Kerning Cultures

If you have been enjoying this podcast, we want to hear from you! ⁠

⁠Understanding who you, our dear listeners, are helps us make decisions as we …

We’re thrilled to share another podcast from Kerning Cultures Network with you: al empire.

al empire returns for Season 3 with more stories of …

Since our series about 'Aizen' ended, many of you have been in touch asking for an update on his story. When we left you at the end of the last episode, he had arrived in Europe, three years after leaving his home in …

When Elaine Mokhtefi landed in newly independent Algeria in the early 1960s, she was only planning for a short visit. But she quickly found herself at the centre of a special period in the country’s history, as Algiers …

Two stories about two streets, and the justices and injustices hidden in their names. Follow us to Tehran and Khartoum as we uncover two histories …

When Heba was very young, there was a knock at the door at her home in Lebanon. It was another family from the village, claiming that they knew her… …

You might remember Somali bananas from your childhood, lining the shelves at your local supermarket. During the late 80s and early 90s, Somalia made …

'Yasir?' That's too difficult. I'll just call you Tony.

This episode originally aired in October 2017.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network …

In 2014, the palaeontologist Nizar Ibrahim went public with an astonishing discovery he’d made while studying a set of dinosaur bones from the …

Nagi Daifallah was a young farm worker from Yemen who moved to California in the early 1970s, when he was just 20 years old. He went on to become one …

After finally reaching Europe, Aizen was back in jail. He had calculated that the journey from Afghanistan to France would take three months. But …

Through smugglers, barbed wire fences and forests, Aizen arrives in Europe. But the sense of relief he feels at making it this far is short-lived: …

‘A game’ is what smugglers and migrants call attempting to cross illegally from one country to another. As Aizen leaves his childhood behind in Afghanistan, his only way to get to Europe is to play the game, travelling …

‘Aizen’ says he’s the most unlucky person in the world. This football-obsessed teenager from Afghanistan grew up in the chaos of Kabul, and at 15, …

When you think of good quality olive oil, which countries first come to mind? This week, we’re travelling to the heart of the world’s largest …

A father and daughter journey to their ancestral homeland, looking to track down the place their family had lived before being forced to flee the Armenian genocide.

They’re among hundreds of Armenian families who, over …

This is the final week of the first World Cup hosted in the Middle East. And it’s been a tournament like no other: We’ve seen Morocco advance further …

Alex Odeh was well known in the Arab community in Santa Ana, California. He was often on TV or writing into newspapers, talking about discrimination against Arabs in the US or about his beloved homeland, Palestine. But …

Kerning Cultures season 4 launches next week, December 8th. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Support this podcast on …

It’s 1988, and Somalis are fleeing the city of Hargeisa. People are trying to get out, trying to save their families. But in the city’s radio station, staff are packing cassettes and reel to reel recordings into a …

A blind oud player from humble beginnings, Sheikh Imam's destiny changed drastically when he met a dissident poet called Ahmed Fouad Negm, and they …

Stuck in his Palestinian hometown of Jenin during lockdown, Mo'min Swaitat walked into an old music shop where thousands of dusty cassettes lined the …

In the 1960s, a college professor and his group of students were determined to build and launch rockets into space. And so, they did. This week, on …

Azzam Alwash remembers the marshlands of southern Iraq as a magical place, where he would spend long days gliding through the thick reeds by boat …

In the 1930s, the architect Nasri Khattar had an idea to singlehandedly overhaul the Arabic script. For the next 47 years, he worked day and night to …

In 2012, a Yazidi family fled to Sweden in the hope of a better life, far from persecution. After nearly six troubled years struggling to seek asylum without proper paperwork, their traumatised daughter “fell asleep” - …

A warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and assault.

As Egyptian women celebrated the arrest of serial predator and rapist …

A warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and assault.

