هايل علي المذابي

The essay argues that people who attain positions of authority, wealth, or prestige often become detached from the hardship they once experienced, developing self-centeredness and indifference toward others. It contrasts these officials and wealthy figures with a small group who treat money, education, and high office as tools for serving people, quietly funding students and supporting struggling families. The piece calls on educated and influential individuals to retain humility, empathy, and social responsibility rather than succumbing to the temptations of power and material privilege.

The article argues that translation should do more than transfer Western terms literally: it should reproduce and adapt new philosophical, scientific, and social concepts in ways that reflect Arab intellectual and linguistic particularity. It criticizes Arabic language academies for failing to support high-quality translation, develop equivalent Arabic terminology, and regularly update dictionaries. The discussion uses “covidiot” as an example of a term transferred into Arabic without conceptual re-creation, and highlights Abdelwahab Elmessiri’s use of “al-aghyar” as an Arabic equivalent for the Hebrew term “goyim.” The author warns that continued reliance on imported terminology could weaken Arabic’s capacity to produce knowledge and gradually increase the dominance of English or French.

Greater equality and female leadership are presented as essential to overcoming the injustice, violence, and wars associated with male-dominated societies. Drawing on observations about gender roles in the animal world and the historical exclusion of women from education, property ownership, invention, and public life, the article argues that women’s limited representation in patents and political institutions resulted from structural discrimination rather than lack of ability. It references Francis Fukuyama’s 1998 theory of the feminization of the future and a 2002 appeal for women’s participation in peace negotiations. Against the backdrop of continuing Middle Eastern conflicts, the article concludes that durable peace, security, and prosperity require women to occupy leadership positions across political and institutional life.

Theater achieves lasting cultural relevance when sustainability is treated as its central principle. The author argues that ethical and humanistic value should form the core of the dramatic text, while aesthetic flexibility, strong structure, symbolic language, and openness to reinterpretation allow works to endure across generations. Digital archives, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, and the metaverse can extend performances beyond the physical stage, while green scenography, reusable materials, energy efficiency, and LED lighting can reduce environmental impact. Sustainable economic models, cultural management, audience development, and the theater’s role as a social record and critical laboratory are also essential to ensuring its continuity and historical influence.

The essay examines how cinema and theatre use bodily and emotional transitions before scenes of violence. It contrasts the classical pattern of placing intimacy or love before battle, as seen in historical films such as Troy and Gladiator, with contemporary action cinema’s use of urination and other bodily acts to signal vulnerability, abjection and the de-sacralization of death. Theatre adapts these devices through split staging, lighting, blackout, physical tension and purification rituals because it lacks cinematic editing. The argument connects these techniques to the opposition between Eros and Thanatos, cultural understandings of love and war in Western, Arab, Indian and Russian traditions, and the broader shift from heroic sublimation toward stark realism and absurdity.

The text defends Yemeni human rights activist Iman Hamid against accusations of espionage and defamation campaigns targeting her work and character. It recounts her experiences of political and social injustice in Yemen and Egypt, highlighting how these shaped her founding of the rights organization Ensaf. The article details her involvement in the case of a Yemeni Jewish prisoner, asserting the organization’s actions were purely humanitarian. It condemns detractors who attack her due to her success and international recognition, framing their behavior as rooted in envy and misogyny. The text concludes by affirming Hamid’s integrity and the lasting value of Ensaf’s human rights work despite ongoing smear campaigns.

The text defends Yemeni human‑rights activist Iman Hameed against accusations that emerged after her organization, Insaf, supported a Jewish Yemeni prisoner involved in an antiquities‑smuggling case. It argues that attacks on her are rooted in misogyny and envy rather than substantive criticism. The article recounts her professional journey, the motivations behind founding Insaf, and her international recognition. It emphasizes the organization’s humanitarian role and rejects claims of political or ideological bias. The author frames the defamation campaign as part of a broader pattern targeting successful Yemeni women, underscoring Hameed’s integrity and lasting impact.

