Journalist and writer Zahra Hankir talks about her work and publishing the fantastic collection "Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World." Connect with Zahra: https://instagram.com/zahrahankir / https://twitter.com/ZahraHankir/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and arts and media experts w...
Oct 26, 2020•45 min•Ep. 23
Farrah shares with us her deep dive into the 5000 year old Khufu ship. It was sealed in a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BC. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event. The presentation is the culmination...
Oct 21, 2020•30 min•Ep. 22
We interviewed acclaimed street artist Yazan Halwani to talk about his career, his inspiration, and some the technical challenges he faces while working on large scale murals. Connect with Yazan: https://www.instagram.com/yazanhalwani/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and arts and media experts who are helping document an...
Oct 19, 2020•55 min•Ep. 21
Bader shares his passion and research with us as he explores how different breeds of horses are classified, focusing on the Arabian horses. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event. The presentation is the culmination of a month-long afikra coaching proces...
Oct 16, 2020•49 min•Ep. 20
Under the title “Nostalgia in Art” we talked to designer and Studio owner, Rana Salam, and the cultural cartographer behind “The confused Arab”, Sofiane Si Merabet. Connect with Rana: https://www.instagram.com/ranasalam/ Connect with Sofiane: https://www.instagram.com/theconfusedarab/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and art...
Oct 14, 2020•42 min•Ep. 19
Mazen looks into Sci-Fi epics, mentioning examples of the different Arab epics that have passed throughout history. He also talks about how they used to write them versus how they are written today. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Rami Abou-Khalil Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event....
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 18
We talked to Rosaline Elbay about her career as an Egyptian actor and writer. Rosaline is best known for her roles as Amani on Hulu/A24 Films series Ramy and as Sara on MBC Masr series Qabeel. Connect with Rosaline: https://www.instagram.com/rosaline.elbay/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and arts and media experts who a...
Oct 09, 2020•45 min•Ep. 17
Have you ever wondered what were the origins of Egyptology or how Napoleon played a part in it? Join Julia as she talks about her research on Napoleon’s “scientific expedition.” Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event. The presentation is the culmination ...
Oct 07, 2020•55 min•Ep. 16
Moumne and Imam, founders and directors of Studio Safar, talked about taking the first steps to opening an independent studio, branching into publishing, and their experience working around the world. Follow Studio Safar: https://www.instagram.com/studiosafar/ Follow Journal Safar: https://www.instagram.com/journalsafar/ Connect with Maya Moumne: https://www.instagram.com/mayamoumne/ Connect with Hatem Imam: https://www.instagram.com/hatem_imam/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Ed...
Oct 05, 2020•50 min•Ep. 15
Dalia looks into Lady Liberty’s connection with the Arab world while Maria looks into “The Shining Star” of Arabic Grammar life, history and legacy. Mahdi digs into the Advent of the telegraph in Colonial Algeria, and Bayan tells us the story of the famous Arabic poetry love legends Antra and Abla all in four short afikra FWDs. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Leen Sadder Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani Once a month we hold an afikra Mezze event featuring four afikra FWDs, s...
Sep 30, 2020•50 min•Ep. 14
Offendum is a Syrian-American rapper/poet, known for his unique blend of Hip-Hop & Arabic poetry. He carved a path for himself as a thoughtful entertainer/activist able to speak to a diverse global audiences over the course of his career. Connect with Omar: https://www.instagram.com/offendum/ https://www.youtube.com/user/Offendum Created by: Mikey Muhanna, afikra Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna & Ahmed Shihab Eldine Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversa...
Sep 28, 2020•58 min•Ep. 13
The term Moor can refer to several groups of people from North Africa. In this presentation, Mahdi examines the origins of the term along with developing a narrative for its usage in Europe throughout history. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event. The...
Sep 25, 2020•59 min•Ep. 12
Denise explores the Lebanese Sericulture, traditionally called “the season of glory.” Denise digs into the history and importance of the silk industry. Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event. The presentation is the culmination of a month-long afikra co...
