Illustrations by Jaimee Lee Haddad.
A friend of mine recently explained to me how they’ve been romanticizing their life with small acts of pleasure – lighting candles for no reason, reading outdoors instead of indoors, curating a playlist to match their dinner. It sounded to me like a cathartic practice, ideal for the weekend.
Inspired by this, I have perfected my own therapeutic Saturday/Sunday morning routine. My recipe includes no alarm clocks or doom scrolling, sun salutations on the balcony (or stretching and pretending to know what I’m doing), a full breakfast beyond just coffee and something out of the ordinary to read.
Which brings me to this week’s picks…
For the first time in its 79-year history, the Avignon performing arts festival is putting Arabic language center stage – a European celebration of Arab culture that feels like a rarity in today’s climate. This jam-packed program of dance, music and theater genuinely had me searching for cheap flights to France.
If you still haven’t seen Bye Bye Tiberias, it's not too late to catch it at Metropolis Cinema and if you have, you’ll want to read this interview with the actress Hiam Abbass. Her perspective on navigating Hollywood as an Arab woman is refreshing, as are her reflections on finding strength after Oct. 7.
From paleolithic objects to ruins of the 8th century Kingdom of Kush, the wealth of Sudan’s cultural heritage is magnificent. Did you know that it holds the largest concentration of pyramids in the world? May Makarem gives us insight into the country’s remaining treasures, threatened by the ongoing conflict.
Dibs on the debs b tahini cake
Does that picture not make your mouth water? We’ve been loving Jaimee’s fabulous recipes recently and, for a sugar addict like myself, this one is particularly up my street. It’s the perfect fusion of “the very American decadent chocolate cake, and the very baladi debs b tahini [carob molasses].” A perfect weekend treat!
One musical icon’s tribute to another
Ghassan Yammine takes center stage at Casino du Liban this week with a tribute to Charles Aznavour. His setlist combines his compositions with those of French chanson icons like Piaf and Brassens. What makes the show even more special is the story of the two artists’ friendship, recounted here by Béchara Maroun.
