The afikra Podcast

Zeyn Joukhadar talked about his book ‘The Thirty Names of Night: A Novel’ . Zeyn Joukhadar is the author of the novels The Map of Salt and Stars, 2018, and The Thirty Names of Night, 2020 and a member of the Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI). His work has appeared in KINK: Stories(eds. RO Kwon & Garth Greenwell),  Salon, The Paris Review,Shondaland, [PANK], Mizna,  and elsewhere. He has been...

John Karam talked about his work on Arab cultural studies in Brazil at Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies at University of Urbana-Champaign. John Tofik Karam was born and raised in upstate New York, hearing stories that his maternal grandmother recounted of her birthplace, a town she called “trinta e três,” literally thirty-three. He heard fewer stories about his paternal grandparents who departe...

Sheikha Reem Al Thani and Abdullatif Al-Jasmi talked about repurposing heritage buildings in Doha, Qatar. Reem Al Thani is now the Director of Exhibitions at Qatar Museums and is responsible for design and production of all temporary and permanent exhibitions for all affiliated museums and exhibition venues locally and internationally. Andullatif Al-Jasmi is the Director of the Cultural Heritage P...

Basma Hamdy, Diane C. Derr, Maysaa Al-Mumin & Denielle Emans talked about the directing processes of Radical Futures. Tasmeem Doha 2022 is an international, biennial art and design conference hosted and organized by VCUarts Qatar since 2004. 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 fut...

Mohamed Elshahed talked about Cairo Modern. The exhibition showcases works by Egyptian modernists from the 1920s to the 1970s, half a century of rich architectural production that complicate our present understanding of global modernism. The exhibition introduces audiences to key architects from the period such as Sayed Karim (pictured) as well as examples of their works commissioned by the state...

Toot Ard performed three musical pieces: Moonlight, Trouble Watan & Wanderlust. TootArd, Arabic for "Strawberry", was formed in 2010 by brothers Hasan and Rami Nakhleh. All band members grew up in Majdal Shams. The band started by performing in the Golan Heights, later travelling to Jerusalem, Palestine and Europe. The band's style is mixed. Their first album, Nuri Andaburi , is heavily inspired b...

Eve Troutt Powell talked her research on modern Middle East and the history of slavery in the Nile Valley and the Ottoman Empire. Eve M. Troutt Powell emphasizes the exploration of literature and film in her courses. She is the author of A Different Shade of Colonialism: Egypt, Great Britain and the Mastery of the Sudan (University of California, 2003) and the co-editor, with John Hunwick, of The...

Lina Mounzer talked about her career as a writer and translator. Lina’s work has appeared in the  New York Times , the  Paris Review ,  1843 ,  Literary Hub , and  Bidoun , as well as in the anthologies  Hikayat: An Anthology of Lebanese Women’s Writing  (Telegram Books: 2007) and  Tales of Two Planets  (Penguin Books: 2020) an anthology of writing on climate change and inequality. Created and hos...

Kareem James Abu-Zeid talked about his translations of ‘Exhausted on the Cross”by Najwan Darwish and “Confessions” by Rabee Jaber. Kareem James Abu-Zeid is a translator, editor, writer, teacher, and scholar who works across multiple languages. As an acclaimed translator of Arabic literature, he works with prominent English-language publishing houses to introduce the writings of Arab poets and nove...

James Barr talked about his book ‘A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle that shaped the Middle East’ .  A Line in the Sand vividly tells the story of the short but crucial era when Britain and France ruled the Middle East. James is a leading historian of the modern Middle East and author of the widely-acclaimed A Line In The Sand and Lords of the Desert . He is now working on a hist...

Basel Rajoub performed three musical pieces: Tashkent, duclar improvisation & Devil's Whistle. Basel Rajoub is a worldwide known saxophonist and composer. His music can be described as contemporary tradition-based music inspired by Middle Eastern rhythms, melodic modes and jazz. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.c...

