Oh joy! Oh goody, goody sonic gumdrops! ‘Tis music to my ears to hear The National feature Next Music Station, a new series on Al Jazeera that explores the musical soul across the spectrum of the Arab world.

NMS spans 11 episodes, nine countries and 80 musicians to reflect the diversity of Arab music, reaching around corners and behind closed doors to brush with bands and artists who might otherwise have remained undiscovered.

Eleven weekly one-hour shows beam the lesser-known sounds of Sudan, Tunisia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen to a TV set near you, to mingle with more familiar sonic flavours of Syria, Egypt, Morocco and Lebanon.

Join me in joyous hairbrush karaoke and jump up and down on your beds, dear readers: this could get loud…

Tune In, Turn Up and Tap Your Toes.

Next Music Station is already airing on Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel, while those of us that tune in to AJ English will have to sit on our hands until the beginning of April.

In each episode, Basque director Fermin Muguruza and his small crew journey to an Arab city or charter an entire country to interview musicians and hear them perform. Muguruza, an acclaimed musician, is no stranger to Arab sounds. His documentary Checkpoint Rock: Songs From Palestine saw him boldly go where few have gone before him: through the streets of the Occupied Territories in search of music, musicians and muses.

The Next Best Thing

NMS dances to a similar tune. Egypt gets two episodes, the first of which sees our intrepid tune-hunter groove and jive around the “mother of all cities”, Cairo.  The second is a journey up the Nile, starting in the south and carrying up to Alexandria and Port Said. Kuwait shares an episode with Bahrain and fuses the traditional songs of the pearl divers with Bedouin-style a cappella.

“When you meet these artists, it’s amazing,” Muguruza told The National. “Because of their background, that they’ve lived through wars, their different stories, you really feel like you’re learning a lot.”

Never too Young or Old to Play

Next Music Station also serves as a platform for the Arab world’s younger, less-established musicians to get their voices heard beyond their own back yards.

Filming in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco was interspersed with trips home for editing, while Muguruza set up a base in Beirut for three months to film the Lebanese and Syrian instalments. Friends, producers, managers and musicians from all corners of the globe were called on to help during the research phase.

“I didn’t sleep a lot last year,” Muguruza admits. “I worked every day and night, checking different things, especially the Internet and YouTube. It was amazing. Very passionate, but very obsessive.”

Tattoos, handcuffs and Starbucks coffee – is this the way to self-expression? Not likely. But many Arab women can probably relate to the complex issues posed by photographer Abdulaziz Al Qahtani’s latest exhibition, “An Intimate Landscape” which depicts Arab women and the quest for identity in today’s world. This Saudi Arabian artist uses bold images that challenge the observer to examine traditional roles, taboos and his or her place in Western society.

To Want or Not To Want

Pop culture affects all those who live within it and, being based in London, Al Qahtani is at the heart of it. His insightful observations come through in several pieces from the expo, with images of Hijab wearing women in mini-skirts, getting tattooed and drinking alcohol.

Al Qahtani believes that taboos such as these are often used to conceal truths and desires, and that taboos may be the key to rediscovering true human nature. But hold on, not so fast! This up and coming artist is not suggesting that we race out to break all the rules- at least not without putting some serious thought into it.

In an interview with Muslimah Media Watch, he criticizes the double standard that exists in Western society. “People are expected to follow cultural guidelines like sheep, yet they believe that they are open-minded because they wear ‘cool clothing’. Some believe that things such as drinking alcohol or wearing different clothing make you progressive, but I disagree with this.”

Islamic Art?

Yes, all of the women depicted in “An Intimate Landscape” are wearing the hijab. And yes, Al Qhatani addresses gender inequality (with a definite role reversal!) in his photos of whip-bearing women and their subjugated husbands. But there is no direct reference to Islam. A rather important factor when searching for our place in society, no?

The artist explains, “I wanted to move away from Islam, because I do not like to classify based on religion. I do this because I feel like everyone is spiritual, and that is the best way to be in touch with your inner-self.”

Rather than focusing on Islam specifically, Al Qahtani’s has given universal relevance to his artwork- the photographs depict women as they negotiate their identities.

Although we can see that the women are Middle Eastern because they are wearing the hijab, the search for identity is a challenge that women-and men- from all types of social background can relate to. “An Intimate Landscape” dares observers to embark on this search, but to do it mindfully through deep introspection and self-reflection.

