The Khaleejesque team continually ponders with the barrage of research, commercial trends, and click bait articles that have called ‘time of death’ on our respective field of publishing. With our collected knowledge, network, and experience in what is seemingly a “dying field,” we set to formulate our own research more focused on the MENA publishing scene on a global scale—namely, niche and independent publishing platforms, whether print or online, founded and staffed by young Arabs and Muslims from around the world.
As a platform that strives to amplify the voices of creatives and activists alike, we are dedicated to sharing our findings on a burgeoning field amongst creatives of the MENA region and beyond. As traditional publishing houses increasingly diminish, these independent platforms are paving the way for a new movement—heralding a cultural paradigm shift towards an egalitarian voice in publishing far from the constraints of traditional print and online media.
As a result, we’ve published a MENA Indie Zines and Platforms feature which can be accessed here.
In addition we’ve reached out to individual Zines who have shared with us their intricate workings and their missions and visions for their platform.
On behalf of Ink & Oil Magazine, Carina Milena Maceira (Founding Editor in Chief) has answered below.
- About the Platform:
Aside from the gratuity I feel in being entrusted to print someone’s raw and truthful artwork and letting the outcome bring people together to a collective moment of saturated appreciation for art. I’d say one of the best parts of running Ink & Oil has to be the light we see in marginalized voices when we are able to share their stories. In our first issue we received a submission from the perspective of a driver in Kuwait, the poem excavated a discussion we never saw happening through poetry as a medium.
Our third issue centered on the feminine subject which showcased an array of work, but most notingly a poem by another anonymous poet who wrote about the pressure of arranged marriages and how frequently they are still practiced. Being the carrier of and publishing such great artwork with the intention of it reaching and impacting others tethers us to the present fabric weaved together by all of these stories relative to Kuwait and to the greater region that will one day be a reflection of our history.
- Content: what is your publication concerned with and what kind of content does it feature?
Ink & Oil strives to preserve, appreciate, and promote the presence of art in modern day culture relative to Kuwait and the greater MENASA region. We believe our true local and regional treasure lies within our expression and welcome artists from all walks that experiment with a wide range of mediums to submit their art. We showcase submissions by up and coming visual and literary artists as well as feature world renowned creatives such as Max Stossel and Kuwait’s own Maha Alasaker.
- The team behind the platform:
We work as a team to produce the final product, none of us are paid.
Members of Ink & Oil include Carina Milena Maceira, Joud B., Rawa Majdi, Nada Faris, Engy Ibrahim, AJ Saleh and Suha Fatima.
The content is curated by Carina Milena Maceira who is the founding editor in chief, Joud B. our content writer and advisor, Rawa Majdi our assistant editor and content writer, Nada Faris our international liaison and Suha Fatima our graphic designer and illustrator.
- Work Space:
We do enjoy our meetings usually held in our favorite cafes and creative spaces but we mostly work together remotely online.
Images courtesy of Ink & Oil Magazine.
