Best Expo 2020 Dubai Podcasts (2024)

1
The Most Essential: Water 25:38

2y ago25:38

25:38

When Fariel Salahuddin decided to go back to her home country of Pakistan, after an accomplished career working in the energy sector at the World Bank, she discovered that at least 21 million people didn’t have access to clean water. What they did have was a lot of livestock, or more specifically, goats. That’s when Goats for Water was born — an in…

1
Saying Goodbye to Expo 2020 Dubai 31:03

2y ago31:03

31:03

On March 31, 2022, the history-making 6-month event that was Expo 2020 Dubai officially closed her doors. Her last heartbeats emanated from Al Wasl Plaza at 7:45 PM. The closing ceremony marked an end to a decade-plus long journey and celebrated a new beginning for the city of Dubai and the world. In the very last episode of our series we say goodb…

1
Opportunity I: The Global Goals and Expo 2020 18:38

2y ago18:38

18:38

What does it mean when you talk about the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and how do you make it accessible in a way that really resonates with everybody? As one of the three main sub themes of Expo 2020, Opportunity has an intended purpose: to put words into action. The Global Goals are the perfect expression of what opportunity mean…

1
Opportunity II: Mission Possible 23:18

2y ago23:18

23:18

Inside the Opportunity pavilion is a room called Mission Possible. In this room, nearly half a million people made pledges to take small but consistent steps in their day to day lives, for a better world. The Opportunity pavilion was inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, breaking down 17 ambitious goals into steps and proje…

1
Yousuf Caires: What’s next for our Global Innovators? 16:15

2y ago16:15

16:15

For the past four years, the team at Expo Live has been working closely with 140 Global Innovators from all around the world. At the beginning of this series, Yousuf Caires, the Senior Vice President of Expo Live, introduced what the innovation programme is all about. Over the course of the show, we've spoken to an array of brilliant and bold innov…

1
The Powerhouse Pavilions 32:38

2y ago32:38

32:38

At the heart of Expo 2020 Dubai, right next to Al Wasl Plaza, is the elegant pavilion of the United Arab Emirates. It’s futuristic-looking and avante-garde. An architectural marvel with literal wings, inspired by the national symbol of the United Arab Emirates: the falcon. In this episode, we take a look at the architecture of the UAE pavilion, Ali…

1
Saruq Al-Hadid and Dubai’s Golden Ring 23:13

2y ago23:13

23:13

When many of us think of ancient civilizations our minds may venture to Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia or India. But it turns out that there was a centre of trade right in the middle of the desert just south of Dubai that connects with each of these ancient civilizations called Saruq Al-Hadid, and it’s believed to have existed as far back as the Iron A…

1
The Ecology of Dignity 19:41

2y ago19:41

19:41

Cherrie Atilano is an agriculture educator, farmer, and the founder and CEO of Agrea - a mission-driven farmer-first business launched in 2014 in the Philippines. Its mission is zero hunger, zero waste and zero insufficiency. And at the core of her vision is creating a system that dignifies and aims to eradicate poverty for farming and fishing fami…

1
Conrad Tankou: A New Take on Screening Cervical Cancer 15:06

2y ago15:06

15:06

How do you change the design of a device that was invented over one hundred years ago? Back in 2015, a medical entrepreneur in Cameroon named Conrad Tankou started a social venture called GIC Space that develops cutting edge technologies to target the most urgent health challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of them is the smart speculum: a new take…

1
Down the Rabbit Holes of World Expos 27:54

2y ago27:54

27:54

What at Expo 2020 Dubai will be in popular culture 20 years from now? That’s the question Charles Pappas asks himself while walking around the site. Charles is the author of a history on World Expos called ‘Flying Cars, Zombie Dogs, and Robot Overlords’. Over the years, World Expos have shaped history, individual lives, and popular culture. In this…

1
Connecting Tech and Health: The Worker Wellness Program 21:57

2y ago21:57

21:57

Many miles away from the Expo site, on the other side of the world, is a rising fitness wearables company named WHOOP. Together, Expo 2020 Dubai and WHOOP rolled out a wellness program for Expo workers and set out to test the power of biometric health tech, in one of the busiest construction projects, where at the peak of construction, some 45,000 …

1
Jurij Dreo: Detecting Dementia Early On 16:10

2y ago16:10

16:10

When Jurij Dreo read a book entitled, ‘Electric fields of the brain: the neurophysics of EEG’, he was quite happy to see that there are people out there that share his convictions when it comes to how the brain should be studied. It always seemed like a small wonder to Jurij that one is able to pick up a small EEG device and get a recording of what…

1
A Space Like No Other: The Vision Pavilion 20:49

2y ago20:49

20:49

Located in the Sustainability District, the Vision Pavilion is an emotional and inspiring homage to the Ruler of Dubai and celebrates the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The space reflects the city of Dubai itself, small in size, but huge in impact. In today's episode, we'll take you through the Vision Pavilion, a spac…

