Guides  -   -  Share

Established 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.


Wahshtony by Algerian-Lebanese singer Warda Al-Jazairia


Various excerpts from Lebanese composer, pianist and playwright Ziad Rahbani’s concerts


Solo Tu by Italian ballad and rock singer Rita Pavone


MOSCELS X by Sote


O Chiadain an Lo by Scottish bagpipe player Brìghde Chaimbeul


Wa by experimental Arabic musician Kamilya Jubran with collaborator Werner Hasler


Shadow by American electronic band Chromatics, consisting Ruth Radelet, Adam Miller, Nat Walker and Johnny Jewel


Song to Boy/Balada Conducatorolui from the French film Latcho Drom, 1993, directed and written by Tony Gatlif


Relay by Bosho


Inner Space by Norwegian-Australian composer Sven Libaek




Feature image: Still from Latcho Drom, 1993. Directed by Tony Gatlif. (via YouTube)

Stay up to date with Something Curated