Trafika Europe 6 - Arabesque

Spain, writes in an Arabic still immersed in the folklore and spirit-view of his nomadic, Tuareg upbringing. Tahar Ben Jelloun , originally from Morocco, is the first Arab author ever to garner the coveted Prix Goncourt, among other high French honors. A committed spokesman against tyranny, he is, as he puts it, “first and foremost a storyteller, a novelist, and a fabulator who plays with words and with the imaginary” (The New Yorker). In this latest work excerpted here, he intuits an inner narrative of his real- life friend, undergoing a challenging medical procedure. French-Algerian lyricist, poet and performer Alima Hamel plumbs the depths of her cultural dual heritage in the rich tapestry of song. Be sure to click at the titles of the lyrics you find here, to hear her stunning songs in original French, mixed with some Algerian dialect. Syrian-UK author Zaheer Omareen focuses his notable efforts also as an artist, editor and curator to shine a light on an entrenching culture of violence pervading the land of his birth. Finally, Moroccan-born Najat El Hachmi has become a celebrated Catalan author, writing in Catalan and representing her adopted culture abroad, while exploring the delicate line of otherness she continues to navigate. Our European-Arab focus is counterpointed by some

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