Would you decide based on its stocky build or the noise it makes, or just what it does? Type. I do not know personally, what I would call it, nor what I would do when I discover the rest of the world had been privy to its brilliance decades before its trickle down to the less recognised side of the globe. Our side.

Well they ended up calling it the “door of question and suggestion”, which to be honest, i did like the sound of more than “typewriter”.  it felt right to romanticize such a politically charged tool, as they tend to do in the east, for despite what drove it to us, we would be the ones who would finally have a pathway to archiving and communicaton, it was better late than never, right?

Right. That was a lie, I guess the promise of greatness does not surpass the human need for safety, stability, and security within governments. We were so happy to finally receive the tools, going all but insane the first few years with movie scripts and literature and philosophical theories finally being put down on paper and made easily accessible to the wider public; but it would be this very public that we would prioritize over our own legacies, as it is very hard to hold onto a piece of metal that can write perfect letters when a child is begging you for food that you know you can get if you only exchanged it.

 In this essay I hope to explore the colonial ties we as arabs hold with the world of design, the impact design has/had on modern day arabs pre and post revolution and the modern day relationship between new and upcoming arab designers and the arab design scene. Specifically, I want to research key movements such as the Arab spring of 2011-2016, the Palestinian Nekba, as well as events significant to the western world such as NATO Involvement in Libya and 9/11. Along with this I hope to research the impact these wars and times of hardship have had on the Arab world of design. Specifically i would like find out more about generational trauma, prejudice, mindset and the current creative space available to members of the diaspora and others.