You are here: Homepage Tag war Articles Adeeb al-Janani, a reporter for the private Yemeni television station Belqees TV, was killed at the airport in Aden on 30 December 2020 while reporting on the return of the Yemeni government from negotiations in Saudi Arabia. A large crowd of people attended his funeral in Taizz Photo: Hussam Al-Qoliaa Freedom of the press | Yemen Assassinated, imprisoned, exiled A complex civil war with international involvement has been raging in Yemen for years. It is extremely dangerous for journalists to pursue their profession, Yemeni journalists still pay a heavy price for the civil war. Many have left the country and young reporters with no training are taking their place By Samia al-Aghbary 10/17/2024 Photo: private via qantara.de Conflict | Israel “We have to get them back now” Or Levy was abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. In this interview, his brother Michael discusses his family’s experience over the last twelve months, his hopes and fears for the future, and the ongoing campaign to free Or from captivity 10/07/2024 Avital Benshalom Photo: Ali Ghandtschi Shared society | Israel “How do you keep a vision of peace without sounding naïve?” Avital Benshalom runs the Hagar School in Be’er Sheva, where Jewish and Arab children learn together. How did the school continue its work after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza? Interview with Avital Benshalom 09/12/2024 Photo: Ali Ghandtschi Shared society | Israel “I don’t want coexistence if I don’t have equality” In Israel, the Jewish and Arab populations share a common everyday life, but currently the peaceful coexistence could escalate any moment. Mohammad Darawshe, Strategy Director of Israeli peace organization Givat Haviva, talks about emergency programs and damage limitation Interview with Mohammad Darawshe 09/12/2024 One of Sudan’s many protests: back in May 2019, thousands of people demonstrated in Khartoum demanding that the country’s military government relinquish control Photo: David Degner/Getty Images Politics | Sudan A state held hostage Politicians, the military, investors: in Sudan, key players are fighting over power and money. On how violence is flaring up again in a state that just won’t settle down By Stella Gaitano 10/25/2023 Scene of the opera “The Terrible Revenge” by Yewhen Stankowytsch, which premiered on 25 November 2022 as the first production after the Russian invasion Photo: National Opera and Ballet Theater Lviv Opera | Ukraine “We get a huge emotional feedback” It would seem hopeless to keep an opera house running during times of war. Vasyl Vovkun, general director of the National Opera in Lviv, talks about how he and his team keep working nonetheless 02/20/2023 Guests at an exhibition during a power outage. Photo: Oleksandr Popenko / Mystetskyi Arsenal Museum | Ukraine Exhibition in the light of a flashlight “Mystetskyi Arsenal” in Kyiv hosts exhibitions, theater shows and festivals. Museum manager Olga Zhuk describes the race to put up exhibitions between power outages, and why it is important to retain spaces for reflection 02/20/2023 A team member of Projector during a power outage Photo: Natalia Azarkina Professional education | Ukraine Who needs education during the war? Projector offers creative courses in Ukrainian. After the Russian invasion, they halted all operations. But it turns out that demand is on the rise, not least because many Ukranians need a new job now, says Head of Product Anna Chernysh 02/20/2023 Author and musician Serhij Zhadan in Kharkiv, where he lives Photo: Oleksandr Osipov for KULTURAUSTAUSCH War and peace | Ukraine “It’s about survival” What once seemed significant for author Serhij Zhadan - irony, coolness, status symbols - became irrelevant overnight when war broke out in his homeland. Now, collective solidarity and the fight against “evil” is what counts. How are the people in Ukraine affected by this sudden shift? Interview with Serhij Zhadan 01/09/2023 Mohammad El Hassan at work in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg Photo: Cécile Calla Personal history | Lebanon Stateless no more Civil war, nightly air raids, a lack of water: as a refugee from Palestine, Mohammad El-Hassan, felt he had no future in Lebanon. He fled to Berlin in 2003 and today works as a cook in Prenzlauer Berg By Mohammad El-Hassan 10/01/2022 Zakira: “Not only my body is locked up at home, but also my mind” Photo: Sayed Aman Sadat Vox pop | Afghanistan “How are you doing?” When the Taliban came to power, women in Afghanistan lost almost everything overnight: their rights, their jobs, their dignity. What are their concerns today? We asked Afghan women for a selfie, and asked the question: how are you doing? 