Raconte un peu: Redefining the Middle East through Literature

Smuggling Politics into Pop Culture: Yasmina Bitar on the Power of the Arab Lens

In this episode of Raconte un peu – Tell me more, we sit down with the brilliant London-based Palestinian writer and journalist, Yasmina Bitar. Yasmina’s work at the intersection of culture, politics, and society has been featured in top-tier publications like Vogue Arabia, GQ Middle East, and Rolling Stone. From her debut piece on the Arabization of house music to her moving profiles on motherhood in Gaza, Yasmina uses culture as a form of soft power to shift how the world views the MENA region. Join us for an incredibly warm, honest, and high-vibe conversation about what it truly means to navigate identity in the diaspora. * The Diaspora Language Dilemma: The "strange grief" of not speaking your mother tongue perfectly—and why trying imperfectly is always better than not trying at all. * Culture as Soft Power: How music, pop culture, and art serve as subtle, decolonial spaces for political expression. * The Legacy of Edward Said: Moving past the Western media trend of reducing Arab identity solely to tragedy, and instead celebrating our extraordinary civilization and resilience. * From Jaden Smith to Gaza: Yasmina’s journey from studying International Relations at LSE to interviewing global icons and highlighting raw, human stories from the region. "A language half-spoken and imperfectly is better than none at all. So whether you want to take Arabic lessons, practice with your friends, or stay on the phone with your grandma a little bit longer... any form of trying is well worth it." — Yasmina Bitar * Follow Yasmina Bitar: @byyasmiinaa [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.instagram.com/byyasmiinaa] * Follow Raconte un peu: @raconteunpeu [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.instagram.com/raconteunpeu] If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star review on Spotify! It helps other listeners find our stories.

Raconte un peu : L'exil, la maternité et la condition féminine avec Sévine Sahin (La fille de la colline)

Dans cet épisode intime et puissant, Sévine nous plonge dans l'histoire de son personnage, Sibel. Du choc de l'exil à l'enfance dans un ghetto d'Ankara, jusqu'au chevet de son fils en réanimation, elle lève le voile sur les secrets de son écriture. Ensemble, nous parlons sans fard des injonctions à la maternité, du traumatisme de l'exil et de la colère nécessaire pour émanciper la nouvelle génération de femmes en Méditerranée. Au programme de cet épisode : * Le passage de l'écriture journalistique neutre à la liberté de la création littéraire. * Lecture exclusive (Extraits) : Plongez dans l'ambiance techno d'une boîte de nuit parisienne, puis écoutez le cri du cœur puissant et viscéral de Sibel face au patriarcat. * Une réflexion croisée sur la transmission, l'éducation de nos fils et filles, et le courage de dire "non". La fille de la colline est disponible en librairie, sur internet et en format E-book. Suivez-nous et laissez un commentaire ou des étoiles sur Spotify si l'épisode vous a plu ! 🌟 * 00:00 | Introduction et bienvenue (De Washington à Beyrouth) * 01:05 | Présentation de La fille de la colline et du personnage de Sibel * 02:20 | L'exil comme traumatisme et la condition des femmes en Turquie * 03:45 | La maternité sans fard : Briser les injonctions du bonheur maternel * 05:30 | Du journalisme au roman : Comment passer de la neutralité au "Je" * 06:50 | Routine, discipline et secrets d'écriture d'un premier roman * 08:45 | Lecture — Extrait 1 : Immersion techno et nuit de fête avec Sibel * 10:15 | Lecture — Extrait 2 : Le cri viscéral contre le patriarcat méditerranéen * 12:30 | Débat : Éduquer la nouvelle génération, entre colère et lumière * 14:15 | Où trouver le livre et mot de la fin

The Immigrant’s Scar: Reclaiming Lebanese and Arab Humanity with Dr. Akram Khater

