Status/الوضع
269 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 30 ratingsA critical, collaborative, and independent monthly Audio Journal combining analysis, reporting, and satire, comprised mainly of hard-hitting interviews/conversations, on-the-scene reports, reviews, informed commentary, and readings on the Middle East and beyond.
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Episodes
"El Haraga" Read Through Maghrebi Literary Production
April 15, 2019 11:00 - 44 minutes - 80.8 MBOmar Shanti, who won the Young Writer’s Prize sponsored by the MedReset Project, which is primarily funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programmem speaks about MedReset, the lessons of his own research, and the implications for further exploration into the topic of Maghrebi migration into Europe and the European Union. This interview is in partnership with the MedReset Project (http://www.medreset.eu/)
Quick Thoughts: Hugh Roberts on Algeria’s Ongoing Protests
April 08, 2019 04:00 - 31 minutes - 53.8 MBIn this interview recorded on 1 April 2019, Jadaliyya Co-editor Mouin Rabbani interviews Hugh Roberts, Professor of North African and Middle Eastern History at Tufts University, as Algerian mass protests extend into their eighth week. Roberts is a leading commentator and scholar of Algeria. His most recent works include The Battlefield: Algerian 1988-2002. Studies In A Broken Polity (Verso 2003). The interview covers a wide range of issues, including the most recent developments in the pro...
Black 4 Palestine: Kristian Davis Bailey's Experience in the Solidarity Movement
April 01, 2019 04:00 - 41 minutes - 75.2 MBKristian Davis Bailey has been a critical node in the renewals of Black-Palestinian solidarity well before the Ferguson-Gaza moment in summer 2014. First in his capacity as a student journalist and activist at Stanford and later as an independent journalist as well as an organizer globally. In this interview with Noura Erakat, he discusses a few of his recent projects including Blacks 4 Palestine, organizing delegations from Palestine to the United States as well as to Palestinian refugees c...
Syrian Filmmaker Talal Derki's "Of Fathers Of Sons"
March 26, 2019 16:14 - 36 minutes - 49.6 MBSyrian filmmaker Talal Derki speaks about his award-winning film, Of Fathers of Sons, which won the prize this year at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.
Decolonizing Tunisia's Decolonization
March 18, 2019 04:00 - 38 minutes - 70.3 MBDuring the mid-1950s, an almost unknown and erased-from-history armed anti-colonial revolt – the Fellaga/Youssefite rebellion – rippled across the Tunisian countryside, sweeping across the width and depth of the country, even penetrating urban cores. Max Ajl's dissertation, "Farmers, Fellaga, and Frenchmen: National Liberation and Post-Colonial Development in Tunisia", recovers the historical memory of that revolt, writing the armed struggle and its repression into the history of the Tunis...
The Story of Saudi 18-Year Old Rahaf Mohamed and Why it Turned Global
March 13, 2019 03:44 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBIn January, an 18 year-old Saudi woman, Rahaf Mohammad Al Qunun, sparked international attention when she took on to social media, as she barricaded herself in a hotel room in Bangkok, to stop Thai Authorities from deporting her back to her home country. Rahaf had left her family to seek asylum abroad. She said her life was in danger and that her abusive family escalated her mistreatment after she declared herself an Atheist. Rahaf eventually made it to Canada where she was granted asylum. ...
Women and the War in Yemen: Actors or Victims?
March 04, 2019 05:00 - 22 minutes - 41.5 MB[Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East & North Africa, VOMENA] In a recent Sanaa Review article, journalist Sahar Abdo describes how the current war in Yemen introduced space for women that was frowned upon in the past. She talks about a subtle challenging of taboos, women being much more present in public spaces, or taking on jobs they did not do in the past. In most conflicts, women are grouped with children, they are categorized among the most vulnerable groups. This designation erase...
Understanding Anti-Government Sentiment and Protests in Sudan (Part II)
February 25, 2019 05:00 - 51 minutes - 70.2 MB[Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, VOMENA] In the second part of the conversation with VOMENA, Khalid Medani of McGill University goes into greater detail about regional and international response to the protests in Sudan, the role of women and the future of the uprising.
