Sekka

In This Issue

This issue’s theme of Sekka revolves around the concept of aib, or shame in Arabic; a term that guides many of our people’s daily interactions and behaviour, which makes these questions all the more relevant.

Letter from the Editors

Cover Story

In focus: The culture of hiding faces in the Gulf Region

What’s in a face? A lot if you are a Gulf woman.

Game Changers

The Saudi on a mission to share her people’s stories with the world

Through her groundbreaking storytelling initiative, actress Fatima Al-Banawi has found a way to give voice to thousands of Saudis.

The Khaleeji man who found himself in the kitchen

In conversation with 23-year-old Bader Najeeb, one of the youngest chefs in the GCC Region.

Sekka Podcast: Why we need more women in the media

Media in general is still not a widely accepted career choice for them in the region.

Arts and Culture

How my journey with depression goes back thousands of years

“My body felt like it was not my own; like it was a corpse I was inhabiting while I dragged my soul in tow.”

Here’s what a world without ‘aib’ would look like

It’s not what you would expect.

Video story: Autism and the stigma of ‘aib’

Um Zayed Alnuaimi speaks about her experience as a mother of a 14-year-old teenager with ASD.

Opinion

How NOT to behave when your guest has an eating disorder

“If you think that your dinner guest is suffering from an eating disorder it’s important to make them feel loved and welcomed.”

Would you use the word ‘aib’ on your children?

“We need to prepare our children to resist decades of the aib mentality.”

Why I left my family home and you should too

“One issue that is frowned upon by many, or is considered ‘aib’, is the decision of a son or daughter to live outside the family residence.”

Don’t hide the blood: Why we should talk more about menstruation

“Hiding my period experience always felt wrong to me, and if we want to be respected as the women we are, we shouldn’t be hiding big aspects of our womanhood.”