This episode of the afikra podcast was recorded on April 10th at 1pm Palestine Time Lorenzo Kamel teaches Global History and History of the Middle East and North Africa at the University of Turin. He has held teaching and research positions at Harvard University, the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, ‘Ain Shams University in Cairo, and a number of other universities in Europe and the Middle East. His most recent books are 'History Below the Global' (Routledge 2024) and 'The Middle from Empire...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 414
A masterclass in philanthropy in the MENA region. Maysa Jalbout has founded many private and corporate foundations along with starting the Queen Rania Foundation and being the founding CEO of the Al Ghurair Foundation. With over 25 years of experience in philanthropy in the Arab world, she offers a clear introduction to philanthropy in the region, points out its limits, and how it's changing. Reflecting on education in particular, she tackles short vs long-term issues, the chronic inefficiencies...
Jun 24, 2024•59 min•Ep. 413
The history of North Africa is infinitely complex and barbed with post-colonial tensions. In this conversation, Professor Brahim El Guabli helps to shed light on this region's history through an Amazigh lens. He tells us about the violence of the word "Berber", Morocco's Years of Lead, and qualifying French as a colonial language or not. The episode touches on the Jewish population of Morocco, searching for "other archives" in which absent histories can be found and engaged with, and how to deco...
Jun 10, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 412
Life as a human rights attorney in Egypt. Tahrir Square in 2011. How protests transforms into revolutions. It's all in this episode of the afikra podcast with professor Atif Said from the University of Illinois Chicago. He talks about rule of Law, liberalism, and what revolutions really mean in the Arab world, challenging its common definitions in reference to (de)coloniality, and offering an understanding that sees "revolution" as a coming together of dreams and reality. Atif also speaks about ...
May 27, 2024•56 min•Ep. 411
Architect, researcher, and associate professor at Zayed University, Roberto Fabbri, joined us on the afikra podcast to talk about Kuwait’s architectural transformation between 1949 and 1989 which he co-wrote a book about (with Sara Saragoça Soares and Ricardo Camacho) titled “Modern Architecture Kuwait 1949 - 1989”. In this deep dive into Kuwait’s architecture, Roberto contrasts “old Kuwait” and “new Kuwait”, maps out the modernist period in its context, and highlights the role of consumerism an...
May 13, 2024•57 min•Ep. 410
In this episode of the afikra podcast, Professor Michael Christoper Low – director of the Middle East Center at The University of Utah – explains how Mecca and its burgeoning influx of pilgrims from around the world — transported by the recently invented steamships — became ground zero for cholera. He maps out how this situated the Hejaz within broader colonial interests. We reflect on perceptions and understandings of Mecca — placing it in a "trans-imperial" space — and Michael underscores that...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 409
In this Ehkili episode with Zahra Hankir we discuss her book "Eyeliner: A Cultural History", the cultural significance of eyeliner, and the process of putting together an intersectional and cross-cultural study of its history. Zahra highlights eyeliner’s role as a cultural artifact, its use for protective, aesthetic and religious purposes, and how her book tries to decolonize the misunderstandings of the Arab world by centering its cultures and histories. We also touch on cultural preservation a...
