Culture

Smell The Roses: The Invisible Side Of Personal Adornment

Scent is one of the most powerful aspects of personal adornment. It lingers in the air long after a person has left, it brings back memories of places we’ve been or people we’ve loved, and it has a proven influence on our state of mind: from soothing lavender to pick-me-up rosemary, the powers of fragrance have been known and used for millennia. The use of fragrance goes well beyond that of beautification.

The Secret World of Tatreez: From Orange Blossoms to the Nakba

Tatreez, or Palestinian embroidery, is a textile art form which consists of intricate geometric patterns…

Reading Turkish Coffee Grounds 101: A Tradition of Fortune-Telling and Storytelling

Tasseography, also called Tasseomancy, is the art of reading coffee, tea, or wine sediments as…

12 Reasons Why We Create – Jordanian Artist Saba Al-Mahadin

Creativity is an overrated concept. It is not something we have but it is more of a void that we want to fill with emotions that keep us afloat, make us break, leave us speechless and helpless, and feeds us that drop of water that quenches our thirst not only to keep us alive but also to make us breathe in life relentlessly. Let’s take a look at the 12 reasons we choose to be creators:

Qahwa Hour: The Archives

Qahwa is a series of conversations conducted live on Instagram with inspiring individuals (and especially women!) in the Pink Jinn community from all over the Middle East and North Africa, where we talk culture, identity, politics and everything in between.

A Practical Guide to Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation

Cultural appropriation can be difficult to define and the line between appropriation and appreciation is often very fine, which can make it tempting to hide from debate all together for fear of getting it wrong. Our practical guide will help you understand cultural appropriation and recognise the power that we have as individuals and consumers to push back against discrimination and exploitation.

Essential Resources on LGBTQIA+ Issues in the Middle East

To mark Pride Month, we’re sharing a list of resources for anyone who’d like to learn more about LGBTQIA+ issues across the Middle East and North Africa, and in diaspora communities around the world. The list includes books, podcasts, articles, online platforms, music and Instagram accounts to follow.

Emotion and Tradition — The World of Bedouin Women’s Poetry

Bedouin women’s poetry is a rich, if little-known tradition of verse that stretches from Pre-Islamic Arabia all the way to the present day. While known within the Gulf and preserved in local communities, it rarely receives large-scale attention, generally because the emotional lives of women are considered culturally sensitive.

Dihya, the legendary Amazigh warrior of the Aures

This week we’ve teamed up with Amazing Amazigh to share the story of Dihya, the legendary Amazigh queen and warrior. Amazigh (or Imazighen) is the name given to the indigenous people of North Africa. Scroll down to read all about Dihya’s role in the history of North Africa and how she became a symbol of Amazigh resistance and a Maghribi (North African) feminist icon!