230 x 300 mm, 264 pages

Dubai, UAE

Published since 2024

Quarterly

Editor-in-chief: Ahmad Swaid

Creative director: Chndy

Art director: Daoud Tabibzada

Dazed Media’s latest title, Dazed MENA, debuted at the end of 2024 with a mission ‘devoted to youth, creativity and culture in the Middle East and North Africa region’. Led by former GQ Middle East editor-in-chief Ahmad Swaid, the publication extends the legacy of Dazed while carving out its own regional voice. Swaid views the magazine as ‘an incubator of talent’, driven by a belief that creativity can ‘redefine what’s possible and inspire our communities’.

Set against the backdrop of ongoing displacement and civilian loss across the region, this fifth issue is structured around the editorial framework of ‘desire’, with Swaid proposing in this edition’s opening letter that ‘in this moment of suspension, the ghost that remains in the shell above all is that glint of desire.’ Inside, you’ll find a beautiful essay which explores how sitting functions as a form of love language in the region, while also acknowledging that ‘sitting is never neutral where movement is violently forced under oppression’; cover star Asap Ferg reflects on the enduring creative legacy of Harlem’s 45-block area and the generational pull of ‘the block’ within Black culture; and Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who’s Olympic win at Paris 2024 was followed by a torrent of abuse, discusses becoming a role model for young Algerian women and her continued connection to her homeland.

dazeddigital.com