The Beirut Banyan

We're with Jwanah Qudsi for Episode 139 of The Beirut Banyan.

Click to watch:

https://youtu.be/k6nqDg9gWjA

Jwanah is the founder of Aleppo Heritage Fund - an NGO dedicated to preserving the old city of Aleppo - and an urban planner / urbanist.

We discuss Aleppo’s current reconstruction and the need to preserve the old city’s architectural heritage. Our conversation includes Jwanah’s own story of her dedication to saving the old city’s historic charm, her father’s legacy, comparisons between Aleppo and other post-war urban reconstruction efforts, and her recently incorporated NGO - the Aleppo Heritage Fund.

Jwanah’s Masters thesis referred to in this episode can be accessed via the following link:

https://icsd.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Qudsi.pdf

Her two Washington Post articles mentioned in the episode are linked below:

U.S. sanctions are strangling the effort to rebuild Old Aleppo, 2019:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/us-sanctions-are-strangling-the-effort-to-rebuild-old-aleppo/2019/05/10/747d7856-70f2-11e9-8be0-ca575670e91c_story.html

The battle for Aleppo is over. I returned to my hometown to see what’s left, 2017:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-battle-for-aleppo-is-over-i-returned-to-my-hometown-to-see-whats-left/2017/07/07/de0fe164-6203-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

Check out her father’s wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adli_Qudsi

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Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Watch the following episode on our YouTube channel via the following link:

https://youtu.be/paJRa0TvIAg

I read one of my father's previous blog posts, "Five Facts and a Conclusion" for Episode 138 of The Beirut Banyan.

And I share reflections on The Bristol Hotel's closing, the "Bristol Meeting" in late 2004 and why that political gathering still matters.

My father's blogspot page is:

http://mohamadchatah.blogspot.com

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

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Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

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Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

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@thebeirutbanyan

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Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Watch the following episode on our YouTube channel via the following link:

https://youtu.be/wi0ofe69Bo0

"Remembering Basil Fuleihan" by Mohamad Chatah. Narrated by Ronnie Chatah.

And listen back to Episode 10 with Yasma Fuleihan:

https://soundcloud.com/thebeirutbanyan/episode-10-yasma-fleihan-bassel-fleihans-legacy

Basil Fuleihan, 10 September 1963 – 18 April 2005

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

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Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

Watch the following episode on our YouTube channel via the following link:

https://youtu.be/A9hdz33DUQU

I read one of my father's previous blog posts, "But Can the Frog Still Jump Out?" for Episode 137 of The Beirut Banyan.

And I share some reflections on an irreplaceable friendship.

My father's blogspot page is:

http://mohamadchatah.blogspot.com

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're with Alexandra Talty for Episode 136 of The Beirut Banyan.

Alexandra and I discuss travel writing and reporting in Lebanon, and the wider field of journalism in the Middle East. Alexandra shares her own passion for storytelling and why she lived in Lebanon for nearly a decade.

Alexandra also shares her passion (and family tradition) for surfing, and her own experiences catching waves off the Lebanese coast.

Alexandra is a Forbes contributor and an award-winning journalist. Her features are available on her website:

https://www.alexandratalty.com

Help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

Watch these episodes via our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/c/thebeirutbanyan

Subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

And check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're with Hadi Zeidan for Episode 135 of The Beirut Banyan.

Hadi and I discuss aspects of the electronic scene in Beirut, our shared appreciation of analog / synthesizer experimentation - Aphex Twin comes up once or twice - and how Lebanon fits into the backdrop of his music.

Purchase Hadi's upcoming release 'Sketches' via his bandcamp profile:

https://hadizeidan.bandcamp.com

And follow his Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/hadizeidanFB/

Hadi is a sound artist, musician and curator. Make sure to check out his website for rescheduled tour dates:

www.hadizeidan.com

MUSIC USED WITH PERMISSION BY HADI ZEIDAN FOR THIS EPISODE:

When the Green Star Waned - Cosmic Anatomy of Synthesizers

Sundays in Paris - Sketches

Resonance in C Major - Sketches

If you're enjoying these episodes, help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

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@thebeirutbanyan

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Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We catch up with Elia Haber for Episode 134 of The Beirut Banyan.

Elia and I reflect on the past three months, and how our shared experiences of euphoria, social cohesion and revolt turned into necessary social distancing, isolation and pause.

Elia was the co-host of this podcast during the first three months of demonstrations following the 17 October 2019 uprising in Lebanon. Her episodes are listed under our 'Voices from the Square' series. She's also a great friend.

When Elia is in Beirut (and when this pandemic subsides), check out her Cafe Scientifique guest series:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cafescientifiquebeirut/

If you're enjoying these episodes, help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

And subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're joined by Hussein Ibish for Episode 133 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss COVID-19's impact on US domestic politics, protestor demands in Lebanon and Iraq, and the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict vis-a-vis a likely 'Likud' - 'Kahol Lavan' unity deal and the consequences of Israeli settlement annexation policy.

Our discussion picks up from where we left off in Episode 122: Internal and External Pressure.

Hussein Ibish is a Senior Resident Scholar at The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a weekly columnist for Bloomberg and The National.

If you're enjoying these episodes, help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

And subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're joined by Kareem Shaheen for Episode 132 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss his career in journalism and the coronavirus pandemic we're going through.

Kareem reflects on his years as a Middle East reporter for The National and The Guardian, and his focus on the human side of the story. He shares his thoughts on covering the Syrian war and its spillover into Lebanon, and what initially brought him to the world of storytelling.

Kareem Shaheen is a current writer for Al Hudood, a Middle East satirical website.

If you're enjoying these episodes, help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

And subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.

We're joined by Jasmine El-Gamal for Episode 131 of The Beirut Banyan, and we discuss the coronavirus pandemic, its impact on recent protests that swept the region and the continued demands for economic reform and political change.

Jasmine takes us back to the beginning of her political career as a translator and cultural advisor for the US Army following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. She reflects on the lessons she took from her post as a Middle East advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy from 2008-2013 and as Special Assistant for National Security Affairs to three consecutive Under Secretaries of Defense for Policy from 2013-2015.

Jasmine M. El-Gamal is a nonresident senior fellow with the Middle East program at the Atlantic Council.

If you're enjoying these episodes, help support The Beirut Banyan by contributing via PayPal:

https://www.paypal.me/walkbeirut

Or donating through our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/thebeirutbanyan

And subscribe to our podcast from your preferred platform.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter:

@thebeirutbanyan

Check out our website:

www.beirutbanyan.com

Music by Marc Codsi. Graphics by Sara Tarhini.