The afikra Podcast

In this Book Club, we talked to Safia Elhillo about her book "Home is not a country."  The novel is about family, identity, and finding yourself in the most unexpected places. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Book Club: Book Club is an interview series that calls for afikra community membe...

In this conversation in collaboration with Liwan Design Studios & Labs at Qatar Museums, we talked to the director of TypeAraby Basma Hamdy, graphic designer Zainab Alshibani & curator in residence at the Fire Station Gallery, Qatar Museums Hadeel Eltayeb about archiving techniques and processes. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https...

In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to Festival Co-Founder and Musical Director Yacine Boulares, Festival Co-Founder Meera Dugal, clarinet player Kinan Azmeh, and Joe's Pub Director Alex Knowlton about the ethos of the festival and opening night performance featuring AJOYO. Learn more at www.habibi-festival.com . Created & Hosted by Mikey M...

In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to North African dancer and educator Esraa Warda. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Quartertones: QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musician...

In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to musicians of the Moroccan band Innov Gnawa. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Quartertones: QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musicians o...

In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to Sudanese musician Alsarah from Alsarah & The Nubatones and violinist Haig Papazian. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Quartertones: QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen t...

In this Conversation, we talked to Ruba Katrib about her work at MoMA PS1 in New York. Ruba was co-founder of the residency and exhibition space Threewalls in Chicago and was awarded a curatorial fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to support research on artist-run educational platforms throughout Latin America. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramz...

In this conversation in collaboration with Liwan Design Studios & Labs at Qatar Museums, we talked to the director of Liwan Design Studios & Labs Aisha Al Sowaidi about how Liwan was established, its plans and projects, and its future. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conversati...

In this event, we talked to Haytham Nawar and Danah Abdulla about the future of education. 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, raise critical d...

In this Matbakh event, we talked to Sami Tamimi about his career as a Palestinian cook in London. Sami had won several awards such as International Award and the Best Cookbook, James Beard Award, Cookery Book Award, and Dun Gifford Award for ‘Jerusalem.’ Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Ma...

HUMANISING CITIES |  Featuring: Vilma Jurkute (Executive Director, Alserkal), Charles Landry (author and international authority on urban change),  Rupali Gupte & Prasad Shetty (co-founders Bard Studio, founding members School of Environment and  Architecture), and  Hamed Bukhamseen (Co-founder, Civil Architecture). PART OF  CULTURES IN CONVERSATION: PRELUDES & POSTSCRIPTS. The brand new series wi...

In this event, we talked to co-founders of DesignEarth Rania Ghosn & El Hadi Jazairy and the co-founders of Foundland Collective Ghalia Srakbi & Lauren Alexander about the future of design. 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, geogr...

In this episode, Eddy Maroun discussed the role of the Anghami in promoting music of the Islamic world and his work and perspective given his role at Anghami, as part of Al Burda Podcast series, powered by afikra. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music: The Loyalty of the Poet by Faraj Abyad | Performance was commissioned by MetLiveArts &  The Metropolitan...

In this episode, Faraj Abyad talked about poetry and classical Arabic and played selected songs, as part of Al Burda Podcast series @alburda_uae, powered by afikra. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music: The Loyalty of the Poet by Faraj Abyad | Performance was commissioned by MetLiveArts &  The Metropolitan Museum of Art" About Al Burda Podcast: Al Burda P...

In this Quartertones event, we listened to Chyno as he performed three musical pieces: 2020 Vision, Kayfouni & Fresh Money. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Quartertones: QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musicians of and from the Ar...

In this episode, H.E. Noura Al Kaabi discussed the role of the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth in promoting Islamic arts and culture in the UAE, among youth. She also talked about the origin, evolution, and genesis of Al Burda. The episode focused on the diverse facets of Islamic arts and culture from different lenses and what can be expected at the festival this year. Tune in to more episodes o...

In this Matbakh event, we talked to Wesam Masoud about his creativity in developing and enhancing cooking techniques and flavor pairings. Chef Wesam is known for teaching the basics of cooking techniques, food history and food science in an engaging and idiosyncratic style. Created by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by Antonio Tahhan Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www....

In this Quartertones event, we listened to Narcy as he performed three musical pieces; SPACE, The Tribe Called Red, and Thoughts and Prayers. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Quartertones: QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musicians...

In this Conversation, we talked to Mohamad Hafez about his art that reflects the political turmoil in the Middle East through the compilation of found objects, paint and scrap metal. Using his architectural skills, Hafez creates surrealistic Middle Eastern streetscapes that are architectural in their appearance yet politically charged in their content. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  E...

In this Double Exposure event, we talked to Hazem Harb and Sama Alshaibi about their work, to discuss and interrogate their motivations, stories behind their photos, and their catalogues. Hazem’s work explores the notion of the land, whereas Sama’s work is concerned with issues of war and exile. Created by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by Mikey Muhanna & Mohamed Somji Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Them...

In this Conversation, we talked to Kareem Sakka about his work in creating an independent media platform presenting news and views relevant to the Arab world. Kareem’s Raseef22 fills a cultural gap in the Arabic-language media landscape, acknowledging both local values and global perspectives. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://...

In this Matbakh event, we talked to Tarek Alameddine about his experiences in the culinary field between Copenhagen, Egypt, and Lebanon. Tarek believes that Levantine flavors and seasonal produce should be celebrated in the fine dining scene. In the process of creating dishes and designing menus, the ingredients he uses should be in season, wildly foraged, and in synchronization with the time and...

In this Conversation, we talked to Rania Matar about her career in exploring issues of personal and collective identity, through photographs of female adolescence and womanhood. Rania’s works focus on notions of identity and individuality all within the context of the underlying universality of these experiences. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: T...

In this Quartertones event, we listened to Clarissa Bitar as he performed three musical pieces; taqasim, bayari & al-mizan. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Quartertones: QuarterTones is a music show. It is an opportunity to listen to music, across genres, from musicians of and from the Ar...

In this Conversation, we talked to Majid Alyousef about his career in modern and abstract calligraphy. Majid founded Calligraforms, a radical new movement that re-imagines calligraphy, offering abstract perspectives that draw upon the language of aesthetics, beauty, form, and balance. Created by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by Aya Nimer Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https:...