It’s a part of human nature to be curious about the world we live in, and attempt to engage in figuring that out. It’s one of the things that keeps us connected as humans. The unwanted arrival of the pandemic made it quite difficult for people to communicate in a normal way.
But with adversity comes innovation, and one silver lining that recently boomed locally is actually podcasts. You get to hear and exchange people’s thoughts, opinions and talks can be shared in a way that brings a sense of normalcy again.
Not to take too much of your time, here are 7 local Bahraini (yes, Bahraini!) podcasts that we came across during COVID-19 that knocked our socks off.
If that name rings a bell, it’s because it’s inspired by the Women Power Summit. In the podcast, host and creator Wafa Al Obaidat interviews women from various sectors and industries, breaking glass ceilings, and exploring different aspects of womanhood.
In the 5th episode of season one “living without fear”, Wafa interviews Faiza Saeed, who impressed us with her podcast episode by including questions like how a woman can be courageous and pass that courage to her daughter and much more. So get ready to hear one of the most real, truthful, and encouraging stories on the Women Power podcast. Don’t forget to catch up with Wafa for more interesting episodes just like Nada Alawi’s from Season 1, Abeer Almatooq’s from Season 2 and Zahra Lari’s episode from Season 3.
Hosted by Latifa Al Khalifa, a huge advocate for STEAM education, the podcast covers the very same cool topic. Latifa encourages the field and helps in equipping youngsters with the tools and knowledge to succeed in the fields of the future aka STEAM.
On the podcast Ms. Ahlam Al Qassim shared her inspirational story as an Astrophysicist in episode one “A leap of faith all the way to space science .” In university, Ahlam shifted her major from arts to physics, and this was the first step for her to become an Astrophysicist. Regardless of her limited knowledge about her new major, with her hard work and determination she completed her journey with success.
Zawya is the corner where every film and cinema lover should belong to. It takes you into a new perspective of how you used to watch your favorite film. The podcast raises questions like, ‘Do we see a movie from a specific corner?’, ‘A director or a serial killer?’, which makes it really remarkable to hear. You’ll fall in love with this niche podcast. Executive producer Abdulrahman Al Rumaihi, director Abdulllah Al Shomeli and creator Hasan Khalid, Zawya tackles cinematic topics from Disney vs. Studio Ghibli (Ghibli fan over here, sorry Disney!) to the best movie in history, to whether or not can movies plant thoughts into us.
One of the podcasts episodes “boredom in the cinema” tackled a very interesting idea of how boredom can lead to accomplishments and events that can change history. For instance, discovering America and the free fall idea by Einstein. If you’re interested in film and cinema, you should definitely hear them out.
Hosted by Jehan Alkhatib, Jehan’s podcast is an honest, straightforward podcast that talks about different kinds of aspects that a person goes through in daily life, which revolves around contemporary issues today’s youth face; toxic masculinity, and feelings. Daera podcast is the place where you can feel comfortable to talk, express and search for answers.
The first episode of the first season, “Feelings” explained to us what we do with our feelings, to be specific. Are we escaping them, or are we just afraid and chose the easiest exit – which is to hide the way we feel– and how expresing is not a choice for us. Jehan’s podcast is the place to ask questions we ignored for a while, and eventually to answer them.
Are you wondering about the environmental risks that your food and life is causing? Haya Al Doseri is an Environmental Specialist that spreads awareness through her podcasts. The Green Sprout podcast takes us into the awareness of incorrect information that we used to think was correct and sets us straight. “Raising Animals” is the title of one of her episodes, along with her guest speaker Dr. Manal Al Mansoori, where they discuss how we can enhance the lives of animals.
Fun fact, one of Haya’s episodes was recently sponsored by Zain Bahrain’s latest initiatives, ‘Aswat’ that aims to support local podcasts!
Fa9la podcast highlights some of the most important moments that a person goes through in life, and translates it as a beautiful experience. You will travel, meditate and explore with their wonderful stories. In one of the episodes “motherhood” was discussed by several mothers sharing their experiences with their kids.
Episodes get amusing day by day just like the episode “separation” it basically explains the idea of losing someone, the stages we go through like acceptance, recovery and more. The two episodes were presented and prepared by Mohamed Jaffar.
Bedouin Banter is a podcast that presents enjoyment to its listeners about hot topics such as gaming, entrepreneurship, podcasters and even authors. In the first episode of ‘Bedouins Up Close series’ “Bedouin Banter #1 The Pilot” Khaled Aldoseri better known as the Dose, a previous DJ on Radio Bahrain, introduces the podcast to us by explaining how it all started, and why this podcast is made.
In another episode, particularly “Bedouin Banter #38 Quelling Some Tales & Talking about Titans with the award nominated Bahraini author M.G. Darwish. The episode talks about the issues M.G. Darwish went over as an author especially in the Middle East and more. A very entertaining episode is waiting for you to listen to, if you are curious about it please don’t hesitate to visit the podcast.
Did we miss your favorite podcasts? Feel free to share them with us on our social media Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedln!