Jeita Grotto and the Price of Heritage
When videos surfaced of a private wedding held inside Lebanon’s Jeita Grotto, the country erupted in outrage. But the story goes beyond one event: It speaks to a wider crisis in the Arab world, where heritage sites are being turned into spectacles of privilege.
Replanting Syria’s Lost Heritage
Across the fields and ruins of Idlib, a farmers’ initiative is taking root: to restore Syria’s agricultural autonomy by reviving the ancient practice of saving and replanting traditional “baladi” seeds — a practice nearly erased by war, displacement and industrial seed giants.
Hala Alyan Reflects on Motherhood, Exile and the Geography of Loss
Palestinian-American writer and poet Hala Alyan joins Faisal Al Yafai on the podcast to discuss her recent memoir, motherhood and the politics of writing during the Gaza war.
The Shape of Gaza’s Future
Following the ceasefire, an imaginary yellow line divides Gaza into two sectors, with the Israeli army in charge of one and an international force poised to take control of the other. A new future is beginning to emerge.
Nuclear War Movies Are Back
Kathryn Bigelow’s latest film, “A House of Dynamite,” signals a revived concern with the risky realities of nuclear weapons — while the treaties meant to contain them are allowed to lapse and the memories of the devastation they can cause recede.