The afikra Podcast

Philip Ciantar is a senior lecturer in music at the School of Performing Arts, University of Malta, where he teaches ethnomusicology, world music, and more. Ciantar is the author of The Ma’lūf in Contemporary Libya: An Arab Andalusian Musical Tradition and Studies in Maltese Popular Music, as well as of various articles in ethnomusicology. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramz...

In this conversation, we talked to Professor Jonathan Shannon, Cultural Anthropologist & Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities at NYUAD. Shannon is the author of books on Music and Modernity in Contemporary Syria, and Music and Nostalgia Across the Mediterranean. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/...

We discussed Anny Gaul's work as a cultural historian of food and gender specializing in Egypt and Morocco. We also talked about her research and writing and how she uses food and kitchens to explore how ideas like nationalism, modernity, and domesticity have felt and tasted through time. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.i...

We talked to Sherene Seikaly, a historian of capitalism, consumption, and development in the modern Middle East, about her book "Men of Capital: Scarcity and Economy in Mandate Palestine", her work as editor for Jadaliyya, Journal of Palestine Studies, and  Arab Studies Journal.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram....

In this conversation, we talked to Hala about her successful literary career and award-winning books and poetry collections (Salt Houses, The Arsonists’ City, The Twenty-Ninth Year) as well as her work as a clinical psychologist.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation se...

We talked to Amir ElSaffar and Arun Ramamurthy about Raga Maqam which is a 15-person ensemble featuring virtuosic artists that bring to life a unique and contemporary sound grounded in two ancient traditions.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form i...

We talked to Isabella Hammad, the author of "The Parisian", on writing her first novel and her new novel set in London and Palestine. Hammad's "The Parisian", was published in April 2019 and is being translated into 15 languages.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation se...

We're talked to Ramsey Nasser on Computer Science, Education, & why he created Qalb "قلب", a functional programming language allowing a programmer to write programs completely in Arabic. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted...

Wissam Shawkat is an Iraqi Artist, Designer, Calligrapher, & Type Designer. In this conversation, we talked to Wissam about his work in those various fields, as well as his new calligraphy style "Al Wissam". Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form int...

In this conversation, we are talking to Dr. Lisa Urkevich, a Specialist in the Heritage and Music of the Arabian Peninsula, Chair of the Department of Music and Drama at the American University of Kuwait, and the General Editor of the College Music Symposium: Journal of the College Music Society.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https...

Mai Masri is a Palestinian filmmaker, director, and producer. We interviewed her about her career in directing and producing award-winning films that have been broadcast on more than 100 television stations worldwide. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation series: Our long...

We talked to Ahmad Badr about his work with the United Nations, Narratio - the global platform for youth empowerment he founded, UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage, and his new book  "While the Earth Sleeps We Travel: Stories, Poetry, and Art from Young Refugees Around the World". Created by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Sarah Graff , Associate Curator, The Metropolitan Museum of Art...

We talked to Musician, Educator, and Entrepreneur, Hadi Eldebek, on his musical career as well as the several cultural startups he founded and runs, including grantPA and Circle World Arts.  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra; https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation serie...

In this conversation, we are talking to Rima Rantisi on her writing and being the founding editor of Rusted Radishes: Beirut Literary and Art Journal, which publishes artists and writers from Lebanon, its diaspora, and the region and is currently in its eighth circulation. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra; https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek...

We discussed Yacine Boulares' label Shames Records, and the Habibi festival he founded in New York. We also talked about his music, his work with countless musical legends, and his band AJOYO, a mystic brew of African tradition, jazz, and soul. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra;   https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagr...

Mariam C. Said serves as the Vice-President of the Barenboim-Said Foundation (USA) and is a driving force behind West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO). We talked to Mariam about her work with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (WEDO) and Barenboim-Said Foundation.  Created & Hosted  by Mikey Muhanna, afikra;   https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani h...

Alex Dika Seggerman is an Assistant Professor of Islamic Art History at Rutgers University-Newark. Her scholarship investigates the intersection of Islam and modernism in art history. In this conversation, we are discussing Dr. Seggerman's book  "Modernism on the Nile: Art in Egypt Between the Islamic and the Contemporary."  Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra; https://www.instagram.com/mike...

We enjoyed discussing with Alya her bestselling non-fiction book The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes and the recently launched newsletter "The Greater Conversation", centering female Middle Eastern stories with an aim to de-stigmatize through honest storytelling. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra, https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edited by: Ramz...

Salwa Mikdadi is an Associate Professor in the Practice of Art History specializing in the history of modern and contemporary art of the Arab world. Having held various positions promoting the Art of the Arab world, we talked to Salwa Mikdadi about her career from curating several art exhibitions around the world to Directing the Arab Center for the Study of Art, NYU Abu Dhabi. Created & Hosted by...

Alsarah is a singer, songwriter, and bandleader of Alasarah & the Nubatones. We talked to Alsarah about her career and style along with her various musical ventures, collaborations, and releases.  Created by: Mikey Muhanna, afikra;   https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra conversation serie...

We talked to Taoufik Ben Amor about Arabic language and linguistics, language and identity, Arab music, and music in Sufism. This event was hosted in collaboration with Columbia Global Centers | Tunis. Created by: Mikey Muhanna, afikra  Hosted by: Mikey:  https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  & Youssef Cherif  (Columbia Global Centers | Tunis).  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani...

Our conversation with Professor Nasser was all about his expertise in the field of architecture, directing the MIT Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT, and his interests and publications on Islamic architecture, urban history, Arab history, contemporary Arab art, heritage studies, and post-colonial criticism. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna, afikra;    https://www.instagram.com/mike...

We interviewed Karl on his various publications and works as an architect, satirist, blogger, and commentator on the Middle East. Karl co-authored "Manifesto: Towards a New Humanism in Architecture" and authored "And Then God Created the Middle East and Said ‘Let There Be Breaking News’" and "Style: In defence of Islamic Architecture." You can catch his tweets at @karlremarks. Created & Hosted by:...

We talked to the writer behind the award-winning books from the award-winning novels, “In the Country of Men” and “Anatomy of a Disappearance”, to his Pulitzer Prize recipient memoir, “The Return”, and his latest book " A Month in Siena".   This event was hosted in collaboration with Columbia Global Centers | Tunis. Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by...

We will be discussing Thomas Simsarian Dolan's research about Middle Eastern diaspora and race. We will also talk to him about his work as a visiting researcher at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, and about the performances he helped create and produce in Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, and many others. Created by: Mikey Muhanna, afikra;    https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu/‎  Edit...