Telling time like an Ottoman: MEMO in Conversation with Maryam Patton

Did you know that the Ottomans use a number of different calendars to take into account the lives of their diverse communities? But how did this affect its operations? And what role did astrologers and advancements by neighbouring countries pla...

Gaza, from catastrophe to genocide: MEMO in Conversation with Professor Penny Green

 In spite of Israel's protests of the contrary, accusations of genocide do not exaggerate the situation in Gaza, but this was part of Israel's long term strategy.Israel has entered its annihilation phase in Gaza and...

'The West doesn't feel safe for Palestinians': MEMO in Conversation with Layla Maghribi

With Western governments questioning every Palestinian statistic coming out of Gaza but accepting Israel's version of events even when no evidence is provided, the Palestinian diaspora has been left feeling unable to express its grief without b...

Genocide in Gaza: MEMO in Conversation with Raz Segal

The first to determine that Israel's operation in Gaza amounted to genocide, Prof Segal says the mass murder, forcible displacement of Palestinians and the official rhetoric of the Israeli government all provide a 'textbook case of genocide'&nb...

Memories of the future Palestine: MEMO in Conversation with Tahrir Hamdi

Imagining the future of Palestine isn't a fictional dream, but rather a radical attempt to rediscover and resistance "Palestine is alive and well in the Palestinian psyche, but where is Palestine today?" Sinc...

Picture Palestine Before Israel: MEMO in Conversation with Prof Issam Nassar, Dr Stephen Sheehi & Prof Salim Tamari

Jerusalemite historian Wasif Jawhariyyeh photographed a changing Palestine over many decades, under Ottoman, British and Israeli rule. A new book about his work highlights Palestinian life and identity across erasJoin us for a...

Algeria, Iraq, Syria and US foreign policy: MEMO in Conversation with Ambassador Robert Ford

Having served as the US envoy to a number of key Middle Eastern nations, Ford watched events in the region change the area's dynamic over the past two decades and how local leaders were reacting to the Arab Spring and the West's response to it....

'If we can hear the bombs, we are alive': MEMO in Conversation with Eman Basher

Two weeks into Israel's relentless campaign of bombing the Gaza Strip have left Eman Basher no longer able to convince her son that the lights and sounds in the sky are just fireworks and there is no reason for him to be scared. 

Saving Gaza's Life: MEMO in Conversation with Dr Mads Gilbert

As Israel continues bombing the besieged Gaza Strip, killing an average of one child every 15 minutes, medical teams are struggling to cope. Supplies of vital medicines have now completely depleted and no water, fuel or other essentials hav...

Gaza Special: 'A catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza' MEMO in Conversation with Aseel Safi

As we watch events unfold in Gaza on social media and on our television screens, we are only getting one per cent of the information from the ground, Palestinian student Aseel Safi says. Now with electricity being cut, less information will be ...

Gaza Special: MEMO in Conversation with Yara Eid

As Israel continues to bomb Gaza indiscriminately and an Israeli army spokesperson saying 'the emphasis is on damage and not on accuracy', MEMO speaks to a Palestinian journalist from Gaza about the situation on the ground for her family and lo...

Getting justice for Libya: MEMO in Conversation with Elham Saudi

Disclaimer Alert-- This conversation on Libya was recorded before the recent floods struck the country and so we do not discuss it in this episode. Some 20 per cent of Libyans have had a family member kidnapped or go missing si...

Syria's minorities between uprisings and repressions: MEMO in Conversation with Celine Kasem

Since the start of the Syrian revolution in 2011, the regime has oppressed minorities and tried to drive a wedge between communities, the Circassians have not been saved from this.Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad frames himself as t...

Ahed Tamimi is a force: MEMO in conversation with Dena Takruri

For the co-author of Tamimi's autobiography, meeting the outspoken Palestinian was an emotional rollercoaster When she was just 16 years old, Palestinian Ahed Tamimi became a household name when

Brining the Nakba to the world: MEMO in conversation with Faisal Saleh

Saleh established the Palestine Museum US after noticing there were no Palestinian museums in the Americas but there were over 70 Israeli galleriesIn this week’s conversation we speak with the visionary businessman ...

Can language and photography bring us together? MEMO in Conversation with Fadi BouKaram 'Cedrusk'

Ever wondered why certain words cross borders and are used the world over? Fadi BouKaram has made it his business to find out whyDid you know the Arabic word for Austria - An-Namsa - com...

Syrian Druze between revolution and Assad: MEMO in Conversation with Sarah Hunaidi

MEMO in Conversations is on hiatus this week and will be back next week. During the later quarter of August 2023, the southern Syrian city of As-Suwayda was gripped by anti-government protests led by a religious minority, the Druze. In this thr...

The Arab World, the real Silicon Valley? MEMO in Conversation with Laila Shereen Sakr

The internet has always been the place for free expression in Arabic and Arabs eagerly embraced the possibilities offered by the online world. However, since the Arab Spring, MENA governments have ruthlessly clamped down on the internet and use...

The fight to save the Middle East's heritage: MEMO in conversation with Georgia Andreou

Much of the Middle East's archaeological treasures are battling man-made climate change, over-development, wars and receding coastlines, but there are those who are working to save them.Gaza's heritage is being lost to the sea. Oman's a...

Gaza sunbirds Paralympic team

Refugees as grassroots activists: MEMO in conversation with Dr Anne Irfan

The international humanitarian body UNRWA was created to support Palestine refugees functioned as a surrogate state, however Palestinian refugees have continued to demand their political rights while resisting the UN’s categorisation of their p...

Muhammad Ali Pasha, the man who made Egypt: MEMO in conversation with Khaled Fahmy

Ali Pasha revolutionised nineteenth century Egypt, but was a violent and controversial figure In 1805, an illiterate Turkish-speaking Greek-born military officer, Muhammad Ali Pasha, became governor of Egypt. He reigned fo...

Climate change and the Middle East: MEMO in conversation with Dr Mohammed Mahmoud

The Middle East and North Africa are facing rising temperatures almost twice as quickly as the rest of the world, but how is climate changing impacting policy in the region?Dr Mohammed MahmoudDirec...

Israel erased the history of Jewish Arabs: MEMO in conversation with Avi Shlaim

Shlaim recalls a time when indigenous Jews resided in Muslim-majority lands harmoniously alongside their Muslim and Christian neighbours and how Israel worked to destabilise their ties Born in Iraq, Avi Shlaim ...

Quashing the debating on Palestinian rights: MEMO in conversation with Giovanni Fassina

here is a drive to have the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism used by all political parties and civil society groups, but its use is silencing debate on human rights abuses committed by Israel again...