Graffiti has flourished with the onset of Arab revolutions, recording the ebb and flow of uprising across city walls in inspiring murals that mimic the triumphs and disappointments in a people’s fight for freedom. Beyond graffiti, it is no secret that the arts and culture scene in Egypt and the […]

No, you did not misread the headline. Stereotyping and prejudice against the politically ambitious Islamists within Arab countries creates friction among societies looking to move ahead. Representation is reality. People live a world of their own construct; their environment is mediated by images and representations of ‘the other’ that dictate […]

Civil society potentially has the power to force economic policies that change the world; but what if it’s barely keeping itself alive? Civil Society Organization laws in the Arab world are extremely restrictive, impeding the rights and powers of such organizations. A vibrant civil society arena is typically reflective of […]

  A newspaper was confiscated, its chief editor on trial at the moment, another TV channel suspended, two other media outlets being judicially pursued for “defaming the president”, and regular columnists known to be critical of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood allege they have been banned from writing. The much-respected Committee to […]

  Writing a review of Africa’s participation in the Olympics has been harder than I imagined. With my country Ghana, the assessment was very simple and could be summed up with one word – flop. Looking at the continent as a whole the picture is more complex but it is […]