Webby Honoree in Diversity & Inclusion ’20

We’ve been called “‘This American Life’ of the Middle East” by The Guardian. We’ve also been featured on Radiolab (still wrapping our heads around that one). We’ve been awarded a Webby Honoree for Diversity & Inclusion. The Bello Collective named us among “100 Outstanding Podcasts” in 2019 and 2020. Oh, and Sarah Jessica Parker is a big fan. 

Jerusalem Calling Redux

May 13, 2021

Because of what’s happening in Palestine this week, we’re holding off airing our usual programming....

Abandoned Ships: Part 1

May 6, 2021

When seafarer Mehmet Gulsen stepped on board the Kenan Mete, he thought he was signing...

Exodus

April 29, 2021

Loving Lebanon is one thing; living there is another. Generation after generation, surviving in the...

Found Sound

April 23, 2021

Two stories of music getting lost… and then found again. A record producer unearths a...

Collateral Damage Redux

April 9, 2021

In 1942, Lebanon’s National Museum opened in Beirut, celebrating the country’s golden age, and inside,...

Viva Brother Nagi

April 2, 2021

Nagi Daifallah was a young farm worker from Yemen who moved to California in the...

Flagged and Stamped

March 25, 2021

Over the last half century, as many nations around our region have gained independence or...

No Victor But God

March 18, 2021

The graceful courtyards of Mexico and Puerto Rico aren’t the first places you’d go looking...

In Case of Death Redux

March 11, 2021

What happens when somebody dies in a country that’s not their home? In the UAE,...

Celebrating Women: Nadine Labaki on al empire

March 8, 2021

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re bringing back our interview with Lebanese director Nadine...

Episode Library

Season 2

Jerusalem Calling Redux

May 13, 2021

Because of what’s happening in Palestine this week, we’re holding off airing our usual programming....

Abandoned Ships: Part 1

May 6, 2021

When seafarer Mehmet Gulsen stepped on board the Kenan Mete, he thought he was signing...

Exodus

April 29, 2021

Loving Lebanon is one thing; living there is another. Generation after generation, surviving in the...

Found Sound

April 23, 2021

Two stories of music getting lost… and then found again. A record producer unearths a...

Collateral Damage Redux

April 9, 2021

In 1942, Lebanon’s National Museum opened in Beirut, celebrating the country’s golden age, and inside,...

Viva Brother Nagi

April 2, 2021

Nagi Daifallah was a young farm worker from Yemen who moved to California in the...

Flagged and Stamped

March 25, 2021

Over the last half century, as many nations around our region have gained independence or...

No Victor But God

March 18, 2021

The graceful courtyards of Mexico and Puerto Rico aren’t the first places you’d go looking...

In Case of Death Redux

March 11, 2021

What happens when somebody dies in a country that’s not their home? In the UAE,...

Celebrating Women: Nadine Labaki on al empire

March 8, 2021

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’re bringing back our interview with Lebanese director Nadine...

Whose Genizah?

March 4, 2021

In 2015, our producer Nadeen Shaker visited the Cairo Genizah in one of Egypt’s oldest...

Evacuate Kuwait

February 25, 2021

On August 2nd 1990, the Iraqi military invaded Kuwait City overnight, and its residents woke...

The A-Word

February 18, 2021

Ahmed Twaij explores an often-overlooked issue in the Arab world; racism towards Black Arabs. In...

Word on the Street

February 11, 2021

As 2020 brought us countless examples of injustice and pain, it brought remembrances that we...

Operation Nemesis

February 4, 2021

After the Armenian Genocide, in which over 1.5 million Christians from the Ottoman Empire were...

The K-Pop Wave

January 28, 2021

Since 2012, Korean pop culture has captured the imagination of people across the Middle East:...

This season on Kerning Cultures…

January 21, 2021

We’re excited to announce that season 2 of Kerning Cultures starts next week. Each Thursday,...

Season 1

Hebah on the Da Miri Podcast

January 18, 2021

Our winter season is coming very soon, but while you’re waiting just a little bit...

