Kerning Cultures Podcast

Review by Sarah Erickson

The short:

Kerning Cultures takes a deep dive into stories from the Middle East and North Africa, think “This American Life” but for MENA.

The long: 

Each episode takes a topic, interviews individuals involved and experts which results in an arching storyline that makes an informative argument. These are often more complex or rarely heard stories; they follow a wide range of events, some are historical culture based while others focus on major political movements. Some of my personal favorite episodes are Abandoned Ships, More Than a Buzz, and Elephants in the Desert. For example, Abandon Ships which follows the experience of people stuck on abandoned cargo ships in the MENA region, the nonprofits supporting them, and the burdens placed on regional government’s due to these forgotten ships and men.

To listen or not to listen:

Listen!!!! Kerning Cultures is informative and has something for every listener; this podcast is in English, but they have many more in Arabic covering a wide variety of topics.