The lower west side of Manhattan used to be home to the biggest population of Arab immigrants in the US. In the early 20th century, streets were full of people speaking Arabic, with street vendors selling ka'ak, storefront baklava displays; this was New York's “Little Syria”. Today though, it's all gone.

This week on Kerning Cultures, America's first Arab neighbourhood, and the final attempts to save it.

This episode was produced by Hager Eldaas, with editorial support from Tamara Rasamny, Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar, Alex Atack and Nadeen Shaker. Fact-checking by Dina Salem and Zeina Dowidar. Sound design and mixing by Mohamed 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 1979, Iftah Ya Simsim - the Arabic version of Sesame Street - aired for the first time. Over the next ten years, the show was loved by children across the Arab world, until 1990, when the show was pulled off the air as a result of the Gulf War. But Ammar Al Sabban, a young boy growing up watching the show in Jeddah, never forgot the impact his favourite characters had on him.

This week, a little boy's dream to become his favourite Muppet, and the making of a show that revolutionised children's television.

This episode originally aired in September 2018.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a month.

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Faysal Bibi and his team of palaeontologists have been captivated by this one particular moment that took place in the Abu Dhabi desert seven million years ago. This week, a journey back to a time before the desert was the desert... when elephants, crocodiles and monkeys reigned supreme in the UAE.

This episode was produced by Alex Atack, with editorial support from Dana Ballout, Nadeen Shaker, Tamara Rasamny and Zeina Dowidar. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar and Dina Salem. Sound design by Alex Atack and mixing by Mohamed Khreizat. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

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

In 1968, a trio of Palestinian filmmakers began making films about life under Israeli occupation. Almost 15 years and over 90 films later, their film unit became a dominant force in the Arab film industry. But in 1982, their film reels disappeared. Overnight, decades of footage and thousands of hours of archives were gone. Today on Kerning Cultures, the search for the Palestinian Film Unit's lost archives.

For the list of films and other resources mentioned in this episode, visit our blog: https://kerningcultures.com/kerned-and-cultured/palestinian-film-unit

This episode was produced by Zeina Dowidar, with editorial support from Alex Atack, Nadeen Shaker, Tamara Rasamny, Dana Ballout, and Hebah Fisher. Fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Sound design and mixing by Mohamed 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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This week, a special collaboration with one of our all time favourite podcasts: Radiolab. We produced the episode - Lebanon USA - last year, and Radiolab have taken that original story and elevated it to a whole new level.

This is a story of a road trip. After a particularly traumatic Valentine's Day, Fadi Boukaram was surfing google maps and noticed that there was a town called Lebanon... in Oregon. Being Lebanese himself, he wondered, how many Lebanons exist in the US? The answer: 47. Thus began his journey to visit them all and find an America he'd never expected, and the homeland he'd been searching for all along.

The original "Lebanon USA" story was produced by Alex Atack with editorial support from Bella Ibrahim, Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

The new update of the story was produced and produced by Shima Oliaee and Jad Abumrad, with original music by Thomas Koner and Jad Atoui.

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

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

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

In the 1960s, a college professor and his group of students were determined to build and launch rockets into space. And so, they did. This week, on Kerning Cultures, a story about the first-ever rocket launched from the Arab world into space.

This episode was produced by Tamara Rasamny with editorial support from Dana Ballout, Zeina Dowidar, Alex Atack, Nadeen Shaker, and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Mohamed Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Bella Ibrahim is our marketing manager. 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 1917, a musical prodigy called Zabelle Panosian recorded a song that captured the heartbreak of a generation of Armenian Americans in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. She toured the world, selling thousands of records. And then, she was almost completely forgotten. This is her story. 

This episode was produced by Alex Atack with editorial support from Dana Ballout, Tamara Rasamny, Nadeen Shaker, Zeina Dowidar, and Hebah Fisher. Sound design by Alex Atack and Mohamed Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

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For centuries in Egypt, Zar was a music and dance ritual believed to heal women from unwanted spirits that possessed their bodies.  But as time went on and ideologies changed, the practice became controversial and deeply feared. And now, it's mostly gone. Today on Kerning Cultures, join producer Zeina Dowidar on a journey of music, spirits, and trance. 

This episode was produced by Zeina Dowidar with editorial support from Dana Ballout, Tamara Rasamny, Nadeen Shaker, Alex Atack, and Hebah Fisher.

Sound design by Tamara Rasamny and Mohamed Khreizat, and fact-checking by Zeina Dowidar.

Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production.

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

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