Podcasts about british egyptian

England have won the Netball Nations Cup for the first time after beating South Africa. It proved sixth time lucky for the Vitality Roses after being defeated in the five previous finals. To celebrate, Nuala McGovern is joined by head coach Jess Thirlby and former England Netball captain, Pamela Cookey.Last month, Eleanor Frances received a settlement of £116,000 from two Whitehall departments that she worked in as a civil servant, the agreement was reached without liability. She had claimed constructive dismissal after raising concerns about a lack of impartiality in HR policies on gender and sex. DCMS and DSIT are now revising their Gender Reassignment policies. In her first broadcast interview, Eleanor tells Nuala why she brought the case.With New York fashion week in full swing we take a look at the decline of the body positivity movement. As with everything in fashion, trends come and go but when the body positivity movement hit the catwalk and more diverse models were used many thought the change was here to stay. To discuss, Nuala is joined by fashion writer Victoria Moss and plus-sized model Enrika. Laila Souief has been on hunger strike for 134 days, campaigning for the release of her British-Egyptian son Alaa Abdel Fattah, who is being held as a political prisoner in Egypt. Today she is calling for the Prime Minister to take more decisive action in getting him released. She tells Nuala how she's dealing with the hunger strike aged 68, and what she wants from the government.Inspired by the convict ships that transported prisoners from Ireland and England to Australia and the misogyny that's travelled down through generations, Emilia Hart's new book, The Sirens, explores the healing power of water and sisterhood.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Emma Pearce

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a testament to human ingenuity and architectural brilliance. Built in the third century BC on the small island of Pharos, it was the first lighthouse in recorded history and the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Standing over 100 metres high, it provided a vital beacon for sailors navigating the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean Sea.  But who built the lighthouse? How did it change during its 17 centuries overlooking the city? And, after its final collapse in the 1300s, how does its legend still endure?   This is a Short History Of The Lighthouse of Alexandria. A Noiser Production, written by Nicola Rayner. With thanks to Professor Islam Issa, British-Egyptian historian, and the author of Alexandria: The City that Changed the World.  Get every episode of Short History Of a week early with Noiser+. You'll also get ad-free listening, bonus material, and early access to shows across the Noiser network. Click the Noiser+ banner to get started. Or, if you're on Spotify or Android, go to noiser.com/subscriptions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

British-Egyptian activist and Maths professor Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike for the past month to protest her son Alaa's incarceration in Egypt. He is the country's most high profile political prisoner. Laila and her daughter Sanaa – who has faced arrest and imprisonment herself – joined Anita Rani to talk about why they won't stop fighting for Alaa's release.The BAFTA-winning actress Anna Maxwell Martin stars as Delia in the new ITV series Until I Kill You. It tells the true story of Delia Balmer, who was the girlfriend of serial killer John Sweeney. Anna joined Nuala McGovern to talk about why she wanted to tell Delia's story, as well as her personal experiences of grief and struggles with the special educational needs system.The United States goes to the polls next week and presidential candidates are campaigning furiously, with the two frontrunners being the Democratic nominee and current Vice President, Kamala Harris and the Republican nominee and former President, Donald Trump. As a programme, we're taking a look at whether there's such a thing as the ‘the woman's vote'. How are different groups of women likely to vote and why? Nuala spoke to Kathy Frankovic, Consultant to YouGov America and former director of surveys for CBS News and Debbie Walsh, Director of the Centre for Women and American Politics at Rutgers University.Sacked from her job by voicemail the day after she informed her employer she was pregnant Joeli Brearley set up Pregnant Then Screwed to end pregnancy and maternity discrimination. The charity has helped to influence new flexible working and redundancy protection laws, providing advice to hundreds of thousands of women when they face discrimination and challenging employers and government in high profile cases. After ten years Joeli is stepping down as CEO. She joined Nuala in the Woman's Hour studio.Film historian Jennifer Smyth talked to Nuala about the life and legacy of the pioneering American screenwriter, Mary McCall Jr. The first woman president of the Screen Writers Guild in 1942, Mary was a key negotiator ensuring better rights and wages for all screenwriters in the film industry. But after years of standing up to male studio heads, she would be blacklisted and go from being one of the biggest earners in Hollywood to living on nickels and dimes.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Emma Pearce

Saoirse Ronan's comments on the Graham Norton Show last week when she interjected in a conversation about self-defence and highlighted the issue of women's safety are continuing to make headlines. She was applauded by the audience, but how much courage does it take to call something out like this? Joining Anita Rani to discuss are the journalist Ash Sarkar and counselling psychologist Dr Elaine Kasket. British-Egyptian activist and maths professor Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike for the past month to protest her son Alaa's incarceration in Egypt. He is the country's most high profile political prisoner. Laila and her daughter Sanaa – who has faced arrest and imprisonment herself – join Anita to talk about why they won't stop fighting for Alaa's release.Donna Ockenden, the midwife best known for leading independent investigations into shocking maternity scandals says she's 'disgusted' at the experience her disabled daughter, Phoebe, had in A&E recently. Phoebe and Donna join Anita for their first broadcast interview to explain what went wrong and what they want to change.It's not uncommon to see young children using a tablet or a video game, but how much time on these devices is too much? A new UK study has explored how children under three engage with digital technology at home. The research reveals the significant extent of toddlers' access to various devices, and highlights how these devices can support their early language and literacy development. Anita is joined by Professor Rosie Flewitt who led the study.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Maryam Maruf Editor: Sarah Crawley Studio Manager: Sue Maillot

Sanaa Seif is a British-Egyptian filmmaker, producer, and political activist leading a global campaign for her imprisoned brother, Alaa Abd el-Fattah. In this episode, recorded at the 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum, Seif shares her family's story and speaks on the unjust imprisonment of those who speak against the Egyptian government. She calls on the international community to #FreeAlaa.

