In the 1930s, the architect Nasri Khattar tried to completely overhaul the Arabic script – singlehandedly. For the next 47 years, he worked day and night to implement his writing system, Unified Arabic. Ultimately, he failed. This is his story.

Special Thanks to Camille Khattar, Yara Khoury, Kristyan Sarkis, and Samar Mikati at the AUB archives.

Produced by Jahd Khalil. With editorial support by Alex Atack, Hebah Fisher, Dana Ballout, and Bella Ibrahim. Sound design by Alex Atack and Mohamad Khreizat. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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In 2016, Fadi Boukaram planned to visit 47 American towns named Lebanon by road. Then, in Lebanon South Dakota, he discovered that all these other Lebanons have more in common with the country than anybody realised. This week on Kerning Cultures, a story about the surprising history that connects Lebanon, with a string of small towns in the USA.

Special Thanks to Fadi Boukaram, Bass Samaan from Trees of Joy, Linda, and Hazel McRoberts from the Long Branch, and Robert Auld for reading Mayor Jared Carr's proclamation.

Produced by Alex Atack. With editorial support by Bella Ibrahim, Hebah Fisher, and Dana Ballout. Sound design by Alex Atack. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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لينا خطاب وعهد التميمي ٬أسيرتان  محررتان٬ ترويان لنا ظروف التحقيق والاعتقال القاسية٬ كما تحكيان لنا عن معاناة تجاوزت حدود السجن 

Lina Khattab and Ahed Tamimi were arrested as teenagers. Their stories are years apart, but at the time of their imprisonment, people around the world stood either in support of their freedom, or in favor of their confinement. As teenagers, they rose to fame – at the expense of their childhood.

Special Thanks to Ahed Tamimi and her family, Lina Khattab, Tala Halawa, Hassan Abdelhalim, Ramz Bsharat, Mahmoud Khawaja, Lema Nazeeh, and Tiba Hameed.

Produced by Shahd Bani Odeh and Dana Ballout, with editorial support by Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Mohamad Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. 

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

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In the heart of Lebanon's capital city, Beirut, Hamra Street once stood as one of the preeminent cultural, economic, and intellectual center of Arab world. Hamra Street housed journalists, politicians, and leaders who were exiled from other nations, and was the site of inception for opposition movements. But after the Lebanese Civil War, the district never quite recovered.

Yazan Halwani works to preserve the fading history of Hamra Street in his wall-sized street murals. His signature style combines Arabic calligraphy with portraits of Lebanese and other Arab figures – from world-famous recording artists to resident street urchins. While reflecting the storied histories of Beirut's streets onto themselves, Halwani hopes that he can bring back the spirit that once inhabited neighborhoods like Hamra Street.

This episode was originally aired in 2015.

Produced by Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher, sound design by Ramzi Bashour. Special thanks to Yazan Halwani, Maria Abunasr, music by Khaled el Habr شارع الحمرا and Sabah جيب المجوز يا عبود. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

Support this podcast on patreon.com/kerningcultures for as little as $1 a month.

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Often the hijab is perceived as this static, monolithic thing. But of course, it's not that simple – every Muslim woman who chooses to wear, or not to wear the hijab has a different understanding and experience of it, and in these stories we're going to dig into some of that grey area. In this episode, we hear two women from different parts of the world share their relationships with their hijab. 

This story was originally broadcast in 2017.

Special thanks to Dana Ballout and Hakaya Storytelling for the inspiration for this episode. 

This episode was produced by Razan Alzayani, Lilly Crown, and Hebah Fisher. Sound design and original composition by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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In part one, we told the story of Faraj Al Baadani's family, which unveiled a little-known history between Yemen and Vietnam. Nearly 40 years later, Faraj continues his family's migration, this time farther West as he moves from Yemen to the USA. In Part Two, a story of modern Arab migration that is different from our parents. 

Thank you to Faraj and his family for being so open and warm with us despite us poking around in their family history. To Adam Sjoberg who directed the film Shake The Dust that features Faraj and other amazing breakdancers from around the world. And to all the Yemeni scholars and researchers who helped us unpack some of the complex history, especially Najwa Adra, Hasan Al Ansi, and Jon Swanson.

This epiosde was produced by Dana Ballout and Alex Atack with editorial support from Hebah Fisher. With thanks to Faraj Al Baadani, Fatimah Ahmad Mohammed, Linh Smith, Frank Smith, Najwa Adra, Jon Swanson, Hasan al Ansi, and Adam Sjoberg. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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The little-known, intertwining of history between Yemen and Vietnam, told through the lens of a single family. Part one of a story told in two parts.

Thank you to Faraj and his family for being so open and warm with us despite us poking around in their family history. To Adam Sjoberg who directed the film Shake The Dust that features Faraj and other amazing breakdancers from around the world. And to all the Yemeni scholars and researchers who helped us unpack some of the complex history, especially Najwa Adra, Hasan Al Ansi, and Jon Swanson.

Part I was produced by Dana Ballout and Alex Atack, with editorial support from Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Short stories about passports, visas, and making “home”. And, the KC team challenge themselves to find a place in the world where visas don't matter.

Thank you to Mohamed Somji, Liz Eschauzier, Anna Zacarias and Dylan Fitzgerald for sharing their short stories of living in the UAE.

This episode was produced by Alex Atack with Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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When demolition began on the Plaza Cinema in 2015, something unusual happened; Dubai residents began visiting the site to collect mementos from the building's rubble. The cinema was almost as old as the UAE itself – a place which many people held an emotional connection to. In this episode, a story about a cinema that was much more than just a cinema.

Find out more about the Plaza Cinema here.

Thank you to everybody who spoke to us for this story; Lachman Bhatia, Ausaf Ali Raja, Yasser Elsheshtawy, Butheina Kazim, Hind Mezaina, Ammar Al Attar and Hassan Kamal.

Produced by Alex Atack and Vinita Bharadwaj, with editorial support from Dana Ballout and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.