Technology and the arts should be humanized by placing ethical, cultural, and social values before technical skill. The endurance of great films and plays comes not from their formats or characters alone, but from the universal values—such as justice, sacrifice, dignity, truth, and moral integrity—that they preserve and transmit across generations. The article argues that education should teach these values alongside technological tools, particularly in an age of fleeting, superficial entertainment where cultural meaning risks dissolving.

Argues that preserving human values is essential for meaningful use of technology and for restoring the humanity of the arts. Emphasizes that ethical and cultural values must precede mastery of technological tools to produce lasting creative work. Highlights how enduring artistic works succeed because they embody universal human values rather than technical form, asserting that civilization is sustained by accumulated moral and social principles rather than tools. Calls for prioritizing value education alongside technological training to prevent erosion of core human principles in an age driven by superficial entertainment.

Explores how modern digital technologies and virtual spaces reshape the historical debate between materialist and idealist philosophies, framing them as intertwined forces that define consciousness and existence. Highlights how social media eliminates privacy while generating new forms of centralization and control, creating a hybrid system influenced by both socialist and capitalist logics. Applies this philosophical lens to contemporary Arab societies, describing layers of institutional, political, religious, and economic oppression that impose a state of existential siege on individuals. Presents virtual reality as a possible escape that rebuilds social existence and consciousness but warns that without ethical grounding, digital environments risk becoming new forms of algorithmic exploitation and alienation rather than spaces of liberation.

Examines how technological developments and virtual spaces reshape the longstanding philosophical debate between materialism and idealism by merging material and conceptual dimensions of consciousness. Describes how authoritarian political, religious and economic structures in the Arab world create a condition of siege that limits individual agency and awareness, with digital spaces offering an alternative form of social existence that can either liberate or reproduce existing forms of domination. Argues that without ethical grounding, virtual environments risk becoming extensions of real-world oppression, while an ethically informed digital sphere could support genuine freedom and critical consciousness.

Social media is portrayed as a continuously moving digital carnival governed by the cycle of “crowning and deposing”: new content becomes briefly dominant before algorithms and collective attention push it into oblivion. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of carnivalization, the essay argues that users have shifted from being creators of meaning to functional participants in a system of constant posting, sharing, liking and commenting. Although social media can weaken social hierarchies and remove traditional barriers, its chaotic and flattened space places the responsibility for ethical and intellectual selection on individuals. The result is ongoing novelty without cumulative knowledge, weakening deep reflection and producing a society characterized by short collective memory. The essay concludes by questioning whether people can escape or will remain dependent on this accelerated digital rhythm.

Explores the cyclical nature of social‑media engagement as a process of constant coronation and forgetting, drawing on Bakhtin’s concepts of carnival and dethronement to argue that digital platforms transform individuals into functional actors rather than creators of meaning. Highlights how algorithm‑driven trends create a rapid cycle of renewal that undermines deep reflection, erases hierarchies, and produces a society of short memory while placing responsibility on individuals to navigate content wisely.

Explores the recurring appeal of the charismatic or sympathetic villain in literature, theatre, and cinema, tracing its roots from classical mythology and poetic rebellion to Shakespearean tragedy and modern film. Highlights how audiences empathize with villains who challenge authority, embody internal conflict, or expose societal flaws, emphasizing the aesthetic of rebellion and the psychological resonance of characters such as Prometheus, Shakespeare’s tragic figures, and contemporary cinematic icons like the Joker.

The article contrasts the meaning of patriotism in stable Western societies with its more troubled meaning in Yemen and other developing countries. Drawing on Zygmunt Bauman and Leszek Kołakowski, it presents patriotism as tolerance of diversity, courage to acknowledge uncomfortable truths and commitment to rights protected by republican institutions. In Yemen’s conflict-ridden environment, however, these qualities can be treated as betrayal, while loyalty to a tribe, political party or religious sect is rewarded as patriotism. The result is that patriotism becomes a tool of surveillance, exclusion and conformity rather than a shared source of security and belonging.

