Amal Ghandour talked about her book 'This Arab Life,' where she explores common cultural and societal issues that most generations in the Arab world face. Amal Ghandour is a Lebanese-Jordanian author and blogger (Thinking Fits), with a career that spans more than three decades in the fields of research, communication, and community development. Her book, About This Man Called Ali (2009), was named the first biography of a modern Arab artist by the renowned Historian Philip Mansel. Ghandour descr...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 294
Rami Yasin talked about his movie "Bloodline", “the first Arab vampire film.” Rami Yasin is a filmmaker and the founder of Breakout Films in Dubai. He was introduced to the world of cinema by his father who worked in film and television. After directing and producing television commercials for almost a decade, Rami seized an opportunity to work as a casting director and first assistant director in ‘Syriana’ starring Matt Damon and George Clooney. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra Ed...
Jan 27, 2023•57 min•Ep. 293
Ashraf Fagih talked about science fiction in the Arab world; a topic yet to be explored. Through his writings, Fagih talked about historical fantasy and mainstream culture. Ashraf Fagih (Saudi Arabia) is a writer born in 1977. He obtained a PhD in Computing from Queen’s University in Canada and is an assistant Professor at the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. He began writing fiction early and published a science fiction short story collection (The Ghost Hunter) in 1997, aged tw...
Jan 25, 2023•57 min•Ep. 292
George Saliba talked about his research in Islamic science. He discussed the works of Muslim astronomers and scholars and how they shape modern-day science. George Saliba is a Professor of Arabic and Islamic Science. He is currently the Founding Director of Farouk Jabre Center for Arabic & Islamic Science and Philosophy, and holder of the Khwarizmi Chair in Arabic and Islamic Science at the Department of History at the American University of Beirut. Created and hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afik...
Jan 23, 2023•59 min•Ep. 291
Amr Salama talked about his movie "Asmaa" that tells the story of a woman who suffers from AIDS decides not to surrender to the fatal disease. Amr Salama is an International Award Winning Film Director, Writer and Producer. Directed Feature Films , Hit TV and Platform Shows, TV commercials, Music Videos and Feature Documentaries. Created & hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra Edited by: Ramzi Ramman Theme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/ About Movie Night: Movie Nig...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 290
Lena Merhej talked about her work as an illustrator at Samandal and WatWat. Merhej discussed how her comics publishes provides an alternative expression of cultural and social issues for youths and adults. Lena Merhej is a visual storyteller and an expert in graphic narration. She taught at several universities in Beirut. She is the founder and director of the Story Center, which offers professional trainings in animation, illustration, and comic books. She was the director of the Beirut Animate...
Jan 18, 2023•55 min•Ep. 289
Karim Haidar talked about the future of Lebanese food in Europe through education and restaurant work. Haidar discusses traditional Lebanese food, devoid of fusion, and how he had developed the Academy of Arab Cuisine in Paris. Renowned chef Karim Haidar has founded the Academy of Arab Cuisine in Paris, a platform to promote Arab cuisine across the world. By offering a space for these cuisines on the international scene, the academy will contribute to their development and will become a long-ter...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 288
Josélia Neves is an expert at Qatar Foundation. She talked about the D'reesha Performing Arts Festival. The inaugural edition brought thousands of people from across Qatar to a week-long event filled with talents in the fields of theatre, music, poetry, storytelling, education, research and much more. Dr. Josélia Neves is the Associate Dean for Social Engagement and Access and Professor at the Translation and Interpreting Institute (TII) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad...
Jan 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 287
In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to Bedouin Burger duo artists Lynn Adib and Zeid Hamdan. ABOUT HABIBI FESTIVAL Created with the goal of giving a snapshot of contemporary and traditional musics of the SWANA (South West Asia North Africa) region, Habibi Festival aims to take listeners on a journey of the sounds wafting through the airwaves and living rooms of cities spanning Marrakech to Baghdad to Brooklyn. This new performing arts fes...
Dec 28, 2022•19 min•Ep. 286
In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to classical pianist Hatim Belyamani and rapper Mehdi WMD. ABOUT HABIBI FESTIVAL Created with the goal of giving a snapshot of contemporary and traditional musics of the SWANA (South West Asia North Africa) region, Habibi Festival aims to take listeners on a journey of the sounds wafting through the airwaves and living rooms of cities spanning Marrakech to Baghdad to Brooklyn. This new performing arts f...
Dec 26, 2022•20 min•Ep. 285
In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to Kanun player and composer Firas Zreik. ABOUT HABIBI FESTIVAL Created with the goal of giving a snapshot of contemporary and traditional musics of the SWANA (South West Asia North Africa) region, Habibi Festival aims to take listeners on a journey of the sounds wafting through the airwaves and living rooms of cities spanning Marrakech to Baghdad to Brooklyn. This new performing arts festival is a coll...