Anti-Government Sentiment and Protests in Sudan (Part I)
February 18, 2019 05:00 - 58 minutes - 80.6 MB[Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, VOMENA] Nearly three decades after Omar Al Bashir came to power, the Sudanese regime is facing a formidable challenge posed by a fresh wave of unrest, which started in the northeastern city of Atbara on December 19. Protests which first erupted over a government decision to triple the price of bread have swiftly escalated into anti-government rallies, marches and work stoppages that have rocked several cities and towns. Who are the...
Inside Nadine Labaki's Oscar-Nominated Film "Capernaum"
February 11, 2019 05:00 - 36 minutes - 50.5 MB[Courtesy of Voices of Middle East and North Africa, VOMENA] VOMENA host Malihe Razazan speaks with award-winning Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki about her latest film, Capernaum (@capharnaumfilm). Capernaum won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 and is nominated for the 2019 Academy Awards, in the foreign language film category.
Experiencing UCLA's National Students for Justice in Palestine Conference
February 04, 2019 05:00 - 6 minutes - 12.7 MBJohn Kallas interviews NYU SJP member Ben Zinevich on his experience at the UCLA National Students for Justice in Palestine / Palestinian Youth Movement conference.
Interpreting Islam in China Q&A
January 31, 2019 05:00 - 20 minutes - 38.2 MBDr. Kristian Petersen is Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies. He is the author of, "Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab", published by Oxford University Press, 2017. He is currently working on a monograph entitled, "The Cinematic Lives of Muslims". He is the host of the New Books in Religion and New Books in Islamic Studies podcasts.
Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab
January 28, 2019 23:19 - 44 minutes - 81.4 MBDr. Kristian Petersen is Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University in the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies. He is the author of, "Interpreting Islam in China: Pilgrimage, Scripture, and Language in the Han Kitab", published by Oxford University Press, 2017. He is currently working on a monograph entitled, "The Cinematic Lives of Muslims". He is the host of the New Books in Religion and New Books in Islamic Studies podcasts.
Panel 6: Human Security in the New Middle East
November 19, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBThis conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizat...
Panel 5: Regional and International Competition in the New Middle East
November 15, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBThis conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizat...
Panel 4: Syria and Iraq
November 12, 2018 17:00 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBThis conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizat...
Panel 3: Art & Culture in the New Middle East
November 08, 2018 05:00 - 48 minutes - 66.7 MBThis conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizat...
Panel 2: The Future of Political Islam
November 05, 2018 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBThis conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizat...
Panel 1: The Arab World Post-Uprisings
November 01, 2018 16:00 - 1 hour - 92.5 MBThis conference was organized by CNES faculty affiliates James Gelvin, Aomar Boum and Kevan Harris together with CNES faculty director, Aslı Bâli. The conference was conceived to assess the changes in the Middle East from the Iraq invasion through the Arab uprisings that have altered the regional balance of power, called into question the viability of some existing states and led to the emergence and proliferation of both violent non-state actors and new civil society movements and organizat...
Tadween Talks: The Political Theology of Isis
October 29, 2018 16:00 - 37 minutes - 85.1 MBIn 2017, Dr. Ahmad Dallal published a primer on ISIS, entitled The Political Theology of ISIS: Prophets, Messiahs, and the "Extinction of the Grayzone." In August 2018, Tadween Publishing's managing editor, Kylie Broderick, spoke to him about the ongoing significance of the book, the study of ISIS and its animating principles, whether such studies remain relevant given ISIS' loss of territoriality, what interested Dr. Dallal in pursuing an understanding of this group, and more. This interv...
Israel, Human Rights Watch, and the Nation State Law
October 22, 2018 04:00 - 31 minutes - 72.3 MBBassam Haddad spoke with Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch, about Israel’s deportation order against him and the challenge HRW mounted in Israeli courts to this decision and the draconian law it is based on. The two also discussed Israel’s passage of the Nation State Law, enshrining Jewish supremacy over Palestinians as a constitutional mandate, and how shifting regional dynamics may impact the human rights situation on the ground.