10/01/2022 Censored women: After the Taliban took power, images of women were taken down from beauty salons and clothes shops Photo: Getty Images State of the nation | Afghanistan A broken country Ethnic plurality, religious tensions, rival elites: Afghanistan is a nation of contradictions. In an effort to dig below the surface, we posed seven questions to four experts By Negina Yari, Tareq Sydiq, Jasamin Ulfat-Seddiqzai, Mina Jawad 10/01/2022 Illustration: Musonda Kabwe Historical literature | Namibia White lies and the voids of history Both the genocide of the Herero in Namibia and the Boer War in South Africa were brutal events, but the history books only tell of “heroes”. Can historical fiction give the victims a voice? By Lauri Kubuitsile 08/14/2022 A treasure trove of local handicrafts: the Suq al-Hamidiya in Damascus. Photo: Zeina Shahla Arts and crafts | Syria The finishing touch Power outages, lack of young talent and scarce materials: In Damascus, arts and crafts struggle to survive By Zeina Shahla 04/14/2022 The Iraqi National Library was looted and set on fire in 2003. Thousands of historical documents were destroyed Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images Books | Cultural history Burning the books Libraries, archives and manuscripts: ever since they have existed, they have also been at risk. Librarian Richard Ovenden has written a history of their destruction By Shamil Jeppie 01/07/2022 Historian and author Niall Ferguson Photo: Zoë Law Talking point | History Do people learn lessons from the past? By Niall Ferguson 10/01/2021 Fiction | Vietnam A hundred years of violence The Vietnamese author Nguyen Phan Que Mai tells a family tale from her war-ravaged land By Sabine Scholl 10/01/2021 In 2020, Bjeen Alhassan received the German Integration Award for her work Photo: Guido Bergmann Personal history | Syria Coming up for air after the war Bjeen Alhassan, born in Qamishli, Syria, now lives in Germany. In her Facebook group “Learning with Bijin” she helps refugee women, earning her the German Integration Award By Bjeen Alhassan 07/01/2021
Adeeb al-Janani, a reporter for the private Yemeni television station Belqees TV, was killed at the airport in Aden on 30 December 2020 while reporting on the return of the Yemeni government from negotiations in Saudi Arabia. A large crowd of people attended his funeral in Taizz Photo: Hussam Al-Qoliaa Freedom of the press | Yemen Assassinated, imprisoned, exiled A complex civil war with international involvement has been raging in Yemen for years. It is extremely dangerous for journalists to pursue their profession, Yemeni journalists still pay a heavy price for the civil war. Many have left the country and young reporters with no training are taking their place By Samia al-Aghbary 10/17/2024
Photo: private via qantara.de Conflict | Israel “We have to get them back now” Or Levy was abducted by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. In this interview, his brother Michael discusses his family’s experience over the last twelve months, his hopes and fears for the future, and the ongoing campaign to free Or from captivity 10/07/2024
Avital Benshalom Photo: Ali Ghandtschi Shared society | Israel “How do you keep a vision of peace without sounding naïve?” Avital Benshalom runs the Hagar School in Be’er Sheva, where Jewish and Arab children learn together. How did the school continue its work after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza? Interview with Avital Benshalom 09/12/2024
Photo: Ali Ghandtschi Shared society | Israel “I don’t want coexistence if I don’t have equality” In Israel, the Jewish and Arab populations share a common everyday life, but currently the peaceful coexistence could escalate any moment. Mohammad Darawshe, Strategy Director of Israeli peace organization Givat Haviva, talks about emergency programs and damage limitation Interview with Mohammad Darawshe 09/12/2024
One of Sudan’s many protests: back in May 2019, thousands of people demonstrated in Khartoum demanding that the country’s military government relinquish control Photo: David Degner/Getty Images Politics | Sudan A state held hostage Politicians, the military, investors: in Sudan, key players are fighting over power and money. On how violence is flaring up again in a state that just won’t settle down By Stella Gaitano 10/25/2023
