Archive for 'Culture'
The Arab League Posted by aziza on Nov 15, 2010
The Arab League (الجامعة العربية), also called the League of Arab Nations (جامعة الدول العربية), is a regional organisation of Arab states. It was formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on May 5, 1945. The Arab League currently…
The grand homeland Posted by aziza on Nov 10, 2010
Arab unity (الوحدة العربية) has always been a dream for Arab masses (الجماهير العربية). It seems a very far fetched one at the time being, but in the fifties and sixties, it was a very important political concept, and a driving force for peoples and politicians alike. The formation of the Arab League was meant…
Hakuna Matata in Arabic Posted by aziza on Oct 20, 2010
Do you like to watch Disney cartoons? Have you tried watching them in Arabic? It can be a very educational experience. Many of Disney’s cartoons are dubbed into Egyptian Arabic – being the most widely spread and understood colloquial dialect. There are others that are dubbed into Standard Arabic. Do you have a favourite cartoon…
Mahmoud Darwish: Palestinian Poet Posted by aziza on Oct 17, 2010
Mahmoud Darwish (محمود درويش ) is a famous Palestinian poet and author who won numerous awards for his literary output and was regarded as the Palestinian national poet. Darwish was born in the village of al-Birwa in the Western Galilee on13 March 1941. After Israeli forces assaulted his home town in June 1948 the…
Moussaaka Recipe Posted by aziza on Sep 7, 2010
In this post, I present the recipe of a very famous dish in the Arab world, in fact it is well known all around the Mediterranean region. It is called (مسقعة), in English Moussaka. It is obvious that the English name is derived from Arabic, and the word Arabic means cold because this dish is…
What does the word homeland mean? Posted by aziza on Aug 17, 2010
What does the word homeland mean? is the title of a beautiful song by Mohammed Fouad (محمد فؤاد), a very famous singer in Egypt. The song is originally taken from a film. It is a very emotional song about what homeland may mean to some. Surely, a homeland means something different for each and every…
Nizar Qabbani’s Poem “Words” Posted by aziza on Jul 13, 2010
In this post, I present one of the most beautiful poems of Nizar Qabbani that became a song by Majda Al-Roumy. It is called (كـــلمات) ‘words’. The poem, its translation and the video are given below. Enjoy! He tells me, when he dances with me,Words are not like other words He takes me, from under…