Category: Show Summaries

Ron Saba on JNF Tax Fraud
This week our cohost Hanna Kawas talks with activist Ron Saba from Montreal about the Jewish National Fund, its role in maintaining the racist structures in Israel, and the tax privileges it is granted in Canada. They also discuss upcoming pickets against the JNF Gala Dinners all across the country (See more info on the Vancouver picket and the JNF Dinners).

Amir Maasoumi on Syria Peace and Reconciliation Mission
This week we’ll be talking with Montreal activist and intellectual Amir Maasoumi, who was part of the recent Syria Peace and Reconciliation Mission, headed by Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland. He will tell us about his trip to Syria and Lebanon and the work of the delegation.

David Heap and Ehab Lotayef on Gaza’s Ark
This week we talk with the two spokespersons for Gaza’s Ark here in Canada, David Heap and Ehab Lotayef, who update us on the project and what people here can do to help. We reached David in Italy where he is promoting the Ark project and then spoke with Ehab in Montreal.

This week we present a cultural and spoken word tribute to mark the 65th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, produced by our sister show PoetsWest based in Seattle. The show includes a short radio play and readings of Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry by Ed Mast, original poetry by Hanna Eady and music by Reem Kelani. We …

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This week we talk with Rabab Abdulhadi, Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative, at the College of Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University. Rabab is a veteran Palestinian activist and will be one of the guest speakers at the upcoming Palestinian Shatat Conference this weekend in Vancouver.Our final piece of …

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Conversation with Palestinian Musician Simon Shaheen
This week we talk with renowned Palestinian musician Simon Shaheen. Simon, amazing on both violin and oud, who will be performing his new composition The Call: Songs of Liberation in Vancouver on April 27th. In this candid conversation, Simon discusses his own history and journey as a musician, the influence of Arabic music and also explains the motivations behind his new music.

Remembering Jenin with Susan Abulhawa
This week we talk with Palestinian American author and activist Susan Abulhawa about the 11th anniversary of the Israeli assault on the Jenin refugee camp and her book, Mornings in Jenin. Susan is also a contributor to the book “Searching Jenin”, and the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine.

This week we talk with Frank Barat from Belgium, a human rights activist and coordinator of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine. We’ll discuss the work of the Tribunal and the recommendations that came out of the Final Session held last month in Brussels.Our closing piece of music is by Roger Waters, founding member of the …

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This week we talk with Rev. Robert Assali, Chair of the Canadian Friends of Sabeel, about their recent statement calling on the new Canadian Office of Religious Freedom to investigate Israeli abuses at Holy Week. We also discuss the Kairos Bethlehem call “Here We Stand, Stand with us!”We closed the show with excerpts of a …

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This week we talk with Professor Rashid Khalidi, from Columbia University about his new book “Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. has Undermined Peace in the Middle East”, as well as the recent visit of US President Obama to the region.Our closing piece of music is “Beirut” by the Palestinian troupe Al Ashekeen and we …

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