Best Voices of the Middle East and North Africa Podcasts (2025)

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A conversation with Cihan Tugal about the mass protests in Turkey 29:33

11d ago29:33

29:33

The detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul's mayor and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's most formidable rival, on March 19th sparked the largest demonstrations in Turkey in years. Last Saturday, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets, expressing their discontent with the government and demanding the release of the city's imprisoned …

1
Unveiling the British betrayal: A Conversation with Blake Alcott 45:25

13h ago45:25

45:25

Join us as we explore why Britain repeatedly deceived the Palestinian leadership and assess Britain’s direct role in displacing Palestinians ahead of the creation of the occupation state of Israel. Was there ever a real chance that London might have abandoned the Balfour Declaration? Or was the Palestinian resistance doomed from the outset? During …

1
Planet Afropop - Somali DJs in America and Songhoy Blues 42:22

2h ago42:22

42:22

In this episode, we meet two women from the Twin Cities - DJ Fawzi and DJ Yasmeenah - who are challenging stereotypes while continuing a tradition of Somali-Minnesotan trailblazing. And we catch up with Songhoy Blues through a short conversation with Oumar Touré, bassist of the acclaimed desert blues group about their groundbreaking new album Herit…

1
Sanaa's Odyssey Episode 4: Escaping a Nightmare 35:19

2d ago35:19

35:19

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Sanaa's Odyssey Episode 3: Reporting from the Fire of a Story 41:26

2d ago41:26

41:26

This is episode 3 of our new podcast, Sanaa's Odyssey. You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on all podcast platforms. As the war in Gaza continues to rage, Sanaa has to continue working as a journalist. Sanaa has been working as a journalist for 19 years, and while she has witnessed many wars in Gaza, the current conflict has been the most difficul…

1
Iran, the Gulf and the Great Reset: MEMO in Conversation with Mehran Kamrava 44:44

5d ago44:44

44:44

With Donald Trump back in the White House vowing to tighten sanctions against Iran, the Gulf's ties with the Islamic Republic are in new unchartered waters, how will the US president's actions alter relations in the Middle East? Iran and the GCC countries have a long history of suspicion, co-operation, competition, conflict and dialogue. During the…

1
Sanaa's Odyssey Episode 2: A State of Emergency 34:32

10d ago34:32

34:32

This is episode 2 of Sanaa's Odyssey, a brand new series from The New Arab. You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on all podcast platforms. On episode two of Sanaa's Odyssey, we follow Palestinian freelance journalist Sanaa Kamal as her and her family try to survive the war in the Gaza. Sanaa was forced from her home in the early days of the war, bu…

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Sanaa's Odyssey Episode 1: A Morning Coffee on a Balcony in Gaza 36:26

10d ago36:26

36:26

This is episode one of Sanaa's Odyssey; a brand new series from The New Arab. You can subscribe to Sanaa's Odyssey on Apple, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcasts. The war in Gaza began on October 7th 2023. Sanaa Kamal watched it happen from her balcony as she drank her morning coffee. That day would be the start of a nightmare for her a…

1
Africans in the Arabian Gulf 59:04

10d ago59:04

59:04

Scholar and author Joseph Braude guides us through the often overlooked popular music of the Persian Gulf, the music known as Khaliji. We learn about the Africans of places like Bahrain and Kuwait - slaves of yore - their free descendents, and more recent waves of African immigrants, notably from Sudan. This episode features spectacular historic re…

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The moral reckoning of Jewish identity: MEMO in Conversation with Peter Beinart 23:51

12d ago23:51

23:51

The genocide in Gaza has raised an important matter, Jews are not facing an existential crisis concerning the state of Israel, but a moral one — one that could reshape Jewish tradition more profoundly than any crisis in centuries, Beinart says. Cast as a Cassandra figure within the Jewish community, Peter Beinart has been both celebrated and excomm…

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Introducing Sanaa's Odyssey 1:15

16d ago1:15

1:15

Subscribe now to be notified when new episodes are available. Available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever else you get your podcast. Sanaa Kamal is a freelance journalist, who was born and raised in Gaza. She has lived through a series of wars in Gaza, but nothing like the war that followed the Hamas-led attacks of October 7th. In this five-part podc…

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Decoding Hamas: MEMO in Conversation with Helena Cobban 52:39

19d ago52:39

52:39

Western media has often distorted the image of the Palestinian resistance, shaping narratives in a way that harms the fate of Palestinians, but truly understanding Hamas is the only way to have a meaningful conversation on events in the Middle East, the co-author of a book on the movement says. At a time when Western governments refuse to engage wi…

