Yesterday marked one year since Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli military. There’s been zero accountability and zero justice for Shireen and her family.
A recent report by the Committee to Protect Journalists found that “over the last 22 years, the Israeli military has killed 20 journalists—18 of them Palestinian. Not a single Israeli soldier has been held accountable.”
There are two stories about Shireen that I want to highlight up here for everyone to take time reading. One written for The Nation by Shireen’s cousin, Jennifer Zacharia. And another written for New Lines Magazine by Shireen’s close friend, Dalia Hatuqa.
For more, please read this statement released yesterday by Shireen’s family.
Rest in power.
Okay friends, let’s get right into it. I am so excited to introduce this week’s guest feature: Serena Rasoul!
Serena is the ultimate multi-hyphenate if there is one. She is a Founder, Consultant, Artist, and soon-to-be Student (again). She is the founder of MA Casting, a casting agency that casts, consults, and advocates for MENA and Muslim talent in the TV/Film, Commercial, and Art industries. Her organization spearheaded the first study and test on the portrayal of Muslim women on-screen called, “Surviving to Thriving”: Muslim Women’s On-Screen Test with the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media and the Pillars Fund.
Serena currently serves as consulting Community Engagement Specialist at the National Smithsonian Museum of Asian Art, where she works to engage artists and community groups with the museum.
Serena is passionate about telling stories that celebrate land and environment. In fact, she recently hit the Kennedy Center stage in a series called "Ferry Tales” where she performed the role of the Storyteller "Maya", sharing short tales woven from community interviews, science, local history and legend, which honored the depths of Washington DC’s waters.
In that vein, she has taken particular interest in the ecological themes woven into Palestinian Folklore. Since 2013, she has been building an oral archive of folkloric chants and songs, paying close attention to the various plants and animals mentioned. She recently started sharing her work on TikTok (@palfolklore) and has amassed over 12k followers.
In 2022 she was a Resident Fellow at Harvard Divinity School, working with artists from underrepresented communities. And in the Fall of 2023, Serena will become a student once again working towards her PhD in Ethnomusicology at Columbia University, where she will focus on the documentation and preservation of Palestinian Folkloric Music. She holds a Masters from the George Washington University and two Bachelor's degrees from the University of Virginia.
Good. Lord. Serena does it all, am I right? I’ve had the privilege of knowing Serena for nearly 10 years and consider her to be like an older sister to me. She is one of the funniest and down-to-earth people I know, and truly it’s an honor to have her come through to talk about some of her go-to songs:
1. What is your favorite song right now?
Issam AlNajjar - “Hadal Ahbek”
Nai Barghouti - For poetic Palestinian Music
Le Trio Joubran - For instrumentals
Basically, everything from the Rawabi School for Girls soundtrack
And Kids Music Artists because my kids love the Arabic Nursery Rhymes album by Hind Hamed (Children's Musical Artists deserve so much love!!!!!)
I am really have an Arabic Indie moment, but all of the songs and artists above have produced such joyful and soulful music. It has lifted me from the 90/00s Arabic music pop slump I was in for so many years!
2. What’s your go-to song for all your feels?
Depends on which kind of "feels" I’m feeling but I fluctuate between old school Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston to Stromae to Marcel Khalifa. Coke Studio Pakistan has done some amazing work highlighting artists from there. I have enjoyed the live performance element, as well as the collaborative fusion of various genres, from spiritual Qawwali to contemporary music. It would be nice to revitalize the Arabic version.
3. Name a song that reminds you of home.
Mohamed Fouad - “El Hob El Ha2e2y”
I grew up in Southwest Virginia. There were no Arabs, Arabic schools, or mosques to be found. So my dad's idea of exposing us to the Arabic language was setting up a video camera in the living room and playing Abdel Halim or Fayrouz on cassette. All of our home videos involve us competing for camera time, tackling each other, eating watermelon, building forts to the sound of “Ahwak”. But the song that warms my heart and makes me think of back home in Palestine, as well as, my home here are those simple notes that play at the beginning of “El Hob El Ha2e2y”. For some reason, when I hear this song, my hight light up, my heart beats a little lighter, and I feel at home where I am.
