This Is Not a Watermelon | Palestinian History & Culture

A podcast dedicated to a free Palestine. Featuring guests from diverse disciplines, the series highlights their work on Palestine and its people, offering illuminating perspectives to help us navigate these dark times in the history of this land between the river and the sea.

This Is Not a Watermelon | Palestinian History & Culture is a society podcast hosted by afikra, with 35 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

afikra hosts This Is Not a Watermelon | Palestinian History & Culture, a society show with 35 episodes published.

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  Episode #35

  Sound & Stone from Palestine to the World | Elias & Yousef Anastas

  May 14, 20261h 8mS0

  <p>We talk with architects Elias and Yousef Anastas, partners at studio AAU Anastas about their deeply researched practice, their dedication to using stone in innovative and ethical ways, and the many social, political, and cultural considerations around building in Palestine, and beyond. Our conversation touches on their many other collaborations including Local Industries, Radio Alhara, and Wonder Cabinet, and we discuss how their work—through sound and stone—continues to transmit Palestine to the rest of the world.</p> <p>Recorded on March 24, 2026</p> <p> </p> <p>Elias and Yousef Anastas are architects from Bethlehem. Their practice advocates for a con...

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  Episode #34

  Our Own Stories in Our Own Voices | Yara Hawari, Co-Director of Al-Shabaka

  Mar 19, 20261 hourS0

  <p>We talk about Palestinian storytelling from oral histories that transmit our stories across generations, to policy analysis that explains what is happening to us today in our own voices. In this conversation with Yara Hawari, the co-director of the Palestinian policy network Al-Shabaka, we also discuss which Palestinians are given the chance to speak and the many—sometimes deadly—ways that our acts of self-narration are suppressed and controlled. And we talk about the centrality of Gaza in our current historical moment and the importance of de-exceptionalizing Palestine from the many global struggles against colonialism and oppression.  <br><br> Record...

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  Episode #33

  Director of Oscar-Shortlisted "All That's Left of You" Cherien Dabis | "Our Humanity Is Also Resistance"

  Jan 15, 20261h 5mS0

  <p>Actress, director, producer, and screenwriter Cherien Dabis discusses her career, from directing shows like Ramy, Mo, and Only Murders in the Building to writing, directing and acting in her monumental new Palestinian film, All That's Left of You. She reflects on the profound impact of her first trip to Palestine as an eight-year-old, where experiencing harassment and humiliation by Israeli soldiers served as a political awakening that shaped her life and career. She discusses her early life growing up Palestinian in Ohio, her experience with a camcorder as a child, and how the First Gulf War crystallized her decision...

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  Episode #32

  Reclaiming Our Revolutionary Legacy | Tareq Baconi

  Dec 18, 20251 hourS0

  <p>Our conversation with writer, scholar, and activist, Tareq Baconi, about the many forms of containment forced onto Palestinians and the need to reclaim the Palestinian revolutionary legacy. We discuss Tareq’s book, "Hamas Contained: A History of Palestinian Resistance" (2018), his disillusionment with the limits of commentary, what a free Palestine actually means, and his new memoir "Fire in Every Direction" (2025). </p><p>Recorded on October 17, 2025</p><p> </p><p>0:00 Introduction: Hamas as a Red Herring</p><p>2:05 Becoming Palestinian: Identity and Politicization in Amman and the West</p><p>7:05 Studying Hamas: A Legitimate Political Actor</p><p>11:57 "Hamas Contained" Book...

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  Episode #31

  Resurgent Nahda: The Arab Exhibitions in Mandate Jerusalem | Nadi Abusaada at Dar El-Nimer

  Aug 13, 202551 minS0

  <p>We go back to 1931, when Palestinian journalist Issa El-Issa visited Paris's Colonial Exhibition and discovered Palestinian pavilions had been co-opted by British and Zionist organizers. This experience led the journalist to organize an Arab Exhibition in Palestine in 1933. Historian Nadi Abusaada discusses Resurgent Nahda, a book he recently researched and edited, and takes us through the exhibition of the same name at Dar El-Nimer in Beirut. The discussion covers the key contributors, artworks, and crafts displayed at the exhibition in Mandate Jerusalem, along with its organization and its role in promoting Arab unity. It also highlights the tragic fate...

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