Apr 30, 2024•55 min•Ep. 408
M'hamed Oualdi – professor of history at Paris' Sciences Po University – joins us on the afikra podcast to delve into the often obscured and forgotten history of slavery in North Africa. Starting with his book "A Slave Between Empires: A Transimperial History of North Africa", he talks about why there's a pointed absence of awareness around the Arab world's own history of slavery, and details the history of slavery in Mamluk Tunisia and Egypt, the role of nationalism in erasing this period, and ...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 407
In this episode of the afikra podcast, we tackle the alternative histories of Beirut, planning cities that put communities first, and rethinking public spaces. Mona Fawaz — co-founder of Beirut Urban Lab and professor of Urban Studies and Planning at the American University of Beirut (AUB) — tells us about her research into Lebanon's temporary settlements, unearthing alternative histories of Beirut, and why the city still goes by its masterplan from the 50s which puts cars first. She explains th...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 406
Read about Bahrain's Dilmun Mounds 👉 https://www.afikra.com/daftarjournal/dilmun-mounds Civil Architecture is a cultural practice pre-occupied with the making of buildings and books about them. Civil's work asks what it means to produce architecture in a decidedly un-civil time, presenting a new civic character for a global condition. Since its founding by Hamed Bukhamseen and Ali Ismail Karimi, the practice has attracted a strong following for its provocative works and its offer of an alternat...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 405
Rajat Malhotra — partner at Sole DXB: Dubai's annual footwear, music, art and lifestyle festival — comes on the afikra podcast to talk about bringing street culture to his home city. He shares what it was like starting the festival alongside his co-founders, reflects on his favorite acts from over the years, and what it's really like to curate an event of this scale. Rajat also reflects on Dubai's unique nature as a city that people of mixed heritage can easily make home, what Saudi Arabia's imm...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 404
Renowned professor of ethics, law and political thought and leading scholar of Islamic Legal Studies, Dr Wael Hallaq, joins us on this episode of the afikra podcast to discuss Sharia law, the modern state, Legal Orientalism, and the idea of a "stateless" yet still orderly world. Dr Hallaq deals with reductionist understandings of Sharia law, critiques modernism and the modern state, and breaks down the successes and shortcomings of Edward Said's Orientalism. We discuss the concept of Legal Orien...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 403
Maysoon Zayid , Palestinian comedian, actress, graphic novel author and co-creator of the NY Arab-American Comedy Festival, joins us on the afikra podcast to talk all things comedy, Palestine, Arab-America, and advocating for the disabled community. Maysoon talks about how she grew up to be the confident, unapologetic, publicly Palestinian comedian we know and love today. She gives us an insight into the world of comedy: from testing new material, getting bored of making fun of Donald Trump, and...
Mar 25, 2024•51 min•Ep. 402
The first of three live Design Doha podcast recordings features an interview with the Biennial's deputy director Fahad Al Obaidly. He takes us behind the scenes of Design Doha, breaks down what "Celebrating Regional Design Excellence" means in practice, and how the Biennial roots itself in locality. Fahad tells us about the strength of the design industry in the Arab World as well as his personal highlights from the Biennial. Fahad Al Obaidly is the Deputy Director of Design Doha, as well as a f...
Mar 19, 2024•24 min•Ep. 401
Marwan Kraidy , CEO and Dean of Northwestern Qatar and leading scholar of global communication and media, joins us on the afikra podcast to discuss media, truth, and journalism in the Arab world. This episode dives into the impact of mobile phones, reflects on whether social media is a force for good or not, and explores the notion of “socio-political maturity”. We discuss how the center of gravity for media in the Arab world has shifted to the Gulf and why the old adage “Cairo writes, Beirut pu...
Mar 18, 2024•54 min•Ep. 400
Art historian, educator and author Jonathan Bloom joins us on the afikra podcast to talk about paper, print and the Islamic world. He talks us through changing understandings of "Islamic" art and architecture through the decades, explains the premise of his book "Paper Before Print: The History and Impact of Paper in the Islamic World" and whether it's worth using the term "Islamic Art" in the first place. We touch on the fascinating architectural history of the Minaret, the cultural impact of p...
Mar 11, 2024•53 min•Ep. 399
Wael Al Awar is an architect and founder of waiwai alongside Kazuma Yamao — an architectural, landscape, urban, interior and graphic design studio with offices in Dubai and Tokyo. Waiwai takes a highly contextual approach to address social, environmental and technological questions through design. Wael was the chief Curator of the National Pavilion of the UAE for the Bienalle di Venezia 2020 and 2021, and recipient of the Golden Lion Award. Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani Hosted by: Mikey ...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 398
Waleed Ziad is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of Hidden Caliphate: Sufi Saints beyond the Oxus and Indus" which won the Albert Hourani Prize. His research concerns the historical and philosophical foundations of Muslim revivalism and revivalist responses to internal political fragmentation and colonialism in the "Persiante" world. Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna Follow and Rate The Afikra Podcast on Apple Po...
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 397
John Esposito is a Professor of Religion and International Affairs and Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. He is the Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and The Bridge Initiative: Protecting Pluralism - Ending Islamophobia in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. He has written over 55 books including "What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam", "The Future of Islam", and "Islam and Democracy after the Arab Spring". Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani...
Feb 19, 2024•59 min•Ep. 396
Wendy Shaw is an art historian and professor of the Art History of Islamic Cultures at the Freie Universität berlin. Her book "What is 'Islamic' Art?: Between Religion and Perception" explores the perceptions of arts, including painting, music and geometry through the discursive sphere of historical Islam including the Qur'an, Hadith, Sufism, ancient philosophy, and poetry. By emphasizing the experience of reception over the context of production, Shaw creates a new approach not only to Islam an...