4. Name a song you know all the words to.
The entire “Waiting to Exhale” album and “Sound of Music” soundtrack.
I love musicals. Like, I really love musicals. I hope one day we are able to bring an Arabic-English musical to Broadway!
“Waiting to Exhale” had an amazing line up of artists from 90s: Toni Braxton, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, so many more! I loved every bit of it when I first heard it and still know all the words today!
5. Name a song that gets you really hype and ready to go.
Outkast - “So Fresh and So Clean”
I mean who doesn’t sing this when they get out of the shower!
Whitney Houston - “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”
You know those girls who scream when they hear a song they like? Guilty. Its me. I'm the girl with this song.
Big shout out to Serena for joining and sharing her song selections! All of Serena’s songs will be included in this week’s playlist, so be sure to take a listen. Be sure to follow Serena on Instagram and Twitter and check out MA Casting on Instagram and Twitter also!
What I’m Listening To
Full Playlist
🎧 Middle Eastern, North African, & Diaspora Flows 🎧
AFREQYA W AMREKA - Marwan Moussa
Tek Tek - DYSTINCT featuring MHD
Mtgish - ZIG ZVG
Mehwar Diaries - Layal
SOTTACH - SAFFWIZZ
Mabtetla3sh Kelma - Rizo
More - Koast
Vida - Dassi
Pick Me Up - Hoosh & offrami
Mrta7 - Yvzid featuring Figoshin
Las3een - Afroto
Galab - Haykal featuring Big Murk
CHAMS - Chaima Mahmoud featuring 4lfa
Sa7lani - Budgy
Salina (C’est la rue) [Remix] - ElGrandeToto featuring Tagne, Draganov, Khtek, Smallx, Stormy, Vargas, Abduh, 7liwa, OUENZA, and Figoshin
Kola dqiqa - Nouvo
Never Be Friends - Norhan featuring Mawi and Josh Arce
Ya Nari - Oualid featuring Cravata
Kinga - FRIZZY
Ghazaleh - Dana Salah
🎤 Latinx & Hispanic Vibes 🎤
Reina de la Selva - Villano Antillano featuring Pedro Capó
Pa Quererte - Las Villa featuring Marco Mares
Selena - Paula Cendejas
Toma - Ivy Queen
Bandida - Drea Dury
Que Vuelvas / Bebe Dame - Estevie
Lokasyon - Dro X Yani
Acróstico - Shakira
Ojos Sin Ver - Morad featuring ElGrandeToto
VAGABUNDO - Sebastian Yatra featuring Manuel Turizo and Beéle
🎼 Other Good Music 🎼
Played Out - ShaSimone
Little Things - Jorja Smith
Fine Line - Kesha
MAYBE SWANKAFORNiA - Jidenna
Télé Couleur - IDK
Call My Bluff - Blxst
bo card (things i need) - YKB
Complete - T’neeya
Body - Naira Marley
The Basement - Kembe X featuring Isaiah Rashad and REASON
What I’m Reading
🇱🇧 Lebanon 🇱🇧
Lebanon’s ancient trees lost at an alarming rate - Zeina Antonios, L’Orient Today
As illegal logging of trees continues with impunity across Lebanon, the threat of drought looms.
Soaring inflation turns olive oil into a luxury - Dario Sabaghi, Deutsche Welle
Lebanese olive oil has become unaffordable for many in the crisis-ridden country. As inflation bites and the US dollar reigns supreme, poorer people are forced to part with their traditional local diet.
Honorary Consuls Exploiting Women Migrant Workers - Jana Barakat, Daraj
This investigation shows the complicity of some honorary consuls in the sponsorship system (Kafala) that governs female foreign workers in Lebanon. The former Honorary Consul of Ghana ignored claims of sexual assault and tampered with the evidence.
In Lebanon, Syrian refugees face a wave of deportations - Annan Nasser, The New Arab
Amid the country's economic decline, rising anti-refugee sentiment, and regional normalisation with Assad, Lebanese authorities are deporting Syrians in growing numbers.
