Suchergebnisse

A twelve-year-old girl writes an essay that extols revenge to impress her teacher, and is surprised to receive criticism rather than praise. ?Revenge', Mrs Nomy insists, is ?the most cowardly' human behaviour. Years later, having fled Beirut, she reflects upon the devastating role revenge has played in her country. Might she have found it so easy to forgive if she had stayed? Or might she, too, have contemplated retribution? A compelling and humane book, which abounds in courage and compassion. ?One of those rare books that leaves its readers able to breathe more deeply, with a renewed sens

CAN YOU READ AN ARABIC BOOK BY ITS COVER?

Der Beitrag setzt sich mit dem Dasein arabischer Frauen auseinander, das in einem historischen Kontext geprägt ist von der allumfassenden, dominierenden Wirklichkeit des Islam. Die in der moslemischen Tradition begründeten männlichen Ängste werden analysiert. In einem historischen Rückblick wird gezeigt, daß das Aufkommen des modernen Nationalismus den Kontext für die Bestrebungen arabischer Frauen veränderte: Einerseits konnten Frauen sich erstmals organisieren und Frauenvereinigungen bilden; andererseits kultivierte der Nationalismus patriarchalische Werte islamischer Tradition als unverzichtbar. Die Entwicklung der Frauenbewegung nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wird dargestellt. Dabei wird die Situation der Frauen unter den post-kolonialen Regimen für die einzelnen Länder skizziert. Insgesamt wird die Situation von Frauen in arabischen Ländern eher finster gesehen. Es wird gefragt, was es unter diesen Bedingungen überhaupt an Möglichkeiten für eine echte Frauenbewegung gibt. Insgesamt wird eingeschätzt, daß Frauenemanzipation und Feminismus kaum möglich sind, solange die arabische Frauenbewegungen danach streben, islamische Tradition und Emanzipation zu vereinigen. (RW)

Focuses on women's postwar experience. Includes a table, "Legislative indices of the position of women within Arab societies (1984)."

I was lucky. I had the possibility of leaving. Many were stuck in the war and didn't have the luxury of avoiding involvement in it. But the bliss of amnesia seems to be shortlived, and the desire to ignore my own responsibilities was a flimsy subterfuge against guilt. The most difficult thing for me to acknowledge is that I blinded myself deliberately for such a long time. It took the ripped and torn body of my brother to release me. What right do I have now to blame those who continued indulging in the abnormality of war?

'We are building an Installation on the theme of refugees. One part of the installation consists of objects that you could carry along if you had to leave your home, at a short notice, with an unknown future.' The objects sent to the artists carried mainly memories of survival: keys, deeds, diplomas, radios, purses… One item looked puzzling and defied what seemed essential for a future of migration into the unknown: a red, strong strident lipstick tube! A light and superfluous memory into the future, or was it so?