أحلام مستغانمي

This post has been included on my new blog: http://welovearabic.wordpress.com

Read the following article about Ahlam Mosteghanemi and answer the questions below.

 أحلام مستغانمي؛ ولدت في (13 أبريل 1953)، كاتبة جزائرية من مواليد تونس. كان والدها مشاركا في الثورة الجزائرية. محمد الشريف عرف السجون الفرنسية, بسبب مشاركته في مظاهرات 8 ماي 1945. وبعد أن أطلق سراحه سنة 1947 كان قد فقد عمله بالبلدية, ومع ذلك فإنه يعتبر محظوظاً إذ لم يلق حتفه مع من مات آنذاك (45 ألف شهيد سقطوا خلال تلك المظاهرات) وأصبح ملاحقًا من قبل الشرطة الفرنسية, بسبب نشاطه السياسي

عملت في الإذاعة الوطنية مما خلق لها شهرة كشاعرة، انتقلت إلى فرنسا في سبعينات القرن الماضي، حيث تزوجت من صحفي لبناني، وفي الثمانينات نالت شهادة الدكتوراة من جامعة السوربون. تقطن حاليا في بيروت. وهي حائزة على جائزة نجيب محفوظ للعام 1998 عن روايتها ذاكرة الجسد

(Adapted from Arabic wikipedia entry)

1. What role did her father play in Algeria's history?
2. Why was he imprisoned by the French?
3. Why was he considered lucky when he returned to his country?
4. Why was he then monitored by the French police?
5. How did Ahlam first become famous?

6. Where did she live in the 70s?
7. What is her husband's profession?
8. Where did she obtain her PhD degree?
9. Where does she live now?
10. For which novel was she awarded the Naguib Mahfuz Prize for Literature?



Ahlam Mosteghanemi is an Algerian author who writes in Arabic. Two of her novels have been translated into English, Memory in the Flesh and Chaos of the Senses. Here is her bibliography on her official website.

The Arab Spring

This post has been included on my new blog: http://welovearabic.wordpress.com

The early part of 2011 was an amazing time of revolution, protest and civil unrest. Here I try to save useful links and resources for students of Arabic and Arab world studies on this historic period and cultural phenomenon

Articles

Maps & data visualisation
* Fantastic interactive timeline from the Guardian

Cartoons & jokes
* * Imminent Migration - will the revolutions in North Africa spark a wave of migration to Europe? (by Arcadio Esquivel) [that's a bit of a damp squib of a mixed metaphor!]

Video & audio

Flash mob freeze

This post has been included on my new blog: http://welovearabic.wordpress.com
Protestors in Morocco are holding flash mob silent protests where they freeze for a period of time, some holding slogans.



Source: the Arabist blog

Egypt revolution 2011 links

This post has been included on my new blog: http://welovearabic.wordpress.com
Here's a list of recommended resources related to the events in Egypt of Jan-Feb 2011, especially for Arabic A level students focussing on this as a history/politics research topic for the unit 4 writing paper.

Video and photo
* I am Jan 25 media library: absolutely loads of pictures and videos of the protests
* I am Tahrir facebook page: artwork of the revolution, uploaded by Facebook users. See especially We Are All Khaled Said tag word cloud and words from the mission statement of the 6 April Movement
* US TV documentary Frontline (PBS channel) excerpt Revolution in Cairo (full programme only available online in the US)

Websites
* We are all Khaled Said website: the original site that kickstarted the Egypt protests. There is also this parallel Facebook version.



