The afikra Podcast

In this Conversation, we talked to Linda K. Jacobs about her interest in promoting Middle Eastern culture and knowledge in the United States. Having all four of her grandparents’ members of the New York Syrian Colony, Linda is at work on a study of all the Syrian colonies in the United States. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://...

In this Double Exposure event, we talked to Tanya Traboulsi and Tamara Abdul Hadi about their work, motivations, stories behind their photos, and catalogues. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Double Exposure: Double Exposure focuses on photography and photographers in and of the Arab world....

In this Matbakh event, we talked to Omar Sartawi about his creations and subtle blend of flavors from his travels to Europe and the Arab Gulf with his heritage and Jordanian roots. Omar’s popular consecration came in 2017, when he took the local food scene by storm with the launch of Jameed Chocolate, acclaimed as “a great twist on the symbol of the Jordanian cuisine”. Created & Hosted by Mikey Mu...

In this Outline event, we talked to Lara Atallah about her latest project, The Sun That Stood Still. The project is an artist book that examines a shifting relationship to a shifting landscape. The book is about Lara’s grandmother, but also about loss, the Mediterranean, and living in a perpetual state of uprootedness while paradoxically finding grounding by the sea. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muha...

In this event, we talked to artists Mohamed Elshahed and Heba Y. Amin about the future of decolonization. Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures is an inclusive and multi-faceted view of the future, one that not only speculates on technological advancements—but on future threats and changes whether environmental, geographical, cultural, or social. Now more than ever, we must ask pertinent questions, r...

In this Outline event, we talked to Andrea Assaf about her latest project, 'Eleven Reflections on September.' The project explores Arab American experience, wars on and of terror, and “the constant, quiet rain of death amidst beauty” that each autumn brings in a post-9/11 world. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.c...

In this conversation, we talked to Jannis Stürtz about his record label “Habibi Funk”. Based in Berlin, Habibi Funk is dedicated to music from the Arabic-speaking world and aims to re-release a style of music that historically never existed as a musical genre. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ Ab...

In this Outline event, we talked to associate director of NYUAD Research Public Outreach Nouf Al Hamly and research public engagement specialist Rawdha Al Mansoori about their latest project, Citizen Research at NYU Abu Dhabi. The project, inspired by the global movement of Citizen Science and driven by the mutual benefit that can exist when professional researchers and members of the public work...

In this conversation, we talked to award-winning correspondent and columnist Nora Boustany about her career in covering Middle East and human rights issues. Nora had received George Polk Award, Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, and Bronze Medal for foreign correspondence for covering the Lebanese war, struggles in Gaza, and the plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. Cr...

In this conversation, we talked to Iraqi Kurdish filmmaker Philip Jamal Rachid about his latest film: “It Ain't Where You From”. The film has assembled the primary talent of the burgeoning, young Gulf Hip Hop scene in a first-time collaboration with some of its key figures. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/ta...

We talked to Amani Hassan (Program Director at Arab British Centre) and Rabih El Khoury (SAFAR) on the 2021 edition of SAFAR curated around the theme of Generational Encounters in Arab Cinema as part of the Shubbak Festival x  afikra Roundtable series. This collaboration between Shubbak and SAFAR will be showcasing contemporary and classic films with emergent youth, familial disparities, and socie...

We talked to Paul Salem, President of The Middle East Institute, on the work of the Middle East Institute including his career working in economic, social, and foreign policy studies.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academ...

We talked to Yasser Munif, Associate Professor of Sociology, on micro-politics in the Syrian revolution and his book "The Syrian Revolution: Between the Politics of Life and the Geopolitics of Death" (2020).   Created by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by Malek Rasamny, Researcher & Filmmaker. Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afik...

In this conversation we talked to poet Hayan Charara on his award-winning poetry, children's books, and writing his books: "Something Sinister", "The Sadness of Others", "The Alchemist’s Diary" and his children’s book "The Three Lucys".  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series featur...

During the first event of our Shubbak Festival x afikra Roundtable Series we talked to Eckhard Thiemann (Shubbak CEO & Festival Artistic Director), Taghrid Choucair Vizoso (Senior Programmer & Festival Producer) & Riwa Saab (member of the Young Shubbak group) about the history of the festival taking place again this year on the 20th of June, 2021.   Moderated by: Mikey Muhanna, afikra Founder & Ex...

We talked to Kamal Dib about his work as a scholar and professor of political and economic studies. We also talked about his numerous books and much more! Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and media experts...

Visualizing Palestine creates data-driven tools to advance a factual, rights-based narrative of the Palestinian-Israeli issue. We talked to the  Visualizing Palestine team on their work telling factual, data-driven & rights-based narratives about Palestine & the occupation. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/ta...

In this conversation, we discussed Bahia Shehab's works as a multidisciplinary artist, designer, political activist, and historian whose work focuses on the interaction and intersection of modern identity and ancient cultural heritage.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversat...

We talked to Zeina Hashem Beck about her poetry and the variety of topics it covers (Arab culture, home, exile, family narratives, language, the body, love, and faith).  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and...

In this conversation, we talked to Dr. Huda AbiFares about her experience as the founding director of the Khatt Foundation. She specializes in multilingual typographic research and design and works as a curator, writer, designer, and publisher. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra C...

We talked to Suja Sawafta about exile and ecocriticism at the Franco-Arab intersection.   Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and media experts who are helping document and/or shape the history and culture of...

We discussed Rashid Khalidi's work as an editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, as the President of the Middle East Studies Association, and as an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the a...

In this conversation, we talked to Dana Sajdi about the history, societies, and cultures of the pre-modern Eastern Mediterranean (the Levant, Egypt, and Turkey). Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and media e...

We talked to David Wrisley about late medieval court culture, Mediterranean studies, multilingual corporate analysis, and the spatial humanities. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and media experts who are h...

We talked to Dr. Akram Khater about his work as a professor of history, and as the director of the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversations: Our long-form interview series features academics, arts, ‎and media experts who are...