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 continue to grow at the Kerning Cultures Network. 

Help us understand you better by filling this short survey linked below, it won’t take more than 5 minutes. We promise you a cookie next we see you. Thank you! 

https://2ecvc26t60m.typeform.com/to/BW4yRgUt

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 exceptional Arabs from around the world and their journey to the top, from comedians and entrepreneurs to musicians and media mavericks. This season of al empire, we’re also releasing the full uncut video episodes online.

In this episode, we sit down with Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and actor Mo Amer.

Mo always knew he wanted to be a comedian, and he has turned that life-long passion into an incredible career in stand-up, TV, film, and many other mediums. The star of Mo, Ramy, DC’s Black Adam, and many Netflix specials like The Vagabond sits down with Dana Ballout to kick off Season 3 of al empire. They discuss his early years as a Palestinian refugee in Houston, TX, touring comedy clubs in post-9/11 America, and how he hopes to “influence the culture” with his art.

This episode is hosted by Dana Ballout. Produced by Finbar Anderson and Alex Atack with additional support from Ahmed Ashour. Edited by Alex Atack and Ahmed Ashour. Research and fact checking by Deena Sabry. Sound design by Monzer El-Hachem. 

Special thanks to Majd Bani Odeh, and Quincy at Sacred Stone Media in Houston, Texas.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After finally reaching Europe, Aizen was back in jail. He had calculated that the journey from Afghanistan to France would take three months. But more than two years later, he was somewhere completely different. Then, finally, his luck started to turn.

This episode was produced by Al Shaibani and edited by Alex Atack and Dana Ballout, with editorial support from Heba El-Sherif. Fact checking was by Eman Elsherif and Deena Sabry, and sound design was by Monzer El Hachem and Paul Alouf. Artwork by Ahmad Salhab. Our team also includes Zeina Dowidar, Nadeen Shaker and Finbar Anderson.

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $2 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 at the time of their imprisonment, people around the world stood either in support of their freedom, or in favor of their confinement. As teenagers, they rose to fame – at the expense of their childhood.

Special Thanks to Ahed Tamimi and her family, Lina Khattab, Tala Halawa, Hassan Abdelhalim, Ramz Bsharat, Mahmoud Khawaja, Lema Nazeeh, and Tiba Hameed.

Produced by Shahd Bani Odeh and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. 

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 world. Hamra Street housed journalists, politicians, and leaders who were exiled from other nations, and was the site of inception for opposition movements. But after the Lebanese Civil War, the district never quite recovered.

Yazan Halwani works to preserve the fading history of Hamra Street in his wall-sized street murals. His signature style combines Arabic calligraphy with portraits of Lebanese and other Arab figures – from world-famous recording artists to resident street urchins. While reflecting the storied histories of Beirut's streets onto themselves, Halwani hopes that he can bring back the spirit that once inhabited neighborhoods like Hamra Street.

This episode was originally aired in 2015.

Produced by Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher, sound design by Ramzi Bashour. Special thanks to Yazan Halwani, Maria Abunasr, music by Khaled el Habr شارع الحمرا and Sabah جيب المجوز يا عبود. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 to wear the hijab has a different understanding and experience of it, and in these stories we're going to dig into some of that grey area. In this episode, we hear two women from different parts of the world share their relationships with their hijab. 

This story was originally broadcast in 2017.

Special thanks to Dana Ballout and Hakaya Storytelling for the inspiration for this episode. 

This episode was produced by Razan Alzayani, Lilly Crown, and Hebah Fisher. Sound design and original composition by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, Faraj continues his family's migration, this time farther West as he moves from Yemen to the USA. In Part Two, a story of modern Arab migration that is different from our parents. 

Thank you to Faraj and his family for being so open and warm with us despite us poking around in their family history. To Adam Sjoberg who directed the film Shake The Dust that features Faraj and other amazing breakdancers from around the world. And to all the Yemeni scholars and researchers who helped us unpack some of the complex history, especially Najwa Adra, Hasan Al Ansi, and Jon Swanson.

This epiosde was produced by Dana Ballout and Alex Atack with editorial support from Hebah Fisher. With thanks to Faraj Al Baadani, Fatimah Ahmad Mohammed, Linh Smith, Frank Smith, Najwa Adra, Jon Swanson, Hasan al Ansi, and Adam Sjoberg. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Thank you to Faraj and his family for being so open and warm with us despite us poking around in their family history. To Adam Sjoberg who directed the film Shake The Dust that features Faraj and other amazing breakdancers from around the world. And to all the Yemeni scholars and researchers who helped us unpack some of the complex history, especially Najwa Adra, Hasan Al Ansi, and Jon Swanson.

Part I was produced by Dana Ballout and Alex Atack, with editorial support from Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Fitzgerald for sharing their short stories of living in the UAE.

This episode was produced by Alex Atack with Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When demolition began on the Plaza Cinema in 2015, something unusual happened; Dubai residents began visiting the site to collect mementos from the building's rubble. The cinema was almost as old as the UAE itself – a place which many people held an emotional connection to. In this episode, a story about a cinema that was much more than just a cinema.

Find out more about the Plaza Cinema here.

Thank you to everybody who spoke to us for this story; Lachman Bhatia, Ausaf Ali Raja, Yasser Elsheshtawy, Butheina Kazim, Hind Mezaina, Ammar Al Attar and Hassan Kamal.

