Radio stations have been around for over a hundred years and have historically been one of the most important technologies of the 20th century. Everyday radios broadcast their signal into the homes of people all over the world, either via radio waves or through the internet.
Even though radio today has lost a lot of its former glory and is not nearly as significant as it was in the decades after World War II, its format is still incredible and the rise of today's podcast wave is a direct descendant of the radio.
No list of radio shows in the MENA region would be complete without Ma3azef. Besides being the leading online music magasin written in Arabic, they also have an amazing 24 hour online live radio. Ma3azef live daily host’s shows with amazing regional and international dj’s and musicians exploring a huge pallet of genres. If you wanna be up to date on what’s currently happening in the music scene you need to tune into Ma3azef live.
The Palestenian online Radio, Radio Alhara, was launched two years ago during the first leg of the corona pandemic by six friends. Since then the radio has garnered a vast audience all over the world and the daily broadcasts take you all around the world. Alhara’s no bullshit website design says a lot about the spirit behind the radio, it’s about freedom, protest and letting every new day also be a new beginning.
Radio Flouka is a Paris based online radio founded in 2018 by Tunisian DJ and producer Haroun Ben Hmida. The radio aims to showcase Arab talents from mashreq to maghreb, and for the world to see that Arab music is much much more than cheesy sharqi music. At the same time the project is also a re-appropriation of the Arab musical and cultural heritage.
Salaam radio is a regular, two-times a month or so, show hosted at 3CR Melbourne Community Radio. Salaam is dedicated to hosting and playing music by artists of Arab origins and has been doing so since the summer of 2019.
Is opposite the above mentioned online radio stations and shows not a music based radio, but is instead a talk based radio. Hammam Radio is a feminist participatory online radio based in Berlin, believing in the importance of the voice of women. Like the hammam baths historically has been in the SWANA region, the radio is likewise meant to be a place where women can meet, talk, discuss, think, cry and laugh.