1
Kitty Liao: The Last Mile of Vaccine Delivery 16:11

2y ago16:11

16:11

In 2015, Kitty Liao attended a humanitarian hackathon. The event brought together people from humanitarian organisations to present some of the most pressing issues they are faced with out in the field. One of these problems was that vaccines become spoiled before they arrive at the destination during transport. Kitty spent two months as a hacker i…

1
Virtual Expo: Creating Accessibility and Legacy 24:56

2y ago24:56

24:56

Wherever you are in the world today, you can see and experience Expo in whichever virtual way you prefer. Whether you are a gamer, looking for content or just curious to explore the Expo site, Virtual Expo has got you covered. Alaa Alshroogi and the Virtual Expo team oversaw the creation of the entire Virtual Expo experience. These platforms have b…

1
Windows to the Soul 23:16

2y ago23:16

23:16

Noura Al-Neyadi is an Emirati documentary photographer whose passion for using powerful imagery to tell stories has taken her all over the world, including the North Pole. Her latest project is Eye Stories. At the height of the pandemic, Noura documented the heroic journey of 148 frontline healthcare workers, zooming in only on their eyes. For over…

1
Siddharth Hande: Decentralised Waste Management 11:37

2y ago11:37

11:37

Siddharth Hande worked in the development sector for about eight years before starting Kabadiwalla Connect. The idea came about in college when he used to organise beach cleanups every week through a youth group called Reclaim Our Beaches. Today, Siddharth is the founder and CEO of Kabadiwalla Connect: they provide decentralised waste management so…

1
Redefining Mobility I: Not Just Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 22:05

2y ago22:05

22:05

In the past few years, the team behind Expo 2020 Dubai gave “mobility” a lot of thought. After all, it is one of Expo’s three main themes: Mobility, Sustainability and Opportunity. This episode, the first in a two-part series on how Expo 2020 Dubai redefines mobility, is a tour inside Alif, the Mobility Pavilion. And who better to guide us inside A…

1
Redefining Mobility II: The Giants of Mobility 26:49

2y ago26:49

26:49

In 1325, a young scholar by the name of Ibn Battuta left his home in Morocco, to join a convoy headed to Mecca. He was to perform the Muslim Pilgrimage of Hajj and, at the time, the journey was expected to last over a year. But, Ibn Battuta would not return home for another 28 years. He continued a lifelong journey and travelled 120,000 kilometres …

1
Irina Mkrtchyan: Tackling Waste Management in Armenia 15:21

2y ago15:21

15:21

Back in 2017, Irina got together with two friends to tackle proper waste management: one of Armenia's big challenges. They started approaching organisations and donors, and setting up recycling bins in several locations in Armenia. Today, Irina is one of the co-founders of Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Development. ISSD is an NGO that is wor…

1
The Limitless Potential of Artificial Intelligence 21:41

2y ago21:41

21:41

The UK pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai centres around the concept of a collective message to space. To do this, the UK pavilion is using an artificial intelligence software that actually thinks of and writes out poems. This power of connecting minds from around the globe, to input diverse data points and create a pattern of some kind, is at the root of…

1
Suzanne Shian: Partnering with Refugee Chefs 17:01

2y ago17:01

17:01

Suzanne Shian is one of three co-founders behind PichaEats, a social enterprise in Malaysia that aims to empower lives among the refugee community through a food business. The business model behind PichaEats is a 50-50 partnership with chefs. Each chef will source and buy ingredients, and PichaEats will pay them double, meaning 100% profit for the …

1
Architecture I: A Portal Into the City of the Future 18:37

2y ago18:37

18:37

How do you design the right entrance into the city of the future - and Expo? Imagine that you are walking through an enormous gate made of fine lines of structure. It is as if you are walking through a 3D Mashrabiya… immersed in its light, shade and airflow aesthetics. And as you walk away, the portal transfers you into a courtyard filled with tree…

1
Architecture II: Al Wasl Plaza 15:13

2y ago15:13

15:13

The journey of Al Wasl, the beating heart of Expo, lasted five years — from conception all the way to the moment it was crowned. At 67.5 meters tall and 130-meters wide, it’s the world's largest 360-degree projection surface. But what makes Al Wasl so distinct is that it isn’t just a dome. It’s also a plaza. A place of gathering. In Arabic, Al Wasl…

1
Architecture III: The Surreal Musical Waterfall 25:22

2y ago25:22

25:22

Surreal is a bedazzling water feature at the centre of Expo 2020 Dubai. As one of the highlight attractions on the Expo grounds, Surreal brings together an intricate system of engineering with an ambitious architectural design and beautiful musical compositions in one piece. And it continues to attract, amaze and entertain visitors every day. In th…

