The LevantX Podcast

During this episode Sophie Ghaziri talks to Elissa Freiha, founder of womena, about the metaverse and the role Womena would play in that digital space. How can we transform ourselves and our businesses? Is the metaverse a playground for the rich?

During this episode Sophie Ghaziri talks to Lina Khalife, the founder of She Fighter in Jordan. Domestic abuse and violence has escalated across the world due to the pandemic but in the Middle East it is considered a crisis. Lina teaches women how to defend themselves, builds their self confidence and teaches them techniques to combat fear. In 2020, a brief report entitled “Women in Jordan: Continuing Violence and Absent Protection”, Euro-Med Monitor highlighted the outburst of violence against Jordanian women, where the country recorded 21 cases of female murders – a three-time increase compared to 2018 which saw seven murders only. In the same year, 6,965 women fell victims of violence, 810 were able to get aid from the five battered women shelters belonging to the Ministry of Social Development while the rest, especially who live in the remote areas, were marginalized and consequently left to face more violence. Lina's work is crucial, hear what she has to say!

During this episode Sophie asks Amuna what she is working on and trying to achieve with her Black Arab Collective initiative. Amuna, an activist of Ethiopian decent, is working on educating and creating awareness about Racism in SWANA and how change begins at home. Why? because she believes that the way things are now, policy wouldn't be able to make a difference.

During this episode Zuhal tells Sophie what it is like to be a Drag Queen in Lebanon. Zuhal is a Drag Performer and wants to use his social media status to help drive change and pave the way for others in the SWANA region. Lebanon is seen by many as an open and democratic country, but what some may not know that it is not safe and Zuhal along with many others are constantly trying to survive. To ensure we keep bringing you episodes, please become a member and buy us a coffee:

During this episode Sophie Ghaziri and Jad Ghosn talk about the Lebanese Elections that are set to take place in 2022. The elections were to be held in May, however, the government and parliament have made several changes, one in bringing the elections forward to March and to let the diaspora vote for the full 128 seats available. What does this mean? and it is just smoke and mirrors?

During this episode Sophie Ghaziri talks to fellow colleague Oliver Marsden about his journey through Pakistan and Afghanistan. She hears first hand what Oliver experienced, how he felt as he witnessed the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. For more episodes like this, you can head to our page on Buy me a coffee & ensure we continue to provide transparent and independent content: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/levantx

During this episode Sophie Ghaziri talk to the Co- Founder of Beirut Film Society, an NGO that started working in 2007 but was only registered 10 years later. As Lebanon's film scene continues to grow and those who have a vision for a new country share their ideas, will Beirut City take a seat on the international stage? In order to keep listening and watching our exclusive content make a one time donation or sign up for an annual membership: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/levantx

During this episode Sophie Ghaziri talks to Khaled Beydoun about Islamophobia, the American- Muslim future, the marginalization of Black-Muslim's and the Israel Palestinian conflict. If you want to know why Islamophobia is still a problem in the USA, expert Khaled Beydoun has also written a book that can be bought in stores. To hear more unfiltered content and to make sure we continue to provided exclusive material head to our Buy me a coffee page - you can make a one time donation or sign up to be a member and receive access to more! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/levantx

During this episode Darine talks to Sophie about filmmaking and cinema. Darine is a Director & Writer and has just released her new film Talahasse - to hear more about her latest work and how she wants to impact the industry tune in! For more content like this please help us continue by donating or signing up for a membership: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/levantx

During this episode Sophie speaks to Ribal and Dana from Oxfam Beirut. The NGO has recently released a report about the Queer community in the country and what effect the aftermath of the Beirut Blast had on them. We find out the driving factors behind the suffering, the hopelessness and the future of the community in the country. Will the local NGO's in partnership with Oxfam help bring hope and stability back to a community that is lost and battered? Find out what has been done and what is yet to come as the 1 year of the August 4 blast in Beirut gets closer.  Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/levantx Oxfam Report: https://www.oxfamamerica.org/press/queer-communities-at-huge-risk-in-lebanon-oxfam-research-warns/