1
A Hip Deep Portrait of King Sunny Ade 59:04

19d ago59:04

59:04

King Sunny Ade was, in many ways, the inspiration for what would become Afropop Worldwide. And he was by no means an inspiration only to us! Many fans in America first got hooked on Afropop (and African music in general) through the landmark 1982-83 tour by King Sunny Ade and his African Beats: The propulsive polyrhythms of traditional drums mixed …

1
On regenerative leadership with Chaya Mistry 20:15

24d ago20:15

20:15

Human leadership and communication coach Chaya Mistry joins Chared Verschuur to explore regenerative leadership—what it is, why it matters, and how communicators can drive real transformation by creating space for reflection, connection, and change.By IABC EMENA

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Planet Afropop: Celebrating Toumani Diabate 1:02:46

25d ago1:02:46

1:02:46

An intimate look at Toumani Diabaté through 30 years of Afropop Worldwide conversations. From his home in Bamako to concert halls worldwide, Toumani revolutionized the kora and brought West African music to new heights – winning Grammys and collaborating with everyone from Ali Farka Touré to the London Symphony Orchestra.Join us as his longtime fri…

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A People Without Borders, Iranian Arabs: MEMO In Conversation with Shaherzad Ahmadi 1:11:42

26d ago1:11:42

1:11:42

The Arabs of Khuzestan and the Iranians of Iraq were at the forefront of suspicion, anxiety and whose loyalty was questioned by the national building projects in Iran and Iraq in the 20th century. People who inhabit the border regions of any country often find themselves being treated with a mixture of suspicion and opportunity by the metropoles of…

1
Planet Afropop - Tcehlla & Dotti Carve Their Own Lane 53:29

28d ago53:29

53:29

In this episode of Planet Afropop, FayFay spotlights two standout artists, Tchella, an R&B vocalist, and Dotti the Deity, a Nigerian folk musician. Both friends and reality show winners, they’ve taken unique paths in a music scene dominated by lo-fi Alté vibes. From Port Harcourt to Lagos, and Badagry to Ibadan, they’ve stayed true to their sound, …

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Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – March 13, 2025 29:58

1M ago29:58

29:58

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – March 13, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.By KPFA

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Women’s History Month: Reconstructing Somalia - Women’s Voices 59:04

1M ago59:04

59:04

In this episode we take a rare look at Somalia’s formative, pre-civil war years (1960-90), which saw the birth of soomaalinimo - Somali patriotism. This national mood inspired people to put aside the clan identities so heavily manipulated by the colonial powers and dedicate themselves to the creation of a new, culturally authentic, but also modern,…

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Planet Afropop - Simpa Sonics: Neo-traditional dance music from Northern Ghana 57:02

1M ago57:02

57:02

From late night sessions of frenetic drumming, singing and trumpets and teenagers shaking their "waists" by the light of the moon, to hard-driving studio simpa tracks with drum machines, vst synths and auto-tuned vocals, simpa is an evolving neo-traditional popular music of the Dagomba people of Northern Ghana that is rarely heard outside of the re…

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Influencing the Middle East the Italian way: MEMO in Conversation with Maria Luisa Fantappie 55:35

1M ago55:35

55:35

Events in the MENA directly impact Italy which is just 35 miles away, but how are the changing political dynamics affecting Rome's Middle East policy? Italy's fate is deeply entangled with the Middle East and North Africa, the Italian island of Pantelleria is just 35 miles off the Tunsian coast. Whenever tensions flare up in the Middle East and Nor…

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Women's History Month: Four Women of the West 59:04

1M ago59:04

59:04

In West Africa, women are on the cutting edge of musical and cultural progress. This program looks at four singer/composers with roots in tradition and unique ideas about how to keep them current in the fast-changing milieu of today’s African music. Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara keeps her focus on messages, mixing traditional sounds and rock idioms to r…

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Iran to the Max(imum Pressure): Trump sanctions on a weakened Iranian regime 42:48

1M ago42:48

42:48

With the return of President Donald Trump, we also saw the return of the 'maximum pressure' campaign. The maximum pressure campaign was the hallmark of Trump's Iran foreign policy during his first term, and took the form of a raft of sanctions, which targeted individuals and the country's economy. This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at…

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Special Winter Fund Drive Programming: Rob Larson on Today’s Billionaires 29:58