In the summer of 2020, a 22-year-old Egyptian woman made the difficult …

In 1917, a musical prodigy called Zabelle Panosian recorded a song that captured the heartbreak of a generation of Armenian Americans in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. She toured the world, selling thousands of …

In 1962 the library at the University of Algiers was burned to the ground, turning hundreds of thousands of books to dust. But it was overshadowed by Algeria's independence from the French, and was largely forgotten. So …

We're holding off on releasing this week's Kerning Cultures episode. Instead, we're sharing resources on how to help the crisis in Ukraine. You can …

This week, we're following the trail of an elusive camel herder called Hadj Ali (or, as the Americans called him; Hi Jolly). He was one of the first …

How do you preserve a language when your government is actively trying to erase it?

Abduweli Ayup is a Uyghur linguist who was trying to stop the Chinese government from replacing Uyghur with Mandarin. He had been …

A family secret, hidden for decades by a grandfather in Iraq, gets uncovered by his grandson - who chooses to revive a potentially dangerous legacy.

This episode was produced by Alex Atack and Tamara Juburi, and edited …

During the Syrian war, a group of archeologists risk their lives to record the damage being done to their country's cultural heritage, just as it was …

Since 9/11, US governmental agencies have poured millions of dollars into spying on Arabs, Muslims and Arab Americans. Their surveillance has changed …

Kerning Cultures season 3 launches next week, January 27th. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Support …

Ahead of the latest season (which launches at the end of this month!), our team gets together to talk about what they're excited for, and what …

Lynn left behind her hometown village in the Philippines for a housekeeping job in Lebanon at the age of 23. It was only meant to be temporary… until she met Butros, her employer's nephew, and they fell in love. But for …

His whole life, Walid Waked had been told that his great grandfather invented the Arabic typewriter. And then, one day, he learned that another …

Faysal Bibi and his team of palaeontologists have been captivated by this one particular moment that took place in the Abu Dhabi desert seven million …

Ronnie Chatah started giving his walking tours of Beirut in 2008, during a period of stability for the city. He would guide tourists through the …

In 1968, a trio of Palestinian filmmakers began making films about life under Israeli occupation. Almost 15 years and over 90 films later, their film unit became a dominant force in the Arab film industry. But in 1982, …

In October 1960, the walls were closing in for Patrice Lumumba. Months earlier, he had been celebrated as the Congo's first democratically elected …

After their employer abandoned the vessel they was working on, Vikash Mishra and his crew spent nearly three years stuck on a slowly sinking ship off …

Because of what's happening in Palestine this week, we're holding off airing our usual programming. Instead we're going to re-air one of our …

When seafarer Mehmet Gulsen stepped on board the Kenan Mete, he thought he was signing up to a pretty standard 7 month contract, and then he'd be …

Loving Lebanon is one thing; living there is another. Generation after generation, surviving in the homeland sometimes costs too much.

This essay was written and read by Zahra Hankir, and it was originally published in …

Two stories of music getting lost… and then found again. A record producer unearths a Moroccan masterpiece in the back of a dusty electronics shop in Casablanca, sending him on a long and complicated mission to find out …

In 1942, Lebanon's National Museum opened in Beirut, celebrating the country's golden age, and inside, it housed some of the region's most important …

Nagi Daifallah was a young farm worker from Yemen who moved to California in the early 1970s, when he was just 20 years old. He went on to become one …

Over the last half century, as many nations around our region have gained independence or been through regime change, they've have had to ask themselves big questions. Like, what makes our country, our country? What are …

The graceful courtyards of Mexico and Puerto Rico aren't the first places you'd go looking for a secret Islamic history. But a closer look at the …

What happens when somebody dies in a country that's not their home? In the UAE, the answer to that is complicated. This week on Kerning Cultures, …

In 2015, our producer Nadeen Shaker visited the Cairo Genizah in one of Egypt's oldest synagogues. It was the place where, thousands of years ago, …

On August 2nd 1990, the Iraqi military invaded Kuwait City overnight, and its residents woke up to a city under occupation. The only airport was put on lockdown, and the Iraqi military set up checkpoints on the city's …

Ahmed Twaij explores an often-overlooked issue in the Arab world; racism towards Black Arabs. In this episode, he looks at racism in his own community, taking us from his Iraqi roots, through to modern day slurs still …

As 2020 brought us countless examples of injustice and pain, it brought remembrances that we live in a world in need of more - well, work. And that means scrutinising the cities we live in, the homes we rest in, and… …

After the Armenian Genocide, in which over 1.5 million Christians from the Ottoman Empire were killed by the Ottoman government, the main group of Ottoman leaders behind the atrocities were never made to face …

Since 2012, Korean pop culture has captured the imagination of people across the Middle East: from K-pop and K-dramas to Korean language classes and …

We're excited to announce that season 2 of Kerning Cultures starts next week. Each Thursday, we'll be bringing you new stories from around the Middle …

While we're gearing up for our next season, we wanted to share a behind the scenes look at what goes into making our episodes.