Explores contrasting meanings of nationalism in stable Western societies versus conflict‑ridden developing countries such as Yemen, highlighting how Western nationalism is rooted in institutional security, tolerance and civic values, while nationalism in fragile states becomes a tool of survival, conformity and exclusion. Draws on Bauman and Kolakowski to show how noble theoretical ideals of national belonging collapse into accusatory and coercive practices in unstable environments, turning the national individual into a target rather than a protected citizen.

Theatre is portrayed as a basic human and social necessity comparable to food or electricity, rather than an elite form of entertainment or decorative art. The central problem is a lack of public understanding about its practical value, compounded by theatre practitioners’ assumption that audiences already share their knowledge. The piece argues for connecting theatre directly to people’s everyday concerns and presenting it as nourishment for the mind, a tool for critical thinking and a means of improving quality of life. Without this connection, theatre remains culturally marginal and contributes to a broader deficit in collective awareness.

Theater is presented as an essential cultural and intellectual need rather than a luxury, with the author arguing that its low societal value stems from a lack of public awareness and failure to connect it to everyday life. The piece urges theater practitioners to communicate its relevance clearly, framing theater as nourishment for the mind and a vital component of social vitality. Integrating theater into public consciousness is depicted as necessary to strengthen collective awareness and improve quality of life.

The article argues that Yemen might have descended into a Somalia-like collapse if the Houthis had not entered Sana'a in 2014, presenting a counterfactual scenario of conflict among traditional power centers, Islah, Al-Qaeda and southern separatists. It predicts territorial expansion by Al-Qaeda, a southern civil war, the collapse of oil production and currency, famine, diplomatic isolation and severe consequences for Yemeni expatriates. Ali Abdullah Saleh is portrayed as likely to have faced assassination, public execution or a show trial. The article warns that the underlying causes of instability remain active and could re-emerge during a security vacuum, threatening the Bab el-Mandeb and inviting international intervention. It calls for a decade-long emergency counterterrorism effort, an end to internal wars and compulsory education as the basis for a durable peace.

The text examines an alternative scenario in which Yemen, without the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in 2014, would have descended into widespread conflict involving competing power centers, the expansion of Al-Qaeda, and southern secession. It outlines potential outcomes for Ali Abdullah Saleh under this hypothetical collapse and describes severe humanitarian, economic, and diplomatic consequences for Yemenis at home and abroad. Despite avoiding this trajectory, the underlying drivers of instability remain. The author proposes a roadmap focusing on long-term counterterrorism, ending internal conflicts, and strengthening compulsory education to shift society from a war culture toward stability.

Yemen’s archaeological heritage is facing systematic looting, organized smuggling, and destruction amid the war and political fragmentation. An estimated 23,000 artifacts—including statues, Musnad inscriptions, funerary stelae, gold pieces, and coins—are believed to have left the country and entered auction markets in the United States, Britain, and Europe. The recovery in France of a Qatabanian king statue and 15 other objects demonstrates that diplomatic and legal action can succeed, but archaeological sites in al-Jawf and Ma’rib continue to suffer from illegal digging, military use, and destruction. The report calls for an emergency response involving specialized heritage police, unified national management, digital documentation, diplomatic pressure under the 1970 UNESCO Convention, and improved safety measures for researchers.

Yemen faces extensive antiquities looting as armed conflict enables organized smuggling networks to extract thousands of historical pieces from sites such as Al-Jawf and Ma’rib. Many artifacts are trafficked abroad and sold in major auction houses in the US, UK and Europe without legal documentation. A notable recovery involved the King of Qataban statue and additional items seized in France after years of diplomatic and legal efforts involving UNESCO and the Yemeni Embassy. The destruction of archaeological sites and unsafe working conditions have also led to the deaths of numerous researchers. Experts are urging immediate protective measures, including a dedicated antiquities police force, unified national strategy, comprehensive digital documentation and stronger diplomatic pressure to curb illegal sales.