This programme is a small sample of the great music from North Africa. My selection includes traditional and modern music. The exotic sounds of North African music and its hypnotic rhythms have attracted some famous Western rock musicians. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones in 1968 found trance music in Morocco with The Master Musicians of Jajouka so powerful that he recorded a live album presented to the world as Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka. In my selection, there is a piece of the Master Musicians of Jajouka. This time was recorded by the British producer Talvin Singh in 2000. Their style of music is of Sufi tradition and it has a trance quality. Same with the Gnawa music from Sahara. Mahmoud Guinia was a celebrated star of this genre. From the desert too is Tinariwen (Algeria/Mali), the Tuareg band with extraordinary links to the blues music. From Argel is the superstar of Rai music Khaled. France is a country that has an important music community of the Algerian diaspora such as Gnawa Diffusion and the recently deceased Rachid Taha. Another extraordinary band from Morocco that you can listen to is Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects, one of the most avant-garde North African bands. They used technology and modern Western sounds for the purpose of their indigenous music, not the other way around to adapt to Western music by smothering their productions. Underher is AKA for Khaled Bess, a Tunisian/Canadian successful electronic producer. His productions are very representative of electronic music with melancholic tone. I don't usually repeat music I have played in previous shows or mixes. One of the exceptions is the very catchy and feeling-good song Ayonha by Libyan (and resident in Egypt) songwriter of Arabic Pop Hamid El Shaeri. Natacha Atlas is part of the North African diaspora (British/Egyptian). She is a prominent figure in the British World music scene. Amine Bouhafa is also part of the North African music diaspora. He is Tunisian but residing in France. Bouhafa is one of the most successful young film music composers who won a prestigious international award with the soundtrack of Timbuktu. I hope this selection whets your appetite to learn about this fascinating music. Playlist Introduction music Castles made of sand by JIMI HENDRIX Info NDFM Website - info – pics – Content - Music Videos – NDFM's own Music Player Please go to - https://www.nudirectionsfm.com/ 1- Salam - YOUCEF 2- El Mouka - AISHA KANDISHA'S JARRING EFFECTS 3- Njoom al level - AHMED FAKROUN 4- Zabou - AMINE BOUHAFA 5- Imidiwanim - TINARIWEN 6- Glibi - BAB L'BLUZ 7- Shaba kouria - MAHMOUD GUINIA 8- Sidi Habibi - ABDELKADER SANDOUM 9- Diaspora - NATACHA ATLAS 10- Strained are we - UNDERHER (KOA Remix) 11- Ayonha - HAMID EL SHAERI 12- Aicha - KHALED 13- Raï Derli - DJAM & FAM 14- Ida - RACHID TAHA 15- Baba El Gnawi - GNAWA DIFFUSION 16- Trance Dance - HAMI BAROUDI (DJ KRUSH Mix) 1 17- Searching for the passion - THE MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA (featuring BACHIT ATTAR)

#77. In this episode of CREATE. PHOTOGRAPHY., Daniel is having a conversation with Laura El-Tantawy. Laura is an award winning British/Egyptian documentary photographer, artful book maker & mentor. She is also a Canon Ambassador. Born in the UK, Laura studied in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US & UK.  Laura's website:   https://www.lauraeltantawy.com/In the Shades of the Pyramid Book  I'll Die For You ProjectSupport the showI use buzzsprout.com for podcast hosting and love it! If you want to sign up, please use this link and you will get a $20 Amazon Gift Card (sent after 2nd paid invoice). Podcast Homepage: https://createphotography.buzzsprout.com

In the first episode of Season 2, we speak to British-Egyptian photographer, Laura El-Tantawy. We discuss Laura's expansive career as a photographer, from her moving images of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, exploring her experience as both a photographer and an Egyptian, to the challenges photographers face today, and how she maintains the dignity of her subjects.Thank you to Laura for joining us for this episode. If you are enjoying The Art Persists Podcast, please FOLLOW, RATE, and SHARE. Only with your help can these stories be heard.Laura El-Tantawy is an award winning British/Egyptian documentary photographer, artful book maker & mentor. She is a Canon Ambassador, representing the global camera giant's vision & passion for visual storytelling.The Art Persists Podcast listeners can get 15% off Bosla Arts' 1st magazine, In Defiance, with the code: TAPP.Learn more about Laura's work:Discover her website: https://www.lauraeltantawy.com/Follow Laura on Instagram: @laura_el_tantawy

The British Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah has been on hunger strike in a prison in Cairo for seven months. And despite an appeal by the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the Egyptian President, he has had no visit from the British embassy or access to a lawyer. Today's Martha Kearney spoke to Alaa Abdel Fattah's Mother Laila about what her son has been going through, and how he is being treated by the Egyptian government. She also spoke to John Casson, Former British Ambassador to Egypt, who warned ministers not to lose interest in the case. (Credit: FREE ALAA CAMPAIGN)

JJ Cornish shares the latest African news that includes Mozambique starting to ship gas to Europe, new peace talks between DRC and Rwanda set to start next Monday, and the plight of jailed British-Egyptian dissident overshadowing COP27 in Egypt.

JJ Cornish shares the latest African news that includes Mozambique starting to ship gas to Europe, new peace talks between DRC and Rwanda set to start next Monday, and the plight of jailed British-Egyptian dissident overshadowing COP27 in Egypt.

JJ Cornish shares the latest African news that includes Mozambique starting to ship gas to Europe, new peace talks between DRC and Rwanda set to start next Monday, and the plight of jailed British-Egyptian dissident overshadowing COP27 in Egypt.

The family of jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah have no idea whether he is still alive. He took his last sip of water behind bars in Egypt on Sunday, six months into his hunger strike. A group of Nobel Laureates have written to world leaders including our Prime Minister calling on them to use COP27 to demand freedom for Alaa and the thousands of other political prisoners held in Egypt The cousin of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, Omar Robert Hamilton, joins us now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Urgent questions are being asked about one of Egypt's most high-profile prisoners, the civil rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who has just escalated his months-long hunger strike, so that he is, according to his family, no longer even drinking water. We hear from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani, and a response from the Egyptian government. Also on the programme: The US midterm elections get underway with the spotlight once again on Georgia; and as climate campaigners in Britain block major roads, Newshour asks, does this sort of protest encourage change, or just anger the public? (Photo: Sister of jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah campaigns for his release at COP27 conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Credit: Sedat Suna/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Also tonight: What's at stake in the US mid terms ? And the head of Amnesty international on jailed British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah

Today on The Day After, (04:17) Headlines: Sources say the real reason Boris Johnson pulled out of the Tory race was financially motivated, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey claims the Tories have betrayed the British people (10:26) What You Saying? Is there something you realistically could do today that could improve your life? What is stopping you? (38:09) Headlines: Kyiv's mayor Klitcshko warns residents they may need to evacuate the city, Italy stops male migrants from disembarking rescue ship (42:29) Word on Road: Aaron Carter passes away at age 34, Mel B is engaged, Elon Musk got Kathy Griffin off the twitter streets for good, Young Steff alleges TPain stole “shawty” from him, Summer Walker says everyone needs to stay out of her relationship status but fyi, she's single (55:17) The People's Journal (01:14:16) The Rotation (01:28:56) Headlines: Tanzanian Precision Air plane crashes into Lake Victoria, Jailed activist British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah begins 'water strike (01:32:38) The Reaction: Premier League Round-up, Aston Villa score 3 against Man Utd to secure the win, Arsenal defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Salah scores twice for Liverpool to defeat Tottenham, Bivol retains WBA light heavyweight title (01:45:30) Done Out 'Ere (01:53:56) Outro --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedayaftertnb/message

