Observatoire des droits humains (anglais seulement)

Zajal – this form of Arabic poetic duelling has broken onto TikTok

(Version anglaise seulement)

par Marlé Hammond, Reader in Arabic Popular Literature and Culture, SOAS, University of London
Nada Elzeer, Senior Lecturer in Arabic, SOAS, University of London

“I am a king of angels, from beginning to end. Arrani you’ll soon be crying out, weeping endless tears,” sings Akram Qawar in Arabic while gesticulating at his opponent. Muhammad al-Arrani sings back: “What are you mumbling about? No one understands your verse, did you just come here to make a fool of yourself in the arena?”

“Who’s [sic] uncles are out here doing battle raps,” one fan exclaims in the caption on a video in which he dances along to the sound of a similar exchange to the one above.…

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