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Podcast: Can History Ever Really Be Erased? (Focus: China: Beijing Coma by Ma Jian)

19/2/2021

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​On this journey, I consider
  • how history continues to exist despite efforts to erase it and 
  • the vulnerability of protests to manipulation.
Book in focus: Beijing Coma (肉之土) by Ma Jian (China)
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I forgot to mention the name of the translator in the episode, so here it is: Flora Drew (who is also Ma Jian's wife).
Note: this book is more than just a timeline of modern Chinese history and Ma Jian is clearly using metaphor and other creative devices to convey his ideas. I haven't commented on these because this is a brief episode, but you can find more about that in some of the resources below.

Other Reviews

Related Resources

  • Ep. 47 - Ma Jian and Beijing Coma with Ronald Torrance on the Translated Chinese Fiction podcast (podcast episode)
  • ​It happened in Tiananmen Square on Al Jazeera English (documentary)
  • 简约的尊严 by Ouyang Zhuli on Chinese Pen (Chinese language interview with Ma Jian about Beijing Coma - Chinese title meaning: Land of Flesh) - scroll down past long extract for interview; Google Translate is effective for getting the idea.
  • An Interview with Ma Jian and Flora Drew on Words without Borders (article)
  • Ma Jian: 'Freedom cannot be taken for granted. We have to remain constantly vigilant.' on the Guardian (interview article)
Fact-check: references made in the episode
  • History of the Forbidden City on Wikipedia (wiki)
  • Mao Zedong Proclaims the Establishment of the People's Republic of China - archive, 1949 on The Guardian (short article)
  • The Four Great Ancient Capitals of China on WorldAtlas (article)

Transcript


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Podcast: Ep. 46. How Do We Measure Motherhood? (Theme: Motherhood in Literature)

21/12/2020

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On this journey, I'm joined by Safiya as we discuss
  • how the theme of motherhood appears in literature;
  • the motherhood vs career dichotomy;
  • motherhood as a role within a social support system;
  • expectations of worship from and for mothers.
Theme: motherhood in literature

Safiya on Instagram: @safiyareads
Safiya's blog: www.safiyareads.wordpress.com
Find out more about Safiya in her guest profile here.
Safiya's choices
  • With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
  • Brick Lane by Monica Ali
  • The Beauty of your Face by Sahar Mustafah

Amina's choices
  • Zikora by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • La grande maison by Mohammed Dib
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Other books mentioned
  • Black Milk by Elif Shafak
  • Minaret by Leila Aboulela

Episodes mentioned
  • Ep. 35: Nigeria: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • Ep. 23: Algeria: Au Café by Mohammed Dib (and ep. 24: Part 2)

Related reading/listening (not endorsements)
  • Interview with Elif Shafak about her book Black Milk - A Well-Lighted Place
  • "I just don't think Muslim women should be working" - The Qarawiyyin Project
  • What it Means to Write about Motherhood, Part One - LitHub
  • Is Motherhood a Genre? by Sarah Blackwood - LA Review of Books​

Click below for the transcript with time markers.

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Podcast: Ep. 45. What Can We Learn from a Family Tree? (Theme: Multigenerational Sagas)

18/9/2020

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On this journey, I’m joined by Safiya as we discuss
  • What we can learn when we consider the impact of events across generations;
  • Taking an intimate look at history;
  • Popularity and book descriptions.
Theme: multigenerational sagas.
 
Safiya on Instagram: @safiyareads
Safiya's blog: www.safiyareads.wordpress.com
To listen​
  • on Spotify, click here.

Safiya's choices
  • Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
  • Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela
  • The Family Tree by Sairish Hussain
What Safiya would like to read next: Roots by Alex Haley

Amina's choices
  • Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
  • The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
What Amina would like to read next: The Blue Between Sky and Water by Susan Abulhawa

Other books mentioned
  • The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich

Episodes mentioned
  • Ep. 13. India: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
  • Ep. 18. Sweden: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Blog posts mentioned
  • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
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PODCAST: EP. 44. When the Reading Gets Tough, Should the Tough Keep Reading? (Theme: Upsetting Reads)

9/8/2020

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On this journey, I’m joined by Leïla, Noor and Assia as we discuss
  • What effect does reading upsetting content have on us?
  • Should books have content warnings?
  • Why do we read such books or scenes? Is it beneficial?
Theme: Upsetting and Difficult Reads

Guests on Instagram
Leïla: @lailaleebooks
Noor: @noor_reads
Assia: @shereadsox
To listen
  • on iTunes, click here,
  • on Spotify, click here.