Dec 23, 2022•18 min•Ep. 284
In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to maqamat and awtaar vocalist Zahra Alzubaidi. ABOUT HABIBI FESTIVAL Created with the goal of giving a snapshot of contemporary and traditional musics of the SWANA (South West Asia North Africa) region, Habibi Festival aims to take listeners on a journey of the sounds wafting through the airwaves and living rooms of cities spanning Marrakech to Baghdad to Brooklyn. This new performing arts festival is ...
Dec 23, 2022•12 min•Ep. 283
In this Quartertones event in collaboration with Habibi Festival held at Joe's Pub, we talked to Mauritanian griot and singer Noura Mint Seymali and Mauritania/Senegal-based producer and musician Matthew Tinari. ABOUT HABIBI FESTIVAL Created with the goal of giving a snapshot of contemporary and traditional musics of the SWANA (South West Asia North Africa) region, Habibi Festival aims to take listeners on a journey of the sounds wafting through the airwaves and living rooms of cities spanning M...
Dec 23, 2022•13 min•Ep. 282
Marcia Inhorn talked about her in-depth research on refugee health and healthcare rights for the most vulnerable. She also talked about her work on traditions regarding infertility, gender, and religion in Egypt. Professor Inhorn is the William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs and Chair of the Council on Middle East Studies (CMES) in the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. Inhorn’s research interests revolve around gender and health, science and ...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 281
Wafa Ghnaim talked about the process of establishing Tatreez and Tea and how embroidery plays an important role in the Palestinian society. Wafa Ghnaim is a Palestinian researcher, author and educator who began learning embroidery from her mother, award-winning artist Feryal Abbasi-Ghnaim , when she was two years old. Her first book, “ Tatreez & Tea: Embroidery and Storytelling in the Palestinian Diaspora ” (2018), documents the traditional patterns passed to her by her mother. Wafa has sinc...
Dec 15, 2022•54 min•Ep. 280
Rashid Al Rahmani talked about his work as an animator and illustrator. Al Rahmani discussed the superhero projects that AC Comics AE are working on. Created and 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 interview series features academics, arts, and media experts who are helping document and/or shape the history and culture of the Arab world through their work. Our...
Dec 11, 2022•44 min•Ep. 279
Ganzeer talked about his work as a muralist and street artist and how the Egyptian Revolution was a turning point in his career. Described as a “chameleon” by Carlo McCormick in the New York Times , Ganzeer operates seamlessly between art, design, and storytelling, creating what he has coined: Concept Pop. His medium of choice according to Artforum is “a little bit of everything: stencils, murals, paintings, pamphlets, comics, installations, and graphic design.” With over 40 exhibitions to his n...
Dec 08, 2022•59 min•Ep. 278
Raghad Odeh talked about Arab animation and how it traveled from Japan to the Arab world, in a conversation in collaboration with Manarat Al Saadiyat. Raghad Odeh started storytelling with my Webtoon (Peasant Queen). She started getting freelance work as a children books illustrator. She was always fascinated with animation, especially Ghibli films. Odeh started Sadeem Studios which is currently doing commissioned animated and illustrated projects. Created and hosted by Mikey Muhanna , afikra Ed...
Dec 07, 2022•45 min•Ep. 277
Joudie Kalla talked about her books "Palestine on a Plate" & "Baladi," how her work connects both food and politics, and her special chosen dish 'Fatteh.' Joudie Kalla is a Palestinian-British chef and food writer. She is the author of two prizewinning cookbooks, Palestine on a Plate: Memories from My Mother’s Kitchen (2016), and Baladi: A Celebration of Food from Land and Sea (2018), and has featured in venues like The New York Times,The Guardian, and Al Jazeera . Although she identifies th...
Dec 06, 2022•50 min•Ep. 276
Naila Farouky talked about the work of the Arab Foundations Forum: non-profit membership-based association of actors in the philanthropy sector-based or working in the Arab region. She also talked about her career as a co-producer of Sesame Street which helped shape Arab childhoods. With over 20 years of experience in project management, media production, and strategic communication, Naila Farouky is a Peabody Award-winning executive who has built a career across several continents. In 2014, Nai...
Dec 01, 2022•57 min•Ep. 275
Dalia Khamissy talked to Mohamed Somji about her approach in photography and her numerous projects that portray ongoing events happening in Lebanon and her personal life. Dalia Khamissy is a Lebanese photographer based in Beirut, Lebanon. She received a diploma in photography from the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik in 1999. Her work since then has revolved around social and political stories in the Middle East. In 2010, Khamissy started her ongoing project The Missing of Lebanon , documenting...
