Focus: Middle East/North Africa

Episode 44: 2020 World Fellow Sally Abi Khalil

Sally Abi Khalil talks about her work as the Country Director of Oxfam in Lebanon, the 4 August 2020 blast which destroyed the port of Beirut, the Lebanese protest movement, and how Doughnut Economics can help Lebanon build back better.

Episode 38: 2019 World Fellow Ahmed al-Basheer

Ahmed al-Basheer talks about how his life was changed by the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, why he became a comedian, the protests in Iraq, and his hopes for his country.

Episode 37: 2019 World Fellow Burçak Belli

Burçak Belli describes growing up in an Arab community in Turkey, why she became a journalist, covering the war in Syria, and the challenges facing journalists.

Episode 21: 2018 World Fellow Sultan Al Qassemi

Sultan Al Qassemi, art collector and columnist, discusses his childhood in the United Arab Emirates, why the Arab Spring failed to bring about new political orders based on rights and justice, and his hopes for the Middle East.

Episode 11: 2017 World Fellow Abdul-Rehman Malik

Abdul-Rehman Malik reflects on the joy and inspiration he finds in Islam. He explains why some Muslims may chose the path of fundamentalism and salafism; whereas others go towards spirituality and Sufism. He also discusses the work he has been involved in to bridge cultures and divides.

Episode 9: 2017 World Fellow Ibrahim Ajami

Ibrahim Ajami is son of a Lebanese father and a Liberia mother. He spent his whole life in Liberia growing up in a country immersed in civil war. He was a medical student during the Ebola epidemic. He hopes one day to be the Minister or Health in Liberia.

Episode 4: 2016 World Fellow Belabbes Benkredda

Belabbes Benkredda, the founder of Munathara Initiative, a debating forum in the Arab world, discusses the post-truth era and how to protect the public sphere.

Episode : 2007 World Fellow Ashraf Swelam