How Alya Mooro Walks The “Talk of Shame” In This Must-Listen Podcast Series
The Egyptian-British journalist explores honour, health and healing within the audio series which aired earlier this spring, breaking taboos and initiating conversations that need to be addressed within the region and beyond…
If radio stations are struggling to keep their heads above water, another form of entertainment has been taking the industry by storm, understand podcasts, and one in particular has been picking our curiosity lately.
Aiming at digging deeper into the region’s dynamics, as well as into the Arab diaspora, Talk of Shame – founded by the bestselling author Alya Mooro – unapologetically explores the realm of womanhood by challenging most narratives associated with the heavy connoted idea of shame in the region and within our eclectic community.
Far from being a taped academic essay to listen to online, the podcast feels like a dematerialised conversation between friends – and us members of the audience are carefully witnessing and listening to without ever breaching past the theatrical fourth wall. Bearing soft tamed voices and touching upon complex matters, the for Arabs by Arabs programme, produced by Womena, is relatable by essence through real-life experiences the guests and hosts do not shy away from sharing.
In the show’s own words, shame breeds shame and has been costing too many too dear. The trauma put forward, which seems generational, is here dissected and candidly plays into the metrics of acceptance and recognition of a neurotic suffering in order to heal rather than to remain in denial to move past this burdensome ordeal.
Sincere, raw and honest, Talk of Shame is also transgressive by nature and it wouldn’t be at all hyperbolic to say that it is also compassionate and empathetic in its confrontation either. First of its kind while carving an intricate genre of its own, the show offers an intimate space for women to spark a conversation and spearhead a cultural attack against the trauma-prone point of contention.
Striving towards growth and change, Alya Mooro’s latest endeavour is one that focuses on everything from honour to mental health all the way up to the polarised expectations of being an Arab woman in the West and offers precious insight into a bubble that was, and still is, too often closed off by, exactly, shame and taboo.
Authentic and incredibly real and genuine, Talk of Shame is a generational groundbreaker and game changer that we are only craving to feed more from.
Listen now on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com