''Qandisha'' is a

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

online

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

for women in Morocco and the wider Arab world. It was founded in 2011 by

Fedwa Misk Fedwa Misk is a Moroccan writer, former journalist, feminist, and women's rights activist. She participated in the 2011 February 20 Movement and subsequently opened an online magazine with the aim of promoting discussion about women in Morocco. ...

, a Moroccan journalist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and a group of other women concerned that women's rights were being ignored by the media during the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

. The publication is a hybrid between a magazine and a webzine, and is a collaborative effort, encouraging participation from its readers.

History and profile

''Qandisha'' was established in 2011 and is published in French. The name is derived from

Qandisa Aicha Qandicha ( ary, عيشة قنديشة, ʿayša qəndiša, referred to in some works as Qandisa) is a female mythological figure in Moroccan folklore. One of a number of folkloric characters who are similar to jinn, but have distinct person ...

, a female

jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...

from Moroccan folklore. The magazine focuses on a range of subjects including political and social current events. In an interview, Fedwa Misk stated "We want to give a boost to all the women who want to discuss and comment on current events, whether political or social – to encourage women to speak up. In our Arab Muslim conservative countries, women are less inclined to make their voices heard." The magazine is developing video and audio content in both French and

Darija Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Alge ...

, a colloquial form of Arabic. The magazine often covers controversial subjects and the website has been hacked on more than one occasion.

References

External links

Official website
{{italic title Magazines established in 2011 2011 establishments in Morocco French-language magazines Online magazines Feminist magazines Feminism in Morocco Women's magazines published in Morocco