Behind the Scenes: Zar and Zabelle

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 Zars here, and Zabelle here.
This behind the scenes episode was produced by Alex Atack with Zeina Dowidar and Nadeen Shaker. Editing by Dana Ballout, and mixing 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.

Update: Where the Heart Is

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 do you do when your home can-t be your home forever?
This episode was originally broadcast in March 2018, and last week we called Maysam up to hear what-s changed for him since the story aired.
This episode was produced by Hebah Fisher and Alex Atack, with editorial support by Dana Ballout, Percia Verlin, Laura Saab, Razan Alzayani, and Jackie Sofia. Sound design by Alex Atack and Fady Garas. Mixing by Mohamad Khreizat.
Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

Jerusalem Calling

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 the region. But over the following decades, as Palestine saw political upheavals, bloody conflicts and power shifts, the radio station found itself in the middle of it all... and became a unique capsule of the events that lead up to the Nakba.
This episode was produced by Shahd Bani-Odeh, Alex Atack and Darah Ghanem, with editorial support from Dana Ballout, Nadeen Shaker, Tamara Rasamny, Zeina Dowidar and Dina Salem. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar and Dina Salem. Sound design by Alex Atack and mixing 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.

More Than A Buzz

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 into three stories about coffee, exploring the tradition, culture, and spirituality of this simple bean.
This episode was produced by Noon Salih, with editorial support from Alex Atack, Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar, Nadeen Shaker, and Dina Salem. Fact-checking by Dina Salem. Sound design by Alex Atack and mixing 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.

Little Syria

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 of people speaking Arabic, with street vendors selling ka-ak, storefront baklava displays; this was New York-s -Little Syria-. Today though, it-s all gone.
This week on Kerning Cultures, America-s first Arab neighbourhood, and the final attempts to save it.
This episode was produced by Hager Eldaas, with editorial support from Tamara Rasamny, Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar, Alex Atack and Nadeen Shaker. Fact-checking by Dina Salem and Zeina Dowidar. Sound design and mixing by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.
Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures 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.
This week, a little boy-s dream to become his favourite Muppet, and the making of a show that revolutionised children-s television.
This episode originally aired in September 2018.
Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Elephants in the Desert

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 years ago. This week, a journey back to a time before the desert was the desert... when elephants, crocodiles and monkeys reigned supreme in the UAE.
This episode was produced by Alex Atack, with editorial support from Dana Ballout, Nadeen Shaker, Tamara Rasamny and Zeina Dowidar. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar and Dina Salem. Sound design by Alex Atack and mixing by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.
Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

The Missing Archives

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, their film reels disappeared. Overnight, decades of footage and thousands of hours of archives were gone. Today on Kerning Cultures, the search for the Palestinian Film Unit-s lost archives.
For the list of films and other resources mentioned in this episode, visit our blog: https://kerningcultures.com/kerned-and-cultured/palestinian-film-unit
This episode was produced by Zeina Dowidar, with editorial support from Alex Atack, Nadeen Shaker, Tamara Rasamny, Dana Ballout, and Hebah Fisher. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Sound design and mixing by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.
Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

Lebanon, USA 2.0

This week, a special collaboration with one of our all time favourite podcasts: Radiolab. We produced the episode - Lebanon USA - last year, and Radiolab have taken that original story and elevated it to a whole new level.
This is a story of a road trip. After a particularly traumatic Valentine-s Day, Fadi Boukaram was surfing google maps and noticed that there was a town called Lebanon... in Oregon. Being Lebanese himself, he wondered, how many Lebanons exist in the US? The answer: 47. Thus began his journey-to visit them all and find an America he-d never expected, and the homeland he-d been searching for all along.
The original -Lebanon USA- story was produced by Alex Atack with editorial support from Bella Ibrahim, Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.
The new update of the story was produced and produced by Shima Oliaee and Jad Abumrad, with original music by Thomas Koner and Jad Atoui.
Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

How to Help Beirut

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 Beirut. So we-re taking a break from publishing our episode this week. Instead, we-d like to use this platform to ask you to consider donating what you can to relief efforts like the Lebanese Red Cross. You can find a more thorough list of resources on our blog by clicking here.