Scene of the opera “The Terrible Revenge” by Yewhen Stankowytsch, which premiered on 25 November 2022 as the first production after the Russian invasion Photo: National Opera and Ballet Theater Lviv Opera | Ukraine “We get a huge emotional feedback” It would seem hopeless to keep an opera house running during times of war. Vasyl Vovkun, general director of the National Opera in Lviv, talks about how he and his team keep working nonetheless 02/20/2023
Guests at an exhibition during a power outage. Photo: Oleksandr Popenko / Mystetskyi Arsenal Museum | Ukraine Exhibition in the light of a flashlight “Mystetskyi Arsenal” in Kyiv hosts exhibitions, theater shows and festivals. Museum manager Olga Zhuk describes the race to put up exhibitions between power outages, and why it is important to retain spaces for reflection 02/20/2023
A team member of Projector during a power outage Photo: Natalia Azarkina Professional education | Ukraine Who needs education during the war? Projector offers creative courses in Ukrainian. After the Russian invasion, they halted all operations. But it turns out that demand is on the rise, not least because many Ukranians need a new job now, says Head of Product Anna Chernysh 02/20/2023
Author and musician Serhij Zhadan in Kharkiv, where he lives Photo: Oleksandr Osipov for KULTURAUSTAUSCH War and peace | Ukraine “It’s about survival” What once seemed significant for author Serhij Zhadan - irony, coolness, status symbols - became irrelevant overnight when war broke out in his homeland. Now, collective solidarity and the fight against “evil” is what counts. How are the people in Ukraine affected by this sudden shift? Interview with Serhij Zhadan 01/09/2023
Mohammad El Hassan at work in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg Photo: Cécile Calla Personal history | Lebanon Stateless no more Civil war, nightly air raids, a lack of water: as a refugee from Palestine, Mohammad El-Hassan, felt he had no future in Lebanon. He fled to Berlin in 2003 and today works as a cook in Prenzlauer Berg By Mohammad El-Hassan 10/01/2022
Zakira: “Not only my body is locked up at home, but also my mind” Photo: Sayed Aman Sadat Vox pop | Afghanistan “How are you doing?” When the Taliban came to power, women in Afghanistan lost almost everything overnight: their rights, their jobs, their dignity. What are their concerns today? We asked Afghan women for a selfie, and asked the question: how are you doing? 10/01/2022
Censored women: After the Taliban took power, images of women were taken down from beauty salons and clothes shops Photo: Getty Images State of the nation | Afghanistan A broken country Ethnic plurality, religious tensions, rival elites: Afghanistan is a nation of contradictions. In an effort to dig below the surface, we posed seven questions to four experts By Negina Yari, Tareq Sydiq, Jasamin Ulfat-Seddiqzai, Mina Jawad 10/01/2022
Illustration: Musonda Kabwe Historical literature | Namibia White lies and the voids of history Both the genocide of the Herero in Namibia and the Boer War in South Africa were brutal events, but the history books only tell of “heroes”. Can historical fiction give the victims a voice? By Lauri Kubuitsile 08/14/2022
A treasure trove of local handicrafts: the Suq al-Hamidiya in Damascus. Photo: Zeina Shahla Arts and crafts | Syria The finishing touch Power outages, lack of young talent and scarce materials: In Damascus, arts and crafts struggle to survive By Zeina Shahla 04/14/2022
The Iraqi National Library was looted and set on fire in 2003. Thousands of historical documents were destroyed Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images Books | Cultural history Burning the books Libraries, archives and manuscripts: ever since they have existed, they have also been at risk. Librarian Richard Ovenden has written a history of their destruction By Shamil Jeppie 01/07/2022
Historian and author Niall Ferguson Photo: Zoë Law Talking point | History Do people learn lessons from the past? By Niall Ferguson 10/01/2021
Fiction | Vietnam A hundred years of violence The Vietnamese author Nguyen Phan Que Mai tells a family tale from her war-ravaged land By Sabine Scholl 10/01/2021
In 2020, Bjeen Alhassan received the German Integration Award for her work Photo: Guido Bergmann Personal history | Syria Coming up for air after the war Bjeen Alhassan, born in Qamishli, Syria, now lives in Germany. In her Facebook group “Learning with Bijin” she helps refugee women, earning her the German Integration Award By Bjeen Alhassan 07/01/2021