Behind the Scenes: Zar and Zabelle

November 26, 2020

While we’re gearing up for our next season, we wanted to share a behind the...

Update: Where the Heart Is

November 5, 2020

For his entire life, Maysam has lived in Dubai. His parents are from Syria, a...

Jerusalem Calling

October 1, 2020

The Palestine Broadcasting Service started airing in 1936, from a brand new transmitter tower in...

More Than A Buzz

September 24, 2020

In our day-to-day lives, it’s a drink. But for some people, it is not as...

Little Syria

September 18, 2020

The lower west side of Manhattan used to be home to the biggest population of...

Open Sesame Redux

September 10, 2020

In 1979, Iftah Ya Simsim – the Arabic version of Sesame Street – aired for...

Elephants in the Desert

September 3, 2020

Faysal Bibi and his team of palaeontologists have been captivated by this one particular moment...

The Missing Archives

August 26, 2020

In 1968, a trio of Palestinian filmmakers began making films about life under Israeli occupation....

Lebanon, USA 2.0

August 21, 2020

This week, a special collaboration with one of our all time favourite podcasts: Radiolab. We...

Misfits: Icebergs & Squash

August 13, 2020

This week on Kerning Cultures, two short stories. Producers Alex and Zeina uncover why Egyptians...

How to Help Beirut

August 7, 2020

We’re heartbroken by what happened in Beirut on Tuesday, August 4. Many of us at...

Rocket Man

July 30, 2020

In the 1960s, a college professor and his group of students were determined to build...

Zabelle

July 23, 2020

In 1917, a musical prodigy called Zabelle Panosian recorded a song that captured the heartbreak...

Trancing with the Zars

July 17, 2020

For centuries in Egypt, Zar was a music and dance ritual believed to heal women...

Ugly Truth

July 10, 2020

This is the ugly truth: racism and anti-Blackness in the Arab world is a common...

Outcast

July 3, 2020

Our producer Nadeen Shaker takes us on her own personal journey in trying to discover...

Unity High: Part 2

June 26, 2020

Last year, our producer Darah Ghanem stumbled upon an obscure blog on a nearly forgotten...

Unity High: Part 1

June 20, 2020

Last year, our producer Darah Ghanem stumbled upon an obscure blog on a nearly forgotten...

2015-2019

Presenting al empire: Jad Abumrad, Radio Host

April 23, 2020

While we’re working on the upcoming season of Kerning Cultures, we wanted to share with...

Lockdown Diaries

April 8, 2020

All of our lives have changed. In this unprecedented time, we wanted to make something...

Introducing: B’Hob | بِحُبْ

March 13, 2020

The Kerning Cultures Network has a new Arabic show we’re excited to share with you....

In Depth: Alex on the Da Miri Podcast

February 14, 2020

While we’re working on our summer season, we’re going to be dropping some bonus episodes...

We’re going seasonal

January 23, 2020

This year, we’ll be switching to a seasonal release schedule, rather than one episode every...

Update: Faraj

December 31, 2019

Today, an update on a story from the Kerning Cultures vault. The little-known, intertwining of...

Collateral Damage

December 18, 2019

In 1942, Lebanon’s National Museum opened in Beirut, celebrating the country’s golden age and inside,...

Update: To Oslo With Love

December 4, 2019

Today, an update on a story from the Kerning Cultures vault. Elie was a journalist...

Our Women on the Ground

November 24, 2019

Asmaa al-Ghoul was an ambitious young journalist when she started reporting on Gaza – her...

All of Them Means All of Them

November 9, 2019

On October 17, people in Lebanon hit the streets to call for a new government....

Presenting al empire: Bassem Youssef, Comedian

October 15, 2019

A special feature of Kerning Cultures Network’s newest podcast, al empire. Episode 4 features comedian...

A Tale of Two Inventors

October 6, 2019

His whole life, Walid Waked had been told that his great grandfather invented the Arabic...

