Uncovering Roots

The Paraguay Scheme culminated with a shooting in 1970. But the story didn't end there. It took 34 years for the truth to break out, and it came from an unexpected source.  In the final episode of Palestinians in Paraguay, we trace how the scheme was buried, how it resurfaced, and what the word "transfer" has always really meant. This episode was co-produced by Maxim Saakyan, Nadeen...

In June 1970, Talal al-Dimassi took the stand in a courtroom in authoritarian Paraguay. Far away from home, he was being tried for opening fire in the Israeli embassy in Asunción. His trial would last two years, his sentence longer but still, Israel wasn't finished with him yet. This episode follows what happened inside that courtroom, and what it cost. This episode was co-produced by Maxim S...

After the 1967 war, Talal al-Dimassi was trying to build a life in Gaza, Palestine. He opened a repair shop and had a plan for his future. But that was all cut short when he was recruited into the Paraguay Scheme. This episode follows Talal from the moment Israeli soldiers came to his shop door, to the fatal day he and another Palestinian man walked into the Israeli embassy in Asunción. This episo...

In 2005, researcher Hadeel Assali flew to Jordon to meet her great uncle. He told her a story she couldn't quite believe: that decades earlier, Israeli agents had tricked him into boarding a plane from Palestine and abandoned him in Paraguay, a country he'd never heard of. She spent the next thirteen years trying to prove it. In the first episode of Palestinians in Paraguay, we follow Ha...

The Palestinians in Paraguay story is a four-part investigative documentary podcast uncovering one of the most extraordinary, and until now, largely buried, chapters in Palestinian history: Israel's documented 1969 plan to secretly transfer 60,000 Palestinians from Gaza to Paraguay. Follow along, where we talk to the only living deportee willing to speak publicly. Make sure to follow us on In...

Linum e, chi linum. There Was There Was Not. This is how Armenians begin their myths and stories, the same saying as  "Once Upon a Time."  Filmmaker Emily Mkrtichian spent several years in Artsakh documenting four women building their lives and fighting for their place in society. In this episode we follow two of them in Artsakh. Sose, a judo champion dreaming of the Olympics. Siranush,...

When Leo Torosian started studying old photographs of Armenian revolutionaries, he noticed something strange: almost every fighter posed with a flag. But these weren't the neat, simple flags we know today, they were covered in text, embroidered with poems, and broke every rule of good flag design. Now, in his Los Angeles apartment surrounded by recreated flags from the 1890s, Leo has become p...

In 1974, three revolutionary elements came together in Beirut: a city at the centre of political and cultural change, a filmmaker who challenged ideas of queerness and power, and a cultural space called Dar el Fan. By 1975, all three were gone. This episode of Uncovering Roots follows not just a moment in history, but a personal search for meaning. For Filmmaker Raed Rafei, uncovering Pasolini’s v...

Uncovering Roots returns with the first episode of its new season, beginning in Aleppo, at the doors of one of the most iconic hotels in the Middle East. The Baron Hotel once hosted kings, spies, archaeologists, and refugees. It was a grand hotel at the crossroads of empire, war, and survival. In this episode, we trace the layered history of the Baron through the voice of Mary Momdjian, whose fami...

Happy New Year from Uncovering Roots !  We’re so excited to share that our first full season is launching soon. It’s been a bit of a journey getting here, and we truly appreciate your patience. This season, we’ll dive into more incredible stories from the SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) region—stories we can’t wait to explore with you.  Thanks for all the sort, and we promise it’ll be wor...

After a harrowing two years under Ottoman occupation, Aurora Mardiganian finally manages to escape to America. But her story doesn’t stop there… Aurora is suddenly thrown into Hollywood, where she becomes the lead actress of the film based on her own life. This episode was produced and sound designed by Maxim Saakyan. Editorial support from Al Shaibani and sound design support from George Patterso...

After Aurora Mardiganian fainted in 1920, she not only disappeared from public life, but the film disappeared and is now officially considered a lost film. It took 70 years to finally get some news, where an Argentinian-Armenian found something promising…  In this episode, we also go into Aurora’s life after the film, and talk to people who knew her when she was in the latter stages of her life… W...

Uncovering Roots presents its first ever episode in this three-part mini series. Arshaluys Mardigian, also known as Aurora Mardiganian, was just 14 years old when she lost everything during the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. This episode follows her journey where she was kicked out of her home, and forced on a death march for hundreds of miles towards the Syrian desert.  This episode was produc...

Welcome to Uncovering Roots! My name is Maxim Saakyan, and I’m really excited to kick off this storytelling journey with you.  Uncovering Roots is a new storytelling podcast that aims to tell stories that are often overlooked. Our goal is to spotlight stories that need attention, with a primary focus on the South West Asia and North Africa region and indigenous people across the globe. There’s no...