Kerning Cultures | Middle East

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. -- Help us keep KC going by supporting the production of stories like these: https://patreon.com/kerningcultures

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. -- Help us keep KC going by supporting the production of stories like these: https://patreon.com/kerningcultures

In Part One of this series, 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'.  -- Help us keep KC going by supporting the production of stories like these: https://patreon.com/kerningcultures

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. -- Help us keep KC going by supporting the production of stories like these: https://patreon.com/kerningcultures

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. -- Help us keep KC going by supporting the production of stories like these: https://patreon.com/kerningcultures