Ramzi Salti's Arabology

It was my honor to interview Imed Alibi in Paris, France on July 27, 2014--a memorable conversation in which Imed spoke about his background and musical influences while discussing his new CD  'Safar' which has been receiving rave reviews worldwide. In Part 1 of the interview, Imed speaks to us about his background, his musical influences and his favorite musical genres: In Part 2 of the interview, Imed Alibi discusses his new 'Safar' CD while emphasizing the many musical contributions and collaborations contained therein: In Part 3 of this interview, Imed introduces each track from his 'Safar' CD followed by an excerpt from each track he discusses. CD Tracks include: 1. Pour quelques Dinars de plus. 2. Bounawara 3. Fanfare d'Alexandrie 4. Maknassy 5. Nafass 6. MHD 7. Balkani Connexion 8. Staring at the Sand: Below are some exclusive pictures from my interview with Imed Alibi followed by info about his 'Safar' CD, Facebook Page a

The following piece was sent to us by Lili Harries.  All expressed thoughts and opinions are that of the author. Censorship - A Hot Topic, But Is It Relevant? Censorship is one of the hottest topics  in Arabic media – and a controversial one, at that. Saudi Arabian censorship laws routinely come under fire from  international freedom advocacy groups , while Western films are routinely banned in Arabic-speaking nations due to content deemed inappropriate for Arabic audiences. Many argue that this stifles speech and artistic truth – if things like nudity, cursing, and drug-taking cannot be shown in all their tawdry glory, how can the truth of human existence possibly be portrayed? However, the issue is far more complex than this. Personal Offence Personal offence must be taken into account in any debate regarding the censorship of the media. Citizens of Arabic nations are largely in favor of media censorship,  with 70% even  calling for tighter regulations and controls upon ‘