Experts sceptical about Lebanon's attempt to adjust VAT and customs amid currency collapse - Nada Maucourant Atallah, The National
Use of new exchange rates in response to depreciation viewed by some experts as short-term measure.
🌍 Middle East, North Africa, & Diaspora 🌎
A Diary of the Opening Salvos of Sudan’s Conflict - Dallia Abdelmoniem, New Lines Magazine
In this firsthand account, Dallia Abdelmoniem recounts the terror of the fighting and her own family's perilous journey out of Khartoum.
Inside the 20-Year Fight for a Free Press in Iraq - Suzanne Gaber, WNYC
Last week marked 20 years since the “Mission Accomplished” Speech given by then-president George W. Bush. The speech became a symbol of triumph in the U.S., but it didn't reflect the reality Iraqis were experiencing on the ground. In fact, for many Iraqis it seemed like the start of 20 years of narratives about their country written by the American government and their allies. This week OTM producer Suzanne Gaber looks at the evolution of media within Iraq.
Is artificial intelligence taking over journalism in Jordan? - Shifaa al-Kadaa, Raseef22
A number of Jordanian media institutions have employed artificial intelligence technologies in producing podcasts, investigations, and media reports of various types and forms.
The Fugitive Princesses of Dubai - Heidi Blake, The New Yorker
As the emirate’s ruler espoused gender equality, four royal women staked their lives on escaping his control.
A US civil case gives us, Syrians, a glimmer of hope - Mayassa Sheikh Ahmed, Al Jazeera
A new lawsuit against the Syrian regime filed in the US is an important step towards justice for Syria’s disappeared.
🎶 Music, Arts, & Culture 🎶
Everything Is Interpolated: Inside Music’s Nostalgia-Industrial Complex - Jayson Greene, Pitchfork
Publishing companies like Primary Wave and Hipgnosis are making old hits new again. And again. And again.
R&B artist Sabrina Bellaouel’s lineage of female storytellers and “f*cking warriors” - Dalia Al-Dujaili, AZEEMA
The Algerian-French vocalist tells AZEEMA how trips to the motherland informed the way she makes music, whilst her French upbringing provides her with enough genre-contrast to conclude in a rich and effervescent musical identity which she continues to evolve today.
Looking back on Chance the Rapper’s seminal mixtape, ‘Acid Rap’ - Jake Krzeczowski, Andscape
In the blog era, it charted a path for independent artists.
The Speed Bump - Julianna Ress, The Ringer
Those chipmunk-pitched songs you hear on TikTok are more than just a viral craze. They’re the latest big thing in the music biz. Here’s what their success says about remix culture, artists’ control over their own work, and why we want everything so fast these days.
R.I.P., MTV News: You were the West Beverly Blaze in a ‘90210’ universe - Dave Holmes, Los Angeles Times
It went out, not with a bang-bang-bang-bang, but with a whimper.
📚 Other Reads 📚
The Digital Fragments We Leave Behind After Death - Hanna Ingber and Leo Dominguez, The New York Times
The photos, texts, playlists and to-do lists that we find after loved ones die can offer poignant glimpses into their lives.
Beneath the gloss: should we stop having manicures? - Zahra Hankir, The Guardian
Last month’s news that gel nails could trigger a life-changing allergy had women looking with concern at the ends of their brightly painted fingers. Zahra Hankir reveals how nail polish became political.
Making People Uncomfortable Can Now Get You Killed - Roxane Gay, The New York Times
“It’s so very easy to think we are good, empathetic people. But time and time again, people like us, who think so highly of themselves, have the opportunity to stand up and do the right thing, and they don’t.”
‘The world’s largest Black group chat’: Behind the mission to preserve Black Twitter - Jasmine Mithani, The 19th
A number of efforts are underway to document not just the content created on the platform but how Black women used it for communication and community — along with the abuse they received.
As U.S. prepares to end rapid expulsions of migrants, a Venezuelan family decides to risk crossing the border - Uriel J. García, Texas Tribune
A Venezuelan couple with two children waited in Mexico for weeks for a chance to claim asylum. They decided to cross the border after a relative died in a detention center fire and other family members successfully made it across.