibraaz offers a primary research forum for in-depth, peer-reviewed texts about the MENA region. The long-term ambition of the project is to utilise these essays and ideas to further commission and develop full-length, illustrated books.
