Mafraj Radio
31 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 7 years ago -In-depth perspective on Yemeni affairs
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Episodes
Senate briefing on the situation in Yemen
April 01, 2017 04:20 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBOn Thursday, March 30, the YPP and the Arab Center for the Promotion of Human Rights hosted an event at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, to discuss the war in Yemen and the role of the United States in the conflict. Events like this are not officially sponsored by members of the US Senate, but are often referred to as "Senate briefings" because they are held primarily for the benefit of Senate staffers. The event was attended by congressional staff, representatives from ...
Mafraj Radio #29: America at war
March 16, 2017 02:12 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBWelcome to the long-awaited fourth season of Mafraj Radio, the official podcast of the Yemen Peace Project. I’m Will Picard. On this episode we’ll discuss America’s role in Yemen’s civil war, and the Trump administration’s efforts to block citizens of Yemen and five other nations from entering the United States. And we’ll meet one of the many Yemeni immigrants who call America home. Read Katherine Zimmerman's recent article on the Critical Threats website. Find some of the resources for la...
Mafraj Radio #28: Wartime Journal bonus episode
October 28, 2016 13:26 - 8 minutes - 7.61 MBWe’ve asked contributors in Yemen to record audio journal entries for us, conveying their own personal experience of Yemen’s ongoing war. Our first two installment featured recordings by an anonymous civil servant living in San’a. That same contributor offers the following reflections on how Yemen’s war has pushed millions of Yemenis into deep poverty, and even starvation. [email protected].
Mafraj Radio #27: Introducing the Wartime Journal
September 26, 2016 13:43 - 13 minutes - 12.9 MBThis episode includes the first two installments in a new recurring feature we're calling the Wartime Journal. We’ve asked contributors in different parts of Yemen to record audio journal entries for us, conveying their own personal experience of Yemen’s ongoing war. Our first journal entry comes from Yemen’s capital, San’a. It was recorded by a young government employee, who chooses not to use her name for fear of retaliation. This contributor provides a remarkable perspective on life in wa...
Mafraj Radio #26: A-WA celebrates Yemenite heritage through music
July 09, 2016 13:45 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBOn this episode of Mafraj Radio, we meet Tair, Liron, and Tagel Haim, three Israeli sisters from a Yemeni Jewish family, who perform Yemenite folk music with a modern twist. Their band, A-WA, released their first video online last year, and have found eager audiences throughout Europe and the US, as well as at home in Israel.
Mafraj Radio #25: UNOCHA update; Can coffee save Yemen?
March 12, 2016 13:56 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBOn this episode, YPP's Hannah Porter speaks with UNOCHA's Jamie McGoldrick about the coordinated response to Yemen's humanitarian catastrophe, and we learn about how Yemeni coffee could play a role in the country’s economic recovery.
Mafraj Radio #24: Crowdfunding and peace-talking
January 09, 2016 13:57 - 26 minutes - 24 MBOn this episode we learn about the UNDP's innovative new model for development in Yemen from project specialist Farah Abdessamad, and speak with journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi about last month's peace talks in Switzerland.
Mafraj Radio #23: Liberated Aden, Ta‘iz under siege
October 21, 2015 14:04 - 22 minutes - 21 MBOn this episode we speak with Sahar Nuraddin, a local humanitarian aid worker in Aden, about how life in the southern port city has changed since Coalition and Resistance forces drove pro-Houthi forces out. We also take a look at the horrific situation in the central highland city of Taiz, where pro-Houthi forces are maintaining an illegal siege, making life almost impossible for local civilians.
Mafraj Radio #22: A conflict retrospective
October 02, 2015 14:05 - 41 minutes - 37.6 MBOn this episode we revisit some of the most important interviews we've broadcast since the beginning of Yemen's internationalized armed conflict in March of this year.
Mafraj Radio #21: al-Hudaydah
August 01, 2015 14:10 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBOn this episode we speak with Dr. Muneer Ahmed, a resident of the Red Sea coastal city of al-Hudaydah, about the local impact of Yemen's ongoing war.
Mafraj Radio #20: San‘a in ruins, bickering in Geneva
June 29, 2015 14:11 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBOn this episode we talk with British-Yemeni activist and journalist Rawan Shaif al-Aghbari about the current situation in San‘a. We also hear about this month's preliminary, UN-backed peace talks in Geneva, from journalists Nawal al-Maghafi and Adam Baron.