Books mentioned
Assia
  • Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa
Noor
  • Not That Bad by Roxane Gay
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • وداع مع الأصيل(Farewell in the Twilight) by Fathiya Mahmoud al-Bati'
Leila
  • My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
  • Good Women of China by Xinran
  • Native by Sayed Kashua
Amina
  • Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Episodes mentioned
  • Are You What They Say You Are? (Algeria/France)
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Podcast: Ep. 43. What Does Memory Have to do with Justice? (Focus: Palestine: A Map of Absence, Ed. By Atef AlShaer)

3/6/2020

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On this journey, I’m joined by Alia and Safiya as we discuss
  • Reading iconic poems in translation
  • Literature as second-hand experience of traumatic and painful events
  • Memory and connection in Palestinian writing and experience
  • Establishing justice as a fundamental purpose in Palestine and the world

Book in focus: A Map of Absence: An Anthology of Palestinian Writing on the Nakba, ed. by Atef Alshaer (Palestine)

Find Safiya on Instagram @safiyareads
Contact Alia by email at elbak002 [at] gmail.com 
​
Special thanks to Saqi Books for providing a digital copy of this book.
To listen
  • on iTunes, click here,
  • on Spotify, click here.

Palestinian book suggestions
  • Velvet (original title: مخمل) by Huzama Habayeb - Maya, @mayaabualhayy
  • Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa - Yazeed, @yazeeds.reads
  • The Woman from Tantoura (original title: الطنطورية) by Radwa Ashour - Yara, @yara_reads
  • Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa (Arabic trans. title: بينما ينام العالم) - Zenah, @mattarx

Other episodes mentioned
  • Are You What They Say You Are? (Algeria/France)

Other books mentioned
  • Victims of a Map: A Bilingual Anthology of Arabic Poetry ed. by Abdullah Al-Udhari
  • Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa
  • Sharon and my Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries by Suad Amiry

Related resources (not endorsements) 
  • Al-Nakba Special Series - Al-Jazeera English (video series, also available in Arabic here)
  • هل سألت نفسك: كيف بدأت قضية فلسطين (video - in Arabic)
  • حرب النكبة فلسطين 1948 War (video - in Arabic)
  • ما هي اتفاقية أوسلو وعملية السلام 1993 ؟ (video - in Arabic)​
  • كل ما تحتاج أن تعرفه عن اتفاقية أوسلو 1993 وعملية السلام في فلسطين (video - in Arabic)
  • Balfour Declaration (article)
  • Christian Zionism in the United Kingdom (Wikipedia page)
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Podcast: Mini-Ep.: Is this one mispronounced name too far?

14/4/2020

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This mini episode is a bit different in tone from the usual. I take my experience listening to the audiobook of The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty as a launchpad to think about where and how we, as Muslims in creative industries, need to really up our game.
To listen,
  • on iTunes, click here;
  • on Spotify, click here.

Other episodes mentioned
  • The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley
  • Ayesha at Last

Other books mentioned
  • إنتاج المستشرقين و أثره على الفكر الإسلامي الحديث لمالك بن نبي (The Writing of Orientalists and their Impact on Modern Muslim Thought by Malek Bennabi)
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Podcast: Are You What They Say You Are? (Focus: France/Algeria: Zahia Rahmani's Trilogy)

31/3/2020

2 Comments

 
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On this journey, I'm joined by Nour and Assia as we discuss
  • What is our responsibility towards our (unborn) children?
  • What does it mean to be called “Muslim”?
  • Discovering Algerian literature via the US.
  • How does the language we speak affect our identity?
  • (In) denial: France and the harkis.

Books in focus: a trilogy by Zahia Rahmani (France/Algeria):
  • Moze
  • “Musulman” roman (“Muslim” a novel)
  • France, récit d’une enfance (France, story of a childhood)

Find Nour on Instagram @nourstuckinabookstore. 
Find Assia on Instagram/Twitter @shereadsox and her website whatassiareads.wordpress.com

Special thanks to Sabine Wespieser Editions and Deep Vellum Publishing for providing copies of these books.

To listen
- on iTunes, click here;
​- on Spotify,click here.
Algerian book suggestions
  • L’âne mort by Chawki Amari (no English translation) - Nour, @nourstuckinabookstore
  • Bleu, blanc, vert by Maïssa Bey (no English translation) - Assia, @shereadsox
  • Portrait du colonisateur and Portrait du colonisé (Eng. title: The Colonizer and the Colonised) by Albert Memmi - Houda, @loublsmn
  • La grande maison by Mohammed Dib (no English translation; available in Italian: “La casa grande") - Noor, @noor_reads
  • La colline oubliée by Mouloud Mammeri (no English translation) - Dyhia, @dyhia_medjouti
  • La question (Eng. title: The Question) by Henri Alleg - Farah, @recitsdalgerie
  • Ce que le jour doit à la nuit (Eng. title: What the Day Owes the Night) by Yasmina Khadra - Hakim, @hakim_books

For a list of Algerian literature that has been translated into English, have a look at Nadia's (@_madcha_) list on the Arabic Literature in Translation website.