Hear Trancing with the …

For his entire life, Maysam has lived in Dubai. His parents are from Syria, a place he hasn't visited since he was a young child. If you ask him, the UAE is his home. But on paper it isn't, and likely never will be. So …

The Palestine Broadcasting Service started airing in 1936, from a brand new transmitter tower in Ramallah. It was a British station in three languages, aimed at promoting the message of the mandate government throughout …

In our day-to-day lives, it's a drink. But for some people, it is not as simple as that. It's a Sufi's spiritual companion, an Emirati's keeper of tradition, and a Yemeni's connection to his homeland. Today, we dive …

The lower west side of Manhattan used to be home to the biggest population of Arab immigrants in the US. In the early 20th century, streets were full …

In 1979, Iftah Ya Simsim - the Arabic version of Sesame Street - aired for the first time. Over the next ten years, the show was loved by children …

Faysal Bibi and his team of palaeontologists have been captivated by this one particular moment that took place in the Abu Dhabi desert seven million …

In 1968, a trio of Palestinian filmmakers began making films about life under Israeli occupation. Almost 15 years and over 90 films later, their film unit became a dominant force in the Arab film industry. But in 1982, …

This week, a special collaboration with one of our all time favourite podcasts: Radiolab. We produced the episode - Lebanon USA - last year, and …

We're heartbroken by what happened in Beirut on Tuesday, August 4. Many of us at the Kerning Cultures team are Lebanese, or have close ties to …

In the 1960s, a college professor and his group of students were determined to build and launch rockets into space. And so, they did. This week, on …

In 1917, a musical prodigy called Zabelle Panosian recorded a song that captured the heartbreak of a generation of Armenian Americans in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. She toured the world, selling thousands of …

For centuries in Egypt, Zar was a music and dance ritual believed to heal women from unwanted spirits that possessed their bodies.  But as time went …

This is the ugly truth: racism and anti-Blackness in the Arab world is a common practice and a subject so taboo that many have convinced themselves that it doesn't even exist. But for those of us who live in these …

Our producer Nadeen Shaker takes us on her own personal journey in trying to discover why she felt excluded because of her hijab. In Egypt, things …

Last year, our producer Darah Ghanem stumbled upon an obscure blog on a nearly forgotten corner of the internet. On it were hundreds of historic …

Last year, our producer Darah Ghanem stumbled upon an obscure blog on a nearly forgotten corner of the internet. On it were hundreds of historic …

We're back! We'll be here with a new episode of Kerning Cultures every Friday this summer. Here's a quick taste of what's to come.

Kerning Cultures is …

All of our lives have changed. In this unprecedented time, we wanted to make something to reflect this moment. So today, our Kerning Cultures …

While we're working on our summer season, we're going to be dropping some bonus episodes into your feed over the next few months. Starting with this one: a special conversation featuring producer Alex Atack, who you've …

This year, we'll be switching to a seasonal release schedule, rather than one episode every two weeks. Hebah explains why.

Support this podcast on …

Today, an update on a story from the Kerning Cultures vault.

The little-known, intertwining of history between Yemen and Vietnam, told through the …

In 1942, Lebanon's National Museum opened in Beirut, celebrating the country's golden age and inside, it housed some of the region's most important …

Today, an update on a story from the Kerning Cultures vault.

Elie was a journalist looking for her next story when she met Ziad at a party in …

Asmaa al-Ghoul was an ambitious young journalist when she started reporting on Gaza – her hometown – for the newspaper she'd dreamed of working for …

On October 17, people in Lebanon hit the streets to call for a new government. The revolution's slogan, “all of them means all of them”, spares no …

His whole life, Walid Waked had been told that his great grandfather invented the Arabic typewriter. And then, one day, he learned that another …

What happens when somebody dies in a country that's not their home? This week on Kerning Cultures, stories about the group of volunteers who help …

Stories from the Middle East, North Africa, and the spaces in between. 