Poetry and the Inner World: An Interview With Amarji [AR]
October 18, 2018 04:00 - 31 minutes - 58.4 MBOn this episode of In Their Own Voices, Status host Osama Esber speaks with poet Amarji (Rami Youness), a poet and translator who lives in Syria. August 25th, 2018 | Arabic
Complimentary Rap Battle with Al-Darwish [AR]
October 15, 2018 04:00 - 39 minutes - 90.9 MBRapper and Producer Hani al-Sawah (aka Al-Darwish) talks about his first complimentary rap battle, against Synaptik, that took place in The Arena ME Beirut. Tracks sampled in this interview: اسامينا زمن المسخ Interviewed by Mohammed Ali-Nayel June 16th 2018 | Arabic
Reverberations of the Arab Spring
October 11, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 212 MBAssistant Director of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at Northwestern University, interviews author Gilbert Achcar on the subject of the continuing consequences of the Arab Spring and Achcar's most recent book, Morbid Symptoms. Recorded July 10, 2018 at After-Words Books in Chicago. Courtesy of Midwest Socialist and Northwestern University.
The Arena: The Middle East's First Official Rap Battle League
October 08, 2018 04:00 - 54 minutes - 125 MBRapper and Producer Nasser Shorbaji (aka Chyno) unpacks the Middle East's 1st official Rap Battle League in Beirut.
A Rising Syrian Singer in Exile: Hamsa Mounif's Search for a Future Away from War [AR]
October 02, 2018 16:29 - 27 minutes - 62.7 MBBetween Damascus and London, Hamsa Mounif, a rising Syrian singer, has established a lot in a short period of time. She participated in several concerts both in Syria and around the world. She left Syria to England looking for better opportunities. She is trying to survive there, despite nostalgia and homesickness. Interviewed by Raghad Al Makhlouf July 23rd, 2018 | Arabic
Lubana Quntar: The Story of a Syrian Opera Singer in Exile
October 02, 2018 15:51 - 53 minutes - 121 MBStatus host Raghad Al Makhlouf speaks with Lubana Al Quntar, a Syrian opera singer from Suwayda (a Druze stronghold south of Damascus), who had to flee the country because of her political opinions. Al Quntar has lived in the United States since 2011 and describes the difficulties and challenges she faced both personally and professionally in this transition.
Jihad Abdo & Fadia Affash: The Journey of Two Syrian Artists in Exile [AR]
July 30, 2018 13:00 - 53 minutes - 121 MBFighting for freedom and justice in Syria, Jihad Abdo and Fadia Affash had to flee their country and start from scratch in the United States. Jihad, a well-known actor in Syria, began as a pizza delivery man, but was soon recognized for his talents as an actor and landed leading roles in films such as "The Queen of the Desert" and "A Hologram for the King". Fadia Affash, a painter and activist, recounts the challenges of their journey together, while recognizing the important impact those ...
No Turning Back: Life, Loss and Hope in Wartime Syria
July 23, 2018 13:00 - 48 minutes - 66.6 MBAward-winning journalist Rania Abu Zeid has made countless trips inside Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Washington, and several European towns and cities to cover the Syrian uprising and the deadly civil and proxy war that ensued and destroyed tens of millions of lives. Rania Abouzeid joins Status and VOMENA host Malihe Razazan to talk about her new book, "No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria". Interviewed by Malihe Razazan | June 22nd, 2018 Courtesy of Voices of the ...
From Home to Exile: An Actor's Journey after 18 months in Syrian Detention [AR]
July 16, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 153 MBThe interview is a dialogue with Ahmad Kiki, a Syrian young actor, who graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syria. Two years after his graduation, Kiki found himself in a prison, arrested because he stood up for freedom and justice in Syria. In this interview, Kiki recounts a painful story about fleeing from Syria to Turkey in a dangerous trip he had to make by sea. Even so, this journey of fear and suffering fortunately has a happy ending.
A Profile of The Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship
July 02, 2018 04:00 - 30 minutes - 70.1 MBIn a conversation with Status host and Jadaliyya editor Kylie Broderick, Dr. Dina El Khawaga speaks to 20 years of the Asfari Institute for Civil Society & Citizenship's initatives in the Middle East and North Africa. "[...] Usually we talk about civil society as a victim, and we want to do the contrary. We want always to underline the fact that there are a lot of success stories that we forget to tell about civil society and civil initiatives," says Dr. El Khawaga. For more content from t...
From Home to Exile: An Actor's Journey after 18 months in Syrian Detention [AR]
June 25, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 153 MBThe interview is a dialogue with Ahmad Kiki, a Syrian young actor, who graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus, Syria. Two years after his graduation, Kiki found himself in a prison, arrested because he stood up for freedom and justice in Syria. In this interview, Kiki recounts a painful story about fleeing from Syria to Turkey in a dangerous trip he had to make by sea. Even so, this journey of fear and suffering fortunately has a happy ending.
