“Sarde After Dinner” is the Lebanese podcast that dares. Its two creators discuss the important issues tearing the Lebanon apart with unprecedented freedom of expression.
The idea came out of a meeting between audiovisual enthusiast Mouin Jaber and Médéa Azouri, a columnist for the Lebanese daily L’Orient le Jour, and their shared desire to reach out to the Lebanese people to confront reality. So last April they launched “Sarde After Dinner” from Médéa’s flat: “the message to listeners is, ‘don’t worry, we’re all in the same boat’.”
In the relaxed atmosphere of their Beirut flat they first discuss with each other and then with their guests the burning topics affecting the Lebanese today. International experts and guests speak freely, sharing their opinions and knowledge with viewers.
The concept comes from the word “Sarde”, meaning a very typical part of Lebanese culture when, at the end of a meal, people let go and talk openly, remaking the world with a cigarette in hand. The idea behind the project is to offer an alternative way of approaching current affairs, different from the traditional media and social networks. “Sarde” wants to fill “a significant gap and a big void between what listeners want to hear and what the country’s traditional media feed them,” Médéa told Arab News.
Every Sunday evening the weekly podcast puts a new episode online: sex, pandemic, economic crisis, nothing escapes Sarde’s creators. The podcast is growing in popularity at home and abroad, notably thanks to its translation into English. “Sarde After Dinner” is available on several platforms including Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
More information about audiovisual news in the Lebanon can be found here.
Sources: arabnews.fr, lorientlejour.com