COP 27 starts in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh with climate funding for adaptation on top of the agenda. Also in the programme, the Latino vote in the US midterms; and the British-Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Souif on her imprisoned nephew the political dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah who is serving a five years sentence in an Egyptian prison. (Photo: Climate protester holding banner outside COP27 venue in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Credit: Shutterstock)

Aya Hijazi is an American citizen and a humanitarian. She is the founder and Director of the Belady Foundation that worked to help children in Egypt who lived on the streets. In May 2014 when the crackdown on civil society in Egypt was gathering pace, Egyptian police raided the Belady Foundation's offices and arrested Aya, her husband and her colleagues. They were wrongfully imprisoned in Egypt for almost 3 years.Human Rights Watch called their wrongful imprisonment a travesty of justice. The US government publicly called for Aya's release and she was eventually freed in April 2017. On this episode, we have the honour of speaking to Aya herself. Aya gives us an overview of the political climate in Egypt in 2014 and walks us through her arrest, her interrogation in a police station where she was assaulted and accused of being an American spy, conditions of her detention, the medical issues she suffered from while she was in prison, her sham trial, using her time in prison to learn French, Spanish and drawing as well as how she found the strength to keep on going during those three years. Aya gives recommendations to other former hostages and hostage families on how to persevere through this trauma and tells us what she's been up to since her release.We then discuss what the Egyptian and American governments should do better, how the media can really help make a difference in raising awareness of a hostage's case as well as what the public can do to help. Aya also reveals that on the day of her release from prison, she was taken to meet the Egyptian Director of National Intelligence who forced Aya to attend a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House – a meeting she didn't want to attend. She was told there would be consequences to her husband if she refused. Since Aya's release, she has been advocating for human rights in Egypt and she talks about British-Egyptian human rights activist, Alaa Abd El-Fattah who has been on hunger strike for months as well as the murder of Italian citizen and Cambridge University student, Giulio Regeni who went to Egypt to research labour unions.   If you prefer, you can watch the video version of this interview on YouTube. For more information on Aya Hijazi, please check out the following:Aya Hijazi's Twitter accountThe Belady Foundation's Twitter accountThe Belady Foundation's Facebook accountEgypt Prison Atlas websiteGet the latest updates on hostage cases we at Pod Hostage Diplomacy are working on including new episodes by subscribing to our fortnightly newsletter, the Hostage Briefing. Subscribe here.You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.Support the show

In this Book Club, we talked to Sabrina Mahfouz about her book "These Bodies of Water."  The novel is about imperialism, and the history of the Middle Eastern coastlines and waterways that were vital to the British Empire's hold.Sabrina Mahfouz is a British-Egyptian writer, performer and educator. Her first short play, That Boy, was performed at the Soho Theatre in 2010 and won a Westminster Prize for New Playwrights. In 2011, she was Creative in Residence at The Hospital Club. In the same year, she produced her first solo show, Dry Ice, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and won her the Stage Award for Acting Excellence. Subsequent plays, which include Clean (2012) and Chef (2014), have been performed at the Fringe, the Soho Theatre, the Roundhouse and in New York, and have won numerous awards, including a Fringe First and an Off West End Award in 2018 for the children's show Zeraffa Giraffa. Her 2015 play With A Little Bit of Luck was also adapted as a radio drama for BBC Radio 1Xtra. Most recently, her adaptation of Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses for Pilot Theatre went on tour around the country. Her latest book, These Bodies of Water: Notes on the British Empire, the Middle East and Where We Meet, was published in 2022.Created and hosted by Mikey MuhannaEdited by: Ramzi RammanTheme music by: Tarek Yamani https://www.instagram.com/tarek_yamani/About Book Club:Book Club is an interview series that calls for afikra community members, who are interested in literature and reading, to spend time reading along with the entire community. Books in Arabic and English will be announced on afikra's reading list and the members will be asked to do the reading at home at their leisure and then join afikra for a conversation with the authors of those books. Every two weeks, a conversation will be held with an author to discuss their work and the book in particular. Individuals joining the call will be expected to have read the book and prepared questions regarding the context, motivation, and background stories. Following the interview, there is a moderated town-hall-style Q&A with questions coming from the live virtual audience ‎on Zoom.‎ Join the live audience: https://www.afikra.com/rsvp   FollowYoutube - Instagram (@afikra_) - Facebook - Twitter Support www.afikra.com/supportAbout afikra:‎afikra is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region- past, present, and future - through conversations driven by curiosity. Read more about us on  afikra.com