1M ago29:58

29:58

Today’s episodes of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa and This Way Out are preempted by special programming for KPFA’s 2025 Winter Fund Drive: Sasha Lilley and economist Rob Larson discuss the power and wealth of the capitalist class, how they rule, and how to fight against them. To support KPFA’s mission and receive Mastering the Universe…

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Women's History Month: Fairuz, A Woman for all Seasons 59:04

1M ago59:04

59:04

Fairuz is the most popular living singer throughout the Arabic-speaking world and an artist with no real counterpart in Europe or the Americas. Since the ‘50s, she has appealed across boundaries of age, gender, class, religion, nationality, regional dialect, and political persuasion. Creating music as serious and engaged as it is popular, Fairuz—al…

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Planet Afropop - AfroPopup in Malawi, Rising Stars from the Warm Heart of Africa 44:06

1M ago44:06

44:06

In December 2024, Planet Afropop co-host Mukwae Wabei Siyolwe produced the first AfroPopup in at the Uka Café in Lilongwe, Malawi. Despite torrential rain and power outages, the show went on with three fanstastic young Malawian stars, Praise Umali, Chikondi Wiseman and Maggie Kadrum. This podcast tells the story of grass roots cultural activism in …

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Special Winter Fund Drive Programming: Rashid Khalidi on Palestine 29:58

2M ago29:58

29:58

Today’s episode of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa is preempted by special programming for KPFA’s 2025 Winter Fund Drive: Brian Edwards-Tiekert in Conversation with Rashid Khalidi, author of Hundred Years’ War on Palestine. To support KPFA’s mission, please donate here or call (800) 439-5732. The post Special Winter Fund Drive Programmin…

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Black History Month: Kriolu in New England, The Cape Verdean-American Story 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

Of all contemporary Cape Verdeans, Cesaria Evora, "the Queen of the Morna" made the biggest impression internationally. However the first Cape Verdean to grace the American imagination was the harpooner Dagoo in Herman Melville's Moby Dick (1851). Cape Verdeans first arrived in United States as whalers in the late 1700's and have been coming ever s…

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A new Syria is born: MEMO in Conversation with Sarah Hunaidi 59:11

2M ago59:11

59:11

Is the new Syrian administration reflective of society and is it able to build a country free of political authoritarianism? A member of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement joins us to discuss this and more. We are now three months on from the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria ending 54-years of his family's rule. The ending of his dict…

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Syria's New Future: Post-Assad state building and HTS rule 48:13

2M ago48:13

48:13

The Assad regime has gone. After 14 years of war, and 54 years of one family's rule, Syria is now stepping into a new period of its history. Led by the transitional government of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Syria will now have to build a new state and hopefully create a path to a new constitution and free and fair elections. Joining us to help us explai…

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Black History Month: A Brief History of Funk 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

Funk is the personal favorite of many music lovers. In this panoramic history of the grooviest of genres, we hear track after track of absolute boogie-down classics. Everything from Sly and the Family Stone to James Brown, with a few stops to hear legends like the Meters, Kool and the Gang, and Parliament. We’ll also hear the great Bobby Byrd expla…

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Salafist populism in the Lebanese crisis: MEMO in Conversation with Giulia Gozzini 1:03:47

2M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

People in Lebanon are angry at the level of state corruption and dysfunction, and Salafist movements are offering them an alternative. Nationalist populism has been sweeping the world in the last decade overturning traditional politics in countries ranging from the US, Hungary, India, Italy, Britain and others. But populism is not only something na…

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On how words create worlds with Dr. Claudia Gross 23:33

2M ago23:33

23:33

How do the words we use shape our workplaces and societies? In our latest IABC EMENA Podcast episode, Dr. Claudia Gross shares her expertise on green words—language that fosters inclusion, collaboration, and positive action. If you're a communicator or leader looking to refine your messaging and make language more impactful, this episode is for you…

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Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – February 13, 2025 29:58

2M ago29:58

29:58

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – February 13, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.By KPFA

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Black History Month: Shake it Fo Ya Hood, The History of New Orleans Bounce 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

New Orleans, Louisiana is home to some of America's greatest musical traditions, and plays an outsized influence on the evolution of everything from jazz through to r&b, rock and funk. Today, the city is still legendary for its second line brass bands and brightly costumed Mardi Gras Indians. But if you've rolled through New Orleans on pretty much …

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Planet Afropop - Boom.Diwan: Arabian Pearl Diving Meets Afro-Cuba 41:24