Produced by Alex Atack and Vinita Bharadwaj, with editorial support from Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 across the Arab world, until 1990, when the show was pulled off the air as a result of the Gulf War.

But Ammar Al Sabban, a young boy growing up watching the show in Jeddah, never forgot the impact his favourite characters had on him.

In this episode, a little boy's dream to become his favourite Muppet, and the making of a show that revolutionised children's television.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“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 July 2016, Toufic Abou Nader set off on a journey to the bottom of the Krubera cave––the deepest cave in the world.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 city, telling stories of Phoenician ruins, French architecture and Ottoman houses. He'd also talk about Lebanon's civil war, and the political unrest that came to follow it. But these were stories about other people, other eras and other lives. Until December of 2013, when Ronnie's personal life was sucked into the tapestry of Beirut's history.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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: the physical and mental toll of travelling so far from home begins to weigh heavy.

This episode was produced by Al Shaibani and edited by Alex Atack and Dana Ballout, with editorial support from Heba El-Sherif. Fact checking was by Eman Elsherif and Deena Sabry, and sound design was by Monzer El Hachem and Paul Alouf. Artwork by Ahmad Salhab. Our team also includes Zeina Dowidar, Nadeen Shaker and Finbar Anderson.

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $2 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 an epic modern love story. Since we last spoke, a lot has changed for them. In this episode, we check back in to see where their lives are now.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 either of them. They were both left to rebuild new identities as single women in the Middle East as they raised their families alone. In this episode, we hear their stories of divorce, and what came next.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, revolution and disappointment. This week on Kerning Cultures, how the Pharaohs ended their curse.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 apply for asylum. Elie asked Ziad if she could follow him to Norway, his final destination, and document the journey. He said yes. So commences their odyssey together... and the beginning of a journey neither could have anticipated.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(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, the UAE is his home. But on paper it isn't, and likely never will be. So what happens when the only place you know as home in your heart can't be your home forever?

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Without the female building block, there will be no security." Ch 2 in our mini-series on women and deradicalisation efforts, in partnership with Women's Advancement Deeply.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘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 through this dangerous network of human traffickers.

This episode was produced by Al Shaibani and edited by Alex Atack and Dana Ballout, with editorial support from Heba El-Sherif. Fact checking was by Eman Elsherif and Deena Sabry, and sound design was by Monzer El Hachem and Paul Alouf. Artwork by Ahmad Salhab. Our team also includes Zeina Dowidar, Nadeen Shaker and Finbar Anderson.

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $2 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 for as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Behind the scenes of our startup Kerning Cultures. 

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘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, was imprisoned in one of the worst adult prisons in the world. All for a crime he didn’t commit. In this four part series, we’re following Aizen’s journey as he leaves his childhood in Afghanistan behind for what he hopes will be a better life in Europe.

This episode was produced by Al Shaibani and edited by Alex Atack and Dana Ballout, with editorial support from Heba El-Sherif. Fact checking was by Eman Elsherif and Deena Sabry, and sound design was by Monzer El Hachem and Paul Alouf. Artwork by Ahmad Salhab. Our team also includes Zeina Dowidar, Nadeen Shaker and Finbar Anderson.

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $2 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Classics, for some of the audio we used. 

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Produced by Hebah Fisher, Razan Alzayani, Fact-checking by Lilly Crown, with sound design by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 supporter of their efforts.

Produced by Hebah Fisher, Razan Alzayani, and Lilly Crown, with sound design by Ramzi Bashour. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 explore the nuances of migration, border ambiguity and smuggling in this episode of Kerning Cultures.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 design by Ramzi Bashour. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"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 Hebah Fisher, with editorial support and sound design by Ramzi Bashour. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 two-part series on emigration from Egypt.

Featuring guests Ahmed Yossef, Abdelrahman Erlebach, and Iman Dawood. Produced by Hebah Fisher, Razan Alzayani, and Lilly Crown, with editorial support and sound design by Ramzi Bashour. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 performance. What's more, is this is the first time the group has ever come together to play. Listen as they find their groove and harmonise in a beautiful ascension you never typically are privy to.

Featuring Maruan Betawi, Farah Chamma, Ahmad Molham Makki, and Eleftheria Togia. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 in a Hula Hoop
Story III: [13:37-26:37] Reconciling Islam and Astronomy

Featuring Kelly Eide, Teeba Alkhudairi, and Nidhal Guessum

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 exporter of organic olive oil to learn all about the liquid gold that graces dinner tables around the globe. And it’s not where you’d expect.

This episode was produced by Zeina Dowidar and edited by Dana Ballout. Fact checking by Deena Sabry and sound design by Youssef Douazou. Our team also includes Alex Atack, Nadeen Shaker and Finbar Anderson.

Kaia Olive Oil is on Instagram at @worldofkaia and at worldofkaia.com.

You can find a transcript for this episode at our website: kerningcultures.com/kerningcultures.

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $2 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Painting Beirut's diaries on its walls. 

Featuring Yazan Halwani and Maria Abunnasr. Produced by Dana Ballout with editorial support by Hebah Fisher. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Fisher. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Egyptian startups: a different kind of revolution.

This episode features Mahmoud Abdelfattah, founder of bkam.com, Con O'Donnell, co-founder and BizDev Lead at Rise Up Summit, Gamal Sadek, co-founder of Bey2ollak, and Dina Sherif, co-founder of Ahead of the Curve. Produced by Hebah Fisher. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.