Fresh news from the region, straight to your screens
١. Beats for the Cause: Manifest X Palestine Takes Over Palau Sant Jordi
On January 29, 2026, Barcelona’s legendary Palau Sant Jordi turns into a solidarity stage with Manifest X Palestine — a cultural protest concert where urban rhythms meet political heart. The lineup brings together names like Bad Gyal, Morad, Amaia, Oques Grasses, Tinariwen, Palestinian voices like Zeyne and Lina Makoul, and a multi-generational choir block that underscores the event’s diversity and message. This isn’t just another gig: it’s part of the Act X Palestine global campaign connecting artistic expression with humanitarian support and cultural memory. Tickets are affordable (€25–€45) with proceeds funnelled through arts networks supporting Palestine and a “Row Zero” option for online solidarity donations. A live broadcast via 3Cat will expand its reach beyond Barcelona — turning beats into a statement of global resonance.
٢. Mohammad Bakri, a Key Figure of Palestinian Cinema
Mohammad Bakri, actor and filmmaker, leaves behind a body of work that deeply marked Palestinian cinema. Moving between Arabic and Hebrew productions, on stage and on screen, he used film as a space for presence, memory and testimony. From his acting roles to the documentary Jenin, Jenin, Bakri’s career was shaped by a constant tension between art and politics, never overstated, never neutral. His work endures as a reference point for a cinema that insists on being seen, heard and remembered.
٣. Niyū Yūrk: Rewriting the Big Apple — Middle Eastern & North African Lives in the City
On view through March 8, 2026, Niyū Yūrk: Middle Eastern and North African Lives in the City at the New York Public Library is shaped by curator Hiba Abid, the institution’s first Curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, a role created in 2022 to expand and challenge what the library collects and displays.
Abid brings a richly international and scholarly background — with advanced studies in Islamic Art History and Codicology from the Sorbonne and a PhD focused on manuscript traditions, and professional experience at major heritage institutions in Europe, North Africa and the U.S., including teaching at NYU and working with UNESCO.
Her curatorial approach for Niyū Yūrk isn’t just chronological: it is institutional and critical, foregrounding how archives were built, what stories were neglected, and how communities have been historically labelled, mislabelled, or omitted. The result is a layered narrative that places Yemeni bodegas, early Arabic press innovations, music recordings, immigrant portraits and more within the city’s fabric as active agents in New York’s cultural history.
In Abid’s own words, the exhibition seeks to humanize archival fragments and to reshape how diasporic lives are seen inside a grand public institution — making space not just for celebration, but for critical reflection on belonging, memory and representation.
٤. Amina Muaddi & Level Shoes: A Footwear First on Dubai’s Luxury Stage
Amina Muaddi opens her first physical retail presence at Level Shoes, Dubai, marking a strategic move into one of global fashion’s most influential luxury hubs. More than a point of sale, Level Shoes operates as a destination — where retail, experience and curation blur — making it a fitting setting for Muaddi’s sculptural, instantly recognisable designs. For the Jordanian-Romanian designer, whose rise has been shaped by pop culture and digital virality, this brick-and-mortar debut signals a new chapter: one where visibility, regional resonance and long-term presence take precedence over hype alone.
٥. Freddie Peacock Unveils What He Calls the “World’s First Chrome Hearts Art Piece
Emerging London artist Freddie Peacock has created what he calls the world’s first Chrome Hearts art piece: a 100×100 cm canvas featuring 21 hand‑embroidered Chrome Hearts patches. The work transforms the cult luxury brand’s iconic motifs into a gallery-ready object, blurring the line between fashion, material culture, and contemporary art. Subtle yet provocative, it questions authorship, brand symbolism, and how objects move from subculture to art.
٦. Oula — Tunisian Flavours & Mediterranean Soul in Fitzrovia
Oula, inside London’s Ibraaz arts hub, brings authentic Tunisian cuisine to Fitzrovia. Led by chef Boutheina Ben Salem, the café offers seasonal dishes like bsissa, lablabi, brik, and harissa‑spiced sandwiches, alongside traditional herbal teas. More than a café, Oula is a living archive of Tunisian culinary rituals, set in a warm, elegantly designed space by Sumayya Vally with handcrafted details by Tunisian and Palestinian makers — a rare taste of North African heritage in London.
٧. Last Chance to See Threads of Impact — A Fashion Story Woven By the MENA
If you’re in Doha or planning a cultural detour, FTA: Threads of Impact at M7 closes January 3, 2026 — and it’s one of those exhibitions that feels like a visible archive of Arab fashion’s present and future. Curated by Omoyemi Akerele (founder of Lagos Fashion Week) bringing together over 80 designers from across the Middle East and North Africa. What you’ll find: a mix of urban‑contemporary streetwear, sustainability‑minded pieces, sculptural forms and artisanal legacies, all arranged around thematic “threads” that connect diverse practices through shared ideas, cultural references and lived experience.
٨. Zeid Hijazi Finally Drops the Kalt Dress Online
Palestinian‑Jordanian designer Zeid Hijazi — Central Saint Martins‑trained and a Fashion Trust Arabia Debut Talent winner — has just released the much‑anticipated Kalt dress from his breakthrough Kalt collection online, giving a wider audience access to a piece that’s been a standout since its debut.
The Kalt line draws its name and spirit from the Tunisian film Bedwin Hacker, imagining what a mythical Arab woman‑hacker might wear — blending architectural tailoring, futuristic silhouettes, and traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery crafted with women artisans in Beirut and Amman.
For Hijazi, this dress isn’t just fashion: it’s a layered cultural code — a collision of folklore and Arab futurism that challenges stereotypes and foregrounds heritage in a contemporary luxury language.