Competing for Iraq’s Future
June 19, 2018 02:31 - 1 hour - 123 MBWhat were the primary concerns of Iraqis in the run up to the election and who were the main protagonists contending for power? What does the outcome mean to both regional and international actors? To answer these questions, Vomena’s Shahram Aghamir spoke with Loulouwa Al Rachid, who has been conducting research on Iraq and the Gulf region for the past 20 years. She argues that the elections highlighted the wide and dangerous gap between rulers and the ruled in Iraq by reflecting massive pop...
Skipping Words & Returning Melodies with Mme Chandelier
May 21, 2018 11:00 - 40 minutes - 92.5 MBMeet Lebanese composer, producer and guitarist for the band Kinematik, Anthony Sahyoun or Mme Chandelier. Rather, Anthony Sahyoun with Mme Chandelier. The two are interchangeable - the same person, yet two sides to the same coin. February 22nd, 2018 | English Interviewed by Paola C. Messina
Scores of Palestinians Killed, Thousands Injured by Israeli Army As Protests Continue
May 17, 2018 17:18 - 5 minutes - 5.1 MBJadaliyya Co-Editor and Status Host Noura Erakat spoke to British Radio about Israel's violent and lethal response to demonstrations and protests by Palestinians in Gaza, as the US Embassy in Jerusalem opens. "We are 70 years ongoing of this same cyclical story and, in order to break that cycle, we need to take an unequivocal and brave stance that everybody deserves freedom. Everybody deserves equality... It is unfortunate Palestinians pay the price for lessons we don't learn," said Eraka...
ٍSyrian Art in American Exile and The Quest for Freedom [AR]
May 17, 2018 11:00 - 39 minutes - 90.7 MBلقاء مع الفنانة التشكيلية السورية عتاب حريب المقيمة في اميريكا, يتناول اللقاء مجموعة اسئلة عن الوطن والمنفى, عن رحلة البحث عن الحرية داخل وخارج الوطن. تحدثنا عتاب عن تجربتها الخاصة في سوريا واميريكا, عن الاحلام و الخذلان. يتطرق الحوار أيضا الى سياسات ادارة الرئيس الاميريكي ترامب تجاه الاجئين و الاثر الذي تركته هذه السياسيات في حياة عتاب و حياة السوريين بشكل عام. March 8th, 2018 | Arabic Interviewed by Raghad Almakhlouf Music in this episode by Ollie North "Arabesque I".
Waraq: A Home for the Arts on Fountain of Yoghurt Street
May 14, 2018 11:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MBCirca 2012, a refurbished house in the Beiruti neighborhood of Ras El Nabeh became a space for practitioners and lovers of the visual arts. A collective - of those looking to practice, connect and exchange experiences on everything from printmaking to animation - was formed. David Habchy, one of the founders of the NGO and a Lebanese multimedia artist, describes WARAQ as a space that allows for a deeper experimentation of artistic processes and a challenge to the idea of the artist as an i...
"The Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow": Lebanon's 'Chaos Fiction' Film
May 10, 2018 11:00 - 38 minutes - 88.3 MBA young filmmaker investigates the legend of 'Manivelle', an automaton gifted to Lebanon in 1945 that still haunts an abandoned mansion in Beirut. After being coaxed back into the limelight, the people who knew him come forward to speak out and the myth that 'Manivelle' has constructed around himself starts to unravel. This is the synopsis of "The Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow" (آخر أيّام رجل الغَد). Status Host Paola Messina sat down with Fadi Baki in his home in Beirut to talk about t...
The Study of Manuscripts & Its Importance for Research on Islamic Literature and Culture
May 07, 2018 11:00 - 43 minutes - 100 MBMuhammad Isa Waley discusses his experience working for over four decades with manuscripts from the Islamic world and provides a broad, rich overview of the study of Islamic manuscripts from various eras and regions in this lecture at George Mason University. Hosted by the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies February 6th, 2018 | English
A Jack of All Trades in Beirut's Independent Music Scene
May 03, 2018 11:00 - 35 minutes - 81.5 MBA well-known figure in the tight-knit Beirut music scene is Fadi Tabbal - a Lebanese-born musician, band manager and engineer who founded Tunefork Recording Studios in Burj Hammoud. In this conversation, Fadi speaks of his decision to return to Beirut after studying in Canada, current projects, and his hopes for the future of the city's music scene.
