On The Move: A Letter From Our Editor | Harper’s Bazaar Arabia June 2022
What does ‘home’ really mean? Bazaar Arabia’s Editor in Chief, Olivia Phillips explores the beauty of the MENA diaspora and why we all benefit from it…
Diaspora is a word that’s become a regular one in my lexicon since relocating to the Middle East eight years ago. It’s a word with serious weight; heavy with connotation, sometimes with joy, sometimes with sorrow – but either way, for many of us, on our minds with inexorable frequency. After all, transition and identity are so closely tied together. Moving countries inevitably leads you to question what the concept of ‘home’ really means. What does it take to create a new one – perhaps far from your place of origin – and can that either enrich or subtract from your sense of belonging?
Migration has always been at the core of MENA history, and according to a study by the World Bank, this region has proportionally more citizens in the diaspora than most. And at a time when the global immigration debate is raging – seemingly more than ever – there is a risk of forgetting just how beneficial it can be.
In this issue, we explore the MENA diaspora in all its beauty – from Saudi creatives making it big in the US, to a Lebanese designer in Dubai making her mark internationally. Psychologist and Bazaar Arabia columnist, Dr. Saliha Afridi offers her expertise on both the gifts and the challenges that come with upping sticks and boldly choosing adventure in a brand-new country.
Speaking of bold moves, elsewhere in the issue we hear from Muslim women at home and abroad who have built their careers on fearlessly challenging the status quo and making life a little better for us all – Asma Elbadawi, the athlete, spoken-word poet and playwright who helped end FIBA’s ban on hijabs in professional basketball; history-making Sultana Tafadar QC, the first-ever hijab-wearing criminal barrister who was just named Queen’s Counsel in the United Kingdom, which is considered to be the highest mark of excellence a lawyer can attain in the country; and Ghizlan Guenez, co-founder of first-of-its-kind modestwear site, The Modist, whose relaunch after shuttering its virtual doors in April 2020 was met with enormous celebration last month. “The collection sits under the mission of empowerment of choice,” she tells us in Never Say Never.
The mantle of empowerment of course goes to the next generation, as we speak to rising Egyptian star Huda El Mufti about exactly how her role on screen and off is helping push that forward. Because, after all, forward is the only way. Moving, transitioning, growing – much like the diaspora – are the cornerstones of evolution and progression. We are here for it. And we can only hope we play a part in making it happen.
From Olivia’s Desk…
Stranger Things taking over KSA, interiors by Are, a secret notebook and a literary alarm clock –four things on my mind, and my shopping list this month.
Editor’s Picks
Photography: Paul Morel. Styling: Daniel Gonzalez Elizondo. Art Director: Oscar Yanez. Creative Director: Marne Schwartz. Fashion Director: Anna Castan. Fashion Editor: Nour Bou Ezz. Producer: Johana Dana. Hair: Giannandrea Marongiu. Make-Up: Massimo Serini. Photographer’s Assistant: Nicolas Vanegas Sanchez at MM Productions. Stylist’s Assistant: Christian Marchesich. Special thanks to Lorenzo Esposito and Domus Borghese, Rome.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s June 2022 issue.