1
Shaun Vorster: Finding Untold Stories Around the World 10:52

2y ago10:52

10:52

Back in 2015, Shaun Vorster, a strategist and advisor, was responsible for incubating the Expo Live programme. After incubating the programme, Shaun was part of the selection committee that was tasked with choosing the Global Innovators from all the applications. What makes the Expo Live programme stand out? Shaun shares the journey, challenges, an…

1
Traveling Back to Our Prehistoric Origins 16:49

2y ago16:49

16:49

What is it that makes our prehistoric origins so fascinating to us? Why do we go to such great lengths to visit and document the ancient skeletal remains of an ancestral human species? And what is the significance of curating this moment in our past at Expo 2020 Dubai? Travel into the past through the Ethiopian and Serbian pavilions as they showcas…

1
Championing a Livable Future 27:42

2y ago27:42

27:42

Nisreen ElSaim has made it her life’s mission to champion climate action, on behalf of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. She has managed to blend two worlds - those of youth-led grassroots movements and high-level policy dialogue - and as the chair of the UN Secretary General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, has been …

1
Renat Anpilogov: Making Travel and Adventure Accessible 16:25

2y ago16:25

16:25

Several years ago, Renat Anpilogov was teaching at a musical college for the visually impaired - part of his role was organizing concerts in different cities for the students, which included helping them explore their surroundings. When Renat's wife's grandfather became ill and bound to a wheelchair, he and his partner became convinced that travell…

1
Creating a Cultural Renaissance 22:24

2y ago22:24

22:24

Throughout history, different cultures have informed each other in ways that create new forms of communication, of expression, of existence. Everything from the Mexican taco to contemporary pop music is the result of cultural fusion and, in a way, it feels like the potential for these combos is endless. So what happens when you bring 192 unique cou…

1
Tarun Bothra: Innovating Women’s Hygiene Products 12:31

2y ago12:31

12:31

When Tarun Bothra co-founded Saathi, only 16% of women had access to sanitary napkins in India, the world’s sixth largest economy. Saathi is a purpose-driven social enterprise that develops 100% compostable, biodegradable hygiene products for women out of banana and bamboo fiber. Today, Saathi is impacting communities around the world and using inn…

1
The Opening Ceremony: A Story of Hope 20:00

2y ago20:00

20:00

On the night of September 30th, 2021, people everywhere watched as the first World Expo in the region commemorated a historic milestone as Expo 2020 Dubai was officially declared open. At the heart of the Opening Ceremony is a young girl who becomes the protagonist in this inaugural moment of Expo 2020 Dubai. She presents the uplifting, never-stopp…

1
Creating Change Through Storytelling 32:06

2y ago32:06

32:06

Yusuf Omar has made it his life’s mission to promote storytelling as a vehicle for change, and to mobilize communities across the globe to shape their own narrative. After an accomplished career in journalism, Yusuf was disillusioned with traditional media. He felt the urge to innovate, and so he decided to co-found his own media initiative with hi…

1
Illac Diaz: Making Solar Energy More Accessible 14:57

2y ago14:57

14:57

Liter of Light started in 2013 at a very dark time in the Philippines, as an emergency lighting system during one of the first and largest category five storms, typhoon Haiyan. Today, as the founder and global director of Liter of Light, Illac Diaz has built both a grassroots and a global movement. It uses inexpensive, readily available materials t…

1
Ode to the Young Ones 17:48

2y ago17:48

17:48

Sofia is a grade 10 student who loves to bike. She is also the innovator behind Darraja, a wearable solution that increases bikers’ safety. Darraja is on display along with 297 other innovations at the ground floor of Terra - the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Those innovations were designed and implemented by students within the Young…

1
Emer Beamer: Designing a Better Future Through Imagination 12:40

2y ago12:40

12:40

Someone who has always believed in the power of young people is Emer Beamer, a social designer and educator based in Amsterdam. Emer is the co-founder and programme lead for an organisation called Design-a-thon Works. Design-a-thon Works helps children develop their problem solving skills, empowering them to be changemakers. Schools and communities…

1
The Hidden Stories 19:13

2y ago19:13

19:13

So much of Expo’s public realm was designed to inspire a sense of child-like wonder, from the biggest architectural marvel to the smallest tile on the ground. The Expo is full of Easter eggs! These small things that help give this material space a character. A soul. In today’s episode, we go on an Easter egg hunt as we see, hear, smell, touch, and …

1
Oscar and Naqiya: Play-based Learning with Seenaryo 15:40

2y ago15:40

15:40

Back in 2015, Oscar Wood was teaching in London when a friend persuaded him to work with Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. They went out to refugee camps and built a show supported by theatre and play-based learning for children. This experience led Oscar to become the co-founder of Seenaryo, with Naqiya Ebrahim as CEO. Seenaryo is an org…

