Mona El-Naggar is an international correspondent and documentary filmmaker with twenty years of experience producing and driving award-winning work for the New York Times. She is an expert in Middle East politics, religion, women, youth, and culture, and has reported in nearly every country in the Arab world. Based in Cairo, she authors stories that cover gender issues, war and conflict, and the changing political and social dynamics shaping everyday life. El-Naggar holds a BA in Political Economy from Georgetown University and a MA in News and Documentary from New York University. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for international reporting, an Emmy Nominee for news and documentary, and the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Best of Photojournalism Award.
El-Naggar’s Academy project, “Behind the Byline,” offers an authoritative account of modern women in the Arab world. Centering on the stories of ordinary young women facing extraordinary circumstances because they dare to be different, El-Naggar’s work explores youth, gender, sex, politics and culture, as well as her own relationship to her native Egypt as a journalist, woman, and mother.
Meet Mona El-Naggar
A short portrait filmed at the Hans Arnhold Center, introducing the work and ideas behind fellows’ projects in Berlin.
Upcoming events
Discover what’s coming up in the Academy’s public program this semester.
Past events
Lectures, readings, and conversations from the Academy’s public program.
Veteran journalist Mona El-Naggar offers a close look at her career as a reporter and storyteller.
Berlin Journal Articles
Essays, interviews, and creative work published in the Academy’s annual magazine.
Books
Books written by fellows of the Academy, many begun during a semester in Berlin.
Videos
Lectures, readings, and conversations filmed at the Hans Arnhold Center.
In Search of Truth: A Journalist’s Journey
Mona El-Naggar on the challenges that shape a journalist’s quest for meaning in the stories they tell.
Fellow Spotlight: Mona El-Naggar
Mona El-Naggar’s Academy project, “Behind the Byline,” offers an authoritative account of modern women in the Arab world.
Explore Past Fellows
Hakim Abderrezak
Marco Abel
David Abraham
