Umm Kulthum: A Tribute to a Legendary Voice of Egypt
The life of a singer much loved across the Arab world is told in a Western-style musical in London. Can such an adaption succeed?
The Latest in Language Confusion: Morocco Switches Back from Arabic to French
Morocco, which switched instruction in schools from French to Arabic in the 1980’s, is now reversing course, to the dismay of some educators. The change is intended in part to improve the performance of university students.
Artificial Intelligence Speeds Efforts to Enhance Online Arabic Content
The Arabic language is seriously underrepresented online. Computer science researchers in Qatar are developing tools to change that,
Despite a Blue Chip Education, Unemployed and Desperate in Palestine
After earning a bachelor’s degree at an American college campus in Jerusalem and then a master’s degree in London, a young Palestinian returns home to discover her degrees aren’t valued.
A Podcast Takes Listeners on Tours of Arabic Music
Dom Tak, a pioneering podcast about Arabic popular music and history, is embarking on its second season.
Recommended Reading, 2019: Books From and About the Arab World
A sampling of works published, translated or honored in the past year illustrates the diversity of writing by Arab authors.
Why the Split Between Classical and Everyday Arabic Endures
If Arabs want a true lingua franca, they must ease the rigid boundaries they’ve set up between the local dialects and the formal language.
A Form of Yemeni Poetry Thrives in Defiance of War
At a Cairo conference this month, scholars began the process of listing a form of traditional Yemeni poetry on the Unesco register of Intangible Cultural Heritage to help make sure that it endures.
Artificial Intelligence Helps Computers Leap Forward in Reading Arabic
New projects use artificial intelligence to read Arabic publications of all kinds, opening up the possibility that local, print-only archives could be transformed into widely-available, searchable online resources.
Finding the Words: Arab Writers on Queer and Feminist Expression
At a London literary event, an array of Arab authors discuss the hurdles that cultures, publishers, and even the Arabic language itself can present.