Financier, philanthropist, and longtime president of the World Sephardi Federation Nessim Gaon was proud of the Sudanese birthright that made him part of a long lineage of Jews from Arab lands. However, with growing antisemitism in Sudan, he also believed Israel offered the only safe haven for Jews around the world and devoted his life to constantly improving the Zionist project.  Gaon's oldest grandchild, Dr. Alexandra Herzog, deputy director of Contemporary Jewish Life for American Jewish Committee, shares the story of her grandfather's flight from Sudan, his quest for equality in Israel, and his pursuit of peace between the Jewish state and Arab nations that led to the historic 1979 accord between Israel and Egypt. Along with Dr. Herzog, oral historian Daisy Abboudi describes great changes in Sudan that take place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which saw the country emerge from a period of Islamic extremism to a land of possibilities for Jewish pioneers. However, this brief window of openness closes once again as Gaon's cousins, Diana Krief and Flore Eleini, describe how following Israel's victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, Sudan once again became a terrifying place to be a Jew.  ___ Show notes: Sign up to receive podcast updates here. Learn more about the series here. Song credits:  Saza Niye Glemedin; Penceresi Yola Karsi: all by Turku, Nomads of the Silk Road Pond5:  “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Hatikvah (National Anthem Of Israel, Electric Guitar)”; Composer: Composer: Eli Sibony; ID#122561081 “Frontiers”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Pete Checkley (BMI), IPI#380407375 “Adventures in the East”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI) Composer: Petar Milinkovic (BMI), IPI#00738313833. “A Middle East Lament”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Alpha (ASCAP); Composer: Dan Cullen (PRS), IPI#551977321 “Mystic Anatolia”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Alpha (ASCAP); Composer: Okan Akdeniz (MSG), IPI#37747892568 “Modern Middle Eastern Underscore”: Publisher: All Pro Audio LLC (611803484); Composer: Alan T Fagan (347654928) “Fields Of Elysium”; Publisher: Mysterylab Music; Composer: Mott Jordan; ID#79549862 ___ Episode Transcript: ALEXANDRA HERZOG: Oftentimes, I asked him, would you want to go visit Sudan? If you could, would you? And you know, he would tell me, ‘Well, I have this image in my head. And I want to keep it that way.' And I think that it was so loaded for him in terms of memories, in terms of, you know, vibrancy of life and I think he wanted to keep it as this frozen image. MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: The world has overlooked an important episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in Arab nations and Iran in the mid-20th century. This series, brought to you by American Jewish Committee, explores that pivotal moment in Jewish history and the rich Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations as some begin to build relations with Israel. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Join us as we explore family histories and personal stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience.  This is The Forgotten Exodus. Today's episode: Leaving Sudan MANYA: When Diana Krief and her 95-year-old mother Flore Eleini look back on their family's life in Sudan, they conjure dark memories. Flore remembers enjoying afternoon tea outside with her mother-in-law when soldiers armed with bayonets stormed the garden. FLORE ELEINI: Life was normal, life was good. And then, little by little. it deteriorated. We were the very, very last Jews to stay in the Sudan. And then, after the Six Day War, of course, they came, you know, in the street, they were shouting, kill, kill, kill, kill the Jews, kill, kill, kill the Jews. And one day, I thought it was our end. MANYA: Her daughter Diana remembers soldiers raiding their house and posters of decapitated Jews outside their home. DIANA KRIEF: It's actually by others that I came to know that I was Jewish, that I was a Jew, you know, born in a Jewish family. They used to come in front of the house with posters of Jews in the Mediterranean Sea with their heads cut off, and blood everywhere. That's the first time I had actually seen the land of Israel. I didn't know that we had a land before.  And it was “itbah” the whole time. And even when we would put the radio on, they would sing“itbah itbah al yahud.” That means “slaughter, slaughter the Jews”. And this always stayed in my memory. MANYA: In 1968, Flore and Diana were among the last Jews to flee Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. They followed a path to Geneva blazed by Flore's cousin, Nessim Gaon, a financier and philanthropist born and raised in Sudan who had moved from Khartoum to Switzerland a decade earlier.  Gaon, who died in May 2022 at the age of 100, was a legend in modern Jewish history. As a longtime president of the World Sephardi Federation, he worked to raise the profile of Sephardic Jews around the world and level the playing field for them in Israel – where Arabic speaking Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews were often looked down upon.  On the contrary, Gaon believed they offered Israel a gift – a link between the Jewish state and their former homes in the Arab world. Gaon himself offered a shining example. He persuaded his dear friend, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to meet with Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, which led to the historic 1979 accord between Israel and Egypt – the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab nation. ALEXANDRA: For him when Israel was built, it really was like a miracle. He really, truly believed in the possibilities that Israel could offer. He also realized that Sephardic Jews could play a role in creating a bridge between Israel and the Arab countries, and that they would be able to help in creating peace or at least creating dialogue between some of those countries. And that's really what he did in his conversations with Anwar el-Sadat and Menachem Begin.  MANYA: That's Gaon's oldest grandchild, Dr. Alexandra Herzog, who now serves as the deputy director of Contemporary Jewish Life for American Jewish Committee. As her last name indicates, her mother Marguerite, Gaon's daughter, married into the Herzog dynasty. Alexandra's paternal grandfather was former Israeli president Chaim Herzog, and her uncle Isaac Herzog, is the Israeli president today.  But in addition to that proud legacy, Alexandra is especially proud of the impact her maternal grandfather made in helping Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews – a slight majority of Israel's Jewish population, but a significant majority of its Jewish poor – thrive, succeed, and lead in the Jewish state. Gaon was the driving force behind Project Renewal, an initiative launched in the 1970s to rehabilitate some of Israel's most distressed neighborhoods and improve education and social services there. He developed a bar mitzvah program that provided the education, ceremony, and gifts for thousands of underprivileged boys. And tens of thousands of young Sephardi leaders from impoverished neighborhoods received university scholarships. ALEXANDRA: A lot of the people who came out of this program are actually mayors or members of the Knesset – important people in Israel who actually have, as a ripple effect, a strong impact on the lives of other people as well. MANYA: The history of Sudan's once tiny and tight-knit Jewish community is limited to the late 19th and early 20th centuries – a brief window when it was safe to be Jewish in that Northeast African country. But the Sudanese diaspora's connection to that country runs unusually deep.  Sudan, Egypt's neighbor to the south, was much more than a waystation during the age of migration. It was a land of possibilities. Even if their forefathers spent centuries elsewhere, their descendants today often identify with the fleeting generations spent in Sudan. DAISY ABBOUDI: If you speak to people who were there, and you say, where are you from, they will say, Sudan, in a very proud, but definitive way. MANYA: That's Daisy Abboudi, a London-based oral historian of Sudanese Jewish history, who began her career by interviewing her own grandparents. DAISY: Sudanese is very much part of their identity and their descendants kind of focus on Sudan. And I know, there's this kind of phenomena from around the Middle East – a kind of nostalgia of looking back. There's kind of an inherited nostalgia that exists as well. But it's particularly strong in Sudan for a country where people didn't have thousands of years of roots. And I'm kind of always wondering, why? Why has it got this pull? MANYA: The reason could be embedded in the history of Sudan and the pioneering spirit of the Jews who landed in this rustic pocket of Northeast Africa, where the Blue and White Nile Rivers converged, the constellations shone brightly in the night sky, and the scent of jasmine and gardenia floated in the air. In the early 19th century, Sudanese and Egyptian residents lived under Ottoman rule. Jews in Egypt – and the few there might have been in Sudan – faced harsh taxes. But that changed toward the end of the 19th century, as the Ottoman Empire fell, and British forces took over Egypt, before moving south. With them came Christian missionaries who intended to “civilize” the tribes there. An opposition and independence movement began to build, led by a self-proclaimed Mahdi, who claimed to be the foretold redeemer of the Islamic nation. The 1966 epic film, Khartoum, depicts the infamous 1884 Siege of Khartoum, in which the Mahdi, portrayed by Hollywood superstar Laurence Olivier, defeated the popular British General Charles Gordon, played by another Hollywood legend of Ten Commandments fame, Charlton Heston. DAISY: When this independence movement starts, it's led by a man who calls himself the Mahdi, which means the kind of chosen one, and he wins, basically. He conquers Sudan quite quickly and then promptly dies of malaria and his successor takes over. But this period of independence, once it was established, is called the Mahdia, after the Mahdi.  It was an Islamic state, basically in that it was quite extremist. All the non-Muslim people living in Sudan had to convert to Islam. This was a law that was targeted at the missionaries who were there, but of course these Jews that were living there got caught up in that policy. MANYA: When the British conquered the Mahdi in 1898, that conversion law was revoked, and some converts reverted back to Judaism. The British built a railway line to supply the army and connect Egypt to Khartoum, the capital of the dual British-Egyptian colony. And soon, Sudan became a destination for Jewish families who sought to build economic opportunities from the ground up. DAISY: It was a kind of a mercantile community, a lot of shops, import-exports, cloth, gum Arabic, hibiscus. A couple of families grew and then traded hibiscus, which was like the main ingredient in cough syrup at the time. Don't forget, at that time, Sudan was very new – Khartoum especially, in terms of on the map in terms of European consciousness, obviously not new in terms of how long it's actually been there. But it was kind of seen or perceived as this new frontier. It was a bit off the beaten track.  