Today sees the launch of Dazed MENA, a new magazine devoted to youth, creativity and culture in the Middle East and North Africa region. Helmed by former GQ Middle East Editor-in-Chief Ahmad Swaid, the inaugural issue is themed Creativity in the Age of Chaos. It spotlights the young creatives and changemakers who are coming of age in a world in flux, and turning the uncertainty and adversity they’re confronted with into something beautiful.
“We’re living in an age where the systems we once had faith in have failed us, and truths are coming to light,” says Swaid. “As the global power balance continues to shift, creativity is our most important resource to redefine what’s possible and inspire our communities. Creativity is our ultimate mode of liberation. Our inaugural issue reflects just that: our imagination and our realities.”
With a truly expansive and global vision, Dazed MENA extends the publication’s remit to include stories from across the SWANA region and the wider global majority. The nine covers reflect this vision, with spotlights on Afghan girlhood, Ethiopian female skaters, Sri Lankan surfers, a Syrian seed-saver, and a pair of Gazan parkourists. Palestinian rapper Saint Levant also fronts the magazine, along with Palestinian-Canadian musician Nemahsis, Algerian streetwear designer Wathek Allal, and models Nazarit and Peris who appear in a fashion story shot in the suburbs of Paris.
Committed to brave, authentic and imaginative storytelling, Dazed MENA sets out to be a springboard for emerging voices to come together, collaborate and thrive. “My hope for the magazine is for it to be a catalyst here in the region,” says Swaid, “for it to be a vehicle, not just for the people who we feature, but for the team here and the contributors we work with. My aim is that it becomes a place, where, just like how it is back in the UK, an incubator of talent.”
Here, the team themselves introduce the magazine, sharing the story behind each cover and what they mean to them.
Discover how a surf subculture in Sri Lanka became a quiet rebellion for the next generation shot by Bharat Sikka and styled by Nell Kalonji.
“The diversity of the crew involved making this story makes it very special. Bharat, an Indian photographer whose work I deeply admire, collaborates with Nell [Kalonji], a London-based stylist I love, all brought together by Jess (who is Sri Lankan) and art directors Tamil and Isha (who are Indian). Together, they beautifully portrayed these surfers from a country I know little about. Prinita’s writing offers valuable insight, helping to illuminate how this practice holds a distinct significance compared to other parts of the world.” – Omaima Salem, Fashion Director
Pascale Gambarte and Dazed MENA Fashion Director Omaima Salem team up with models Nazarit and Peris to shoot in the Paris suburbs on models Nazarit and Peris.
“Having grown up in a housing project, I can’t help but be moved by this feminine figure, almost an allegory of ambition. She stands tall, alone in front of our gaze, yet she exudes a confidence and power that could almost unsettle us as we hold the magazine. Her look, filled with arrogance, seems to challenge us. And yet, rather than provoking fear or animosity, it inspires deep respect and genuine admiration.” – Zoe Zanzola, Fashion Assistant
Photographer and artist Lea Colombo travels to Ethiopia to document the girl skateboarding phenomenon sweeping the streets, with styling by Hanna Kelifa.
“I don’t think anyone expects us to have these girls on the cover. Dazed MENA is a global entity and we are highlihting stories, subcultures, voices across the global majority without boxes or static binaries and this story, really does that. Shot by photographer and artist Lea Colombo and styled by Hana Kelifa, the girls skate in Issey Miyake, Isa Boulder, my favourite Lebanese brand Renaissance Renaissance, and West African London-based Labrum, mixing them with the girls own clothing and accessories. It’s fashion at its best. Paired with the synergy of Colombo’s distinctive vibrant practice, her lens punctuates their stories so beautifully. Obssessed.” – Sarra Alayyan, Deputy Editor
Founder of streetwear label Precious Trust is photographed by Dazed MENA Creative Director, Chndy, to delve into the man, the myth and the legend that is Wathek Allal.
“Skateboarding is about passion, the taxing nature of getting up and trying again and again and again. Bruised, battered and bleeding and yet still persisting to master a trick. Masculinity in our region is rooted in battle, sacrifice and martyrdom. Headlines will inform us of the tragic loss of women and children – but the loss of our civilian men is just as harrowing. The power in this cover is in its tenderness, a reminder that our men can be soft and vulnerable although they never seem to get the chance to be. Sat in a kitchen (a homemaker’s space) posed to make himself small, this shot is a love letter to our men.” – Zein Karam, Content Coordinator
Rare, first-person conversations with young women in Kabul – an unparalleled perspective that unveils the resilience and creativity of those rewriting their futures in unimaginable circumstances.
“As someone from Afghanistan, this cover really hits close to home. It’s a powerful reflection of Afghan women’s identity: strong, vibrant, and deeply rooted in culture. The traditional dress and the quiet confidence in her pose shed light on a side of Afghan women that isn’t often seen in the media. It’s important to show the women of Afghanistan as individuals with their own ideas, dreams, and aspirations. This cover challenges stereotypes and reminds the world of their resilience, beauty, and the rich stories they carry.” – Daoud Tabibzada, Art Director
Creative directed and captured by Ibrahem Hasan for her debut cover, Palestinian-Canadian singer Nemahsis spills the tea with poet Safia Elhillo.
“I see Nemahsis as a main character in her own theatrical play. With her music, she always creates different dreamscapes which relate poignantly to her lived experience in a really touching way. To see her play her own role here with Ibrahem Hasan’s equally cinematic practice is a really inspiring synergy that is, as with our theme, creativity in chaos.” – Chndy, Creative Director
Shot in Berlin by Davit and styled by Dogi, this story subverts the idea of celebrity by re-examines symbols of popular culture through the alter ego of Marwan Abelhamid as he speaks to his longtime friend, Dazed MENA Deputy Editor Sarra Alayyan.
“I don’t remember the first time I heard of Saint Levant. But what I do distinctly remember is that in the summer of 2023, a friend of a friend was going off about his music and his politics. Not knowing much about him, I guess I agreed with her (even though her bitterness seemed a bit exaggerated). Today, everything is so different. Summer 2023 feels like a time long gone, and that version of Saint Levant is gone along with it. What we are seeing today is Marwan, there is no meaning to be made, no opinion to be had, as piece tells us this forthrightly. I hope that friend of a friend reads it.” – Lynn Akili, Editorial Coordinator
Ramallah-based photographer and writer Maen Hammad speaks to the parkourists using their bodies as vessels of liberation, leaping over the rubble as they assert their right to movement despite everything trying to stop them.
“It’s heroic to find it within you to go out and do something you enjoy. To keep doing it after 419 days of utter soul-crushing violence is unimaginable. The heroes in Gaza aren’t just the frontline workers or the journalists losing their lives at the drop of a dime or every Gazan setting up a makeshift bakery in their tent. The heroes are everyone who still chooses to see the light at the end of this pitch-black tunnel that has become their daily life.” – Fady Nageeb, Content Director
The debut issue of Dazed MENA is out on December 5, the website is live now.
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