Radio Alhara’s Lockdown Listening List
By Something CuratedEstablished by five friends, Yousef and Elias Anastas, Yazan Khalili, Saeed Abu-Jaber and Mothanna Hussein, based across Ramallah, Bethlehem and Amman, Radio Alhara was born in March 2020 with the intention of connecting people across the Middle East and North Africa in reaction to the pandemic’s impact on global creative communities. Co-founder Abu-Jaber tells Something Curated, “Launched during a global lockdown crisis, Radio Alhara encompasses the idea of a public space. The radio hosts musical sets, conversations, recordings, discussions, and its main aim is to blend the limits between producers and listeners.” Meaning “the neighbourhood radio” in Arabic, the online station has hosted acclaimed creators from the Middle East including Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan and Palestinian DJ Muqata’a; alongside music, diverse cultural programming spans everything from cookery shows and conversations with artists to informal history lessons. In light of the continued coronavirus safety measures, Radio Alhara’s founders share with SC their essential lockdown listening.
Feature image: Still from Latcho Drom, 1993. Directed by Tony Gatlif. (via YouTube)