The Podcast in Arabic

An introduction promo for the first season.
Music: Bassel & The Supernaturals.

The Podcast in Arabic is a show series that highlights stories & ideas interesting to the Arab American communities in North America's major cities.
In this episode, we will be talking about Chicago's O'Hare Airport. As part of their expansion project, they will be installing an art project next summer at O’Hare Airport as part of the Terminal 5 Expansion Project.
We interviewed Jina Valentine, the leading artist for this project.
About the Project: This project maps the demographic composition of the state of Illinois from colonization and ratification (1818) to twenty years into the future (2040). It can
be read as a two-century-long demographic timeline of immigration to the
state of Illinois. It will consist of approximately 850 wall-mounted convex
aluminum discs of varying sizes which correspond to census data visualizations
of the state’s population growth. The discs will be etched with texts sourced
from the ephemera of numerous community organizations that have existed in
Chicago and transcribed in the original languages. As the discs themselves are
semi-reflective, they will both allow light to pass into the space through the
windows above, and reflect light from adjacent windows-- and travelers’
images-- back into the space.
We wanted to highlight the important opportunity for Arab Americans in Chicago, and the State of Illinois to leave a mark in the airport by providing a relevant quote to be installed in this project.
Follow us:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chicagoinarabic
Instagram: www.instagram.com/chicagoinarabic

Fouad Teymour, an Egyptian creative and playwright, has an amazing background, as he is a professor in engineering at IIT in addition to his creativity in the theatre world.
Teymour was a Network Playwright at Chicago Dramatists from 2010-2017 and is currently a member of the Writer’s Studio. His play Blue Fish in A Tall Clear Vase is being produced in November 2017 by Three Cat Productions. Other performances/readings of his plays include: The Night Jesus Joined the Revolution (Silk Road Rising); An Afternoon With My Mother, Blue Fish in A Tall Clear Vase (Three Cat Productions), and several plays discussed in Chicago Dramatists First Draft series.
We sat with him and spoke about the origins, journey, and future plans.
His play "Twice, Thrice, Frice..." is going live on Oct 1st! Get tickets:
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1005886
Music: Bassel & The Supernaturals

Upwardly Global’s mission is to eliminate employment barriers for skilled immigrants and refugees and integrate this population into the professional U.S. workforce.
It was a great podcast session with Kayla & Fahed from Upwardly Global. We discussed their mission, vision, and effort to help immigrants resettle in their new city in the USA.
Website: https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/Programs/
Music: Bassel & The Supernaturals

A very interesting interview with serial entrepreneur Mr. Kinan Sweidan. We chatted about the entrepreneurship journey, how to start a business, and the challenges you face. Great bits of advice for anyone who wants to start his/her own business.
Music: Bassel & The Supernaturals