Sep 23, 2020•37 min•Ep. 11
We interviewed Khalid Albaih to discuss his work, his art, and the limits and possibilities associated with the political cartoon medium. Connect with Khalid: https://www.instagram.com/KhalidAlBaih/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and arts and media experts who are helping document and/or shape the history and culture of...
Sep 21, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 10
Nisrine dives into two famous Syrian plays, which were written by Mohammad al-Maghout and starred Doreid Lahham. The plays provide a satiric exploration of the many challenges faced by the Arab world during the mid-twentieth century. Connect with Nisrine: https://www.instagram.com/nisrineshehadeh/ Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a ...
Sep 18, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 9
Wael is an award winning designer and typographer; the co-founder of 1on1projects; and a studio partner for Morcos Key, a Brooklyn-based design studio. Connect with Wael: https://www.instagram.com/WaelMorcos/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and arts and media experts who are helping document and/or shape the history and ...
Sep 16, 2020•48 min•Ep. 8
What is Rai music and why is it often portrayed as rebel music internationally? How much is the genre tied up in Algeria's violent struggle for independence and subsequent civil war? Who are its main figures and creators? We listened to Tarik’s research on the musical genre. Connect with Tarik: https://www.instagram.com/tarik.che/ Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About afikra Community Presentations: Every Saturday a community member deli...
Sep 14, 2020•47 min•Ep. 7
We had an important conversation with the Director of Sursock Museum, Zeina Arida about the museum’s history and work, as well as the challenges facing the museum after being hit with the disastrous Beirut port explosion. Connect with Zeina: https://www.instagram.com/zeinaarida/ Created & Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani About the afikra conversation series: Our long-form interview series, hosted on Zoom, featuring academics and arts and...
Sep 12, 2020•54 min•Ep. 6
Founded in 2007 by Arab cultural activists, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC stands as an independent entity dedicated to empowering individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, and organizations across the Arab region in various arts and culture fields. With its headquarters in Beirut, AFAC extends its support globally, fostering creativity in cinema, photography, visual and performing arts, literature, music, documentary filmmaking, and beyond, while also investing in rese...
Sep 10, 2020•53 min•Ep. 5
Afeef Nessouli is a dynamic freelance journalist operating out of Beirut and New York City, who has recently won the Google Podcasts creator program's global competition. His Arabic language podcast, focusing on the feminine narrative in the Middle East, showcases his innovative approach to storytelling. Before this venture, Afeef enriched The Daily Show with Trevor Noah as a segment producer for more than two years. Ahmed Shihab Eldin is an Emmy-nominated journalist, producer and actor known fo...
Sep 06, 2020•50 min•Ep. 4
Tarek Yamani is a self-taught Jazz pianist and award-winning composer. He is critically acclaimed for his work on Lisan Al Tarab: Jazz Conceptions in Classical Arabic, and is the winner of the "Thelonious Monk Jazz Composers Competition". He has performed in prestigious venues such as the United Nations assembly hall during the inaugural of the Jazz Day in NYC. Connect with Tarek 👉 https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ Theme music: "Peninsular", Tarek Yamani 👉: https://www.instagram.com/tare...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 3
Ayah Bdeir is an engineer, inventor and entrepreneur passionate about using technology to empower creators and educators around the globe. As the founder of LittleBits, Ayah has played a pivotal role in making electronics accessible and fun for people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. Her work emphasizes the importance of play in education, challenges gender norms in STEM, and fosters a culture of innovation that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries. Connect with Ayah 👉 https://w...
Aug 31, 2020•57 min•Ep. 2
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi is a UAE-based columnist, researcher, and the founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation. His articles have been featured in major publications globally, including The Financial Times and The Guardian. Through the Barjeel Art Foundation, Sultan has significantly contributed to the art scene in the Arab region, making it accessible and influential both locally and internationally. His work spans cultural diplomacy, social media engagement, and fostering a deeper understanding o...
Aug 27, 2020•51 min•Ep. 1