Presenting al empire: Hamed Sinno, Mashrou’ Leila Singer/Songwriter

September 15, 2019

A special feature of Kerning Cultures Network’s newest podcast, al empire. The season kicks off...

In Case of Death

September 3, 2019

What happens when somebody dies in a country that’s not their home? This week on...

Trailer

August 19, 2019

Stories from the Middle East, North Africa, and the spaces in between. Support this podcast...

Mother Tongue

August 15, 2019

How do you preserve a language when your government is actively trying to erase it?...

Bonus: Our new show

July 31, 2019

Stay tuned for our new show, al empire, which features exceptional Arabs, and their journeys...

The Fishermen

July 16, 2019

Ramchandra Tendel arrived to Abu Dhabi from India in 1989, when he was 20. Since,...

الصوت الآخر للسودان

July 3, 2019

٣ شخصيات تروي كيف تأثرت من انفصال جنوب السودان عن الشمال، وتحدثنا عن المعاناة التي...

The Baklava Challenge

June 15, 2019

We asked you, our listeners what you wanted to hear next, and you said, “Baklava!”....

Loving Lynn

June 2, 2019

Lynn left behind her hometown village in the Philippines for a housekeeping job in Lebanon...

We’ve got news!

May 1, 2019

Kerning Cultures is now the first venture-funded podcast company in the Middle East. Which means...

جوهرة الموصل

April 22, 2019

نور، ترى العالم بصوتها Support this podcast on Patreon for as little as $1 a...

Misfits, Volume I

April 2, 2019

Two bite-sized stories from the Kerning Cultures vault. First, is there really Halal Cart drama...

KC Short: Break the Cycle

March 17, 2019

We asked women to tell us about their first periods and how it set a...

The Perfect Renaissance Man

March 2, 2019

In the 1930s, the architect Nasri Khattar tried to completely overhaul the Arabic script –...

Lebanon, USA

February 16, 2019

In 2016, Fadi Boukaram planned to visit 47 American towns named Lebanon by road. Then,...

أسيرات محررات: ضجيج الشهرة

January 31, 2019

لينا خطاب وعهد التميمي ٬أسيرتان محررتان٬ ترويان لنا ظروف التحقيق والاعتقال القاسية٬ كما تحكيان لنا...

Reviving Hamra Street

January 15, 2019

In the heart of Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut, Hamra Street once stood as one of...

Not Just My Hijab

December 31, 2018

Often the hijab is perceived as this static, monolithic thing. But of course, it’s not...

Faraj, Part II: The USA

December 14, 2018

In part one, we told the story of Faraj Al Baadani’s family, which unveiled a...

Faraj, Part I: Saigon to Sana’a

December 1, 2018

The little-known, intertwining of history between Yemen and Vietnam, told through the lens of a...

78 Degrees North

November 16, 2018

Short stories about passports, visas, and making “home”. And, the KC team challenge themselves to...

A Cinema, Demolished

October 30, 2018

When demolition began on the Plaza Cinema in 2015, something unusual happened; Dubai residents began...

Featuring Eib: إعتناق ديانة أخرى من أجل الحب

October 16, 2018

From Arabic podcast Eib, the story of a boy who falls in love with a...

Open Sesame

September 30, 2018

In 1979, Iftah Ya Simsim – the Arabic version of Sesame Street – aired for...

The Descent

September 17, 2018

“I still believe this is the scariest moment of my entire life. My face is...

The Things That Can’t Speak

August 31, 2018

Ronnie Chatah started giving his walking tours of Beirut in 2008, during a period of...

Update: Love in 56KB

August 16, 2018

It’s been two years since our story about Rami and Marinka, the Dutch-Lebanese couple who...

Her Side of the Story

July 30, 2018

Ghada and Ranyah don’t know each other, but their stories have a lot in common....

The Curse of the Pharaohs

July 11, 2018

This year, the Egyptian national football team ended a 28-year streak of bad luck when...

