The afikra Podcast

Nasser Jaber talked about his service catering company, The Migrant Kitchen, and the story behind it.  Originally from Ramallah, Nasser Jaber came to the United States as a university student in economics and finance. Working in restaurants to pay for his degree, Nasser soon found that his true passion was food, and that his talents would take him from waiting tables to training under the best che...

Heba Gowayed talked about her latest book “Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential.” Heba Gowayed is the Moorman-Simon Assistant Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Her research, which is global and comparative, examines how low-income people traverse social services, immigration laws, and their associated bureaucracies, while grappling with gender and racial inequalities. Her forthc...

Shahd Alshammari talked about her work as a writer, academic, and researcher in the field of Gulf literature and disability studies. Dr Shahd Alshammari is a Kuwaiti-Palestinian author and academic. She is the author of Head Above Water (Neem Tree Press, 2022). Alshammari teaches literature and has written numerous stories and creative nonfiction. Her research areas include illness narratives and...

Hisham Fageeh talked about his career as an actor, producer, writer & director of the Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI) at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Recently appointed as Director of the Middle East Media Initiative (MEMI) at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Hisham Fageeh is a Hijazi multi-hyphenate creative straddling both Western and Arab audiences. His work has been written about by The...

Lynn Adib performed three musical pieces: Youmma, Taht El Ward & Autruche followed by a discussion. Born and raised in Damascus, Syria. Lynn Adib is a singer, composer who has been exploring Arabic music and improvisation through Jazz music that she discovered around the age if 19 after spending years in the Choir if Joy in and learning classical flute at the National Conservatory, both in her hom...

James Zogby talked about his work in the field of political and policy research within the Arab American community. James J. Zogby is the founder and president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. He is also managing director of Zogby Research Services, which specializes in...

Raphael Cormack discussed his new book Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring 20's. Midnight in Cairo  tells the thrilling story of Egypt’s interwar nightlife and entertainment industry through the lives of its pioneering women. Introducing an eccentric cast of characters, it brings to life a world of revolutionary ideas and provocative art – one which laid the foundations of Arab popular...

Faisal Al Yafai talked about the process of establishing New Lines Magazine. New Lines is a magazine for the best ideas and writing about the Middle East and beyond. Based in Washington DC, New Lines specializes in long-form essays, including reportage, arguments and memoir, which bring together politics, culture and history. The magazine’s celebrated podcast has featured deep-dive interviews with...

Dima Adra talked about her new cookbook "Mama Ghannouj" which includes recipes from the Lebanese cuisine. Dima Adra is the author of Mama Ghannouj, a self-published and crowdfunded Lebanese cookbook. She focused on gathering recipes from 10 moms who are excellent cooks in the community, to have a written record of their recipes (that are usually shared orally) as a way to preserve the cultural tra...

Big Hass performed four musical pieces: Iraq Cypher, Arab Femcee Cypher, Sudan Cypher & Khadsha followed by a discussion. Hassane Dennaoui, aka “Big Hass" is the host of Saudi Arabia's first and only FM hip-hop radio show Laish Hip-Hop? and is also founder of Re-Volt Blog and Re-Volt Magazine. He hosted the radio show Spitter with Big Hass at Sole DXB 2019. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afik...

Tala Bashmi talked about her culinary approaches at Fusions and her chosen single ingredient: Mehyawa. Born in Bahrain, Tala Bashmi is making a name for herself as one of the most promising stars of the culinary world. The MBC Top Chef finalist and winner of MENA’s Best Female Chef award 2022 is on a quest to not only modernize Arabic cuisine but also create a culinary journey like no other in her...

David Knox, Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly and Assaad Seif talked about situating heritage and cultural protection fund in Lebanon. David Knox was appointed Country Director, Lebanon in September 2018. He comes with over 30 years’ experience of cultural relations and international development. Prior to Beirut, in his role as Director, MENA, Governance and Civil Society based in Cairo (2014-18), he led th...

AN OUTLOOK ON CHANGE | Featuring: Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez (curator, educator, writer), Lara Rudar (artist, filmmaker, environmental advocate), Philip Mawn Maughan (writer, editor, co-founder, black almanac). PART OF  CULTURES IN CONVERSATION: PRELUDES & POSTSCRIPTS. The brand new series with Alserkal and powered by afikra. Cultures in Conversation is commissioned by Expo2020 Dubai and programmed...