What do you think of when you hear the word Manga? Whatever action-packed, risqué menagerie of celebrated Japanese export springs to mind, it’s unlikely to conjure images of classical-style Arabic heroes…

Manga is now starting to promote Arabic traditions

Cue “Gold Ring,” an action-packed coming-of-age tale depicted in the flash-bang-wallop dramatic style Manga fans the world over know and love.  Yes folks, you heard right – Manga is promoting Arabic traditions. Gold Ring’s protagonist is a 15-year old Arabic boy (Sultan) who encounters seemingly endless trials and tribulations on a life-changing journey and rite of passage.

Wide Eyed in the Emirates

“Gold Ring’s” author, former IT consultant Qais Sedki, has created his characters to boosthomegrown classical Arabic fables half a world away in the United Arab Emirates.

“I think it’s a very dangerous signal that we’re sending to children if we don’t present our own forms of entertainment…” Sedki told CNN.

“…Unless we produce things like this, it’s almost like saying ‘if you want anything cool, you have to look elsewhere… I don’t want children growing up in that kind of culture. We have our own content; we have our own things that can be considered cool.”

Old tales, New Format…

Gold Ring is not the first Middle Eastern comic books. The Islam-inspired “The 99,” developed by a Kuwaiti psychologist has already wowed audiences in the region. What makes Gold Ring a little different is that it uses Arabic characters and storytelling in Manga format rather than the contemporary American superhero style of Marvel or DC Comics.

Manga Gold Ring

“In the UAE, my generation grew up with the stuff, so we’re very accustomed not just to the aesthetic, but to the quirks in Manga that are very Japanese.” He told CNN.

In order to get Japanese style nailed, Sedki sought the guidance of two of Japan’s best-known Manga artists; a female duo known as Akira Himekawa who have penned classics such as Astro Boy and “The Legend of Zelda.

Arabic Superheroes R Us

Gold Ring won the 2010 Sheikh Zayed Book Award for children’s literature, and Sedki has been delighted with the response it has received, as he told CNN

“I’ve had children take the initiative to get through to me via Facebook or email. It’s very heart warming. Classical Arabic hasn’t had much of a chance to connect with children and I want to change that.”

The UAE author is developing his second book but is wary of taking the plunge to adapt it for TV or film. His goal is to encourage children in his homeland to read in classical Arabic and connect the dots between their culture and heritage, rather than stare at a screen all day as he affirms:

“I use classical Arabic in the book and I’m trying to fight this misconception that classical Arabic is boring not fun — no good for anything other than making our minds numb with schoolwork.

“If you think about where children are exposed to classical Arabic: schoolwork, which they hate, or the news, which they find boring. Classical Arabic hasn’t had much of a chance to connect with children and I want to change that.”

I’ve been reading a fascinating article in 30-days.net about the Juba Arabs, a 900,000 strong population that live along the Somali/Ethiopian border.

Virtually cut off from the rest of the world, around 650,000 Juba live in Somalia’s fertile regions Wabi of Shebele. A further 275,000 live just over the border in Ethiopia.  Originally from the Arabian peninsula, the Juba speaks an Arabic dialect called Maay.

Hanging out with the Herdsman on the Horn

Standing proud at the Horn of Africa, Somalia is a poor nation with little industry and few natural resources. The region has been devastated by civil unrest and tribal war since 1991. Although Somalia has seemingly endless  coastline, the landscape is dry and barren with scorching year-round temperatures

Somali are traditionally nomadic herdsmen, while the Juba are mostly farmers. They grow coffee, wheat, vegetables, dates, mangoes and pomegranates.  Juba life has an in-built tradition of  daily coffee time and because wood is so scarce, the Juba burns animal-dung for their fires (and coffee pots!)

Welcome to the Juba Way of Life

The Juba is Sunni (Shafiite) Muslims and their distinct class structures are reflected in the way they dress. Juba Women wear veils at home as well as in public. When boys enter manhood they are allowed to wear a variety of headwear. Juba marriage is strictly arranged within their own tribe and children are highly valued as an asset to every family.

Village life lies at the heart of Juba culture and is more structured than among other African Arabs. Homes are typically made of mud-brick with a flat roof and most have only one room. Occasionally, the roof is made of grass thatch, which extends out to make a verandah.

Other Juban homes are similar to those of the Sudanese: a one room circular hut with a cone shaped thatch roof. Floors in these types of houses are either mud or thatch. Goats and chickens are kept in a small yard to provide milk and eggs.