Nov 29, 2022•57 min•Ep. 274
Christopher Silver talked about the history of music in North Africa, notably in Tunisia and Morocco. He outlined the contributions of famous Jewish and Muslim North African musicians to our current knowledge of modern-day music. Christopher Silver is the Segal Family Assistant Professor in Jewish History and Culture at McGill University. He is the founder and curator of the website Gharamophone.com, a digital archive of North African records from the first half of the twentieth century. Created...
Nov 19, 2022•55 min•Ep. 273
Lina AbiRafeh, PhD is a global women’s rights expert and gender equality advocate with decades of experience worldwide. Lina worked for over 20 years in development and humanitarian contexts in Afghanistan, Haiti, Central African Republic, Papua New Guinea, and others. Her experience spans global organizations such as the World Bank and various United Nations agencies. Lina advises several organizations and companies at a senior level. In addition, she is also the Senior Advisor for Global Women...
Nov 17, 2022•50 min•Ep. 272
Omar Naim spoke to us about his new film, "Route 10," which tells the story of two siblings who must make a journey through the desert in order to attend their father's wedding but underestimate the many hazards of the desert road, which includes an angry stranger whose terrifying pursuit has the brother and sister driving for their lives. Omar Naim is a Lebanese-born director, writer, and documentarian. His newest film is the Netflix thriller Route 10 (2022), a thriller set in the Saudi Arabian...
Nov 12, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 271
Kim Ghattas talked to us about her newest podcast, People Like Us, which tackles issues that matter in the Arab world but resonate with a global audience, as well as other materials she has authored such as her book, Black Wave. Kim Ghattas started her journalism career in 1998 as an intern in Beirut at the local English-language newspaper The Daily Star. Within a couple of years, she was reporting for the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant as well as the Financial Times and the BBC. She covered the ...
Nov 10, 2022•58 min•Ep. 270
Kevin Jones talked about poetry in the Middle East and his book, The Dangers of Poetry, which is the first book to narrate the social history of poetry in the region through their function as social acts that critically shaped the cultural politics of revolutionary Iraq. Kevin Jones is Associate Professor of History at the University of Georgia. He earned his PhD in History from the University of Michigan in 2013 and was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the George Washington University Institu...
Nov 08, 2022•58 min•Ep. 269
في هذه الحلقة من رؤوس أقلام٬ تحدثت دينا محمد عن سلسلة كتبها المصورة شبيك لبيك التي نالت على جوائز عدة في فئة الروايات المصورة. دينا محمد، رسامة ومصممة مصرية. بدأت في مجال الكوميكس في سن الـ١٨ لما نشرت سلسلة الكوميكس الرقمية “قاهرة” اللي كانت تتناول القضايا الإجتماعية من منظور سوبرهيرو مصرية محجبة. ظهرت هذه السلسلة المصورة على عديد من المواقع الإعلامية مثل البي بي سي وفورين بوليسي ونالت جائزة في مهرجان القصة المصورة بالقاهرة عام ٢٠١٥. روايتها المصورة “شبيك لبيك” هي قصة مصورة خيالية عن الأمنيات، ص...
Nov 05, 2022•59 min•Ep. 268
Sami Zubaida talked about culinary cultures of the Middle East, drinks and social boundaries, and the history of his chosen single dish: Koshari. Sami Zubaida is Emeritus Professor of Politics and Sociology at Birkbeck, University of London and has held visiting positions in Cairo, Istanbul, Beirut, Aix-en-Provence, Berkeley CA, Paris and New York. His research interests include Middle East Politics, Religion and Law, Nationalism, Food and Culture. Professor Zubaida is a regular contributor to t...
Nov 03, 2022•55 min•Ep. 267
Suad Amiry talked about her book, "Mother of Strangers: A Novel," which is a story of young love set in Jaffa in between 1947 and 1951. Suad Amiry is a Palestinian writer and architect living in the West Bank town of Ramallah. She studied architecture at the American University of Beirut, the University of Michigan, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Her parents went from Palestine to Amman, Jordan. She was brought up there and went to Lebanon's capital of Beirut to study architecture. H...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 266
Menna Agha talked about Nubian Architecture, its evolution, purpose, history, and more. Dr. Menna Agha is an architect and researcher who has recently been coordinating the spatial justice agenda at the Flanders Architecture Institute in Belgium. She joins the Azrieli School to promote pedagogy and research in the newly established area of Design and Spatial Justice. Menna holds a PhD in Architecture from the University of Antwerp, and a Master of Arts in Gender and Design from Köln Internationa...
Oct 30, 2022•57 min•Ep. 265
