Mushtarak Podfest

Cairo's PodFest 2023: The podcast party of the year!

The idea – a podcast festival in Cairo. In May 2023, this dream came true! PodFest is an exciting podcast festival that brought together podcast enthusiasts from Egypt and Germany and offered an incredible opportunity to dive into the vast diversity of audio entertainment.

This exciting festival was organized by Yasmin Kollektiv in close cooperation with Goethe-Institut. The result was a weekend full of laughing, learning and networking. But what was this festival actually about?

Podcasts for everyone

Whether you were a die-hard podcast listener or a newcomer to the world of podcasting, there was something in store for everyone at PodFest. As such, it offered exciting workshops and talks for aspiring podcasters, who wanted to create their own content. Meanwhile, experienced podcasters and podcast lovers had the chance to learn from some of the best minds in the field.

International perspectives

PodFest was also a great opportunity to look at the fascinating world of podcasts from an international perspective. With guests and podcasters from different countries, participants were able to discover stories and perspectives they may not have heard before.

Culture and community

PodFest didn't only offer fascinating conversations, but also a rich cultural experience. From live podcast recordings to culinary treats from Egypt, there were plenty of opportunities to enjoy the local culture and make new friends.

PANELISTS

The following speakers were on the panel

Aliaa has more than 15 years of experience in the journalism field, covering various topics and issues. She developed the content of Nature Arabic edition to include a podcast and a weekly newsletter with more than 5K subscribers. Additionally, she collaborated with the team to create a comprehensive style guide, which significantly enhanced the quality of their work. Furthermore, Aliaa Hamed possesses extensive experience in team management, ensuring optimal performance and finding solutions for more efficient workflow.

Jasmin is an award-winning multimedia journalist with about a decade of experience in editorial professions. She helped launch Al Jazeera English’s (AJE) first news and current affairs podcast, The Debrief, as a host and producer. Up until September 2022, Jasmin spent most of her time as Head of Creative Audio at the edutainment app Blinkist, where she co-lead a team of award-winning audio producers and shaped the production and style of the end product. She also consults and produces podcasts for clients, such as Spotify Germany and a German public broadcaster.

Manuel is a multimedia producer and entrepreneur who co-founded the Easy German podcast. With listeners in almost 200 countries and over one million monthly downloads, it’s become one of the largest language learning podcasts in the world. Prior to his work with Easy German, Manuel studied “Multimedia Production” at FH Kiel and worked at Apple in both sales and management positions. He has lived in five different countries and embarked on a world trip in 2017 before dedicating himself full-time to his passion for media production and podcasting. In addition to his work with Easy German, Manuel serves as COO of their parent company, Easy Languages.

Mona worked as a broadcaster on “Sawt Al Arab“ Radio before joining the Nile News Channel as a newscaster and program presenter in the television industry. During her career, she held positions as a journalist, broadcaster, and content producer on BBC radio. Currently, Mona is actively involved as a broadcaster and program presenter on the Nile News Channel. In addition to her current endeavors, Mona hosts a podcast titled “Memory of the Senses,” available on multiple platforms. Through this podcast, she explores the profound influence of memories on our five senses, featuring interviews with notable guests.

Yaser worked as the head of the Arabic section at Radio Netherlands Worldwide in 2013, then he took over the position of editor-in-chief of the ARIJ Foundation for Investigative Journalism year 2017, after which he returned to training and development consulting with international organizations, and host of “Ma3 Nafasy” podcast.

MODERATORS

Rasha a Seven-year-experience podcast consultant and audio producer. Throughout these years, she has produced 11 podcasts. More than 1500 episodes, Rasha Aldeeb is a member of Yasmine Kollektiv & she is the Arabic regional coordinator for Aswatona program.

Lilly has worked in the coordination of science and climate change related projects and events in Egypt and regionally for the past 7 years and is now the head of the coordination team for Goethe-Institut’s Ta’ziz-Partnerships projects. She and her team support 14 very different projects in the MENA region to support civil society participation.

learn More

Cairo’s PodFest 2023 was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience for anyone interested in podcasts. To find out more about this exciting festival or to look for future events, visit the official Goethe-Institut website using this link

Don’t miss the opportunity to join us at the next PodFest and explore the exciting world of podcasts. See you at the next podcast adventure!