Al Fusaic

Meagan and Ben meet with our very first content writer, Robert English, to discuss Jordanian culture, hospitality, and the vastly different experiences for Western men and women during study abroad. From street racing to community-based learning, the team talks about their reactions and reflections on their time in the region. As a content writer, Robert has written Jordan 101 and recommended Waltz with Bashir, Men in the Sun, and Lawrence of Arabia. He published an overview of Turkey's Blue Homeland strategy and is currently analyzing the Jordanian clan system and how that influences elections and regional politics. Don't miss out on this unique episode about the successes and challenges of the team's cross-cultural learning! 

What do Meagan, Ben, and Al Fusaic content writer, Andi Mond, have in common? Not only are they Al Fusaic contributors and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy members, but they all have a history in Model United Nations. Don't miss out on this fun conversation about Andi's experience as a Delegate and Global Dialogue Fellow at the Y20 Saudi Arabia Youth Summit, a youth-led event of leaders from across G20 countries to discuss and debate the G20 Leaders’ agenda. To celebrate the 2020 Y20 host, Andi brought us Saudi Arabia 101 and recommended The Arab World Beyond Conflict, The Protector, and the Turkish drama Erkenci Kus! 

Meagan and Ben are back with Al Fusaic content writer, Dejaih Smith, to chat about the intimacy of sharing food, favorite meals, and our love of traditional recipes from the Middle East and North Africa. Dejaih is one of our star content writers having published Western Sahara 101, a film recommendation about Sahrawis living in Moroccan occupation, بيت بيتكم, and her newest article about Money Heist's Bella Ciao and its influence on Lebanese protests. Listen to learn more about the musical and gastronomical influences Dejaih plans to incorporate into her future Al Fusaic projects!

Join Helana Reyad and her featured guest, Faraj Abyad, as we learn more about his journey as a Tarab vocalist and composer. In this episode, Faraj will introduce us to the most distinguishing characteristic of Tarab -- Maqamat (modes).

You're back with Al Fusaic co-founders, Meagan and Ben, as they chat about agriculture, living broad, and a lifetime love of the MENA/SWANA region with content writer, Will Dossett. We compare notes as young professionals about the difficulties of the job hunt, challenges in developing new mediums for learning, and potential future projects for Al Fusaic. As a content writer, Will wrote Mauritania 101, recommended Omar, Moving the Palace, and A Peace to End All Peace, and published the website's first interactive map on ancient desert cities only at alfusaic.net. Welcome to the team, Will!

All music found in this episode is attributed to Faraj Abyad's song, Damascus, found here: https://soundcloud.com/user-570968807/faraj-abyad-damascus. For more from Faraj, follow his SoundCloud account here: https://soundcloud.com/user-570968807.

Al Fusaic co-founders, Ben and Meagan, sit down with Iraqi activist and humanitarian, Dina Al Bayati. Not only does Dina mobilize grassroots movements for education, but she also has a brand new perspective on social awareness, bridging organizations and resources, campaigns, and social media engagement in the MENA/SWANA region. As a content writer for Al Fusaic, Dina wrote Iraq 101, which can only be found on our Country 101 series at alfusaic.net. Welcome to the Al Fusaic community, Dina!

All music found in this episode is attributed to Faraj Abyad's song, Damascus, found here: https://soundcloud.com/user-570968807/faraj-abyad-damascus. For more from Faraj, follow his SoundCloud account here: https://soundcloud.com/user-570968807.

Join Al Fusaic co-founders, Meagan and Ben, as they chat with one of Al Fusaic's first content writers, Helana Reyad. Helana published Egypt 101, recommended The Beer in the Snooker Club, Headscarves and Hymens, and the TV show, Leila, and is currently working on her own mini-series for the Al Fusaic podcast on music throughout the region. Listen to learn more about Helana, how she found Al Fusaic, her advice to young professionals in the MENA/SWANA field, and what you can expect to hear from the upcoming mini-series on Tarab! 

You're back with Al Fusaic co-founders, Meagan and Ben, as they explain Convene, Antiquity, and Amplify, as well as the newest series to Al Fusaic: Roots Society. Did you know that in the Arabic language, most words stem from three-letter roots? These roots can be used to make different nouns, verbs, and adjectives that all have similar meanings. Meagan and Ben take you through a couple of examples of these roots and their variations before breaking down the different sections of the Al Fusaic website and what they're most excited to see published in the future.

Co-founders of Al Fusaic, the new MENA-focused educational and cultural resource, Meagan Dashcund and Benjamin Lutz, discuss what inspired the organization and what to expect from the publication going forward!

Co-founders of Al Fusaic, the new MENA-focused educational and cultural resource, Meagan Dashcund and Benjamin Lutz, discuss their backgrounds, how they met, and how Al Fusaic came to be.