There wasn't the mod cons or luxuries even of the day. So, it was people who were willing to take a little bit of a risk and dive into the unknown who would actually go to Sudan. MANYA: According to historian Naham Ilan, though the community was deeply traditional, it was largely secular and introduced many of Sudan's modern conveniences.  Morris Goldenberg from Cairo was the first optician in Khartoum. Jimmy and Toni Cain, refugees from Germany, ran a music hall and cabaret. Jewish students attended private Christian schools. By 1906, the Jewish community of Egypt invited Rabbi Solomon Malka, a Moroccan rabbi who was ordained in British Mandate Palestine, to lead Sudan's Jewish community. He was supposed to stay for only a few years, but instead stayed and purchased his own manufacturing plants, producing sesame oil and macaroni. His son Eli would later write the foundational history of the community titled Jacob's Children in the Land of the Mahdi: Jews of the Sudan. DAISY: When Rabbi Malka came, he was the shochet, he was the mohel, he was the rabbi. He was everything, it was a one-man band. The community was already kind of focused in Khartoum in 1928 when the synagogue was built. The club was built in 1947. I think the peak in terms of numbers of the community was early to mid-1950s. And that was about 250 families. So even at its peak, it was a very small community. MANYA: Community is the key word. Everyone knew each other, looked out for each other, and when Israel was created in 1948, they raised money to help some of their fellow Jews seek opportunities in that new frontier. Those who left weren't fleeing Sudan – not yet. That shift didn't happen for at least another decade. When things did start to turn, Nessim Gaon would lead the exodus. He had seen what could happen when Jews ignored warning signs and stayed where they were unwelcome for too long. Gaon's family arrived in the early 20th Century when his father got a job working as a clerk for the British governor of Port Sudan. Gaon was born in Khartoum in 1922. ALEXANDRA: As for a lot of Sephardi families, they basically moved with opportunities and changes of power in different countries. So they went from Spain, to Italy, back to Spain. And then they went into the Arab lands. So I know that they went into Iraq, then they went into Turkey. And they spent quite some time actually in Turkey, until they finally went to Sudan and Egypt. MANYA: As a young man, Gaon left to attend the London School of Economics. Shortly after he returned, he encountered British officers recruiting soldiers to fight for Winston Churchill's campaign against the Nazis.  ALEXANDRA: He just went in, signed up, and the next day, he was sent to the front. His family was not so excited about that. And he was actually under age, he wasn't really supposed to be able to sign up at that time. But when they figured out his age, you know, in the army, it was already too late. He just felt that he needed to be useful and do something. And that's what he did.  MANYA: Though he knew about the uneasy life for Jews in Sudan preceding his family's arrival there, what Gaon witnessed during World War II while stationed in places like Iraq ensured he would never take for granted his safety as a Jew. ALEXANDRA: Even though he never spoke about all of the things that he saw in great detail, he did a lot after the war, to help survivors go to Israel. It was very important to him to try to help those who had survived to actually go into a place of safety. He knew what it meant to be a Jew in danger. MANYA: Gaon and his future wife of 68 years, Renee [Tamman], exchanged letters every day when he was away at war and kept every single one. And after his return, from that point on, they never spent more than three days apart. The couple soon began to build their family. But because of rudimentary medical care in Sudan, it was difficult. Three of their children died before their daughter Marguerite was born in 1956. They were buried in Khartoum's Jewish cemetery. Sudan became independent in 1956. But the ties to Egypt ran deep. Later that year, when French, British, and Israeli forces attacked Egypt over Gamel Abdel Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal, the anti-Jewish tensions trickled south. DAISY: The Suez Crisis, in the end of 1956, kind of spikes a bit of antisemitism. There is a talk in the newspapers about antisemitism, Zionist things, plots. There were a few things that made life slightly more difficult, but not in a very impactful way on daily life. MANYA: There were other signs too. When the winner of the Miss Khartoum beauty pageant was discovered to be Jewish, she lost her crown. When Jews had matza imported from London for Passover, it had to be packaged in plain boxes without a Magen David. Given what Gaon had witnessed in World War II, that was enough to leave. He, his wife, and only daughter at the time went to Geneva. ALEXANDRA: That was a blooming community, they were happy, they were together. And they were able to create and expand on their Jewish life. And I think that, at some point, when it became clear, when they saw the signs of that antisemitism coming their way again, they just felt like, “OK, we've seen this before, not just in Sudan, but also from the history of the Holocaust. And we need to take proactive measures, and make sure that we're safe. MANYA: When they left, Gaon and his wife told no one. They packed only enough bags for a vacation. They even left the doors unlocked and food in the refrigerator so no one dropping by their home would get suspicious. ALEXANDRA:  My grandmother always told us how some part of her broke a little when they just left the house. They really pretended that they were just going out and they would come back. They would tell us how hard it was when they turned and they looked at the house the last time and they knew that they had left most of their things. That they had a whole history there. That they had children there who were still going to be there and it was really difficult. And so, they took everything [with] them, left to Switzerland, and made a life there. MANYA: The decade that followed was particularly tumultuous in Sudan. The country had its first coup of many, and a military government took over. In 1960, all of the Jews who had left Sudan had their citizenship revoked. Another revolution in 1964 restored civilian rule.  DAISY: It's at that time, that a lot of the north-south tension kind of comes into things. And there was a lot of violence in that revolution, a lot of rioting. And the violence was tribal, north-south tribalism, a lot of violence against southern tribes, people from the South in Sudan.  But that scared the Jewish community that there would be violence and murders in the streets, and that signaled that this was no longer this stable country that they had been living in. And that's when more people start to leave. MANYA: By this point, acquiring an exit visa had become difficult for Jews, especially those who owned businesses and properties. Much like Gaon and his wife had left under cover of vacation, people began acquiring tourist visas with return tickets they never used. In the summer of 1967, the Six-Day War became a flashpoint in Khartoum. DAISY: There was a lot of rhetoric against Jews, in the newspapers, accusations of Zionism, Zionist spies, slurs, the lot. The Jewish young men who didn't know the right people to avoid it, were arrested for the duration of the war, and then released subsequently. And then after the Six Day War, the Arab League Summit, and the declaration of the three Nos. That actually happened in Khartoum, so you can imagine the atmosphere in Khartoum at that time was not pleasant. MANYA: The Three Nos. No peace with Israel, No recognition of Israel, No negotiations with Israel. These were the pillars of the Khartoum Resolution, the Arab world's proclamation denying self-determination for the Jewish people in their biblical homeland. The Arab League Summit convened in Khartoum on August 29, 1967 and the resolution was adopted days later. Flore recalls how Muslim friends and colleagues suddenly turned on them. Returning home from a trip, her husband Ibrahim's business partner brought back a framed picture and insisted that Ibrahim read its engraved inscription out loud: “The world will not have peace until the last Jew is put to death by stoning,” it said. Another friend asked Flore one day where she hid the device she used to communicate with Israel, implying she was a spy. During a visit to Geneva, Ibrahim was warned not to return because there was a price on his head. Flore said their delayed departure was a source of tension between her and her husband, who even for years afterward, couldn't believe his beloved Sudan had betrayed them. But the time had come for most Jews, including the extended family that Nessim Gaon had left behind, to abandon their homes and fortunes in Sudan and join him. FLORE: My husband had confidence in them. And we had a lot of problems between my husband and me because of this. Because I said ‘Ibrahim, this is not a country for us.' He says: ‘You don't know anything. They won't harm us. They won't do that.' He had confidence, he couldn't believe it. Until my husband became very old. He died at the age of 94. And he always, always, in his heart, he said that they cannot harm us. But he had illusions. He had illusions. MANYA: The Gaons also could not return. It was simply too dangerous. But in the 1970s, when Nessim Gaon learned vandals might have desecrated the Jewish cemetery in Khartoum, he resolved to retrieve their children and other family members who were buried there. From a distance, he coordinated an airlift for several prominent Sudanese families, including Rabbi Malka's descendants, to transfer the remains of their loved ones out of Sudan to be reburied in Jerusalem where he knew they would be safer. It was this sincere belief about the promise of Israel and the promise of peace in the region that led Gaon to encourage and attend a meeting between Menachem Begin and Anwar el-Sadat in 1977. ALEXANDRA: He saw opportunities there to create a peace with Egypt and he told Menachem Begin we can create peace with the Arab countries. And so Menachem Begin took him to meet with Anwar el-Sadat. They had a meeting and they hit it off right away, because they spoke the same language, they came from the same place.  MANYA: Over the next two years, Gaon worked discreetly in the background to ease both of their minds, find common ground, and reach a consensus. When the two leaders were ready to sign a treaty in 1979, Gaon gave them both the Swiss pens they used to make it official.  ALEXANDRA: They actually called him first thing after signing, and told him: ‘Nessim, it happened. We did it.' And, you know, it was something that he was very proud of, but that we were not really allowed to talk about in the outside.  