None of the Above

June 30, 2018

Every 10 years, the United States Census counts and categorises every person living in America....

To Oslo, With Love

May 30, 2018

Elie was a journalist looking for her next story when she met Ziad at a...

Resettled

April 30, 2018

From Iraq to Texas: a doctor’s chronicle of rebuilding life from the ground up as...

Resettled (English)

April 30, 2018

From Iraq to Texas: a doctor’s chronicle of rebuilding life from the ground up as...

Where the Heart Is

March 28, 2018

(Censored) A story of where we’re from – when it’s not straightforward. For his entire...

KC Listener Mashup: What’s in Your Name?

March 20, 2018

A mashup from our listening community exploring the literal meanings and experiences of your Arabic,...

The Mountain

February 28, 2018

“Without the female building block, there will be no security.” Ch 2 in our mini-series...

At the Feet of the Mother

December 30, 2017

“How would you like to remember your son?” Ch 1 in a mini-series on women...

Tell Me Something I Don’t Know

November 27, 2017

Ask a Palestinian, ask an Israeli. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production. Support...

What’s in a Name?

October 19, 2017

‘Yasir?’That’s too difficult. I’ll just call you Tony. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network...

Startup Series: Tunis

September 5, 2017

6 years after a revolution, what is it like starting a business in the new...

These Two Lanes Could Take Us Anywhere

July 28, 2017

4,000 miles, a bike trip, an Armenian, a Turk, and a history that doesn’t match...

Not Just My Hijab (Ch 2)

June 7, 2017

4 women, and their hijabs. Chapter 2 of a 2-part series. Kerning Cultures is a...

Not Just My Hijab (Ch 1)

June 1, 2017

4 women. And their hijabs. Chapter 1 in a 2-part series, Not Just My Hijab....

KC Soundboard: We’re Listening to You

May 1, 2017

Behind the scenes of ourstartup Kerning Cultures. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning Cultures Network production....

Serious Jolt

March 29, 2017

One man’s mission to revive Yemeni coffee for global markets. Kerning Cultures is a Kerning...

Where Do We Go From Here?

February 8, 2017

A look at (the first) Trump travel ban and its effects. Kerning Cultures is a...

Fight or Flight

January 23, 2017

When you’re forced to leave your home,what traditions do you take with you? A journey...

Birthplace of the UAE

December 3, 2016

The year is 1959, and 1 in every 2 babiesare dying in childbirth in the...

KC Short: Mid East for Trump

October 10, 2016

A US election special: meet the Americans of Middle Eastern descent supporting Trump. Produced by...

Reconciliation, a Tale of Two Seas

August 27, 2016

It’s 2011, and Bahrain is a divided society. Can they reconcile? Correction: The episode erroneously...

Border(less)

July 21, 2016

How do you lose a family member in Europe’s elusive borders? And as a refugee...

Love in 56KB

May 31, 2016

An epic modern love story. He was in Beirut during the Lebanon-Israel war; she was...

My Mother’s Country, Mother Of The World (Ch 2)

March 23, 2016

“No one believed I was moving back to Cairo; it’s a jungle there.”Chapter 2 finalises...

My Mother’s Country, Mother Of The World (Ch 1)

March 17, 2016

What do we owe the places that raised us? Egypt has the highest rate of...

Poetry, Deconstructed.

December 17, 2015

The creative process, deconstructed. This episode we take you behind the scenes to capture raw...

Finding Center

December 1, 2015

Finding center: physical, spiritual, mentally. Story I: [0:00-6:57] Finding Yourself in the Reflection of a...

Startup Series: UAE

October 12, 2015

Is Dubai the next Silicon Valley of the Middle East? Startup stories from the United...

Startup Series: Egypt

October 11, 2015

Egyptian startups: a different kind of revolution. This episode features Mahmoud Abdelfattah, founder of bkam.com,...

Startup Series: Lebanon

September 23, 2015

Our first episode of Kerning Cultures! Water and electricity cut daily, and yet $400M for...

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