Perspectives

About “Perspectives”

“Perspectives” is the new online multimedia magazine of the Goethe-Institut in North Africa and the Middle East. It is published quarterly in Arabic, German, English, and French, and in cooperation with “Qantara.de – Dialogue with the Islamic World” of the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. Each edition of “Perspectives” focuses on a topic that moves people in the region and beyond. Intercultural dialogue and the exploration of new perspectives on current social issues are at the heart of the magazine. 
 

The current corona pandemic has a strong impact on our lives. “Perspectives” takes a closer look on how the society in Middle East and North Africa is affected and also gives voice to people who have useful advice and insights for others.

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Water is one of the most important elements of our planet. As a source of life, it is also one of the most threatened commons by the way we use it, pollution and climate change. In cooperation with our special partner Afaq Magazine, the leading environmental magazine of Palestine, Perspectives discloses problems and shows initiatives, new ideas and possible solutions from the region, on how the water resources and coasts can be protected and conserved.

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Women have always played an important part in every society and every country, but are still far too often overlooked, undermined, and discriminated against. Only if women are given the same rights, opportunities, and respect as men, can societies truly flourish and reach their full potential. The edition “Women’s Movements” is about women who are devoted to change in their respective society and take an active role in it. It is about their ideas and struggles, and, most importantly, their visions.

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Albeit an integral part of human history, the issue of migration was brought to renewed public attention by the so-called “refugee crisis” of 2015, particularly in Europe. Is migration good or bad, how can and should it be dealt with? Those and other questions were subject to sometimes heated discussions between politicians, economists, media representatives, “experts,” as well as ordinary people and neighbours. However, important voices more often than not failed to be heard: those of migrants and persons with migrant background themselves.

Alongside six personal accounts, the second edition of “Perspectives” also features two exclusive photo stories from Algiers (Algeria) and Berlin (Germany), each including six portraits of migrants and persons with migrant background who speak about their thoughts, experiences in society, and understanding of their own identity or identities.

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Welcome to the first edition of “Perspectives” with its focus on the generational conflict in the Arab region. This conflict between young and old, which was particularly pronounced during the Arab Spring, is ongoing and erupts time and again. But how does it differ from one Arab country to the other? What distinguishes it in the Arab diaspora in Germany? And what visions of the future do the young generations hold?

Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon… six young women and men from six different countries have put their individual views and experience with the generational conflict into words for this dossier. You are also in for a treat of the humorous kind with the short graphic novel “20 Questions,” exclusively prepared for “Perspectives” by Haitham and Mohamed Raafat El-Seht of Twins Cartoon.

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