He truly believed in the possibilities, in the outcome. That's what he focused on. He wanted to better the lives of people both in Israel and in Egypt, and he cared about, you know, the Sephardi Jews that were part of that narrative as well. MANYA: Sudan was one of only two Arab nations who supported the accord. Egypt was suspended from the Arab League for ten years and el-Sadat was assassinated in 1981.  Still, Gaon never stopped trying to pave the way for more peace negotiations. In fact, much later Israel tapped him to meet privately with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Unfortunately, the outcome was not the same. ALEXANDRA: We did not really want him to go and meet with Arafat because we were worried. I mean, Arafat had a long history of terrorism and we were a little bit scared. Arafat actually told him that at some point, there was a murder order on his head. They were considering killing my grandfather. And they decided not to, because he realized that he was an Arab like him. When my grandfather told us about this, we all went like, [gasp], what are you saying? But he was very calm about it. And he said: ‘You know, I, I stood there and Arafat told [me], I knew that you were doing a lot of good things. And you know, you were not doing anything bad towards the Arab populations. And you are very respectful. This is your background as well. And so we decided not to go ahead with it.' But I think my grandfather found it very difficult to talk to Arafat. And Arafat was not ready to make peace. MANYA: By this time Gaon had become a grandfather, Alexandra's Nono – the one who taught her how to whistle and play backgammon. The one who blessed her before long trips. The one who taught her his first language, Arabic. The one who passed down his love for the beauty of Sephardic Jewry and his concern about it being overshadowed and undervalued around the world and in Israel. ALEXANDRA: He was so idealistic about Israel, and really believed in it and thought it was such an important project. He also was very critical of it in terms of its treatment of Sephardic Jews. He was very sensitive to it, and he really worked hard to change that.  He was a little bit darker skinned. And he came from Sudan, he was born there. So he saw himself really, as a Sephardic Jew who had the opportunity here to educate this new country and to help this new country understand how Sephardic Jews could actually help and be positive agents within the country. MANYA: He also believed that the Jewish world must acknowledge and respect its own rich diversity for the benefit of everyone – Jewish, non-Jewish, Israeli or Diaspora. As president of the World Sephardi Federation, he traveled the world to encourage others to step up and show that Jewish history is not just an Eastern European, Ashkenazi narrative. ALEXANDRA: The more you're open to people who come from a different background, the more you also know how to interact with non-Jews and with countries that are maybe antagonistic to you. I think that it was a way for him to sort of bridge conflict to say: if you make an effort within the Jewish people, then you learn how to talk to everybody. MANYA: Daisy Abboudi said telling the stories of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews is complicated. Are they migrants? Are they refugees? What do they want to be called, and why? And then there's the ambivalence some Israelis have had about welcoming all Jews, some of whom still feel affection for nations that wish Israel did not exist. In their eyes, it's a fine line between affection and loyalty. DAISY: It's not an easily packaged short story. It feeds into so many different kinds of strands and politics and it's such a messy period of history anyway, with colonialism and the end of colonialism and nationalism, and, and, and, and. I think it is too big and too much for people to kind of get their heads around. And so people just don't. MANYA: But Gaon believed that leveling the playing field and making sure everyone has equal opportunities to education and leadership is where it starts. As part of Project Renewal, he often walked the streets of the most distressed neighborhoods in Israel to hear firsthand what residents there needed and advocated for them. In addition to the scholarships, bar mitzvah programs, and Project Renewal initiative, Gaon also held court at the King David Hotel whenever he traveled to Jerusalem. Sephardi residents would line up around the block to meet the man who invested and believed in them. ALEXANDRA: Years later, when he was quite influential, he got a letter from the Sudanese government to tell him that they would love it if he took back the nationality. At the time, he decided not to.  He wanted to keep the memories and the life that he had in Sudan and all of the legacy of Sudan without specifically being connected to a government or a political situation that he disagreed with and that was difficult and unpleasant to Jews. I know that oftentimes, I asked him, would you want to go visit Sudan? If you could, would you? And you know, he would tell me, ‘Well, I have this image in my head. And I want to keep it that way.' And I think that it was so loaded for him in terms of memories, in terms of, you know, vibrancy of life and what he experienced, and I think he wanted to leave it that way, and not be sort of surprised or sad, or, shocked by the changes possibly. I think he wanted to keep it as this frozen image. I hope that one day I can go both to Sudan and to Egypt and see those places myself and get a sense of putting the pieces of the puzzle together and getting a sense of what life might have been. MANYA:  It's unclear when it will be safe for Jews to travel to Sudan again. Between November 1984 and January 1985, Sudanese, Israeli and U.S. officials worked with Gaon and Alexandra's father, Joel Herzog, to facilitate an airlift of thousands of Ethiopian Jews from refugee camps in Sudan to Israel. Operation Moses, as it was called, ended abruptly in January 1985 as soon as Sudan's Arab allies caught wind of the joint effort, stranding many Ethiopian Jews there. Some were eventually rescued, but not all.  ALEXANDRA: He not only helped fund the mission, which was very secretive, but he also took care of all of the details of the infrastructure from making sure that they could take a bus, to the plane, to a ship. He really took care of all of the details. And it was important to him because he wanted to make sure that fellow Jews would be in a place of safety. MANYA: Tribal conflict and civil wars also have continued. Feeling neglected by Khartoum, the largely agrarian South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after two civil wars. Warring factions within the South agreed to a coalition government in 2020.  Meanwhile, since 2003, millions of Darfuri men, women and children from three different ethnic groups have been targeted in what is considered the first genocide of the 21st Century – atrocities that continue today.  In 2019, Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir was pushed out of office by a series of peaceful protests. The following year, Sudan's fledgling civilian government announced its intentions to join the Abraham Accords as part of a larger effort to engage with the international community and secure international assistance. This included an agreement by the United States to remove Sudan from its state sponsor of terrorism list. But yet another military coup in 2021 derailed any efforts toward diplomacy and that plan was put on hold until a civilian government is restored.  Gaon died before seeing it become a reality.  ALEXANDRA: He really saw Sudan as his home. That was the place that he knew, that he grew up in. And I mean, again, he had gone to London before to study, he still came back to Sudan. You know, he went to war, he came back to Sudan and came with a lot of different layers of understanding of what it meant to be a Jew, in a lot of different countries, a lot of different places.  MANYA: Alexandra said he carried those layers and lessons with him throughout his life, as well as immense pride that he came from a long lineage of people living in Arab lands. For Nessim Gaon, the Jewish tradition was and always should be a big, diverse, inclusive tent. ALEXANDRA: One of the memories that really sticks with me is how during the Kohanim prayers at the synagogue, my grandfather would take his tallit, his prayer shawl, and put it on top of all of his children and grandchildren. And my grandmother would do the exact same thing with us in the women's section.  And of course, from time to time I would peek and look at this beautiful tent that was extended above all of my family members. And what was really special to me, was how we knew at that moment that we were being blessed by both my grandparents and that if someone was around and looked completely alone, they were welcomed under our tent.  And this really represents for me, what my grandparents were, they were warm. They were inclusive, loving and generous. And really they extended the tent, our family tent, to all the Jewish people. MANYA: Sudanese Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who in the last century left Arab countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations. Join us next week as we share another untold story of The Forgotten Exodus. Many thanks to Alexandra, Flore, and Diana for sharing their families' stories. Does your family have roots in North Africa or the Middle East? One of the goals of this series is to make sure we gather these stories before they are lost. Too many times during my reporting, I encountered children and grandchildren who didn't have the answers to my questions because they never asked. That's why one of the goals of this project is to encourage you to find more of these stories.  Call The Forgotten Exodus hotline. Tell us where your family is from and something you'd like for our listeners to know such as how you've tried to keep the traditions and memories alive. Call 212.891-1336 and leave a message of 2 minutes or less. Be sure to leave your name and where you live now. You can also send an email to theforgottenexodus@ajc.org and we'll be in touch. Tune in every Friday for AJC's weekly podcast about global affairs through a Jewish lens, People of the Pod, brought to you by the same team behind The Forgotten Exodus.  Atara Lakritz is our producer, CucHuong Do is our production manager. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Sean Savage, Ian Kaplan, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name, for making this series possible. And extra special thanks to David Harris, who has been a constant champion for making sure these stories do not remain untold. You can follow The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can sign up to receive updates at AJC.org/forgottenexodussignup. The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed the episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.  

