Winners of the 19th Unesco-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture named in Paris

Kassem Istanbouli and Hajer Ben Boubaker scooped the award this year

Kassem Istanbouli (far left) and Hajer Ben Boubaker (in red) are named as 'UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture' winners. WAM

The 19th Unesco-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture took place in Paris last night, naming its two latest winners.

Founded in 1998, the Unesco-Sharjah Prize selects two laureates a year for demonstrably supporting and disseminating Arab culture.

One of this year's winners was Kassem Istanbouli from Lebanon, who was recognised for his work rehabilitating historical cinemas across the country. Since 2014 he has restored cinemas that have either been abandoned or destroyed during the civil war, including Stars Cinema in Nabatieh, and Al-Hamra and Rivoli in Tyre.

In 2020, he founded the Arab Culture and Arts Network, to enable people to get involved with a cultural and artistic community, which includes programmes especially aimed at children and youth.

The second winner was Hajer Ben Boubaker, a French-Tunisian independent researcher and sound director, whose work revolves around the analysis of Arab music, in particular the cultural history of the Maghreb community in France and around the world.

In 2018, she launched the Vintage Arab podcast, to explore Arabic musical heritage. She also serves as a producer and documentary director for France Culture. As a researcher, she works with the Arab and Oriental music collections at the National Library of France and has written for scientific journals.

The winners of the prize are chosen by the Director-General of Unesco, who is advised by an international panel. The award is open to all applicants, be it to individuals, groups or institutions, who can demonstrate the promotion of Arabic culture. The prize money of $60,000 is shared between the two winners.