Mafraj Radio #19: Alex Potter reports from San‘a
June 14, 2015 14:12 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBOn this short episode we speak with American photojournalist Alex K. Potter, one of the few western journalists reporting from inside Yemen. Alex has been taking extraordinary photographs of life in Yemen for over three years. We featured her series Waiting for Guantanamo in our 2014 Film & Arts Festival.
Mafraj Radio #18: Marib, Saudi politics, and Change Square in photos
May 06, 2015 14:13 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBOn this episode we take a closer look at one of the many front lines in Yemen's civil war(s), the governorate of Marib, where local tribes are fighting to repulse pro-Houthi and pro-Saleh forces. We also talk about the politics behind Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen, and look back at Change Square, four years after Yemen's popular uprising.
Mafraj Radio #17: Yemen’s civil war goes international
April 05, 2015 14:14 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBOn this episode we discuss Yemen's escalating civil war between forces aligned with the Houthi movement and former president 'Ali 'Abdullah Saleh on one side, and Yemen's recently-ousted president 'Abdu Rabu Mansur Hadi and other regional factions on the other. On March 25, a coalition of foreign governments led by Saudi Arabia joined the war, launching hundreds of airstrikes against pro-Houthi and pro-Saleh forces. Hundreds of Yemenis have been killed so far, most of them civilians.
Mafraj Radio #16: 20 Years of Houthi History in 48 Minutes
February 25, 2015 14:14 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBOn the first episode of our third season, we explore the origins and expansion of the Houthi movement, also referred to as Ansar Allah, and we look at how the movement has adjusted to its new-found power, following the fall of Yemen’s government. Get ready for 20 years of Houthi history in 48 minutes! This episode features clips from Mafraj Radio episode 1, which featured interviews with Adam Baron and Madeleine Wells Goldburt, and episode 13, which featured Peter Salisbury and Hussain Albu...
Mafraj Radio Episode 15: UK Strategy, and Reprieve on Multiple Kills
December 10, 2014 14:15 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBOn this episode we speak with Sir Alan Duncan, the British government’s Special Envoy to Yemen, about UK foreign policy and his thoughts on Yemen’s precarious transition. We also talk to Jennifer Gibson, a staff attorney for the London-based NGO Reprieve. Her recently-published report reveals damning details about the American targeted killing program.
Mafraj Radio Episode 14: an accidental war correspondent, and two Yemeni-Americans making a difference
October 29, 2014 14:16 - 26 minutes - 24 MBOn this episode, we speak with journalist Laura Kasinof about her forthcoming memoir, and meet two Yemeni Americans who are working to make a difference in Yemen and beyond.
Mafraj Radio episode 13: President Hadi vs. Ansar Allah
September 16, 2014 14:18 - 22 minutes - 21.2 MBOn this episode we look at the Huthi movement, which is waging a campaign of expansion in northern Yemen, and calling for the fall of the government in San'a.
Mafraj Radio Episode 12: Tracking Leopards and Drones in Yemen
August 15, 2014 14:19 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBOn this episode we speak with American freelance journalist Gaar Adams about protecting Yemen's environment and wildlife, and to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's Jack Searle about reporting on drone strikes and casualties.
Mafraj Radio Episode 11: A new voice for air strike victims
May 28, 2014 14:20 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBOn this episode we learn about the National Organization for Drone Victims, a new network seeking to give voice to the suffering of Yemenis affected by air strikes. We also learn about a program helping Yemeni-American youth in New York express themselves. Since 2002, the US military and CIA have been responsible for a huge number of air strikes inside Yemen, targeting members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. At least 15% of those killed in the strikes have been civilians. Because the...
Mafraj Radio Episode 10: Remembering al-Karamah, Panel Discussion
March 18, 2014 14:21 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBOn this special episode, we mark the third anniversary of the day known as Jum‘at al-Karamah, or the Friday of Dignity, on which regime forces massacred unarmed protesters in San‘a’s Change Square. The massacre, which is powerfully documented in the Oscar-nominated film Karama Has No Walls, became a turning point in the Yemeni Revolution of 2011. We’re screening films about the Revolution as part of our inaugural International Film & Arts Festival. At last weekend’s Festival event in ...