"When you leave, you leave something behind. We are never whole..." Welcome back to Raconte un peu / Khabarni Shuway / Tell Me More! In this raw and intellectually rich episode, Sandra and Pauline sit down with Dr. Akram Khater, Professor of History and Director of the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at NC State University. Dr. Khater shares his incredible trajectory—leaving war-torn Lebanon at 17 on an engineering scholarship, only to be unmoored by the sudden loss of both parents shortly after arriving in the US. He opens up about the exact "turning point" that led him to drop a lucrative tech career for a PhD in history, transforming his personal grief into a profound mission to document the Lebanese diaspora. In this episode, we discuss: * The Cultural Shock: Confronting the jarring shift from a proud heritage to a Western lens that reduced his identity to harmful "terrorist" stereotypes. * The Illusion of Return: Why the diaspora and the homeland exist in a constant, beautiful, and sometimes tense symbiotic relationship. * Reshaping the Patriarchal Contract: How early Lebanese immigrant women in the 1900s used their factory earnings to demand education, romance over arranged marriages, and bodily autonomy. * Political Awakening: Moving past the political bias of his youth to advocate for the ultimate reclamation of Arab humanity. Dr. Khater beautifully reminds us that while migration leaves its scars, it also builds the vital bridges that keep Lebanon alive. Yallah, turn up the volume and let's raconte a little more! * 00:00 – Intro & Welcome Dr. Khater * 01:15 – Leaving Lebanon at 17: "Migration is in our DNA" * 03:00 – How the Civil War disrupted normal life * 05:30 – Turning Point: From Electrical Engineering to Gender Studies * 07:15 – Losing both parents and changing careers * 09:10 – The Shock: Reclaiming Arab humanity against racism * 14:00 – The Biker Bar Story: Mistaken identities & immigrant scars * 16:00 – The Tactile Nostalgia of Bulgur: "We are never whole" * 19:30 – How immigrants shaped Lebanese architecture (Beit El Amid) * 21:40 – Transnational Feminism: Early immigrant women breaking barriers * 27:10 – Political activism and looking forward * Learn More: Visit The Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies [https://lebanesestudies.ncsu.edu]. * Support Us: Love this episode? Leave us a 5-star review on Spotify!

Drawing Childhood Dreams with Maya Fidawi

Welcome back to another episode of Raconte un peu, tell me more. We are opening up a world of colors, lines, and nostalgia that takes us straight back to our childhood. We sit down with the incredibly talented children's book illustrator, Maya Fidawi. Maya’s restless paintbrush has captured hearts across Lebanon and the Arab world, giving a vivid soul to every story she illustrates. In this episode, Maya invites us into her creative universe. She opens up about growing up on her own "different cloud," the beautiful artistic legacy left by her grandmother, and why she made the deliberate choice to never fully grow up so she could keep living in her magical, parallel world. Pour yourself a coffee, get comfortable, and let's dive into the story.

Le Tisseur de récits : Une interview avec Jordan Elgrably

Bienvenue dans l'univers d'un véritable gardien de la mémoire : Jordan Elgrably. Journaliste littéraire chevronné (ayant interviewé Milan Kundera ou publié dans Libération), il est aujourd'hui le rédacteur en chef de The Markaz Review. Dans cette conversation intime, Jordan nous raconte comment il a transformé un "centre culturel" en un carrefour mondial pour les voix du monde SWANA (South West Asia & North Africa). Au programme de cet épisode : * Réinventer le "Markaz" : Comment transformer un mot à la connotation parfois policière en une place publique (un Zócalo) de dialogue. * L'authenticité avant tout : Pourquoi il est crucial de laisser les Libanais parler du Liban et les Palestiniens de la Palestine, loin des clichés des experts occidentaux. * Le futur de la littérature : Entre science-fiction dystopique et "autofiction", quelles sont les nouvelles tendances qui émergent dans le monde arabe ? * Coup de projecteur : Jordan nous présente ses deux derniers ouvrages chez City Lights : Stories from the Center of the World (2024) et Sumūd (2025). Mots-clés : Jordan Elgrably, The Markaz Review, littérature arabe, patrimoine, Moyen-Orient, Sumūd, Beyrouth, récits de vie, podcast culture, Karim Kattan.