Culture Bites

Episode 58: How will Syria’s cultural landscape transform?

This week’s episode of Culture Bites centres on Syria’s art scene at this delicate moment in the country’s history following the fall of president Bashar Al Assad.
Hosts Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal discuss Syria’s rich cultural heritage that dates back centuries. They discuss the impact of the civil war on its creative talents and how it might shape the art they create in the aftermath of so much pain and suffering.
A documentary about the Nabataean civilisation had its international debut at the Red Sea International Film Festival last week. Lost Worlds with Bettany Hughes: The Nabataeans explores the deserts of Petra in Jordan and AlUla in Saudi Arabia where the ancient civilisation flourished on trade between the fourth and second centuries BC. The hosts talk about the insights into the Nabataean way of life that can be drawn from deciphered rock inscriptions.
With the holiday season in full swing, Enas, Farah and Maan turn their attention to this year’s slate of Christmas films. They review their favourites, including new ones such as That Christmas, an animation based on children’s books by writer-director Richard Curtis, and Our Little Secret, a holiday rom-com starring Lindsay Lohan. They also remember the classics such as The Holiday and Love Actually.

Episode 57: Is a Roman coin about to break auction records?

This week on Culture Bites, Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal take a moment to appreciate the Emirati and Arab traditions being considered for Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists this year.
Established in 2008, the lists aim to preserve and promote cultural heritage, including practices that may be in urgent need of safeguarding. Several rituals from the region have been added to the list including henna and Palestinian Nabulsi soap-making. Another contender submitted by the UAE and other Arab countries is coffee, with all the social customs that surround it.
The hosts then look at the way Gen-Z pop culture has shaped how we speak, and the slang vocabulary that has become part of mainstream language. Terms like “brat” and “brain rot” have even been crowned words of the year by the Collins Dictionary and Oxford University Press respectively, while “holding space” has become a buzz term in the Wicked promotional campaign.
Finally, the three hosts discuss a significant coin auction taking place this month. Two rare, ancient minted coins being auctioned by Numismatica Genevensis SA in Geneva, highlighting significant moments in Roman and Islamic history. One is a memento of the assassination of Julius Caesar and is expected to break a world record at auction. The other is a gold dinar that pays tribute to Medinah during the Umayyad era. The hosts tell the captivating stories behind them and the power they held in their times.

Episode 56: How the UAE is making art more and more accessible

In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews shine a light on the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial, which has turned public spaces in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain into al fresco galleries.
The event features more than 70 UAE and international artists whose installations in culturally significant sites represent the past and present. This includes the corniche and public parks in Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain Oasis. The hosts discuss the importance of accessible public art, where visitors can engage not only with the actual pieces but also with the spaces in which they appear.
The Lebanese singer Fairouz turned 90 this month, prompting an outpouring of tributes from fans around the world, including a heartfelt message from French President Emmanuel Macron. Enas shares her favourite Fairouz songs and the meanings behind them. She and Farah also reflect on the artist’s reputation as a unifying symbol for peace in Lebanon against the backdrop of war.
A music video released by Jordanian-Palestinian artist Zeyne has drawn much attention this week after going viral on social media. The hosts pick up on the culturally rich details in the cinematic video, with its representation of Palestinian embroidery, agricultural roots and the people’s struggle. They discuss the song’s powerful message of reclaiming Arab identity, making it the latest endeavour by an artist to stand in solidarity with Palestine.

Episode 55: Historic pieces and humble beginnings at Abu Dhabi Art

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal explore the flourishing art scene across the UAE, starting with Abu Dhabi Art which kicked off earlier this week. This year marks the biggest iteration of the event to date, featuring more than 100 galleries.
The hosts share their favourite pieces from the fair and highlight some of the most compelling exhibits to experience, including the Arab Presences: Modern Art and Decolonisation exhibition which features works from The Farjam Foundation and Beyond: Emerging Artists which displays the commissioned work of three UAE-based artists from their year-long mentorship programme.
Maan speaks to Egyptian artist Adel El Siwi about the launch of his solo exhibition, Yellow Tropics, at Tabari Artspace in Dubai this week. They discuss his use of bold colours, the African influence in his work and the intimate details that build a narrative in his paintings.
As microblogging platform BlueSky gains traction, more and more high-profile celebrities are choosing to leave X for what they say is a more transparent and “toxic-free” alternative. The list includes Lizzo, Stephen King and Ben Stiller. The hosts debate whether the move to BlueSky can have any meaningful influence on celebrity followers or if it might end up sowing division.

