8 episodes
West of Middle East - Season 1 Neda Nobari Foundation
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- Education
In Season 1 of West of Middle East, we hear from people from the Middle East diaspora who are changemakers in a variety of unique ways: fighting for indigenous rights in the Amazon, advocating for LGBTQ refugee support, or making movies about Afghan rock stars and the diaspora experience. Each episode of West of Middle East provides a window into who these Middle East diaspora changemakers are, and how they’re creating a positive impact in the West. We explore what it means to be a part of a diaspora with pervasive stereotypes, and how being a part of that same diaspora propels a desire for social justice.
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Episode 1: Subhi Nahas
A Syrian refugee in San Francisco works to educate communities in the Middle East about LGBTQ rights issues, while teaching people here in the West about what it means to be a Middle Eastern refugee.
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Episode 2: Alia Shawkat
Iraqi-American actress Alia Shawkat became famous for her roles as Maeby Fünke in the award-winning T.V. show Arrested Development. Now she’s using her platform in Hollywood to show millennials a different side of women and Arabs on television.
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Episode 3: Maz Jobrani
We go to West Hollywood to see how comedy can be a tool to educate people and dispel ugly myths about the Middle East diaspora.
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Episode 4: Sulyman Qardash
The singer of Afghanistan’s first rock band, now an immigrant in Oakland, California, talks about how music can bring communities together.
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Episode 5: Atossa Soltani
An Iranian immigrant loses her heart in the Amazon Rainforest when she realizes community goes beyond diaspora, community is global.
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Episode 6: Yalda Modabber
An Iranian immigrant is creating a new generation of mindful change-makers inside of a Farsi-language preschool in Berkeley, California.