The Iliad: A Radio Drama in Arabic based on Homer's Iliad

The Iliad: A Radio Drama in Arabic

The Egyptian Radio has produced a Radio drama in Arabic based on Homer's Iliad. It is unknown when this drama was broadcasted, but most probably after 1967. This approximate date is based on the fact that Ali Azzab, one of the two writers of the drama, graduated from the higher institute for theatrical fine arts in Cairo in 1967.  The second writer of the drama is Helal Abouamer. No more information is available about the second writer or this adaptation. Fortunately You Tube hosts the full audio (about two hours) of this piece.

According to Wikipedia, a radio drama is "a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story: "It is auditory in the physical dimension but equally powerful as a visual force in the psychological dimension".

The Algerian Iliad by Cheikh Zakaria (1908-1977)

The Algerian Iliad by Cheikh Zakaria (1908-1977)

The Algerian Iliad is an epic poem of 1001 verse lines composed by Cheikh Zakaria (1908-1977), the poet of the Algerian revolution, to celebrate the long history of the Algerian people's resistance against foreign occupations from "the most ancient times to the present day", as  Mouloud Kacem (1927-1992), the famous  Algerian politician, philosopher, historian, and writer, stated in the preface of the printed poem. Mouloud Kacem was the one who commissioned Cheikh Zakaria to compose this poem. With its 1001 verse lines, it is not only an Iliad, but a clear parody to One Thousand and One Nights of the famous folk tales know as Arabian Nights.

A first short version of this poem of only 610 verse lines was recited by Cheikh Zakaria himself in the inauguration of the sixth conference of the Islamic thought on July 24, 1972 in Club of Pines in Algeria where Houari Boumédiène (1932-1978), Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, was one of the participants. There is a recording on You Tube where one can listen to the very sensational recitation by the author himself. Here it is:

The Arabs and the European Civilization (1975) by Mohamed Mofid Alshobashi

I have found another title exploring the relationship between the Arabs and the European Civilization. It is "The Arabs and the European Civilization (1975)" by Mohamed Mofid Alshobashi. It has no content as it just an introduction to the topic to be read during a bus journey or so. This is evident from the book description in from of the title "Ketab Geb" i.e. a small book that fits in ones' pocket and one could finish reading it in a bus journey. The current book is only 124 small pages long and was appeared in Cairo and Baghdad in the same time in 1975.