In this episode, Leah sits down with Lara Maysa, British-Egyptian film director, nude & empowerment photographer, conscious storyteller and Self-Love Catalyst, for an epic conversation on the Ancient Egyptian Mystery Schools & the secrets of Alchemy and immortality hidden in code within the Pyramid Texts and The Emerald Tablets. Prior to this interview, Leah and Lara had never meant, but it's no mistake how the universe brought these two together, as their stories share many synchronicities. Tune in now for a journey through ancient Egypt and an eye-opening discussion on how we have been programmed to forget our power. (You can view photos of the sun temple Lara refers to in this episode online by searching Sun Temples at Abu Ghurab.) To join Lara's waitlist for the 2023 Alchemy of Egypt Retreat, click HERE. During this 11-day retreat, Lara leads an intimate group through the sacred sites of Ancient Egypt, including private access to sites not open to the public. She was born in Cairo and she's following her birthright and the strong calling to curate this once-in-a-lifetime experience and take people on this journey. To connect with Lara, visit her website: www.hausoflight.com More on Lara: Lara Maysa is a British-Egyptian film director, nude & empowerment photographer, conscious storyteller and Self-Love Catalyst.  She's directed films and shot for the likes of the BBC, VICE directing character-driven documentaries with impact and heart.  When the camera is not in her hand, she can be found guiding people through the sacred sites of Ancient Egypt, where she runs retreats for those who feel Egypt's call and teachings as much as she does. Leah will be sharing more of her personal journey and connections to Egypt in her upcoming Lion's Gate Portal Activation on August 8th at 10 am. Register now to join her for this next-level transmission. More details can be found HERE. Right now, you have the opportunity to bundle the Lion's Gate Portal Activation with Leah's Certainty Factor Activation if you are looking to step deeper into this powerful and potent portal of energy that is available to us right now on the planet. The Activation Bundle: A pair of next-level activations that will catapult you into new levels of being! On August 8th at 10 am Bali time, Leah is hosting her best-selling Lions Gate Portal Activation Learn More Here and she's now offering an opportunity to bundle this activation together with her all new Certainty Factor Activation. OR each activation can be purchased individually- either way, you don't want to miss out on tapping into this powerful, potent energy- grab your spot today. Want to know how to get further connected to all of the things in Leahland? Keep reading! Click HERE to receive your free access to the Reignite Your Soul Fire Masterclass! Find Leah on Social Media: Instagram: www.instagram.com/theleahsteeleFacebook: www.facebook.com/theleahsteeleYouTube: www.youtube.com/leahsteele Get your daily dose of Leah - REAL, RAW & UNCENSORED - by joining her FREE Telegram Channel HERE! For more information on Leah and her current offerings, visit her website: www.theleahsteele.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ep 55: Whiteness and identity - British Egyptian writer Sabrina Mahfouz is an author, editor, fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and TV writer (Netflix and Amazon Studios). Her debut non-fiction book, 'These Bodies of Water: Notes on the British Empire, the Middle East and Where We Meet' (May 2022)explores questions of identity and belonging - she joins me to talk about growing up in the 9/11 shadow, her egyptian roots and representation in TV.