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a …

How do you preserve a language when your government is actively trying to erase it?

Abduweli Ayup is a Uyghur linguist who was trying to stop the Chinese government from replacing Uyghur with Mandarin. He had been …

Ramchandra Tendel arrived to Abu Dhabi from India in 1989, when he was 20. Since, he's been captain of a fishing boat. Last May, the nets he uses to fish were banned in the UAE; they were causing too much harm to fish …

 ٣ شخصيات تروي كيف تأثرت من انفصال جنوب السودان عن الشمال، وتحدثنا عن المعاناة التي خلقت تساؤلات عن معنى الوطن والانتماء.

Three characters share the struggles of living in post-secession Sudan, and how the 2011 split …

Lynn left behind her hometown village in the Philippines for a housekeeping job in Lebanon at the age of 23. It was only meant to be temporary… until she met Butros, her employer's nephew, and they fell in love. But for …

نور، ترى العالم بصوتها

Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

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Two bite-sized stories from the Kerning Cultures vault. First, is there really Halal Cart drama in New York? And, we explore an ancient farming …

We asked women to tell us about their first periods and how it set a tone for how they view their bodies today. A tribute to International Women's Day.

Produced by Shahd Bani Odeh and Darah Ghanem. With editorial support …

In the 1930s, the architect Nasri Khattar tried to completely overhaul the Arabic script – singlehandedly. For the next 47 years, he worked day and …

In 2016, Fadi Boukaram planned to visit 47 American towns named Lebanon by road. Then, in Lebanon South Dakota, he discovered that all these other Lebanons have more in common with the country than anybody realised. …

لينا خطاب وعهد التميمي ٬أسيرتان  محررتان٬ ترويان لنا ظروف التحقيق والاعتقال القاسية٬ كما تحكيان لنا عن معاناة تجاوزت حدود السجن 

Lina Khattab and Ahed Tamimi were arrested as teenagers. Their stories are years apart, but …

In the heart of Lebanon's capital city, Beirut, Hamra Street once stood as one of the preeminent cultural, economic, and intellectual center of Arab …

Often the hijab is perceived as this static, monolithic thing. But of course, it's not that simple – every Muslim woman who chooses to wear, or not …

In part one, we told the story of Faraj Al Baadani's family, which unveiled a little-known history between Yemen and Vietnam. Nearly 40 years later, …

The little-known, intertwining of history between Yemen and Vietnam, told through the lens of a single family. Part one of a story told in two parts.

…

Short stories about passports, visas, and making “home”. And, the KC team challenge themselves to find a place in the world where visas don't matter.

Thank you to Mohamed Somji, Liz Eschauzier, Anna Zacarias and Dylan …

When demolition began on the Plaza Cinema in 2015, something unusual happened; Dubai residents began visiting the site to collect mementos from the …

In 1979, Iftah Ya Simsim - the Arabic version of Sesame Street - aired for the first time. Over the next ten years, the show was loved by children …

“I still believe this is the scariest moment of my entire life. My face is white, I'm shaking and I'm terrified. I'm frozen––I can't do anything.”

In …

Ronnie Chatah started giving his walking tours of Beirut in 2008, during a period of stability for the city. He would guide tourists through the …

It's been two years since our story about Rami and Marinka, the Dutch-Lebanese couple who fell in love over MSN Messenger during the Lebanon-Israel war. Not once, but twice, chance brought them together online, sparking …

Ghada and Ranyah don't know each other, but their stories have a lot in common. When they each married their husbands, everybody around them assumed they'd live happily ever after. But it didn't turn out that way, for …

This year, the Egyptian national football team ended a 28-year streak of bad luck when they qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But their road to the tournament wasn't an easy one. It's a story of heroism, …

Every 10 years, the United States Census counts and categorises every person living in America. But for Middle Easterners in America, there has never been a category option. And now, for the first time, there might be.