Yemen’s war and prolonged salary stoppages have pushed writers, journalists and artists into extreme poverty. Journalist Anwar Al-Amiri reportedly offered to sell a kidney to cover medical debt and rent after displacement to Ma'rib, while poet Mohammed Al-Qaud and others offered extensive personal libraries for sale. The piece also documents the sale of essential work equipment and artwork, portraying these cases as evidence of the destruction of Yemen’s cultural and human infrastructure. It blames state neglect and the conflict parties for the crisis and calls for an independent international emergency fund, institutional purchases preserving the threatened libraries, and the urgent restoration of salaries for cultural and media workers.

Widespread economic collapse and halted salaries have pushed Yemeni writers, journalists and artists to sell their personal libraries, artworks and even body organs to survive, revealing a deep cultural and humanitarian crisis worsened by war. Testimonies from cultural figures highlight severe poverty, government neglect and the erosion of Yemen’s intellectual foundations. Calls are made for international emergency support, preservation of major personal libraries and urgent payment of public-sector salaries to prevent further cultural destruction.

Dutch theatre director and artistic researcher Ulrike Quade describes her transition from Japanese puppetry and scenography to interactive performances involving KUKA industrial robots, motion capture, game engines and artificial intelligence. She rejects replacing human performers with autonomous machines, instead advocating “collaborative intelligence” distributed among performers, programmers, sensors, robots and audiences. Her work explores how industrial robots can acquire an apparent vitality through breath-like sound, movement, touch and interaction, while keeping cables, operators and technical constraints visible to preserve ethical accountability. Drawing on Bunraku traditions, she argues that artists should listen to nonhuman materials on their own terms and use cultural traditions—including Arab shadow theatre, storytelling, calligraphy and folklore—as maps for navigating emerging technologies. She expects theatre to develop new forms in which humans and machines jointly shape dramatic presence, while artists retain responsibility for the values embedded in technological systems.

Dutch director and scenographer Ulrike Quade discusses her theatrical approach integrating robotics, AI and puppetry traditions, emphasizing collaborative intelligence between humans and machines. She explains how KUKA industrial robots become expressive performers through choreography, sound and programming rooted in artistic exploration rather than automation. Quade highlights theatre as a space to examine the ethical, emotional and social implications of emerging technologies, drawing on Japanese Bunraku principles and global folklore to guide innovation. She rejects the idea of autonomous robotic actors, advocating instead for shared creative systems where human intention and machine capability intertwine. The conversation explores the future of performance, the role of cultural heritage in navigating technological change, and the responsibility of artists in shaping evolving human–machine relationships.

Artist Bram Ellens explains how he transforms massive, decommissioned industrial robots into tragic theatrical figures in his “Captivity” project. By programming movements based on his own physical studies and combining mechanical noise, silence, confinement and backstories, he encourages audiences to empathize with machines that lack consciousness. The project explores whether emotion comes from human-like appearance or from visible vulnerability, while reversing the question by asking how humans themselves are becoming robotic through algorithms, optimization and obedience. Ellens argues that theater can slow the ethical debate around autonomous technologies and make abstract questions about freedom, consciousness and responsibility physically and emotionally immediate.

Explores Bram Ellens’ use of large industrial robots as tragic theatrical protagonists in the project Captivity, emphasizing emotional paradoxes between mechanical rigidity and human empathy. Discusses philosophical questions about consciousness, freedom and human–machine boundaries, while detailing Ellens’ creative methods, storytelling approaches and audience reactions. Highlights how the robots’ industrial histories shape their narrative roles and how performance confronts viewers with questions about agency, vulnerability and the evolving relationship between humans and technology.

War, collapsing cultural support and the disappearance of regular artistic work have forced prominent Yemeni actors and theater professionals into difficult jobs, including restaurant service and street ice-cream sales. The cases of theater educator Samir Said Saif and veteran comedian Abdel Salam Zalaat illustrate how artists with decades of experience struggle to support their families while Yemen’s theaters remain underfunded and inactive. Critics attribute the crisis to seasonal Ramadan employment, favoritism, weak institutions, censorship pressures and the failure of cultural authorities, broadcasters and the acting professions’ syndicate to protect performers. The article argues that abandoning artists threatens Yemen’s cultural identity and public taste, not merely individual livelihoods.

