Culture Bites

In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews preview Abu Dhabi Art before its opening on November 19. Dyala Nusseibeh, director of Abu Dhabi Art, speaks about what visitors can expect to see this year, as a record number of galleries from around the world take part. The fair’s growth over time reflects Abu Dhabi’s efforts to become a centre for culture enthusiasts, especially as it brings more focus to art from the global south. Several countries will be participating for the first time this year, while special exhibitions will focus on N...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews speak to executive creative director at Expo City Dubai, Amna Abulhoul, about curating the upcoming Dhai Dubai festival. Celebrating heritage through light, seven Emirati artists are showcasing their installations at the second edition of the event, taking place at Expo City Dubai's Al Wasl Plaza from November 12 to 18. Amna talks about the inspiration behind the name of the festival and shares stories about working with the artists to bring their pieces to life. By the Giza pyramids in Cairo, the long-awaited opening of...

In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews are joined by The National’s in-house pop culture expert Faisal Al Zaabi to talk about his experience of the Art in Scents tour at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The museum has collaborated with Swiss fragrance maker Givaudan to interpret the aromas of nine artworks in its permanent collection. Visitors receive a book, which they can scratch the pages of to release a scent for each corresponding art piece. Faisal describes some of the most interesting fragrances in the tour, including The Louvre’s own signature scent, and...

In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews explore the world of art heists in the aftermath of the break-in at the Louvre in Paris. It took only seven minutes for thieves to break into the museum’s Apollo Gallery and steal several pieces of precious jewellery, all of which have significant historical value. This is not the first time the Louvre has been the target of thieves. In 1911, the Mona Lisa was taken by an Italian immigrant who said he felt it belonged to his country, only for it to be recovered two ye...

This week on Culture Bites, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews bring attention to an often neglected but worthy force of nature − the mushroom. Their guest in this episode, Georgina Pereira, is the species survival manager at Terra, Expo City Dubai where she works as a mushroom scientist. On the occasion of World Mushroom Day, she talks to Enas and Farah about the infinite ways that fungi shape our world: from cooking and medicinal properties, to fashion and culture, and environmental conservation. They discuss historical Emirati traditions of foraging mushrooms and the rootedness of the species in...

In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews give the scoop on the production of Dune: Part Three in Abu Dhabi. Filming for the third instalment of the sci-fi blockbuster is expected to start this month in the emirate’s Liwa desert. Leading cast members, including Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, are expected to be arriving in the UAE soon. Jason Momoa was already spotted in Dubai last weekend. Farah reveals some behind the scenes details of the shoot in Abu Dhabi, including the hotel that the actors may be staying at. In th...

This week on Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews tell the story of the famous Hejaz railway, as Turkey, Syria and Jordan prepare to bring a section of it back to life. Back in the 1900s, Sultan Abdulhamid II of the Ottoman Empire envisioned a rail line that stretched from Istanbul all the way to Makkah, making pilgrimage easier. While it was never completed entirely, the railway did connect Damascus to Madinah, cutting the typical journey from a 40-day camel caravan trek to a three-day train ride. But the once prominent line fell into despair...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews react to Drake’s new track, which samples a song from the Lebanese icon Fairuz. During a live stream to promote his upcoming album, Iceman, the Canadian hip-hop artist played a song that featured vocals from Fariuz’s 1979 hit Wahdon. It sparked concern among Arab audiences over whether the Lebanese singer would be credited and compensated. Enas and Farah reflect on the criticism against Western artists sampling political Arabic songs out of context. They also discuss the merits of embracing cultural elem...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews take a closer look at the reactions to The Voice of Hind Rajab at the Venice Film Festival. The film uses real audio from the harrowing distress call of a five-year-old girl trapped in a car in Gaza as she came under Israeli fire. It won a Silver Lion and received a record-breaking standing ovation, but some critics called it out for using “tear-jerking tactics”. Enas and Farah talk about the director’s response in an interview she gave to The National, and discus...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews follow the story of Mosul’s historical landmarks from construction to destruction and finally restoration. This week, The National’s team visited the 2,500-year-old Iraqi city to observe the completion of a seven-year UAE-led project to rebuild Al Nuri Mosque with its famous leaning minaret, as well as the churches of Our Lady of the Hour Convent and Al Tahera. After standing tall for hundreds of years, the structures were destroyed by ISIS. Now, they rise again as symbols of hope and co-existence in Mosul. The...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews trace back the origins of the seven emirates, and how they got their names. Drawing from both official records and local narratives, they look at the connection between human activity and geography that shaped each emirate. Abu Dhabi for example derives its meaning from accounts of early settlers following a gazelle to fresh water. As for Dubai, popular theories suggest that the name stems from daba, meaning “to flow slowly” – probably a reference to the movement of vessels. The hosts also share some of the...

