Ashraf Siddiqui
Doha
Media Majlis Museum (mm:museum) at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q), in collaboration with the global media and educational platform Afikra, hosted recently a public symposium on the future of Arabic storytelling through artificial intelligence (AI), film, and media.
The symposium was hosted on the sidelines of mm:museum’s ongoing exhibition ‘The limits of my language are the limits of my world‘ curated by Northwestern Qatar alumna Amal Zeyad Ali.
A full-day, multidisciplinary event explored the intersection of technology and storytelling in the Arab world and included several panel discussions with local and regional voices, each focusing on a unique theme, two performances, and various collateral activities, drawing a diverse, engaged audience who actively participated in discussions with experts and innovators.
Talking to Qatar Tribune, Alfredo Cramerotti, director of mm:museum, highlighted the aim to promote and feature conversations, debates, performances, and networking focused on the Arabic language in media, tech, and publishing.
He said, "Through this event, we wanted to speak to the young audience through relevant and interactive content, providing a platform to experiment and question contemporary issues, and inviting young people to explore different perspectives.”
Safa Arshad, manager of Audiences and Community Outreach at mm:museum, said: ‘We are thrilled to have brought together such a dynamic group of thinkers and creators to explore the intersection of Arabic storytelling with cutting-edge technologies.
"This symposium not only highlighted the richness of Arabic narratives but also sparked vital conversations on how AI and media are reshaping the way these stories are told and shared with the world.”
The first panel explored how the Arabic language is evolving across different media platforms, from traditional outlets to modern media and social media.
Lebanese director Amanda Abou Abdallah, an award-winning filmmaker, Northwestern Qatar Associate Professor Rana Kazkaz and producer Hussein Fakhri shared insights on how Arabic is being adapted to reach global audiences while maintaining its identity.
Kazkaz was of the view that use of the Arabic language in media is not just a means of communication.
"It is a bridge to our cultural heritage and a vessel for knowledge production, innovation, creativity, and intellectual growth. Crucially, it ensures that our narratives have a part in shaping the global story,” he said.
Abou Abdallahsaid, "It’s not enough to create media that speaks in Arabic. We must think in Arabic and create from an Arab mindset to truly capture the essence of our culture, articulate our narratives, and preserve authenticity in our stories.”
The second panel was on ‘Algorithms and Alphabets: Advancing Arabic in Technology’, which highlighted the intersection of Arabic and AI technologies, discussing the use of AI in the Arabic language.
Nizar Habash from NYU Abu Dhabi and Salma Alkhoudi, PhD in anthropology graduate from Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, discussed the potential to transform how we interact with the Arabic language.
Habash said, "The remarkable advancements in AI and NLP have the potential to shape a new writing and communication culture for the Arabic language in the 21st century. These technologies make it easier for native speakers, who primarily use dialects, to write and communicate in Standard Arabic. Additionally, they offer valuable support for non-Arabs who are interested in learning and using both Arabic and its various dialects.”
The third panel discussed ‘Arabic Publishing in Transition’.
The panel featured literary and academic experts, including Enam Al-Wer from the University of Essex; Layan Abdul Shakoor, founder and creative director at Saudi-based writing and publishing house Mauzoun; and Lebanese author Omar Thawabeh.
They explored the evolving landscape of Arabic publishing, the interaction between Classical Arabic and various dialects in contemporary literature.
Enam Al-Wer said, "This panel brings together publishers, linguists, and translators to explore innovative methods of collaboration to foster empirically informed publications that embrace the rich diversity of Arabic. Findings from academic research into the history and evolution of Arabic, along with its socio-linguistic dynamics in contemporary Arabic-speaking societies, provide the basis for a linguistic style that mirrors how Arabic is used, rather than how its native speakers should use it.”
The event was part of a broader collaboration between mm:museum and aAikra, which also includes a three-episode podcast series exploring the Arabic language, culture, and identity.
The series is jointly produced and published on The Afikra Podcast Network, furthering the conversation on these vital themes.