"الإرهابي الصغير" وحلم الثورة - The "Little Terrorist" and the Dream of Revolution
April 30, 2018 11:00 - 21 minutes - 49.2 MBOmar Youssef Souleimane, a Syrian award-winning poet and journalist, discusses his new book Le Petit Terroriste (“The Little Terrorist”) (2018) which was published in French by Flammarion, Paris and reflects on the seventh anniversary of the Syrian Revolution. March 17th, 2018 | Arabic
Part III - Authoritarian Leaders and the Military
April 27, 2018 11:00 - 51 minutes - 119 MBIn the third and final installment of the panel on Authoritarian Leaders in Asia and the Middle East, the speakers discuss the relationships that the leaders have with their military. They then take questions from the audience.
Part II - Grievance as a Tool & How Power Is Passed On
April 25, 2018 11:00 - 34 minutes - 79.5 MBIn Part II, the panelists delve deeper into their respective case-studies, highlighting similarities and differences between certain authoritarian leaders, while addressing other topics, such as how each leader makes use of 'grievances' as a tool to maintain power. Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) February 15th, 2018 | English
Part I - An Introduction to the Speakers and their Case Studies
April 23, 2018 11:00 - 26 minutes - 59.6 MBIn Part I, the speakers introduce themselves and speak of examples of authoritarianism in countries such as Turkey, China, North Korea and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) February 15th, 2018 | English
Under Siege: Daily Life in Gaza
April 19, 2018 11:00 - 22 minutes - 40.8 MBA conversation with Gaza based writer Rawan Yaghi about daily life in Gaza. In her recent op-ed in the New York Times, titled “Gaza Screams for Life,” Gaza-based writer Rawan Yaghi describes her visit to the site of the Great March of Return protest at the border two days after Friday’s massacre. She writes, “I left the protest thinking of the rest of Gaza — shellshocked for years, its borders closed and its United Nations-funded infrastructure in decay. I thought of the kids in my neighbo...
The Turkish Invasion of Afrin: an interview with Dr. Cengiz Gunes
April 16, 2018 04:00 - 59 minutes - 108 MBVOMENA (Voices of the Middle East and North Africa) Producer Shahram Aghamir spoke with Dr. Cengiz Gunes who is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University in the UK about the Turkish invasion of Afrin, an enclave in North Western Syria, on January 20th. March 22nd, 2018 | English Interviewed by Shahram Aghamir Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa (VOMENA)
Gaza's "Great March of Return" and The Right of Return
April 12, 2018 15:03 - 29 minutes - 54.4 MBA conversation with Gaza based human rights activist and legal researcher for the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Mohamad Abu Hashem, about the Great March of Return. April 5th, 2018 | English Interviewed by Mira Nabulsi Courtesy of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa (VOMENA)
Gaza's March of Return Ends in Violence
April 09, 2018 04:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBOn Friday 30 March 2018, thirty-thousand Palestinians in the Gaza Strip organized the largest civil protest in recent history in Palestine. The effort, known as the March of Return, is meant to commemorate the Land Day protests organized by Palestinian citizens of Israel in response to Israeli land confiscations and to last through the Palestinian Nakba on 15 May 2018, also known as Israel’s independence day. On the first day of the March of Return, Israeli snipers shot to kill 18 Palestin...
Saudi Arabia's War on Yemen & the Diplomatic Crisis in the GCC
April 05, 2018 12:00 - 15 minutes - 35.4 MBYemeni journalist and political commentator Sama'a Al-Hamdani discusses current events in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia's continued war in Yemen and arrests of members of the royal family, the death of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the ongoing diplomatic crisis in the GCC, its legal implications, and more. Courtesy of Georgetown University's Center for Contemporary Arab Studies January 19th, 2018 | English
Radical Arab Nationalism and Political Islam
April 02, 2018 12:00 - 41 minutes - 94.9 MBIn a talk based on his most recent book, Dr. Lahouari attempts to assess the history and political legacy of radical Arab nationalism to show that it contained the seeds of its own destruction. While the revolutionary regimes promised economic and social development and sought the unity of Arab nations, they did not account for social transformations, such as freedom of speech, that would eventually lead to their decline. But while radical Arab nationalism fell apart, authoritarian populism ...