“Have the tables turned on Idlib’s borders?” (10 Jun, 2019). Rebel advances in northern Hama Province in recent days represent a turning point in a battle that has now continued unabated for over a month. Media reports suggest Russian special forces have begun participating in this battle, underscoring the importance of it to Moscow, which has cited the defence of its bases in Syria as one of the declared goals of the recent campaign. For further details and analysis, see our full report (Arabic).
“Confronting alienation with art” (11 Jun, 2019). The “Amarre” grant, an artistic residency offered to refugee musicians, writers, and artists in Istanbul, is one of a number of initiatives aimed at bringing artists of various backgrounds and nationalities together with their local counterparts. Participants in the Amarre residency, which involved creating and then performing a show to the public, tell Al-Jumhuriya how opportunities such as these allow them to meet like-minded people in places where they would otherwise struggle to find fellow artists. For more, see our full report (Arabic).
“Southern Aleppo loses its food security” (12 Jun, 2019). At the end of 2018, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that 5.5 million Syrians suffered from a lack of food security, and were in need of food aid. The situation is only expected to get worse in 2019, in light of the ongoing fighting—as well as devastating fires—in the key wheat- and barley-growing regions in the country’s north. For more, see our full report (Arabic).
“Messages from the world of illustration” (14 Jun, 2019). Al-Jumhuriya profiles, and speaks to, three Syrian illustrators—Dima Nachawi, Haya Halaw, and Marwa “Marrow” Falioun—in order to learn more about this distinctive art form, and its multifaceted relationship with events in Syria in recent years. For more, including samples of the artists’ work, see our full report (Arabic).
