Reviving Hamra Street

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.

Not Just My Hijab

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.

Faraj, Part II: The USA

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.

Faraj, Part I: Saigon to Sana'a

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.

78 Degrees North

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.

A Cinema, Demolished

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.

Open Sesame

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.

The Descent

-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.

The Things That Can't Speak

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.

Update: Love in 56KB

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.