Episode 54: The rise of the underdog artist at music awards

This week on the show, Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal reflect on the recently announced 2025 Grammy nominations. Beyonce leads with 11, becoming the most-nominated artist of all time, bringing her career total to 99 nominations.
The hosts discuss the diversity of genres being recognised by the recording academy and the artists – both new and established – in the race for the most coveted categories. They also share the success stories of rising artists like Raye, who has been nominated for three awards after navigating the difficulties of the music industry and becoming an independent artist. Meanwhile at the MTV Europe Music Awards, which took place last week, singer Mali won as the best Indian act despite having a far more modest following than her contenders.
In a special segment of the episode, Maan visits the 10th edition of Dubai Design Week to see how the event has evolved over the years. He speaks to organisers about their quest to elevate regional designers and to reflect the wide range of techniques and styles their works represent.
Growing interest in Middle Eastern art is raising the stakes for collectors. The hosts list some of the most significant pieces of high-value Arab and Islamic art, such as the Umayyad-era bronze buck that recently sold for £4.2 million ($5.4 million). They also talk about the expanding role of international auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s in the region, and the platform they offer to Arab artists.

Episode 53: Love is Blind Habibi reunites and leaves an impression on the world

In this week’s episode, Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal start the show on a celebratory note after Culture Bites won a bronze prize for best co-hosts at this year’s Signal Awards. The annual awards honour the world’s most impactful podcasts in several categories, with winners selected either by a jury or by public votes.
Only weeks after Love is Blind Habibi started streaming, the show’s cast gathered for a highly anticipated reunion, in which fans finally found out which pairs stayed together and which unions fell apart. The Culture Bites hosts highlight the show’s success not just across the region, but around the world, where audiences learnt more about Arab marriage customs and the role families play. They discuss the tensions that unfold at the reunion, as well as the participants’ stereotype-busting personas.
Last week, the home of the late Lebanese artist Abdul-Hamid Baalbaki was destroyed by Israeli forces amid the continuing war in Lebanon. The house had doubled as an arts centre, which remained open to the public even after Baalbaki’s death in 2013. Not only was he an artist, but he was also a collector of precious pieces, some that date back to the first millennium BCE. Enas, Farah and Maan reflect on the tragic erasure of art during conflict and the challenging efforts to collect and archive it.
On the theme of cultural preservation, the hosts highlight notable Palestinian documentaries to watch, on the heels of Palestine Cinema Days which took place last weekend. The team discuss The Wanted 18, a partly-animated story about a Palestinian village that buys cows to stop relying on Israeli milk. Another is Aida Returns, a story about director Carol Mansour’s mother who struggles with Alzheimer’s but vividly remembers the hometown of her youth, Jaffa, up until her final return to it.

Episode 52: A lens on Arabia’s prehistoric world

This week on Culture Bites, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal step back to a prehistoric era of the UAE’s story. The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will recreate models of landscapes and wildlife as they once existed millions of years ago.
Visitors will be able to discover a natural world that’s unique to the country and the Arab region at large. This includes galleries that showcase the topography of Abu Dhabi before there was an Arabian Gulf, with its winding rivers, crocodiles and hippopotamuses. The hosts share their enthusiasm about being able to witness an important part of the region’s history that’s often overlooked. Construction of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is expected to be completed next year.
Two big cultural events are coinciding this year, bringing colour and festivity to the UAE. Diwali and Halloween events will see masses turn out to celebrate across the Emirates. The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors for one of the biggest festivals in the Hindu calendar. Meanwhile, in Dubai, fireworks will light up the sky at the waterfront promenade in Al Seef and Global Village. Maan talks about his plans to celebrate Diwali this year and Farah shares her creative Halloween costume idea.
Earlier this month, The National compiled a list of the 50 most influential Arabic novels of the 20th century, highlighting works that have significantly impacted Arabic literature and culture. The hosts discuss the process of shortlisting the titles to capture the diversity of the region at a critical time in Arabic storytelling that grapples with issues of identity, colonisation, politics and social change. Maan recommends to Farah his top picks to read, including Naguib Mahfouz’s Cairo Trilogy and Ghassan Kanafani's Men in the Sun.

