The afikra Podcast

We had a conversation with Antonia Carver,the director of Art Jameel, about the organization's work in the UAE and across the Middle East. Know more about Art Jameel: https://jameelartscentre.org/ Connect with Antonia:  https://www.instagram.com/antoniamcarver/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our...

We spoke to the director of the Arab American Museum Diana Abouali to learn more about the history of the museum, its work and exhibitions, and her career as a museum director.  Connect with Diana: https://www.instagram.com/tabbouli /  Follow the Arab American Museum: https://www.instagram.com/arabamericanmuseum/ Created by: Mikey Muhanna Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Yazan Kopty  Edited by: Ramzi Ra...

Listen to what Alexandra has been researching on Khaleeji Swing. The presentation features an overview of the most important African-influenced Khaleeji rhythms, from the UAE, to Saudi Arabia to Yemen, including some examples of their contemporary interpretations. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Satu...

We talked to Dalal about her work as a journalist and video producer. We also talked about her work with refugees, and more! Dalal Mawad is an award-winning Lebanese journalist currently working as a senior Middle East and North Africa video producer and correspondent with the Associated Press.   Connect with Dalal: https://twitter.com/dalalmawad Created & Hosted by:  Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited...

Journalist and writer Zahra Hankir talks about her work and publishing the fantastic collection "Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World."  Connect with Zahra: https://instagram.com/zahrahankir / https://twitter.com/ZahraHankir/ Created & Hosted by:  Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series:...

Farrah shares with us her deep dive into the 5000 year old Khufu ship. It was sealed in a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BC. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a ‎topic related to the A...

We interviewed acclaimed street artist Yazan Halwani to talk about his career, his inspiration, and some the technical challenges he faces while working on large scale murals. Connect with Yazan:  https://www.instagram.com/yazanhalwani/‎ ‎Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview se...

Bader shares his passion and research with us as he explores how different breeds of horses are classified, focusing on the Arabian horses.  Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a ‎topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during...

Under the title “Nostalgia in Art” we talked to designer and Studio owner, Rana Salam, and the cultural cartographer behind “The confused Arab”, Sofiane Si Merabet.  Connect with Rana: https://www.instagram.com/ranasalam/ Connect with Sofiane: https://www.instagram.com/theconfusedarab/ Created & Hosted by:  Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikr...

Mazen looks into Sci-Fi epics, mentioning examples of the different Arab epics that have passed ‎throughout history. He also talks about how they used to write them versus how they are written today. ‎ Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Rami Abou-Khalil Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presenta...

We talked to Rosaline Elbay about her career as an Egyptian actor and writer. Rosaline is best known for ‎her roles as Amani on Hulu/A24 Films series Ramy and as Sara on MBC Masr series Qabeel.   Connect with Rosaline: https://www.instagram.com/rosaline.elbay/‎ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our...

Have you ever wondered what were the origins of Egyptology or how Napoleon played a part in it? Join Julia as she talks about her research on Napoleon’s “scientific expedition.”  Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a ‎topic related to the A...

Moumne and Imam, founders and directors of Studio Safar, talked about taking the first steps to opening an independent studio, branching into publishing, and their experience working around the world.  Follow Studio Safar:  https://www.instagram.com/studiosafar/ Follow Journal Safar: https://www.instagram.com/journalsafar/ Connect with Maya Moumne: https://www.instagram.com/mayamoumne/ Connect wit...

Dalia looks into Lady Liberty’s connection with the Arab world while Maria looks into “The Shining Star” of Arabic Grammar life, history ‎and legacy. Mahdi digs into the Advent of the telegraph in Colonial Algeria, and Bayan tells us the ‎story of the famous Arabic poetry love legends Antra and Abla all in four short afikra FWDs. Hosted by:   Mikey Muhanna & Leen Sadder  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Th...

Offendum is a Syrian-American rapper/poet, known for his unique blend of Hip-Hop & Arabic poetry. He carved a path for himself as a thoughtful entertainer/activist able to speak to a diverse global audiences over the course of his career.  Connect with Omar:   https://www.instagram.com/offendum/ https://www.youtube.com/user/Offendum Created by: Mikey Muhanna, afikra  Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Ahm...

 The term Moor can refer to several groups of ‎people from North Africa. In this presentation, Mahdi examines  the origins of the term along with developing a narrative for its usage in Europe ‎throughout history.  Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth prese...

Denise explores the Lebanese Sericulture, traditionally called “the season of glory.” Denise digs into the ‎history and importance of the silk industry.  Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a ‎topic related to the Arab world’s history and c...

We interviewed Khalid Albaih to discuss his work, his art, and the limits and possibilities associated with ‎the political cartoon medium.  Connect with Khalid: https://www.instagram.com/KhalidAlBaih/‎ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring acade...

Nisrine dives into two famous Syrian plays, which were written by Mohammad al-Maghout and starred Doreid Lahham. The plays provide a satiric exploration of the many challenges faced by the Arab world ‎during the mid-twentieth century.  Connect with Nisrine: https://www.instagram.com/nisrineshehadeh/‎ ‎Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afik...

Wael is an award winning designer and typographer; the co-founder of 1on1projects; and a studio partner for ‎Morcos Key, a Brooklyn-based design studio. Connect with Wael:  https://www.instagram.com/WaelMorcos/‎ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featu...

What is Rai music and why is it often portrayed as rebel music internationally? How much is the genre tied ‎up in Algeria's violent struggle for independence and subsequent civil war? Who are its main figures and ‎creators?  We listened to Tarik’s research on the musical genre. Connect with Tarik: https://www.instagram.com/tarik.che/ ‎ Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Them...

We had an important conversation with the Director of Sursock Museum, Zeina Arida about the museum’s history and work, as well as the challenges facing the museum after being hit with the disastrous Beirut port explosion. Connect with Zeina: https://www.instagram.com/zeinaarida/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conver...

Founded in 2007 by Arab cultural activists, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC stands as an independent entity dedicated to empowering individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, and organizations across the Arab region in various arts and culture fields. With its headquarters in Beirut, AFAC extends its support globally, fostering creativity in cinema, photography, visual and...

Afeef Nessouli is a dynamic freelance journalist operating out of Beirut and New York City, who has recently won the Google Podcasts creator program's global competition. His Arabic language podcast, focusing on the feminine narrative in the Middle East, showcases his innovative approach to storytelling. Before this venture, Afeef enriched The Daily Show with Trevor Noah as a segment producer for...

Tarek Yamani is a self-taught Jazz pianist and award-winning composer. He is critically acclaimed for his work on Lisan Al Tarab: Jazz Conceptions in Classical Arabic, and is the winner of the "Thelonious Monk Jazz Composers Competition". He has performed in prestigious venues such as the United Nations assembly hall during the inaugural of the Jazz Day in NYC.  Connect with Tarek 👉 https://www.i...