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Absolute must to read for all lovers of the Arab world. “Invisible Arabs” by Paola Caridi is a real anthology of popular culture, an ocean in which even the most expert will find incredible treasures. To give even greater value to the whole, the preface by ‘Ala al Aswani, author of Palazzo Yacoubian.
Invisible Arabs
The Arab world continues to live today, beyond the veil of our prejudices. Millions of invisible Arabs move in a changing belt from Casablanca to Riyad, crushed by the weight of a stereotype now prevailing in the West, for which all those who have a Middle Eastern or North African passport are potential terrorists, kamikaze, followers of Osama bin Laden.
Today’s catalog of invisible Arabs, on the other hand, is long, varied, surprising. It includes children who use the Internet, professionals educated in our universities, filmmakers and excellent writers. If the list of Arabs we don’t know were only this, however, we would be the simple list of good, good and nice ones. Instead, we must overcome the wall, and observe that long theory of men and women to whom the West does not recognize face and features: those who bend over backwards to send their children to school, who flood the region of remittances of their work. , which make culture between the links of censorship and opposition between the constraints of the regimes.
Anthology of the Arab world
We have long wanted to buy this book, bewitched by Paola Caridi’s work and passion, we can say that it was absolutely worth it. “Invisible Arabs” is a true anthology of the culture of the Arab world, so full of ideas that even the most passionate lovers of this culture will discover too many treasures. We are not ashamed to say that it was one of the first “pleasure” books on which we took notes, so great is the amount of information it contains.
The really interesting thing about this book, however, is the fact that it manages to give a great overview of the popular culture of this world, without cannibalizing anything and making the various cultures that coexist within it always recognizable. Focusing above all on “common people”, “Invisible Arabs” shows one of the most honest and authoritative faces of Arab culture and people, an absolute reference point for newbies and more.
Foreword of ‘Ala al Aswani
To further embellish the text, then, there is the preface by ‘Ala al Aswani, one of the greatest Egyptian writers of this century, famous in the world for “Palazzo Yacoubian. The great author focuses in particular on the attitude he has suffered. as an Arab, especially after September 11, 2001. It is no mystery, in fact, that precisely on that date the relationship between the “Islamic world” and the “West” underwent a turning point, causing an incredible series of unthinkable situations. comprehensive on the subject is “The Reluctant Fundamentalist “by Mohsin Hamid (one of our favorite books and films), but seen with today’s eyes, al Aswani‘s text is even more interesting.
The “handicap” of not being updated to date makes the entire book a very precious document on the foundations of today’s Arab world. Just think of the space granted by the author regarding the role of the internet, a tool that will soon mark entire revolutions, playing a key role in the Arab Spring. “Invisible Arabs” is a text that is always worth reading, so great is the work and love with which the “invisible Arabs” are shown to us. This name was then inherited from Paola Caridi’s blog Invisible Arabs, the digital heir of the book.
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