Mid-East Junction
A monthly look into the different political, social and cultural events affecting the region.
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Why Female Genital Mutilation must end
The practice of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, is so deeply ingrained in some cultures that it has only recently been brought into question. But what are its origins? Where is it practiced? And why does it need to stop?01/12/201923:22 -
What Tunisian olive oil and its history means to the Middle East
The rising star in the world of olive oil, or liquid gold to some, is not found in Europe but in North Africa in the small and often overlooked country of Tunisia. Here olive trees are intertwined with its culture and history for thousands of years.26/10/201923:03 -
Capturing Mosul's liberation through a lens
In October 2016, Iraqi Special Forces launched an operation to take back Mosul and parts of Iraq from the Islamic State armed group. Since 2014 they had subjected the Iraqi people to their extreme and harsh interpretation of islam. But the operation to liberate them proved equally dangerous as those caught in the middle of the fighting had no where to go. One photographer met those caught in the cross fire and told their stories through his camera lens in this edition of Mid-East Junction.Click here to read the full article or press the 'play' button above to listen or subscribe to the podcast by searching 'RFI Mid-East Junction'28/09/201917:40 -
The lasting legacy of Ayotollah Khomeni 30 years after his death
Iran is again in the headlines in an increasingly tense spat with the US and a number of other western countries.27/07/201917:35 -
How women's football has evolved inside and outside the Middle East
Even though no Middle Eastern countries qualified for this year's Women’s World Cup , the sport is alive and growing across the region. In this edition of Mid-East Junction, we meet Honey Thaljieh, the woman behind the first women's national Palestinian team.29/06/201915:38 -
Where vegans have been leading the way for centuries
In this month's Mid-East Junction, we delve into the culinary delights across the region that have been miles ahead of the vegan trend for decades, even centuries in some cases.Click here to read the article.Click the 'play' button above to listen or subscribe to the podcast by searching 'RFI Mid-East Junction'25/05/201909:45 -
Oud for thought
In this month’s podcast, we’re going to take a break from politics. And social anxiety. And uprisings and laws.Because the Middle East doesn’t just make headlines.It also has a sensitive musical soul.And this side to the region often comes out in the musical instrument the oud.Or the oriental lute.Find out all about it in this month's podcast of Mid-East Junction or read about it here.Click the 'play' button above to listen or look for 'rfi mideast junction' in your favourite podcast platform to subscribe, so you'll never miss another episode.26/04/201916:30 -
The power of radio during British-mandated Palestine
On 30 March 1936, the Palestinian Broadcasting Service hit the radio waves.The new service, referred to as PBS, catered to the growing population in British-mandated Palestine that included Palestinian Arabs, Palestinian Jews and the British.In this month's Mid-East Junction, we take a look at the short life of the PBS and the role it played in airing culture, news and social programmes aimed at all the three different audiences.Click on "Play" above. You can also subscribe to this podcast on your favourite podcast platform when you search for RFI Mid-East Junction.You can read more here.29/03/201914:51 -
Freedom at any cost: Saudi woman escapes to France
In this week's Mid-East Junction, we meet Julia*, a young woman who escaped her life and marriage by force in Saudi Arabia to find freedom in France.01/02/201924:51 -
Retracing Bahrain's activism
On December 31st, Bahrain’s high court upheld a five year jail sentence against human rights activist Nabeel Rajab.His sentence was in response to posts he made on social media in February of 2018 accusing the government of torture and criticising Saudi Arabia’s air strikes in Yemen.12/01/201916:15 -
Egypt's arms fair boosts military's image as regional superpower
Earlier this week, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi opened the country's first international security and defense expo. The event, which took place over three days, featured more than 350 contributors from 40 countries. By anyone's standards it was a big show, but does it really mean anything for Egypt?06/12/201812:15 -
Why defining security in Israel is such a challenge
Over the weekend of 11 November, tensions between the Gaza strip and Israel peaked once again, when the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, led a botched raid in Gaza. It was the first known time the IDF had set foot in Gaza since the war of 2014. This has raised questions within Israel about the challenges faced by its defence forces.28/11/201818:05 -
Female and atheist in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, remains one of the most conservative and rigid countries, particularly for women, and for anyone who goes against Islam. Rana Ahmad knows all too well those constraints as she fled her home country after declaring herself an atheist and after having endured the hardships of a woman under the strict control of her family and government.27/10/201818:55 -
Peeling back the layers of Yemen's civil war
For nearly four years now, the civil war in Yemen has raged with no end in sight. Civilians have fallen victim to the fighting with some 15,000 killed or injured, while a humanitarian crisis spreads and threatens to claim more lives.03/10/201812:08 -
Escape from Aleppo: one man's journey
From Aleppo to Paris. A freelance journalist who posted a video of the evacuation of the Syrian city as Bashar al-Assad's forces took control of it recounts his journey from a war zone to the French capital.30/06/201816:04
Mid-East Junction
A monthly look into the different political, social and cultural events affecting the region.