Feb 13, 2024•46 min•Ep. 395
Laila Soliman is an independent Egyptian theater director and playwright who lives and works in Cairo. Born in Cairo, she gained a degree in theater and Arabic literature from the American University in Cairo and a MA at Dasarts in Amsterdam. Her performances have been shown across the Arab world, India, South Africa and Europe. Her first opera production – Woman at Point 0 – based on Nawal el Saadawi’s novel by the same name premiered in 2022. Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani Hosted by: Mi...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 394
We reflect on why it's difficult to put an exact date on when al-Andalus actually "ended", the brotherhood it has created between Spain and Morocco and the importance of these interconnected histories. Finally, Eric shares how music and dance led him to study al-Andalus and why he chose to explore this topic from five different perspectives including from Pan-Arab, Feminist and Palestinian viewpoints. Eric Calderwood is Associate Professor of Comparative and World Literature at the University of...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 393
We sat down with Mehdi Benchaabane, director of Qatar Academy Doha, to discuss the current advantages and shortfalls of AI in the classroom. We discuss the significant questions AI has raised around educational honesty and integrity, key concerns at all levels from students, educators and policymakers to parents, and whether the educational system as a whole is broken. Mehdi highlights the unique dynamic between teachers and their students who, as digital natives, are naturally adept at working ...
Feb 01, 2024•56 min•Ep. 392
Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is the fourth of six, featuring a conversation with and performance by Nesrine Belmokh, along with more snaps from a performance by Bab L'Bluz at Joe's pub. Nesrine Bolmokh is a Franco-Algerian singer, cellist and songwriter who brings the Mediterranean together with North Africa in her music. Bab L'Bluz is a Moroccan-French rock band that was formed in Marrakesh in 2018 by Yousra Mansour and Bric...
Jan 31, 2024•32 min•Ep. 391
Finally, she highlights the critical role that artists and their art play as “interpreters of our time” and the difficulties of building private and public collections, and shares her “playbook” for building a successful cultural institution. For art lovers and curious minds alike, Alia also shares her favorite museums, cultural institutions and galleries, and communities from across the region as well as her favourite North African artists. Alia Al-Senussi is a cultural strategist and art world...
Jan 29, 2024•58 min•Ep. 390
Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is the third of six, featuring a conversation with Bab L'Bluz's Yousra Mansour and Brice Bottin, along with snaps from a performance by Tarek Yamani and the the Yacine Boulares Quartet at Joe's pub. Bab L'Bluz is a Moroccan-French rock band that was formed in Marrakesh in 2018 by Yousra Mansour and Brice Bottin. Their music takes inspiration from Gnawa music, blues, Chaâbi and Afrobeat and is born...
Jan 24, 2024•33 min•Ep. 389
We asked him about his decision to set the film between 2005 and 2011 — a significant moment in Sudan’s recent history — and who he made the film for: international viewers curious about Sudan or Sudanese cinema-goers reflecting on themselves. Finally, we untangle some of the main social critiques and themes that the film seeks to confront — in particular, racism between Northern and Southern Sudanese people. Mohamed Kordofani is a Sudanese film director and screenwriter. He started out as an av...
Jan 22, 2024•57 min•Ep. 388
We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC. Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is the second of six, featuring a conversation with mother-son duo Firas Zreik – who has previously joined us on Quartertones – and Amal Murkus, as well as snaps from their performa...
Jan 17, 2024•16 min•Ep. 387
We're excited to announce that our special episodes on Palestine are turning into their own podcast. The atrocities that continue to take place in Palestine are a reminder that, more than ever, we need to dedicate our platforms to stand for justice and truth. "This is not a watermelon" is a podcast about Palestinian history and culture. In this episode, we sat down with Andy Clarno, author of "Neoliberal Apartheid: Palestine/Israel and South Africa after 1994" to understand more about transnatio...
Jan 15, 2024•49 min•Ep. 386
We partnered with Habibi Festival for a six-night celebration of ancient + contemporary sounds from Lebanon, Tunisia, Syria, Morocco, Palestine, Algeria and more! It all took place from October 1-7 at Joe's Pub in NYC. Each night we taped live conversations with the artists on stage. This special Quartertones episode is one in six, and features a conversation with Hadi Eldebek and Omar Offendum – both of whom have been on Quartertones so make sure to go and check out those podcast episodes – as ...
Jan 11, 2024•28 min•Ep. 385
