Our Story
Founded in 2016, Sekka is an award-winning, London-based cultural organisation and publisher devoted to exploring arts, culture, literature, and ideas from the Arab world, with a particular focus on the Arab Gulf States. Sekka brings authentic narratives from the Gulf and the wider Arab world into global cultural conversations.
Over the past decade, Sekka has built an international readership spanning more than 60 countries. Its work is supported by partnerships with leading global airlines including Emirates, Etihad, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Qatar Airways, as well as its presence in major magazines and libraries worldwide including the University of Oxford, the House of Wisdom, and SOAS.
At the heart of Sekka’s mission is a commitment to literary excellence, creative visibility, and narrative ownership. Sekka publishes timeless issues that move beyond news cycles to engage deeply with nuanced cultural, social, and intellectual themes. Our stories offer curious and inquisitive readers thoughtful perspectives on one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented regions in international media, told by the people who are from there. We collaborate with thought leaders, emerging voices, photographers, and creative talents whose work challenges assumptions and expands understanding.
Taking inspiration from our name, which translates from Arabic as a path that ties neighbourhoods together, Sekka seeks to foster meaningful cross-cultural dialogue between the Arab Gulf States, the wider Arab world, and the rest of the globe. Sekka amplifies regional voices in international media, where they remain underrepresented, allowing us to tell our stories in our own voices and reclaim our narrative.
This commitment is further reflected in the Sekka Literary Award, through which we spotlight emerging and established Gulf Arab writers and literary voices from the wider Arab world, creating space for regional narratives to be recognised on an international stage.
Founded and led by Manar Al Hinai and Sharifah Al Hinai, Sekka is driven by the belief that storytelling shapes cultural understanding. With a growing global network of hundreds of writers, artists, and cultural practitioners, Sekka serves as a platform for connection, collaboration, and meaningful cultural exchange—offering readers a window into places, ideas, and experiences only Sekka and its people can take you.
Contributors and Featured Personalities
Sekka has featured and engaged with a distinguished group of cultural leaders, writers, and thinkers whose work shapes contemporary discourse across the Arab world and beyond. Our publication has hosted conversations with figures including Her Excellency Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, His Excellency Omar Saif Ghobash, Nobel Prize–winning author Dr. Abdulrazak Gurnah, Her Highness Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab bin Tariq Al Said, Huda Barakat, Bothayna Al-Essa, Saud Alsanousi, Afra Atiq, eL Seed, Amal Al Sahlawi, Mous Lamrabat, Ghada Almuhanna Abalkhail, and Muhajid Al Malki.
Sekka’s contributors have authored original work for the publication. Contributions were made by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Her Highness Sayyida Mayya Al Said, Her Excellency Manal Ataya, Jokha Al Harthi, Sheikha Alyazia Al Nahyan, Dr. Marilyn Booth, Dr. Jonas Elbousty, Bushra Khalfan, and Hussain Almoosawi—reflecting Sekka’s commitment to publishing diverse literary and intellectual voices across literature, art, culture, and ideas.