Go figure: Arabic is one of the world’s leading languages yet the Wikipedia Arabic portal carries less words than its site in Catalan, which is spoken by 9 million people…

In a bold move to give the language the digital oomph it deserves web addresses will now be available in Arabic. The Guardian reports on how this is part of a wider move to open up cyberspace to domain names in multiple, non-Latin scripts.

Egypt: Also Known as Dot misr.

Egypt, the most densely populated Arab country, announced in May that it’s begun registering names under the. misr domain (“Misr” being the Arabic name for Egypt.)

The first three companies to use it are TE Data, Vodafone Data and Link Registrar. Egyptian communications Minister, Tarek Kamel, has called the move “a milestone in Internet history”.

“This great step will open up new horizons for e-services in Egypt,” he said in The Guardian.

“It will boost the number of online users in the country and will enable Internet services to penetrate new market segments by eliminating language barriers.”

Out With Old, In With the New

Instead of using the old .eg domain name,  Egyptian organizations can now use .”misr”, written from right to left in Arabic script as their default country code for domestic websites.

One of the first “internationalized domain names” leads to the Egyptian communications ministry. If a browser has the correct fonts installed, the user should see an Arabic name. But of course, this all depends on the browser…

Jumping on the Bandwidth Wagon

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also introducing the new codes: .Al-Saudiah and .Emarat.

Icann, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers , approved the use of non-Latin domain names at the end of 2009. About time too, given that half of the world’s Internet users use a Latin script as their primary language.

1% of all web content is in Arabic– though its 280 million speakers add up to 5% of the global population. Until now, Arabic web content had to be hosted under Latin addresses, creating practical problems and, as The Guardian puts it, “conveying a sense of linguistic discrimination.”

Egypt: Zooming Down the Info Highway

Internet access in Egypt is getting more and more affordable and the use of Internet on mobile devices is blossoming. The Egyptian government has said it plans to boost its broadband capacity with a $1bn upgrade in the next four years.

Microsoft and Google include Arabic in their top 10 languages most in need of attention and are hot on the case to increase access.

There’s something about Malta – something more than just a picturesque, sunny Mediterranean tourist location. The smallest country in the EU, this three- island nation of just 315 square km has been independent since 1964, but it has a strong and complex cultural and historical identity.

Picturesque Malta

Both Catholicism and Islam have made a strong impression on Malta and the results are striking and enduring.

The three main islands that compose Malta, (Malta, Gozo and Comino), are, like the holy trinity itself: steeped in Christianity. Catholicism is effervescent on the islands or at least it was to me, when I spent a week in Gozo and watched the churchgoers parade past my window on Sunday morning. Hardly surprising, given as today, 98 % of the Maltese consider themselves practicing Catholics.

Catholic Soldiers Leave their Mark on Malta

Since the Stone Age, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, have passed through Malta, although the strongest influence was left by the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John.

These Catholic soldiers tended wounded and diseased soldiers during the Crusades, but soon began picking fights with the unfaithful.  After being expelled from the Jerusalem by the Turks in 1291 and from Rhodes, where they rallied against Islam, Emperor Charles V allowed them to relocate and settle in Malta.

In 1565, the Knights were besieged for a month by the Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent but eventually fended Islam off once again. The Maltese capital La Valletta is said to have emerged after the Turkish besiege, when grand master John de la Valletta, decided to build a small fortress in the peninsula site of the San Elmo fortress.

The Maltese cross is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights of Malta.

These days, The Maltese Cross, symbol of the Order of Knights of St John is found in literally every shop window in Malta!

Arguably Arab in Name and Nature

But Malta is also essentially Arab – Maltese is the only Arab language written in Roman letters, a byproduct of the Arab occupation, from 870 to 1091.  City and street names often sound inherently Arabic – take for instance Mdina, the old capital city of Malta (also known as the Silent City).

Today Malta may be one of the world’s most Catholic countries but it retains its Arab influence and customs. The “Eye of Allah” is still painted on both sides of the prow on all the Maltese fishing boats…

I was really touched by an article I read in The National yesterday – and thought I’d share it.

Mona Awad, a 42-year old expat Jordanian Christian secretary stood at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the UAE on October 15^th waiting for the man she was engaged to marry – whom she had met a month earlier.

He was due to fly in to the Arab Emirates to be united with her. Mona Awad lived with her family in the Tourist Club area of the UAE and the pressures of singledom were taking their toll.