1
Explaining Expo 2020 to the World 15:16

2y ago15:16

15:16

Over 192 countries are participating in Expo 2020 Dubai, with over 60 unique daily events in a space that is twice the size of Monaco. But how do you capture the magnitude and magic of this 182-day mega event? This process of ‘telling’ the story of Expo requires large teams that work behind the scenes. In this episode, we’ll uncover the ‘how’ of Ex…

1
Rowan Alawi: Merging Construction and Tech 12:37

2y ago12:37

12:37

Rowan Alawi initially pursued a career in tech, despite her family’s construction business. During her travel between Ramallah and Jerusalem, Rowan spotted a problem: construction workers were sitting on the side road, waiting for someone to pick them up. She decided to solve this problem and founded ‘Amal in 2019. At first, it was a simple Google …

1
Expo Superfans 23:24

2y ago23:24

23:24

Jason and Cesar have each visited multiple World Expos throughout their lives, including Expo 2020 Dubai. With each Expo, they travel the world over the span of a few days - without even setting foot on an airplane. But it’s more than just a trip for them - it’s an experience. In this episode, we hear from Expo superfans, as they share their favori…

1
The Power of Digital Accessibility 22:29

2y ago22:29

22:29

Richard Thanki, economist and computer scientist, has centered his tech startup Jangala around the question: how do we extend internet access to vulnerable populations? . Jangala, a UK based charity, enables internet access for people in need of urgent humanitarian aid, especially refugees. Jangala was featured during Expo 2020 Dubai's Travel and C…

1
Iva Gumnishka: Humans in the Loop 11:32

2y ago11:32

11:32

In 2017, Iva Gumnishka founded an initiative, Humans in the Loop, to provide work opportunities for refugees coming into Bulgaria. In a world filled with armed conflict, Humans in the Loop provides job opportunities to those affected by violence and forced displacement. Since 2017, Iva has expanded their impact from Bulgaria to Syria, Iraq, Afghani…

1
Music III: Al Wasl Opera 23:58

2y ago23:58

23:58

In the final episode of our three-part series exploring the music of Dubai’s Expo: the story of Al Wasl Opera, an original opera commissioned by Expo 2020 Dubai. Al Wasl is the first ever Emirati opera, produced in partnership with the world-renowned Welsh National Opera. Its story spans the past, present, and future of the United Arab Emirates and…

1
Music II: This is Our Time 18:46

2y ago18:46

18:46

In part two of our three-part series exploring music at Dubai’s Expo, we’re talking about “This is Our Time” - the official theme song for Expo 2020 Dubai. As the official song for the first Expo event in the Arab world, the significance of “This is Our Time” spreads far and wide. While this was the first Expo theme song to have Arab musical influe…

1
Music I: Firdaus Women’s Orchestra 20:23

2y ago20:23

20:23

In July 2020, the UAE sent off a mission to space, the Emirates Mars Mission. Inspired by the space expedition, A.R. Rahman, renowned Indian composer and performer, composed an original piece for the Firdaus Orchestra, the legacy orchestra that debuted at Expo 2020 Dubai. The heavenly Firdaus Orchestra is an ensemble of 50 female musicians from acr…

1
Loubna Ksibi: Meet My Mama 9:07

2y ago9:07

9:07

When Loubna Ksibi’s aunt opened a restaurant, she didn’t know how to navigate the business side of it. Despite her talented cooking, the restaurant ultimately failed. Loubna realized there were no resources for women like her aunt, and became one of the founders of Meet My Mama, a culinary project in France. Today, Meet My Mama enables women from a…

1
The Evolution of Robots 18:21

2y ago18:21

18:21

Over the years, World Expos have become a popular platform to showcase robots and how they have evolved to fit into our human world. From Elektro, the first robot to smoke cigarettes in 1939, to the multi-lingual Actroid in 2005 at an Expo in Japan. Today, Expo 2020 Dubai is the first time the world is witnessing 152 robots distributed site-wide, i…

1
Shantha Bloemen: Mobility for Africa 13:49

2y ago13:49

13:49

The idea behind Mobility for Africa was born out of frustration. Having worked in the development sector in Africa and Asia for more than two decades, Shantha Bloemen was dismayed by the lack of mobility options available, especially for women. Shantha is the founder and managing director of Mobility for Africa, a social enterprise that is providin…

1
The Rich History of the Majlis 19:03

2y ago19:03

19:03

In Khaleeji culture, the proverb goes, “Al majalis madaris” or “The majalis are schools”. The majlis is a space for people to come together and learn, listen, and rest. It still exists today around the Arab world. In today’s episode, we look at the rich history of the majlis in the UAE and how its values have been instilled in the spirit of Expo 20…

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Expo 2020 Dubai Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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