This week on Culture Bites, host Farah Andrews chats with her colleagues at The National about the UAE’s cultural representation in Japan, and the regional music scene. Gaming and Culture Reporter Faisal Al Zaabi joins Farah to talk about exploring the UAE pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. The exhibit invites visitors to appreciate the country’s past, present and future and is designed to evoke their senses through scent, sound and touch. Faisal described the nostalgia evoked by the fragrance of two million date palm fronds, arranged into towering columns. He and Farah also discuss the evolution of t...

In this episode of Culture Bites, host Farah Andrews explores the intersection of cities and street art through No Trespassing, an exhibition at the Ishara Art Foundation in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue, running until August 30. Curated by Priyanka Mehra, the show presents six site-specific interventions that brought street materials into the gallery space. Priyanka joins Farah in the studio to share her insights on what street art means in the UAE, common misconceptions about this form of art in the region, how it has evolved in recent years, and which neighbourhoods are becoming creative hotspots....

On Culture Bites this week, Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews offer some inspiration for a richer summer with their recommendations of what to read, watch and see during the holidays. For long flights, the hosts suggest skipping cinematic spectacles and opting instead for breezy, entertaining films that are more suitable for smaller screens. If video is not an option, Enas and Farah also share some ideas for podcasts and audiobooks to enjoy. The holidays are a good time to pick up a bingeable book. Farah recommends Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez for an...

This week on Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews discuss their favourites from this year’s Emmy nominations. From dramas to comedies, some of the most highly rated TV series from 2025 have made the list, including Adolescence, The Last of Us and the latest season of The White Lotus. Some of the shows that Enas and Farah have recommended before on the podcast made the cut, such as The Bear's new season, and Shrinking, a comedy about a grieving therapist who says too much. Also in this episode, the hosts explore the Arabic ro...

In this week’s episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews give a preview of the Zayed National Museum which is set to open in December. The building has already become a landmark of Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. Its five steel structures are shaped like feathers, inspired by the country’s tradition of falconry, and the museum itself will tell the story of the UAE over 300,000 years. Enas and Farah highlight some of the main galleries to visit and notable pieces to view, including a full-scale replica of a Bronze Age Ma...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews offer some inspiration for an art-infused summer with respite from the heat. Enas discusses a family day out at Saadiyat Cultural District, including a stop at teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi. The Japanese multisensory digital art concept was founded in 2001 and has expanded across the globe, most recently to the UAE where it opened a 17,000-square metre space in April. Enas tells Farah about the installations that captivated her and the interactive features her children most enjoyed. In the entertainment world, Syrian television is...

On Culture Bites this week, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews talk about the perks of going phone-free during comedy shows. Enas tells Farah about her experience of watching Dave Chappelle’s stand-up act in Abu Dhabi where the provocative comedian took to the stage for a second year in a row. Attendees had to secure their smart devices in locked pouches to ensure no one filmed the performance. The hosts reflect on how a phone-free environment can enrich the audience experience and protect the arts from being overshared and diluted. Meanwhile, the Glastonbury Festival co...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews join the hype around F1 The Movie, the thrilling motorsport film that was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi. The National’s arts and culture editor William Mullally returns to the podcast to give his take on the film on its UAE cinema release day. He talks about the fine details that went into the production to make the race scenes as real as possible, and to capture the emotional experience of being a motorsport driver. He also gives some hints, but no spoilers, about the Ya...

In this episode of Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews are joined by The National’s arts and culture editor William Mullally to talk about Jaws to mark the film’s 50th anniversary. The iconic shark attack film had such a massive impact in Hollywood when it was released in 1975, carving out an entire thriller genre for decades to come. In fact, people began describing hit summer films as "blockbusters" because of Jaws. The hosts discuss with William how director Steven Spielberg masterfully tapped into a primal human fear to create a work of art that...