Laila Lalami talked about her award-winning books, The Other American, The Moor’s Account, Secret Son, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits & Conditional Citizens. Laila Lalami was born in Rabat and educated in Morocco, Great Britain, and the United States. She is the author of five books, including The Moor’s Account , which won the American Book Award, the Arab-American Book Award, and the Hurston/...

BURNING ISSUES |  Featuring: Mary Ellen Carroll (artist and activist), Adib Dada (architect, eco activist, and founder, theotherdada) & Tansha Vohra(researcher and current resident, serendipity arts foundation). PART OF  CULTURES IN CONVERSATION: PRELUDES & POSTSCRIPTS. The brand new series with Alserkal and powered by afikra. Cultures in Conversation is commissioned by Expo2020 Dubai and programm...

Daniel Newman talked about his work on travel, geography and food in the 19th century. Daniel Newman holds the Chair of Arabic Studies at the University of Durham (UK). His research and publications have centred on Arabic geographical and travel literature, 19th-century reform movements in Egypt and Tunisia, and medieval Arab culinary history. In 2009, he was the co-recipient of the World Award of...

Reem Kassis talked about her work on the intersection of food, culture, and politics, notably in Palestine. Reem Kassis' debut cookbook, The Palestinian Table (2017), won The Guild of Food Writers Award and Gourmand World Cookbook award, was nominated for a James Beard Award, was short-listed for the Andre Simon Award and the Edward Stanford Award, and was picked as one of NPR's best books of 2017...

Mounia Akl talked about her latest film "Costa Brava, Lebanon." Mounia Akl is a director and writer from Lebanon. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from ALBA, Beirut and an MFA in Directing from Columbia University, New York and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®. Her first feature film, Costa Brava Lebanon, premiered in 2021 at the Venice Film Festival, To...

Dania Bdeir talked about her latest film "Warsha." Born in Montreal, Dania Bdeir is a Lebanese-Canadian award-winning writer & director with an intense love/hate relationship with Lebanon which she finds to be her biggest heartache and sincerest inspiration. Dania, who’s originally Syrian and is a member of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, has a BA in Graphic Design from the American University...

Naomi Shihab Nye talked about her books ‘The Turtle of Oman’ and ‘The Turtle of Michigan .  The books are about Aref as he travels from Muscat, Oman, to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Naomi Shihab Nye was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was a Palestinian refugee and her mother an American of German and Swiss descent, and Nye spent her adolescence in both Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas. She earned...

Youmna Saba performed three pieces: Al Sobh (الصبح), Madd W Jazr (مد وجزر) & Hubut (هبوط), followed by a discussion. Youmna Saba (Beirut, 1984) is a musician and musicologist whose current research focuses on the musical dimension(s) of the Arabic language, as a tool to generate new methods of working with electronics. She released 4 albums to this day and collaborated with musicians of different...

Darine Hotait talked about her new film "Tallahassee." Darine Hotait is a writer and film director. Her work focuses on the politics of identity, Arab & African diaspora, and science fiction. She has written and directed a dozen award-winning narrative films that can be seen on Sundance Channel, The New Yorker , AMC Networks, BBC, Forbes, Outfest Now, ShortsTV, and at numerous Oscar-qualifying int...

Barbara A. Porter talked about archaeological research and heritage preservation in Jordan. Barbara A. Porter was the Director of the American Center of Oriental Research in Jordan from April 2006 to March 2020. ACOR was established in 1968 and its permanent headquarters in Amman opened in 1986 across from the University of Jordan. From the outset, ACOR (now the American Center of Research, www.ac...

Myrna Atalla talked about philanthropy in the Middle East and the work of Alfanar, London. Since 2010, Myrna Atalla has overseen Alfanar's growth and expansion. Prior to joining Alfanar, Atalla worked for the National Democratic Insititute for International Affairs (NDI) in Beirut, Lebanon from 2004 to 2008, managing its civil society strengthening partnerships. Atalla also engaged in regional ini...

Michel Moushabeck talked about his work in writing, editing, and publishing. Michel S. Moushabeck is a writer, editor, translator, publisher, and musician of Palestinian descent. He is the founder of Interlink Publishing, a 35-year-old, Massachusetts-based independent publishing house specializing in fiction-in-translation, history and current affairs, illustrated children’s books, and award-winni...