Rima Khcheich performed three musical pieces: Al Sama'a wel Rah, Harram El Noum & Washwishni. Rima Khcheich is well renowned for having given its rebirth to the Andalusian form Muwashah, as well as to the traditional Arabic repertoire of the 19th and 20th Century that she both teaches and explores. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani htt...

Daniel T. Potts talked about his career in field excavations in Iran, Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf, specifically Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Daniel T. Potts received his AB (1975) and PhD (1980) in Anthropology from Harvard, specializing in Near Eastern archaeology. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the journal Arabian Archaeology & Epigraphy , he is a Corresponding Member of th...

Fawz Kabra talked about her latest project, Brief Histories .  Brief Histories was founded in 2011 as a collaborative project with a wide community of artists focused on actions responsive to our unfolding social conditions and interactions. Created by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by Aya Nimer Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Outl...

Moustafa Elrefaey talked about his culinary philosophy and passion that reflect the growing trend towards a healthier and natural lifestyle. Chef Moustafa creates cuisine that pleases the senses and enhances the natural flavors of food. He had recently won at the London Falafel Festival. Chef Moustafa Elrefaey is the Executive Chef, Cofounder and Partner of Zooba Home Grown in Egypt. He is a proud...

Hannah Feldman talked about her research, teaching, and advising that center on late modern and contemporary art and visual culture. Hannah is a core faculty in Middle Eastern and North African Studies as well as Comparative Literary Studies. Hannah Feldman is author of From a Nation Torn: Decolonizing Art and Representation in France, 1945-1962, she was an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New Directio...

Howayda Al-Harithy talked about her current research which conceptualizes urban recovery in relation to processes of historical editing, urban trauma, and protracted displacement. Howayda Al-Harithy is Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Department of Architecture and Design (ArD) at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Her early research was centered on the architectural and urb...

Hussein Alazaat talked about archiving processes in light of his work in archiving and preserving books at The Beautiful Books Trove. Hussein Alazaat is a multi-disciplinary designer, instructor, Arabic calligraphy artist, and typography enthusiast from Jordan. He founded ALAZAAT Design Studio in Amman and offered his services to various clients in diverse industries around the world. Hussein focu...

Heba Hage-Felder talked about her career in community development, writing, and visual storytelling. Arab Image Foundation aims to track down, collect, preserve and study photographs from the Middle East, North Africa and the Arab diaspora. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About the afikra Conve...

Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann talked about her latest book,  Sudan Retold.  The book is not primarily concerned with historical details, but with an understanding of historical contexts through artistic representation. Since her MA graduation in African and Islamic Studies at the University of Cologne (Germany) with a focus on art and gender, Larissa works as a cultural manager and curator. After her gre...

In this conversation, we talked to Tarek Atrissi about his career in contemporary graphic design landscape. Atrissi was listed in 2017 as one of the most influential 100 Lebanese professional figures around the globe. 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...

In this Mujalasa interview, we talked to Eugene Rogan his research on modern middle eastern history. Rogan is the author of The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East, 1914-1920 (2015) and The Arabs: A History (2009, 2018) which has been translated to 18 languages. في هذه المقابلة، تحدثنا مع يوجين روغان عن أبحاثه حول تاريخ الشرق الأوسط الحديث. روغان مؤلف "سقوط العثمانيين: الحرب الك...

In this interview, we talked to Charles Al Hayek about our new podcast series, Mujalasa, in collaboration with Heritage and Roots. في هذه المقابلة، تحدثنا مع شارل الحايك عن إطلاق بودكاست مجالسة الجديد بالتعاون مع تراث وجذور.   Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna & Charles Al Hayek  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Mujalasa: Mujalasa i...

In this event, we talked to professor of linguistics Enam Al-Wer and professor and chair of Arabic language and literature Bilal Orfali about the future of the Arabic language. Created & Hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures: Tasmeem Doha 2022: Radical Futures is an inc...

In this Matbakh event, we talked to Mennat-Allah El Dorry about her career in archaeobotanical analysis. Much of her research has revolved around food and trying to reconstruct how people in the past cooked and ate. Created by Mikey Muhanna , afikra  Hosted by Salma Serry Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Matbakh: Matbakh is a conver...