OUTSIDE
Have a look — Kalimat Magazine
Kalimat is a non-profit, independent, media production organisation that features bold, engaging political, design, film, fashion, literature, musical and new media content.
Launched in 2010, the magazine is a social, cultural and political publication committed to providing an outlet for open expression for Arab creatives worldwide. At the same time, it is a visual communication tool that serves to educate both those who read it and work to create it.
The purpose is to be an open outlet for expression and to increase participation within the cultural/creative scene, providing a platform for Arab creatives to engage in thought and action around ideas, people and business, moving the world forward. Through the value of design-focused thinking, data visualisation, education and conversations with influential Arab creatives, Kalimat transcends and redefines mainstream media, challenging the status quo.
The name “Kalimat,” which means “words” is inspired from the Majida el-Roumi song of the same name, originally a poem by the Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani.
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Why is it “by Arabs for everyone?”
Kalimat is a platform for Arab creatives to engage in thought and action. Here at Kalimat our mandate is and always has been “by Arabs, for everyone.” This might seem exclusive, or a bit cliquey, but we’ll tell you why that’s not the case. For a long time, Arab writers, journalists, designers, artists, producers (creative and cultural people) have been a part of the English-written world. However, more often than not, this tended to be in a way that wasn’t exactly in our interests. At worst, our presence was used to justify one agenda or another that didn’t end so well and our image was far from accurate – that is the basis of our motto “Challenge the Status Quo.”
Kalimat is not simply an outlet to write “about” the Arab region, but a space for Arabs interested in current affairs, media, literature, music, fashion, art and design to get creative and better their communities.