Our guest is none other than British-Egyptian journalist and author, Alya Mooro. The social issues advocate sat down to discuss everything from Arab women and Women's History Month to what truly constitutes the “greater freedom” in addition to some highlights like attending the Oscars with Yosra and seeing her book on a billboard.

From Sheikh Jarrah to strikes in Gaza, in our first episode of the second season of The New Arab Voice we will cover the latest escalations between Israel and Palestine.Then, on Saturday Palestinians around the world will remember the Nakba of 1948. We explore the legacy of this catastrophe and speak to experts about why it never really ended for the residents of the occupied territories.Finally, stay tuned to hear our interview with British Egyptian author Yousra Imran, who spoke about how her book, Hijab and Red Lipstick, was a way to express the many intricacies of growing up as a woman between the Gulf and the West.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more.(Produced by Gaia Caramazza and Hugo Goodridge. Music by Omar al-Fil, @elepheel. To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email Gaia.Caramazza@alaraby.co.uk)

Amir El-Masry is an Egyptian-British actor whose work spans countries, languages and genres. More known to Egyptians from his first role in "Ramadan Mabrouk Abul-Alamein Hamouda" as Ramzy, El-Masry has recently been nominated for two BAFTAs for his film Limbo. He shares his experience acting with a dual nationality, how he feels coming back to Cairo, and how his criminology studies have influenced his acting. Links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmirMasry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amirelmasry/?hl=en Egyptian Streets: A Podcast Website: http://egyptianstreets.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-egyptian-streets-podcast/id1547171938 Spotify (only available outside Egypt): https://open.spotify.com/show/3BPFsiBEjRwppsOsB0h4zE Google Podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy83OGNhYmFjL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/egyptianstreets Egyptian Streets Website: http://egyptianstreets.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/egyptianstreets Instagram: http://instagram.com/egyptianstreets Facebook: http://facebook.com/egyptianstreets Welcome to the Egyptian Streets podcast! Featuring Egyptians around the world who fuel creative social change and their journeys that brought them there, from the intersection of Egyptian identity and creative social change: stories from street to sound. The Egyptian Streets Podcast is produced by Noran Morsi, with production support from the entire Egyptian Streets team. Egyptian Streets is an independent, young, and grassroots news media organization aimed at providing readers with an alternate depiction of events that occur on Egyptian and Middle Eastern streets, and to establish an engaging social platform for readers to discover and discuss the various issues that impact the region. For business inquiries, please email info@egyptianstreets.com or nmorsi@egyptianstreets.com.

Writer Sabrina Mahfouz is this month's Slow Readers Book Club. She'll be discussing her latest play at the Royal Court - A History of Water in the Middle East Sabrina, who is British Egyptian, grew up with ambitions of being a spy but was turned down by MI6. After turning her attention to writing she has won numerous awards and has recently been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Sabrina is the editor of 'The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write' and is currently editing a new creative anthology Smashing It: Working Class Artists on Life, Art and Making It Happen which includes contributions from the likes of Riz Ahmed and Maxine Peak and a children's poetry anthology Poems From a Green and Blue Planet both of which will be out in early October. She is also currently writing a biopic of the legendary 'Godfather of Grime', Wiley.

In episode 65 UNP founder and curator Grant Scott is in his shed considering the future of photography, technological developments and there involvement in advancing the medium and the importance of judges in deciding the winners of photographic competitions .  Plus this week photographer Laura El-Tantawy takes on the challenge of supplying Grant with an audio file no longer than 5 minutes in length in which she answer's the question ‘What Does Photography Mean to You?' Laura El-Tantawy is a British/Egyptian documentary photographer, book maker and mentor. Born in Worcestershire, UK, she studied in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US and in the UK. Laura graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, in 2002 with dual degrees in journalism and political science and began working as a newspaper photographer with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. In 2006, she began working as a freelance photographer to enable her to work on personal projects. She completed a research fellowship at the University of Oxford in 2009, and gained an MA in art and media practice from the University of Westminster, London, in 2011. Her work explores notions of home & belonging and has been awarded, exhibited and published internationally, including in The New Yorker, Le Monde, National Geographic, Time, New York Times, and Foam. In 2015 she released her first book In the Shadow of the Pyramids, a first-person account exploring memory and identity that was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize – awarded annually to an artist of any nationality who has made the most significant contribution to photography in Europe. She subsequently self-published The People in 2015, a newsprint publication celebrating the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 and Beyond Here Is Nothing in 2017, a meditation on home & belonging. In 2019 she published her fourth monograph, A Star in the Sea, a contemplation on embracing the unexpected. www.lauraeltantawy.com Grant Scott is the founder/curator of United Nations of Photography, a Senior Lecturer and Subject Co-ordinator: Photography at Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, a working photographer, and the author of Professional Photography: The New Global Landscape Explained (Focal Press 2014) and The Essential Student Guide to Professional Photography (Focal Press 2015). His next book New Ways of Seeing: The Democratic Language of Photography will be published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019. He is currently work on his next documentary film project Woke Up This Morning: The Rock n' Roll Thunder of Ray Lowry. His documentary film, Do Not Bend: The Photographic Life of Bill Jay can now be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd47549knOU&t=3915s.