Love as a Way Out

“I was not desperate for a husband as much as I was desperate to leave my family,” Ms Awad told The National. As she’d lived abroad for several years and felt that she had lost touch with her community at home, she had decided to join Shaadi online, an India Matrimonial website. She didn’t sign up to an Arab dating site as she felt that Arabs would think of it as “advertising myself”.

“Foreigners accept the idea [of dating online], but if I married an Arab, he would tell me later ‘did you forget when you advertised yourself to me?”

 – She revealed.

“Because Arab expats here are mostly Muslims, it is difficult for me to find a husband,” she said. “There is so much pressure inside the house and from society. I’m fed up of living with my family.”

Through Shaadi online, Mona met a man who called himself “Williams James”, a 42-year-old widower with one child.

A Twist in The Tale

As their relationship deepened in the month before their supposed meeting, Mr James told her Ms Awad had to travel to Nigeria to close a business deal before visiting her in the UAE.

Then suddenly, he told her he couldn’t travel to the UAE because he had to pay taxes for signing the contracts. He asked her to help him out and send him US$12,000. She did. He then asked for US$10,000, sent in different amounts to himself and two of his friends, identified as Robert and Samuel, because she could send only up to Dh5,000 a day through Western Union.

Williams James never showed up to meet his Jordanian fiancée. In fact, according to the supervisor of the British Airways flight, on which he was supposed to be traveling, he had not confirmed his booking.

That Sinking Feeling…

After waiting for almost an hour, Mona asked police for help. It soon became evident that she had been cheated out of her life’s savings: Dh110,000 (US$30,000).

The money she sent was the fruit of  22 years of work. After the wire transfers, she was left with Dh70 in her account. She also borrowed Dh5,000 to pay for wedding  preparations and paid for every international call to her suitor.

“I cannot say I fell in love with him, but I became emotionally attached to him,” Ms Awad said. “I thought I would finally marry. I also told everyone I would marry soon.” when all was said and done, she told her family that he had been “just playing”.

Words of Wisdom

Dr Ahmad Alomosh, chairman of the sociology department at the University of Sharjah and specialist in crime and families, said the issue had become rife in the UAE, due to the openness of cyber space. 

Dr Alomosh, who wrote a study on the theme said the extent of the phenomenon in the UAE was not yet known because it is not well studied. This is in partly due to the fact that many victims do not report cases.

Ms Awad, meanwhile, has filed a complaint with the police, who say money transfer records place “Mr James” in Nigeria.

Roll-up, Roll-up! Yes folks, I have (yet) another Arab heroine. A brilliant young female Arab artist whom I recently discovered through some friends in the UK.

Asia Alfasi is a British comic writer, who draws on her Libyan roots and the Arab and Muslims cultures, meshing them with Japanese influence in her magnificent manga-esque creations.

A World Traveller with a Roving Eye

Born in Libya to Arab parents, Asia relocated to the UK at the age of 8, and has lived there ever since. She first hit the headlines when her Arabian cartoon character Monir accompanied her in becoming the first female ever to participate in and win the  Hi8us Midlands Stripsearch Comic competition.

In 2003, Asia released first major work, “JinNarration”, was published in the Mammoth Book of Best New Manga, an anthology of up-and-coming young British comic artists.

Hot of the heels of her first major success, Asia’s short semi-autobiographical story, “The non-savvy non-commuter”, was displayed on the walls of Piccadilly Circus tube station as part of Thin Cities, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the station’s opening from 15 December 2006 to 31 April 2007.

The Future’s Bright, the Future’s Graphic…

This talented young artist is presently working on her first graphic novel about a young Muslim girl and her life and adventures in Libya and Scotland. She is also converting the play Looking for Yoghurt (presently being performed by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company, Joyful Theatre and Kijimuna Festa in association with Hanyong) into a graphic novel.

And if that doesn’t like enough of a packed agenda, in her spare time, Asia is also working on another book entitled The Adventures of Joseph and Jasmine, also slated for publication later this year.

UK readers can catch a glimpse of Asia at BICS, the British International Comics Show on October 3 and 4, and the second London MCM Expo on October 24 and 25.

Talk about having several strings to your bow: Lebanese Arabic singer Nancy Arjam has sold over 2 million records, is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a happily married wife and living mum. It would seem she’s got it all..

And she’s only 27…

An Arabic Music Icon

Legendary US TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey has likened her to a Middle Eastern Britney Spears (there’s an interesting thought!) Nancy was named one of the most influential stars of the Middle East on Oprah’s show. With 7 albums under her svelte belt, Nancy is also the youngest Arabic WMA winner ever and the first and only female Coca-Cola sponsor and spokeswoman in the Middle East.

