Fellows

As co-founder of Nahostcast, Robin is the greatest language lover in our group and therefore our first point of contact for any Arabic perks. However, he seldom focuses on one language at a time – right now he is really passionate about Turkish. He also appears as a guest in our podcast to analyze with us the situation of Syrian refugees in Turkey and the political climate in Kurdistan.

… is a PhD candidate at the Orient institute and researches on the relation between the former GDR and the states of the WANA-region. In the name of research, she had already during her master’s dived into the Beiruti rush hour and talks with Nahostcast about her experiences and observations of taxi drivers.

Born and raised in the Tunisian Sfax, Amine knew from the beginning that he wanted to see more of the world, see and learn about other languages and cultures. So once he had his medicine studies packed up, he followed the call of skilled labor shortage in Germany, ending up in idyllic Thuringia. With Nahostcast he talks about his experiences as assistant doctor here, but also his passion for great beer and sausage.

… is born in Casablanca, a port city on the Westcoast of Morocco – now she is dedicated to the fields water engineering and management of ressources. With regard to the protection of environment, she started living out her creativity in form of a childrens‘ book. Aside from that, she is always in for a discussion about feminism and politics.

Ayşê currently explores Berlin to live, work and study. What she likes most is to drip and drop with paint or pluck the strings of her beloved Tembûrs. After trying out different political organisations and a formative Tunisia trip, she found her way to the Management Board of dis:orient e.V.. But „what the hell is (dis)orientalism?“

… comes from a small village in Oman called Samail and the Omanis actually pronounce it as „smile“. Through his father*s profession as a police officer, he had already as a child moved around a lot and discusses with us now the development of the sultanate. His message? „Many people have probably never heard anything about this country, but I am sure the world can learn a great deal from the Omanis and its sultan in what regards a peaceful living together. Everyone of us can contribute in order to create a more peaceful and friendlier place.” ❤️

…painfully realized how less she actually knew from the world after her school and university years, so she packed her backback and took off. She is still underway, but also rooted at home by now. With Nahostcast she talked about her transnational theatre production „the naked good life“ and the role of theatre in political upheavals in the Arab world.

… is a Lebanese writer, poet, componist and visual artist, who lives in Beirut. At the beginning of the 1980s he studied at the London School of Film, between 2000 and 2016 he became the musical designer and director of the cosmetic brand MAC. Last year he even published his memoires called ‘Heal the Boy’. At the moment, he works on a third book of fiction as well as a second album, which should be published this year. In Nahostcast he enters a debate on the role of music and art in the Lebanese revolution.

…lives in Beirut and works as an independent animator and graphic designer. She loves to give life to visual images and also shares a passion for singing. As an aspiring performing artist she is currently in a process of finding her individual voice.

….is originally from the U.S., but married to a Lebanese and has lived and worked as a music teacher in Beirut for over 20 years. In 1994 he was appointed professor at the Lebanese music conservatory and at the same time gives the saxophonist in the Lebanese philharmon orchester. Above all that, Tom is also a passionate activist in Beirut: For many years he furthers his own campaign, demanding to reform the nationality law from 1925 – the law refrains his daughter from receiving the Lebanese nationality of her mother. Even though she is born in Beirut and spent her whole life there. With us he joined the discussion on the role of music and art in the Lebanese revolution.

… is a substitute professor at the University of Erfurt for history of Westasia, who specializes in Jewish and political cultures in the region. He recorded a small peace of remembrance culture for us on the „8th of May 1945 – remembering the massacre of Sétif, Algeria.”

…is an environmentalist activist and leads the Fridays For Future movement in Lebanon towards climate justice. In a podcast episode he shares with us his motivations and challenges for the Lebanese climate.

… has founded the organization ‘Drop and Ride’ in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2016: “Drop” – to lay down your weapon – and “Ride” – to pick the alternative and take off with your bike instead. The association came forth from an initiative of young people that wanted to bring social problems to the forefront via sports and now enables sports activities for both boys and girls. Drop and Ride tries to create a safe space for activities, exchange and education for the youth of Kabul. By now the club has 50 members and has become a very important and unique offer in a crisis shaken city like Kabul.

… also comes from Afghanistan, although he was born as a refugee in Pakistan’s Peshawar due to the Afghan civil war. Shortly before the Taliban took power, his family managed to flee to Germany. Yet decades later, he is still haunted by the events, since his life has been and is still very much shaped by it. Today, he feels closer to the region Westasia and North Africa then ever and connects with it through the association dis:orient. Now and then, when he wants a pause from the WANA-region, he prefers to be active with sports or likes to spend time with family and friends, where he can zone out the best.

… hit the road from Teheran to Greek Thessaloniki for his master studies. In his free time he loves playing basketball, to indulge in drawing and enjoys conversations about Persian history and Lord of the rings. With us he talked about daily life in Teheran and how private and public spheres influence peoples‘ lives in Iran.

….is a very passionate teacher at a Berlin comprehensive school, who also likes to bring up discussions about the Middle East conflict in the classroom. He very much shares our love for Lebanon, but when it comes to Levantine cuisine, his skills definitely span the whole WANA-region. Next to being a source of constant source of inspiration and support, Hannes also lends us his voice as dubbing actor.

Mim and Tom are passionate students of phonetics in Halle (Saale) and have supported us as dubbing actors for the episode on „Art and music in the Lebanese revolution.“

…after previous stops in Berlin and Hamburg, Malte is currently located in Southeastern Germany and very busy crafting boats. However, he is also quite familiar with Istanbul’s hills and narrow alleys. For Nahostcast he lent us his voice for some dubbing work, such as a discussion on the Omani sultan.