Articles


Protest songs and slogans


Cartoons
* Interview with cartoonist Sherif Arafa, and some examples of his work. Before the revolution, his depictions of Mubarak were disguised in portrayals of a generic despot, but since the revolution he has dared to portray the recognisable face of the former president.
* The Egyptian Street  (by Fadi Abou Hassan)
* Imminent Migration - as North Africa is aflame with revolution (by Arcadio Esquivel)
* Egypt cries (by Farhad Foroutanian)



Jokes
* Making fun of Pharaoh (Foreign Policy magazine)


Maps and statistics
* The new Arabic Awakening maps illustrating demographic statistics for North Africa and the Middle East, including student populations, illiteracy, internet usage, oil production (Le Monde Diplomatique English edition)

Poetry of the revolution

The protests in Egypt have been alive with poetic chants, often using rhyming couplets, Egyptian slang and clever puns. Here are translations of some of the commonly chanted slogans and an analysis of some of the poetry of the revolution.

This video (located on Vimeo) of protests in Tahrir Square was posted on Facebook:

Untitled from Marwa on Vimeo.

Revolution in Tunisia, Jan 2011

Key words
استقلال - independence
باسل - brave, courageous
تضامن - solidarity

ثورة - revolution
الشعوب - the people
غطرسة - arrogance, insolence
القمع - repression, oppression
لا يحررنا إلا أنفسن - no-one can free us but ourselves


Song lyrics (Tunisian dialect)

Source: الساطور Libyan blog

رئيس البلاد
هاني اليوم نحكي معاك باسمي وباسم الشعب
الكل اللي عايش في العذاب
2011 مازال تم شكون يموت بالجوع،
حابب يخدم باش يعيش لكن صوتوا موش مسموع
اهبط للشارع وشوف العباد ولات وحوش
شوف الحاكم بالمطراك تاك تاك ما يهموش
مادام ما ثمة حد باش يقوله كلمة لا
حتى القانون اللي في الدستور نفخه واشرب ماءه
كل نهار نسمع قضية ركبوهاله بالسيف
بورتان الحاكم يعرف اللي هو عبد نظيف
زعمة ترضاها لبنتك، عارف كلامي يبكي العين
عارف ما دامك بو ( أب) ما ترضاش الشر لصغارك
هذا ميساج عبارة واحد من صغارك يحكي معاك
رانا عايشين كالكلاب
نص الشعب عايشين الذل وذاقوا من كأس العذاب
رئيس البلاد ، شعبك مات وبرشة عباد من الزبلة كلات
هاك تشوف آش قاعد صاير في البلاد
مآسي باردو والناس ما لقاتش وين تبات
هاني نحكي باسم الشعب
اللي انظلموا واللي نداسو بالصباط
رئيس البلاد، قتلي احكي من غير خوف
هاني حكيت ونعرف اللي نهايتي مش تكون الكفوف
لكن نشوف برشة ظلم وهذاك علاش اخترتك
بورتان وصاوني برشة عباد
الي نهايتي تكون الاعدام
لكن
الى متى التونسي عايش في الأوهام
وين حرية التعبير
رايت منها كان الكلام
اسمها تونس الخضراء
رئيس البلاد….

Grammar help

 The grammar sections of this blog are a work in progress - very slow progress! Please keep an eye on the blog and I hope to make more time for updating these areas in the course of the school year 2011-12. If you have any specific grammar questions, please do leave a comment and I will try to address that area first.

GCSE Grammar
* Use of hamza, ta’marbuta, alif madda, and other standard orthographic devices

Nouns
* the three cases: nominative, accusative, genitive
* definite and indefinite
* masculine and feminine
* singular, dual and plural
* common broken plurals
* genitive with prepositions
* except for = illa + accusative


Pronouns
* personal pronouns
* demonstrative pronouns
* relative pronouns
* interrogative pronouns

Sentence structures
* Nominal sentences (using the verb 'to be' in English, but where there is no verb in Arabic in the present tense)
* idaafa / possesive structure
* Verbs: present indicative
* Verbs: past tense
* Negative sentences
* Pronoun suffixes

* The verbs kaana and her sisters 
* Using inna and her sisters
* Imperative (giving commands)
* Present subjunctive
* Comparing the 3 moods of the present tense: indicative, subjunctive and jussive
* hollow verbs, eg. kaana, qaala, Taara
* weak verbs, eg. masha, rama, qala
* doubled verbs, eg. shadda, ‘adda
* hamzated verbs, eg. ra’a.