Does this siren ever sleep?

Star-Gazing in The Early Days

Nancy Ajram was born in May 1983 in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. In 1995, twelve-year old Nancy appeared on Noujoum Al-Moustakbal, (“Stars of the Future”); a Lebanese reality TV music talent contest much like the kind being beamed to many other parts of the world. The song she sang to Umm Kulthum won a gold medal in the Tarab category

Off the bat of that Nancy went on to study music with renowned Lebanese musicians despite being under 18, was accepted by the Lebanese syndicate of professional artists. In 1998, aged just 15, she released her first album, sung entirely in Arabic and called: Mihtagalak (“I Need You’) in 1998.

Rocketing up the Road to Fame

Nancy’s breakthrough came when she began working with producer and manager Jiji Lamara, and in 2003, Nancy pivoted to fame with the single “Akhasmak Ah” from her third album, and first bestseller: Ya Salam (Arabic for “How Beautiful”.)

Three other albums followed: Ah w Noss (“Yes, and a half”) and Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa, Shakhbat Shakhabit (Scribbled Scribbles – which was directed towards children) and her latest album, the sensationally successful Betfakkar Fi Eih.

Fame, Fortune, and Love…

In September 2008, Nancy married her partner of three years, Dr. Fadi Hachem. Two months later she won her first World Music Award for her best-selling album Betfakkar Fi Eih. In her short speech, Nancy said “2008 has been a fantastic year – a successful album, my wedding, and now a World Music Award, what can I ask for more?”.

On May 16, 2009, Nancy gave birth to her first child, a daughter named “Mila.” Short for Milagrosa (miraculous in Spanish), Mila is also a traditional, Levantine name meaning  “blooming tree”. Nancy released a song for her daughter, “Ya Rab Tekbar Mila” (I Pray that Mila Grows Up) on the same day. Not surprisingly, this incredible Lebanese Arabic star was voted  “Most Beautiful Mom” of 2009 in a survey by Rotana Magazine.

An Arabic Ambassador

After participating in many charity events and concerts, releasing a song for peace and opening her own charity organization in 2006, in October 2009, UNICEF chose Nancy to be the first female regional ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa.

As the debate surrounding women and the veil swirls and simmers to a boil in some Euro-countries, one extraordinary beauty pageant has added an unusual spin on “the V Word.”

Miss Arab World 2009/ Photo by Asmaa Waguih

The 2010 Miss Arab World Contest ignited considerable controversy, for two reasons. First up, it welcomed veiled and non-veiled Arab women from around the world to compete.

Encouraging Arab Women to Shine

The pageant took place in Cairo, on November 11, 2009. Sixteen stunning women aged 18-24 years old; each representing an Arab country waltzed down the catwalk before the jury and international media.

As our friends at Muslimah Media Watch wisely point out, the pageant encouraged Arab women to celebrate their own values and feel good about themselves without having to conform to beauty ideals dictated by other cultures.

MMW quotes All Beirut News on the ideology behind the contest:

“The Miss Arab World pageant aims to be more inclusive by allowing veiled and non-veiled women to compete alongside without having to compromise their values for events like swimwear competitions. Instead, the contestants strut down the catwalk in their national costumes.”

Bones of Contention

Mawadda Nour from Saudi Arabia was crowned Miss Arab World 2009, and Jessy Zaher from Lebanon was first runner up. No sooner had the winners been announced than a fresh wave of controversy welled up.

Why? Because Mawadda Nour isn’t stick-thin.

According to critics, Miss Nour doesn’t meet the “standard requirements of beauty pageant contestants.” Sawsan Al Sayed, head of the jury, told Wikeez that the Mawadda Nour was not a unanimous choice.

Yet, Hanan Nasr, head of the beauty pageant, told MMW “The main reason Nour has won the title was the fact the she is an example of the modest beautiful Arab intellectual girl who is beloved by all.”

Looking at the photos of a beaming Maddawa Nour wearing her prize-winning sash, she looks to me like a stunning, and very real woman, and a much better role model for young women than some of the stick-thin models I see in magazines and on billboards.

Beauty and the Media Beast

I give the Miss Arab World pageant and its organizers a big thumbs up for daring to go against the standardised norm. They’ve overwritten convoluted media ideals of beauty and encouraged Arab women to take pride in their culture, heritage and… intelligence.