ICFCC Issue 02

First Act
A free-floating conversation between devoted and outspoken two female artists, Hindi Zahra and Zineb Andress Arraki; a walk around Paris, where you will never see the metro system quite the same way again; and the touching words of numerous women who talk about what it means to them to be an Arab woman.

Second Act
The fast-rising young Lebanese cartoonist Raphaëlle Macaron talks to us about what drives her and inspires her pen; then we delve into the history of Arab comic books, a flourishing art form these days.

Third Act
We dive into the fabulous world of the coolest of cooks, Laila Gohar, where food, art, style and fantasy intermingle; next we join Marc Belli on a fascinating journey to track down the Bilmawen; and then we discover theintrigues and complexities of desire through three intoxicating stories by Malika Moustadraf, Yousra Samir Imran and Mariam Bazeed.

Fourth Act
Alongside boxing specialist Michel Chemin we look at the aesthetic contribution to the sport by its all-time great, Muhammad Ali, as well as his relation to the continent of Africa; then it’s off to Lebanon’s Bekka Valley, where the exiled Syrian horticulturalist Salem Alazoak has planted new roots—and many organic roses.

Fifth Act
We closes with the scent of an ancient story that billows from bubbling pots of couscous, where two different hues have long vied for the public taste: red sauce and white sauce. Which one to pick? The choice is yours.