…

Elie was a journalist looking for her next story when she met Ziad at a party in Istanbul. Ziad was a Syrian refugee hoping to travel to Europe and …

From Iraq to Texas: a doctor's chronicle of rebuilding life from the ground up as a refugee. (English, dubbed version) 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning …

From Iraq to Texas: a doctor's chronicle of rebuilding life from the ground up as a refugee. (Original, Arabic). 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning …

(Censored) A story of where we're from - when it's not straightforward.

For his entire life, Maysam has lived in Dubai. His parents are from Syria, a place he hasn't visited since he was a young child. If you ask him, …

A mashup from our listening community exploring the literal meanings and experiences of your Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew names. 

Kerning Cultures is a …

"Without the female building block, there will be no security." Ch 2 in our mini-series on women and deradicalisation efforts, in partnership …

"How would you like to remember your son?" Ch 1 in a mini-series on women and deradicalisation. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network …

Ask a Palestinian, ask an Israeli. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a …

'Yasir?' That's too difficult. I'll just call you Tony. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon …

6 years after a revolution, what is it like starting a business in the new Tunisia? 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. …

4,000 miles, a bike trip, an Armenian, a Turk, and a history that doesn't match up. ​​​​​​​

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. …

4 women, and their hijabs. Chapter 2 of a 2-part series. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon …

4 women. And their hijabs. Chapter 1 in a 2-part series, Not Just My Hijab. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this …

Behind the scenes of our startup Kerning Cultures. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon for as …

One man's mission to revive Yemeni coffee for global markets. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on …

A look at (the first) Trump travel ban and its effects. 

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon …

When you're forced to leave your home, what traditions do you take with you? A journey with an Afghani kite fighting master. 

Credit to The Kite Runner film, a 2007 production by Dreamworks Pictures and Paramount …

The year is 1959, and 1 in every 2 babies are dying in childbirth in the United Arab Emirates.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network …

A US election special: meet the Americans of Middle Eastern descent supporting Trump. 

Produced by Hebah Fisher, Razan Alzayani, Fact-checking by …

It's 2011, and Bahrain is a divided society. Can they reconcile?  

Correction: The episode erroneously claims Yacoub is a current member of the Bahrain Foundation for Reconciliation and Civil Discourse; he is only a …

How do you lose a family member in Europe's elusive borders? And as a refugee how do you navigate the world of smugglers when crossing the English Channel? At a time when nations are sealing off their borders, we …

An epic modern love story. He was in Beirut during the Lebanon-Israel war; she was in a small village outside of Rotterdam. They met on MSN Messenger.

Produced by Alex Atack, Razan Alzayani, and Hebah Fisher, with sound …

"No one believed I was moving back to Cairo; it's a jungle there."
Chapter 2 finalises our exploration into Egyptian brain drain.

Featuring guests Sylvia, Alaa Shaker, and Tarek Hosny. Produced by Razan Alzayani and …

What do we owe the places that raised us? Egypt has the highest rate of voluntary emigration in MENA, and we wanted to know why. Chapter 1 in a …

The creative process, deconstructed. This episode we take you behind the scenes to capture raw human talent: the intimate brainstorming, trials, and experimentation of 3 musicians and a poet preparing for a spoken word …

Finding center: physical, spiritual, mentally.

Story I: [0:00-6:57] Finding Yourself in the Reflection of a Horse
Story II: [6:58-13:36] Finding Peace …

Painting Beirut's diaries on its walls. 

Featuring Yazan Halwani and Maria Abunnasr. Produced by Dana Ballout with editorial support by Hebah Fisher. …

Is Dubai the next Silicon Valley of the Middle East? Startup stories from the United Arab Emirates. Featuring Alborz Toofani of Snappcard, Elissa Freiha of WOMENA, and Baher Alhakim of Cloudappers. 

Produced by Hebah …

Egyptian startups: a different kind of revolution.

This episode features Mahmoud Abdelfattah, founder of bkam.com, Con O'Donnell, co-founder and …

Our first episode of Kerning Cultures! Water and electricity cut daily, and yet $400M for startups. Sstarting a company in Lebanon, through the lens …