• I came for Couscous – Issue 4

    I came for Couscous – Issue 4

    I Came For Couscous – Issue 4


    October 2023
    Format: 210 × 275mm.
    Periodicity: bi-annually.
    Origin: France.
    ISSN: 2825-8452.
    Pages: 178 inside pages + cover.
    Weight: 850g.
    Printing: environmentally friendly papers, UV-LED printing technology.

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    First Act
    The first act questions identities, our sense of belonging, the price of freedom and our relationship to the Other. It begins with a cross-examination of two sparkling and inspiring creative minds: Lebanese composer, writer and performer Hamed Sinno and Moroccan writer and filmmaker Abdellah Taïa. Then come the myriad answers to the question "What does being Arab mean to you?" from a non-Arab point of view.

    Second Act
    In the second act we go to a garden overlooking the sea, perched on the hills of Jbala country, where Umberto Pasti's determination, combined with the help of local villagers, (re)creates ancestral ties while protecting the biosphere; Ismail Zaidy's photographs conjure up the intimate dance between desires for connection, states of deadlock and tipping points; Rehab Eldalil and the Bedouins of the South Sinai archive the medicinal powers of plants in their Flora Guide.

    Third Act
    In this third act, the fashion industry bares its soul. An interview with Tatiana Fayad and Joanne Haye, the co-founders of Vanina, a brand making waves for its cutting-edge creations as well as its social conscience. ICFCC and the Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech Museum launch a competition which uses design to demonstrate that there are no borders, only the sort of instructive, creative exchanges which become enriching experiences.

    Fourth Act
    In the fourth act, the past is woven into the present: Mina Abouzahra opens up a dialogue between Dutch designers and Moroccan weavers aimed at preserving the ancestral feminine know-how expressed in the Amazigh carpet; vinyl records, cherished by a handful of diggers, musicians, producers and music lovers, bring 20th century Arab music back to the present day. 

    Fifth Act
    In the fifth act, we sit down at the table of the Jewish-Arab diasporas and summon sensory memories of the ingredients, dishes, utensils or smells, as well as the rites and rituals surrounding them, which act as a link - sometimes the only link - to their North African and Arab roots.