BROWNBOOK

Ever since Albert Samama Chickly shot his first feature film in 1924, Tunisia’s cinema has been leading the way in the region. Having always been fascinated by moving images, Chickly used a motion picture camera to direct Girl from Carthage, a drama detailing the love affair between a teacher and a girl whose father had…

Coffee, mint tea or simply a freshly squeezed juice; whatever it is you want to order, be prepared to take your time drinking it. The café and its social standing forms a critical aspect of culture in Tunis and Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the city’s main artery, is crammed with umbrellas shading the throng of patrons…

‘Once I decided to open SISI store two years ago, everything happened very quickly,’ says Sandra Fakhafakh standing in her boutique store. In this relatively small yet somehow magical space, customers can enjoy one-off paintings, clothes, furniture, accessories and hand-made jewellery by a collective of artists and brands.   Located on a prominent street in…

As the year draws to a close, countries in various parts of the region are in the midst of a busy season as glitzy red carpet affairs take centre stage, boasting A-list cinematic talents and world movie premieres. Last Saturday marked the opening of the fourth edition of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF), an…

Nestled in a back street in one of Jeddah’s commercial districts lies an oasis of cool amid the often searing temperatures of Saudi’s second city. The Gallery is a villa in the process of transformation from a residential space into an art hub for the city’s artistically minded.   Entering through the villa’s outer gates,…

Behind electric blue lacquered wooden doors and amid the hubbub of Zamalek, the island neighbourhood in the centre of Cairo, is a tiny yet vibrant culinary hub offering Egypt’s most traditional street food dishes, with a gourmet spin.   Zööba, the brainchild of Chris Khalifa and Moustafa El Refaie, opened its doors earlier this year…

In the moments before the shutter snaps shut, New Yorker Sheree Hovsepian uses a technique called sleight of hand to shift a card and leaves a series of ghostly imprints on the image. The technique is something of a performance, a series of happenings over multiple exposures. Such abstraction highlights Hovsepian’s method of photography and…

In June, during the Printemps des Arts contemporary art fair in Abdeliya Palace, vandals broke in and destroyed several pieces of art they thought were insulting to Islam. Many artists in Tunisia felt personally attacked and consequently were unsure how to proceed.   Amel Ben Attia was among the artists whose work was on display…

In his 20 years of running hotels and restaurants, Karim Ben Sedrine has stuck to his convictions. No matter what the trends around him, he has always made sure to develop his own style. His newest venture in Berges du Lac, a relatively new development on the northern shore of Tunis Lake, is an unlikely…

Nestled in the heart of one of Beirut’s oldest neighbourhoods, Gemmayzeh sits a dilapidated house dating back to the 1950s, which is now home to Sepia, a popular restaurant and lounge in the area.   When architect Bachir Nader was tasked to restore the building, he wanted to do so while preserving the architectural elements…