Other episodes mentioned
  • Au Café (Part 1 and Part 2)
  • The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Other books mentioned
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
  • Le blanc de l’Algérie (Eng. title: Algerian White) by Assia Djebar
  • A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
  • The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Qur’anic verse mentioned: Surat al-Kahf, 18:82.

Related resources (not endorsements) 
  • ​Fille de harki: relating to the father, country and religion in the writing of Zahia Rahmani by Alison Rice in Polygraphies: Francophone Women Writing Algeria (chapter)
  • Archive Rare du Camp de St Ardoise (video - in French)
  • Building Islam as a Race in French Colonial Law by Mouhamadou Ndiaye (article)
  • Unrequited Loyalty: The Harkis in Postcolonial France by Michael Lejman (academic paper)
  • France Recognises Debt to Algerian Troops by Jon Henley (article)
  • Emmanuel Macron Tries - Slowly - to Reckon with France's Past by Yasmeen Serhan (article)
  • Veterans: The French in Algeria on Al Jazeera English (documentary - focus on European soldiers)
  • Algerian Harkis Appeal for Full Recognition on France 24 (news report)
  • On Translating Zahia Rahmani's Invisible Tongues by Lara Vernaud (article by the translator of France, récit d'une enfance)
  • Translating Zahia Rahmani: An Interview with Matt Reeck by Erik Noonan (article - interview with the translator of "Musulman" roman)
Categorisation of population in colonial Algeria
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Podcast: Ep. 40. In We vs. Me, which side are you on? (Focus: Somalia: Links by Nuruddin Farah)

4/3/2020

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On this journey, I’m joined by Fousia from Naptime is Sacred podcast as we explore
  • How a lack of stability can affect a person’s physical, mental and emotional state;
  • When is an insider an outsider? Or is it the other way round?
  • The effects of war on women.

Book in focus: Links by Nuruddin Farah (Somalia).

Find Fousia on Instagram @naptimeissacred and her website naptimeissacred.com.
To listen to her podcast, search "Naptime is Sacred" on your podcast app.
To listen
  • on iTunes, click here;
  • on Spotify, click here.

Book suggestions
  • The Orchard of Lost Souls by Nadifa Mohamed - Fousia of Naptime is Sacred podcast;
  • Links by Nuruddin Farah - Abdullahi of Unleashed Potential podcast;
  • Amilah by Halima Hagi - Anisa Hagi.

My other Somali fiction reads
  • Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed
  • The Story of Us by Hanna Ali

My background research resources (not endorsements)
  • Getting Somalia Wrong? Faith, War and Hope in a Shattered State by Mary Harper (book)
  • Somalia: The Forgotten Story - Al Jazeera World (documentary)
  • Gender, State Collapse, Conflict and State Building: Recent Research from the Somali Context by Judith Gardner (podcast/lecture)
  • Encyclopedia Britannica: Somalia (encyclopedia entry)
  • TEDxHargeisa: The Transition from Oral to Written Culture by Dr Jama Musse Jama (TED talk) - in English from 3 mins.
  • A Post-mortem on the Postmodern? Conflict and Corporeality in Nuruddin Farah’s Links by JE Masterson (journal article)
​Transcript with time markers below.

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Podcast: Mini-Ep. So You Think You're Free? (Focus: Sudan: Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih)

17/2/2020

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On this journey, I explore freedom in a post-colonial context.
- "Studied in the UK?" Ok, and what?
- How does the coloniser hold onto power?
- I want to break free!
​
Book in focus: Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih (Sudan).
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To listen
  • on iTunes, click here,
  • on Spotify, click here.

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(Unofficial) Podcast: South Korea: Parasite (Film)

11/2/2020

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In this very relaxed, thoroughly unofficial (non-book-related) episode, Houda and I explore our experiences of the South Korean film, Parasite.

One point that didn't come up in the episode but that I wanted to mention is how conscious I am of my lack of understanding of how this film has been received and is perceived inside South Korea (not just by the Korean diaspora). I'm finding it hard to get a clear idea. If you have come across any sources for this, please share them with me in the comments!

Correction: Bong Joon-Ho has directed seven full-length films, not four as I mentioned.
  • Previous episode with Houda: Ep. 12. Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan: The Dead Lake by Hamid Ismailov.
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