Describing things
* adjectives agreeing with nouns
* comparative and superlative
* adverbs of manner, time, frequency etc.


AS
* Passive sentences
*

Issues outstanding after Southern Sudan referendum

قضايا عالقة بعد استفتاء جنوب السودان

Video from BBC Arabic

Spain seeks UNESCO heritage status for flamenco

اسبانيا تطالب اليونسكو بإعتبار رقصة الفلامينكو إرثاً ثقافياً

BBC Arabic video:

للمرة الثانية، تشن الحكومة الأسبانية حملة لإدراج فن الفلامينكو على لائحة الإرث الثقافي لمنظمة اليونسكو. وتواجه أسبانيا منافسة شديدة إذ أن هناك ستة وأربعون فنا وتقليدا ثقافيا يتنافسون على هذه اللائحة

Interview with Iraqi lute player Omar Bashir

فيديو: لقاء خاص مع آلة العود والموسيقي عمر بشير

This is a 35 minute interview with Iraqi lute player Omar Bashir in London

Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival

بدء فعاليات مهرجان للثقافة العربية في ليفربول

 

* Website of the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival

Iranian President Ahmadinejad plays football against Bolivian President

احمدي نجاد وموراليس نجمان "مؤقتان" بكرة القدم

كانت اللياقة البدنية ظاهرة على الرئيس الايراني محمود أحمدي نجاد خلال مشاركته الرئيس البوليفي ايفو موراليس الاربعاء في مباراة ودية بكرة مع لاعبين ايرانيين محترفين في طهران

ولم تكن مباراة خالية من الاهداف، اذ انتهت بالتعادل باربعة اهداف لكلا الفريقين، تمكن كل رئيس من تسجيل هدف

Vocabulary

 اللياقة البدنية - physical fitness

ظاهر - evident, conspicuous, obvious

مباراة ودية - friendly match

محترف - professional

خالي من- empty, free of

اهداف , هدف - goal

بالتعادل - with a draw

  سجل  - تسجيل هدف - to score a goal

انتعاش الحركة التجارية في مكة في موسم الحج

Video from BBC Arabic about the boom in trade in Mecca during the Hajj season.

تنتعش الحركة التجارية في مكة مع توافد الحجيج لأداء فريضة الحج خلال هذا الوقت من كل عام

Vocabulary

انتعاش , انتعش - recover, pick up, perk up, be revived

توافد - influx

حجيج- pilgrims

فريضة - duty, obligation

أداء فريضة الحج - performing the Hajj

Literature and the arts (articles for A Level topic)

See the links below for articles on this site and elsewhere on the web for the A2 level topic Literature and the arts

* Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival

National and international events: past, present and future (articles for A Level topic)

See the links below for articles on this site and elsewhere on the web for the Edexcel A2 level topic National and international events: past, present and future

Sorry - work in progress. Hope to find time to add some links soon!

Customs, traditions, beliefs and religions (articles for A Level topic)

See the links below for articles on this site and elsewhere on the web for the Edexcel A2 level topic Customs, traditions, beliefs and religions

Education and employment (articles for A Level topic)

See the links below for articles on this site and elsewhere on the web for the AS and A2 level topic Education and employment

The world around us (articles for this A Level topic)

See the links below for articles on this site and elsewhere on the web for the AS and A2 level topic The world around us

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Lifestyle: health and fitness (articles for this A Level topic)

See the links below for articles on this site and elsewhere on the web for the AS and A2 level topic Lifestyle: health and fitness

Matchmaking Baghdad's widows

See here for a 3 minute video on the Guardian website about an Iraqi woman working as a matchmaker, attempting to convince the widows of the Iraqi capital that their religion and society does not forbid them to re-marry.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk, 22 Sep 2009