Widespread economic collapse and the effects of war have forced Yemeni theater and television actors into low‑wage jobs as artistic institutions deteriorate and funding disappears. Veteran performers such as Samir Saeed Saif and Abdel‑Salam Zalaat have left long artistic careers to work in restaurants or sell ice cream to support their families. Commentators blame mismanagement, favoritism, seasonal production cycles, and the absence of institutional protection for artists. The decline of Yemen’s cultural sector is depicted as a broader erosion of national identity and collective awareness, with calls for urgent intervention to prevent the extinction of the country’s artistic talent.

The Arab Theatre Authority has selected Iraqi playwright and director Jawad Al-Asadi to write the 2023 Arab Theatre Day message, to be delivered on January 10 during the opening of the 13th Arab Theatre Festival in Casablanca, organized with Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication. Secretary-General Ismail Abdullah praised Al-Asadi’s artistic and theoretical contributions and emphasized the authority’s efforts to establish Arab Theatre Day as an important cultural occasion. The article reviews previous message authors, the authority’s documentary publication collecting their messages, and Al-Asadi’s education, awards, international productions, books and influence across Arab and European theatre.

The Arab Theatre Authority selected Iraqi theatre director Jawad Al‑Assadi to deliver the 2023 Arab Theatre Day message during the opening of the 13th Arab Theatre Festival in Casablanca. The authority’s secretary‑general, Ismail Abdullah, emphasized the day’s cultural significance and recalled previous contributors to its annual message tradition. Al‑Assadi’s career, awards and influential theatrical works across the Arab world and Europe are highlighted, along with his published books documenting his artistic practice.

Yemeni artist and journalist Fikri Qasim discusses his theatre career, including founding the Nas theatre troupe in Taiz and pioneering Yemen’s first street-theatre performance in 2000. He explains that street theatre brought performances closer to audiences who rarely attend seasonal theatre shows, but the physically demanding, self-funded experiment was not repeated. Qasim argues that Yemeni playwrights must work within the constraints of “poor theatre,” using limited casts, scenery and production resources. He attributes the decline of Yemeni theatre to state withdrawal from cultural responsibilities, reduced arts education and training, the suspension of theatre festivals, inadequate venues and the absence of specialized institutions. He recalls the 1980s as a particularly vibrant period, supported by cultural investment and regional cooperation, and calls for the revival of the Bakathir Theatre Festival and school-theatre festivals.

Interview with Yemeni artist Fikri Qasim highlighting his early career, contributions to street theatre, and the challenges facing Yemeni theatre due to lack of state support, limited artistic infrastructure, and discontinued festivals and training programs. He describes the origins of his street theatre experiment, reasons it was not repeated, and the broader cultural decline affecting the arts. The discussion traces historical periods of theatrical flourishing, especially the 1980s, and emphasizes the need for renewed institutional investment in theatre education and festivals to revive Yemen’s cultural landscape.

The Spanish translation of Samira Ubayd’s poetry collection "A Melody with Amputated Fingers" has been released by translator Hussein Nahaba through Abjad Publishing. The work, originally published in Arabic in 2015, is highlighted for its poetic language, desert imagery, and thematic depth. Ubayd’s broader literary output and multiple translations of her works into several languages are noted, emphasizing her growing recognition across Arab and international literary scenes.

Wartime economic collapse in Yemen has forced academics and intellectuals to abandon their professions and take low-income jobs as salaries remain unpaid. Examples include university professors working in bakeries, brick factories, or selling qat, while students abroad turn to illicit work after losing financial support. Commentators blame governing authorities and the banking crisis for widespread hardship, warning of severe social and economic consequences as public-sector workers continue to go without pay.