Listen Now

Lara and Amr sit down with the talented vocalist and musician, Huda Asfour. Huda is a performer, composer and engineer who has worked, studied, and collaborated with artists in Tunisia, Gaza, Ramallah, Egypt, Lebanon and the United States. Huda’s formal training in music began in Tunis at the age of 13, though her musical origins began much earlier, among a family of musicians. In 1996, she joined the National Conservatory of Music in Gaza and later, in Ramallah she was mentored by Khaled Jubran at the Edward Said Music Conservatory. In 2002, Huda joined Al Urmawi Center for Mashriq Music. As part of her tenure at Al Urnawi, Huda attended multiple workshops for young musicians covering the fundamentals of Irani and Indian music as it relates to Maqam. Huda also trained under the famous Qanoun player Said Rajab in Cairo, Egypt. In 2004, Huda, together with Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, co-founded Jehar band, a musical experiment which molded Arabic folk and the classical Levantine Arabic repertoire from their traditional presentations into reinterpretations that would be relatable to young Palestinians emerging from the siege of the Second Intifada. Her story and work are featured on her website at www.hudaasfour.com. Her latest album Kouni, which can be heard throughout this episode, are available for download at soundcloud.com/asfoura and asfoura.bandcamp.com Happy listening :) -HyphenatedArabs

Lara sits down with the world renowned artist, Helen Zughaib. Helen was born in Beirut, Lebanon, living mostly in the Middle East and Europe before coming to the United States to study art at Syracuse University, earning her BFA from the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Helen currently lives in Washington, DC, and works fulltime as an artist. She paints primarily in gouache and ink on board and canvas. More recently, she has worked with wood, shoes and cloth and mixed media installations. A list of her work and exhibitions can be found at hzughaib.com Happy Listening :) -HyphenatedArabs

Lara and Amr sit down with the hilarious Lebanese-American Comedian NEMR! Tune in for his thoughts on the comedy industry, political correctness, and why "Love Isn't the Answer." He's coming to a city near you! For Tickets to his show, go to nemrcomedy.com :) -The Hyphenated Arabs

Lara and Amr sit down with the wonderful Hannah Allam from BuzzFeedNews! Happy listening NAAP fam!

Lara and Amr sit down with the amazing Mai El-Sadany who is a human rights lawyer and all-around cool gal. Tune in for her thoughts on what it means to be an Arab-American fighting for democratic principles at a time where it is being challenged both here and in the Middle East. Happy Holidays NAAP fam!