2M ago41:24

41:24

Ghazi and Boom.Diwan with Arturo O’Farrill is about as unlikely a group as you could imagine. Ghazi Al-Mulaifi is a rocking guitar player and an ethnomusicologist who studies the music of Arabian Gulf pearl divers, among them, his own ancestors. Boom.Diwan is an ensemble based around the Kuwaiti percussionists who preserve the vanishing art of pear…

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Women's History Month: Afropop's Tribute to Cesaria Evora 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

The beloved, Grammy Award winning singer Cesaria Evora from Cape Verde passed away in 2011 at the age of 70. We celebrate Cesaria's life and art with an encore of our 1995 recording of her magnificent New York City debut at the Bottom Line. Cesaria, known as the "Queen of the morna" is backed by her classy group featuring piano, acoustic bass guita…

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Weaponising anti-Semitism: MEMO in Conversation with Rachel Shabi 46:27

2M ago46:27

46:27

Accusations of anti-Semitism have shaped the way governments and institutions respond to Israel’s actions over the past 15 months, but this not only limits open discussion, but also hurts the Jewish community, the journalist and author says. In this episode of MEMO in Conversation, Rachel Shabi joins us to discuss her latest book 'Off-White: The Tr…

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Lebanon Finally Decides: Joseph Aoun named as new president 27:51

2M ago27:51

27:51

Lebanon finally has a new president. After an over two year wait, Joseph Aoun was chosen to be the new President of Lebanon, with a healthy majority of the votes in parliament . Aoun, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces comes into office with a bulging in tray of problems to sort out. This week on The New Arab Voice podc…

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Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – February 6, 2025 29:58

2M ago29:58

29:58

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – February 6, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.By KPFA

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Biden, Trump & the Gaza genocide: MEMO in Conversation with Khaled Elgindy 26:27

2M ago26:27

26:27

Joe Biden was said to be the most pro-Israel US president in decades, with Donald Trump taking over the White House, we ask what will Washington do next? Israel's 15-month genocidal assault on the besieged Gaza Strip was aided by the United States of America. While in his outgoing address, President Joe Biden cited obtaining a ceasefire as among hi…

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Planet Afropop - Golden Elephants and Ibibio Gospel 52:36

2M ago52:36

52:36

In this edition of Planet Afropop, our newest producer Stella Hartman reports on the UK/Nigerian group Ibibio Sound Machine’s venture into gospel music. Then Georges, Mukwae and Banning preview the annual Syli D’Or battle of the Afropop bands in Montreal by profiling the two winners of the 2024 Afropop Award. Boubé is a young Tuareg composer/singer…

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Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – January 30, 2025 29:58

3M ago29:58

29:58

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – January 30, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.By KPFA

1
The Mighty Amazon 59:04

2M ago59:04

59:04

The Amazon River basin has long been a mystery to Brazil. Located far from the centers of business and power in the nation's southeast, the jungle provinces of the Brazilian north have long been ignored by the nation at large. But recently, Brazilians have discovered that the cities and waterways of the Amazon are home to some of the nation's hotte…

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The Middle East in 2025: MEMO in Conversation with Nader Hashemi 59:47

3M ago59:47

59:47

How will the new year shape the ever changing Middle East? And will US President-elect Donald Trump give in to pressure from Israel and take military steps against Iran and widen the unrest in the region? 2025 is finally here and as ever Middle East Monitor is keeping an eye out on trends, developments and issues impacting the MENA region. The year…

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A Most Welcome Ceasefire: Israel, Hamas, and Gaza's future 40:07

3M ago40:07

40:07

A ceasefire has finally been agreed between Israel and Hamas. The news came as a great relief to the people of Gaza, but many questions regarding the deal still remain. This week on The New Arab Voice podcast we look at the details of the ceasefire deal. When will Israeli forces leave Gaza, what are the terms of the prisoner swaps, and what does it…

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Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – January 23, 2025 29:58

3M ago29:58

29:58

The richly diverse and fascinating world of culture and politics of the Middle East and North Africa, co-hosted by Khalil and Malihe. The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – January 23, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.By KPFA

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Israel, Gaza & the international division of humanity: MEMO in Coversation with Vijay Prashad 41:52

3M ago41:52

41:52

The 'international division of humanity' is central to imperialist logic and explains the reasons behind the treatment of Palestinians by the Global North, but this very concept is leading to the West's waning power on the world stage, journalist and historian Prashad tells MEMO. In this episode of MEMO in Conversations we sit down with Vijay Prash…