KPFA - Arabiyaat

Ever wish there was an easy way to find out about how to access and engage with your local Arab community? An innovative new publication has begun to pave the way for more unity and interaction between Arabs living in the San Francisco Bay Area. Community organizer, Samer Elbandak, joins Arabiyaat in studio to tell us about a new project he helped launched called, The Nor Cal Arab American Directory. It’s a glossy magazine full of resources that seeks to build new approach to connect to a fast growing diverse Arab-American community. Listen to hear more about this exciting new, grassroots project that gives you a lot more than where you can get your next falafel sandwich!

More info: http://www.ncaacommunity.com/

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahyaa’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Connecting Communities: The Nor Cal Arab American Directory appeared first on KPFA.

We go deep with Remi Kanazi about how he came to be an activist-poet and how he approaches the struggle for Palestine. Find out why he thinks the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement is so important and why joining forces with allies like the #BlackLivesMatter movement and others is the best way to progress the cause of social justice in the US and worldwide!

Remi has performed his poetry for audiences all around the world and his most recent book is “Before the Next Bomb Drops: Rising Up From Brooklyn to Palestine”. In this episode, he performs a few of his new pieces for us in studio. Join us for that and some insights that you won’t hear anywhere else!

http://www.remikanazi.com/

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahyaa’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Art Meets Activism: Reflections on resistance with Remi Kanazi appeared first on KPFA.

Farah Al Mousawi — an Iraqi refugee who fled Iraq in 2003 and eventually gained political asylum in the US in 2008 — joins us to share her experiences as a refugee and to reflect on the state of affairs for refugees today

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Fu-Gee-La’: Farah Al Mousawi on life as a refugee appeared first on KPFA.

Weyam Ghadbian joins us in studio to discuss two websites that are part of a larger network of online platforms working to “amplify voices of change”, called Mideast Youth. Ahwaa.org is a space where LGBTQ individuals in the Arab world can connect and discuss issues concerning their community. Mideastunes.com is a music platform that puts Middle East and North African artists at the forefront.

www.mideastyouth.com/

To contact Weyam:

Music featured in this episode:

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Ahwaa & Mideast Tunes: Virtual spaces for social change appeared first on KPFA.

Lebanese indie rock band, Mashrou’ Leila, have taken the Arab world by storm, and in October 2015, they brought their infectious and magical energy to the United States. We were lucky enough to catch up with lead singer, Hamed Sinno, on the heels of their San Francisco performance. He talks with us about music, Lebanese politics, and Mashrou’ Leila’s newest album ‘Ibn el Leil’

www.mashrou3leila.com/

Mashrou’ Leila’s music featured in this episode:

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Son of the Night: Mashrou’ Leila’s Hamed Sinno appeared first on KPFA.

We were lucky enough to be joined by Narcy (fka The Narcicyst) after his performance at the Arab Film Festival. He is a Montreal-based Iraqi-Canadian artist, activist, and educator, who is well known for songs like P.H.A.T.W.A. and Hamdulillah. He speaks with us about the differences between being Arab in Canada and in the U.S., why he was drawn to hip hop, and how he navigates his identity musically.

His newest album is called “World War Free Now”(narcy.bandcamp.com/album/world-war-free-now).

Narcy’s music featured in this episode:

Hamdulillah (Gaza Remix) ft. Shadia Mansour

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental)@boikutt

The post Looking In: Why Narcy is the Neo-Arab Rebel Called Yassin appeared first on KPFA.

Palestinian filmmaker, Muayad Alayan, joins us in studio for a rich conversation on how one makes a feature length film under occupation. We hear about the evolving state of Palestinian cinema today and why creating a very “average” Palestinian character is actually an empowering act of resistance to existing narratives on Palestine. His film– “Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements”–was recently aired at the 2015 Arab Film Festival in San Francisco.

www.lovetheftandotherentanglements.com/

Music featured in this episode:

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Authentic Lens: “Love, Theft, and Other Entanglements” appeared first on KPFA.

Tarik Kazaleh (aka Excentrik) — Palestinian-American MC, producer, and instrumentalist, based in the SF Bay Area, and known for his work with the Arab hip hop project “Arab Summit” — takes us through his journey as a musician, why it’s tough being an Arab artist, and how he said “F— you!” to societal expectations, to truly live life on his own terms.

His new album “Now Here Nowhere” available for purchase: www.excentrikmusic.com/

To contact Tarik:

Music featured in this episode:

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Resisting Fear: Tarik Kazaleh (aka Excentrik) redefines success and embraces life as a musician appeared first on KPFA.

In anticipation of the 19th Annual Arab Film Festival (AFF) in the SF Bay Area, we speak with AFF’s Executive Director, Serge Bakalian. He gives us some background on the festival’s roots, its future, and details on a few films in this year’s lineup, and shares with us why he thinks this is the strongest lineup in AFF history.

Contact us: [email protected]

Twitter: @arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Silver Screen Arabs: Arab Film Festival 2015 sneak peek appeared first on KPFA.

Lebanese-American songstress, performer, and educator, Naima Shalhoub joins us in studio for a soul-filled conversation on how she found her voice through music and the power that comes with that kind of expression. A series of gut-based decisions in her life led her to make her innermost passion a reality and to share the stage with the likes of heavyweights Cornel West and Angela Davis. Shalhoub tells us how she goes from an advanced degree in cultural anthropology to facilitating weekly music sessions with incarcerated women inside San Francisco County jail. She’s currently working on the release of her debut album which she recorded inside a jail, “Live in San Francisco Jail”, due out in December.

naimashalhoub.com/

Naima Shalhoub’s music featured in this episode:

Herstory of Soul (featured at the beginning and end of the episode)

[email protected]

Twitter: @Arabiyaat

Theme song: Muqata’a – Ahya’ (Instrumental) @boikutt

The post Welcoming Uncertainty: A Conversation With Naima Shalhoub appeared first on KPFA.