Episode 51: Can child stars escape the pressures of the entertainment world?

On Culture Bites this week, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews round up their favourite Halloween films to binge before October 31. From the classically frightening to the unsettling and gory, they share suggestions across several horror genres.
From Jordan Peele’s chilling alien mystery Nope to the grotesque body horror The Substance starring Demi Moore, there’s something for everyone. The hosts also compare the remakes of family-friendly spooky classics like Beetlejuice and Roald Dahl’s The Witches.
The ecology-focused Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival takes place this week at NYUAD’s Arts Centre under the theme All Living Beings. Enas and Farah highlight some of the most compelling features at the event, including two local short films developed by the UAE platform Climate Tribe. They discuss the festival’s mission for audiences to develop a greater appreciation for the interconnectedness of our worldly creatures.
After the tragic early death of former One Director star Liam Payne at the age of 31, fans around the world showed an overwhelming outpouring of emotions as they grieved. The singer was only 14 when he was thrust into the limelight, eventually spending more than half his life in the public eye. As his struggles with addiction and untimely death raise questions over the welfare of child stars, the hosts discuss the pressures of growing up within the entertainment industry.

Episode 50: Palestinian-Jordanian chef Salam Dakkak gets to the heart of Levantine cuisine

In this episode of Culture Bites, chef Salam Dakkak joins Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews to talk about her award-winning Levantine cuisine and the "nafas", or soul, that she shares through her cooking. The Palestinian-Jordanian owner of Bait Maryam and Sufret Maryam, named in honour of her mother, revives the tastes and traditions of home in her kitchen, inviting guests from all over the world to discover her culture through the universal language of food.
Dakkak, who has been lauded with a Michelin Bib Gourmand commendation and ranked in the Mena’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2024, discusses her new elevated Levantine restaurant, Sufret Maryam, and her vision for preserving authentic flavours of Palestine for the next generation.
As the war in Gaza continues to take a toll on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians suffering under bombardment for more than a year, more celebrities are speaking out. Enas and Farah spotlight some of the artists and activists who have sharpened their tone in recent weeks to condemn the brutality in Gaza and advocate for the innocent civilians who are being killed. From John Legend and Javier Bardem to Andrew Garfield and Gustaf Skarsgard, public figures have been using their platforms to raise awareness and call for a ceasefire.
With Israel’s expanding its war into Lebanon, there has been a fear that historic landmarks may be destroyed. This comes after an air strike hit less than one kilometre away from the Unesco World Heritage Site of Baalbek, a Roman complex dating back 11,000 years. The hosts discuss the risks of cultural erasure during war, and the efforts being taken to protect and archive the rich histories of these places.

Episode 49: Is Love Blind, Habibi?

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei, Farah Andrews and Maan Jalal start the show with exciting news: the podcast has been shortlisted for a Signal Award in the Best Co-host Team category. Fans of the show have until October 17 to cast their votes here. Please get voting!
Maan got the chance to visit NYU Abu Dhabi this week and explore new exhibition Between the Tides: A Gulf Quinquennial, which captures key moments in the Gulf’s arts scene over the past five years. Artists from across the region, including the UAE, Saudi, and Bahrain, featured their works ranging from visual arts to design and video installations. Maan shares a glimpse of the stunning displays and speaks to some of the artists and curators.
With the launch of Love is Blind, Habibi, the Arabic version of the hit dating reality show, the hosts discuss their expectations of how the show may be adapted for its audience. In some ways the format of the series offers a modern twist on courting customs in the region, but in other ways it would have to consider cultural sensitivities of the Arab world. The hosts also highlight the opportunity for global audiences to see the diversity of Middle Eastern marriage and wedding traditions.
Coldplay and Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna are making headlines again, after performing together on the Saturday Night Live stage. This is not the first time the young artist has appeared with the band, having done so on stage at Glastonbury in June, and she’s also going to be opening for them when they perform in Abu Dhabi in January. Enas, Maan and Farah spotlight their latest collaboration, where they sang We Pray and All my Love, both from Coldplay’s new album Moon Music.