Mafraj Radio Episode 9: Yemen's humanitarian crisis, human rights issues, and al-Mahrah's experiment in democracy
February 24, 2014 14:22 - 37 minutes - 34.5 MBOn this episode we discuss Yemen’s dire humanitarian crisis with UNOCHA’s Trond Jensen. We also get a rundown of key human rights issues from Belkis Wille, Yemen researcher for Human Rights Watch, and learn about an exciting experiment in local democracy taking place in al-Mahrah, Yemen’s easternmost governorate. UPDATE: The second segment of this episode, my interview with Belkis Wille of Human Rights Watch, includes a short discussion on the international community’s repeated threats of s...
Mafraj Radio Episode 8: Revisiting al-Hirak, and meeting the future of Yemeni music
November 11, 2013 14:24 - 26 minutes - 24.8 MBOn this episode we talk with journalist Iona Craig about the complex reality of the Southern Movement, and we meet Ahmed Alshaiba, a young Yemeni ‘oud player who wants to change the future of Yemeni music.
Mafraj Radio Episode 7: Inside Guantanamo, and Remembering Ibrahim
September 25, 2013 14:25 - 22 minutes - 21.2 MBOn this episode, we speak to attorney David Remes, who represents a number of Yemenis imprisoned at the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, about his clients and the larger political context surrounding Guantanamo. We also remember Ibrahim Mothana, a young Yemeni activist who continues to inspire his colleagues in Yemen and people around the world.
Mafraj Radio Episode 6: US Intelligence, Addressing the Water Crisis, and Celebrating Ramadan
August 18, 2013 14:25 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBOn this episode, we get an inside look at the US intelligence system with journalist and former intelligence analyst Joshua Foust, we discuss Yemen’s water crisis with UNDP advisor Walid ‘Ali, and we learn about Ramadan traditions from the creator of Yemen Kitchen, Wigdan al-Guneid.
Mafraj Radio Episode 5: NDC update & living in the dark
June 26, 2013 14:27 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBOn this episode, we get an update on the progress of the National Dialogue Conference from NDC youth delegate Baraa Shiban and analyst Fernando Carvajal, and we talk with journalist Iona Craig about Yemen’s electricity crisis. Our interview with Baraa also touches on the issue of the continued illegal detention of revolutionary activists.
Mafraj Radio Episode 4: The Foreign Press Corps
May 26, 2013 14:28 - 23 minutes - 22.1 MBThis episode features highlights from a conversation with journalists Jeb Boone (Global Post, CSM), Tom Finn (The Yemen Times, The Guardian), and Laura Kasinof (The New York Times), about their experiences in Yemen–which include covering the 2011 uprising–and their observations on contemporary journalism.
Interview with Farea al-Muslimi
April 23, 2013 14:29 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBEpisode 3 featured an excerpt from an interview we recorded last month with writer and activist Farea al-Muslimi. Because the interview contained much more valuable material than we could fit into a single segment, we decided to post the full interview here. We start off with Farea’s reflections on recent visits to the embattled southern province of Abyan. After that, we discuss Farea’s personal connection to the United States, and his views on US policy toward Yemen.
Mafraj Radio Episode 3
April 20, 2013 14:30 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBIn this episode we take our first look at the efforts of the international community in Yemen, a subject we’ll come back to in several future episodes. The first segment features an interview with the UK’s ambassador to Yemen, Mr. Nicholas Hopton, who summarizes for us his government’s role in the country’s affairs. This is followed by a chat with Ms. Kate Nevens of Saferworld, who talks about the non-governmental side of things. The episode wraps up with an excerpt from an interview with Y...
Mafraj Radio Episode 2
April 02, 2013 14:30 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBIn the second episode of Mafraj Radio, we take a look back at the Youth Revolution of 2011 with Ibrahim Mothana, and go inside the long-awaited National Dialogue Conference with a member of the Youth delegation, Baraa Shiban. We also get an update on the situation in ‘Aden from activist ‘Alaa Isam.
Mafraj Radio episode #1
February 27, 2013 14:31 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBWelcome to the home of the new YPP podcast, Mafraj Radio! Our podcast will cover contemporary political, social, and cultural affairs in Yemen and the Yemeni diaspora from a range of sources and perspectives. On this episode, the history of the Houthi movement and the Southern independence movement.