{"podcast":{"title":"Culture Bites","slug":"culture-bites-6616056","podcast_index_feed_id":6616056,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/culturebites/feed.xml","website_url":"https://culturebites.podbean.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/17186079/culture_bites_newbq4zo.jpg","author":"The National News","episode_count":100,"summary":"Join hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews as they guide you through the arts and culture scene in the UAE, the Middle East and around the world. Culture Bites — a two-time award winner recognised in New York and London — brings you fresh perspectives every Thursday from The National News in Abu Dhabi.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-09T22:19:16.985365+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-bites-6616056"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 104: The band reviving Kuwaiti pearl-diving music through jazz","slug":"episode-104-the-band-reviving-kuwaiti-pearl-diving-music-through-jazz","published_at":"2026-01-08T01:55:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-bites-6616056/episode-104-the-band-reviving-kuwaiti-pearl-diving-music-through-jazz","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-bites-6616056","url":"https://culturebites.podbean.com/e/episode-104-the-band-reviving-kuwaiti-pearl-diving-music-through-jazz/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tyaf4u4g7iyy44px/CB_Ep_104_FINAL_mixdown9blke.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei is joined by UAE-based musician Ghazi Al Mulaifi to talk about the traditions of Kuwaiti pearl-diving music that inspired his band, Boom.Diwan. Ghazi tells Enas about his own family history of pearl diving and the intrigue it sparked in him. The rich cultural practice was also an arduous one, marked by long perilous journeys and hardship. Music was an important component to boost morale and help the divers prepare for their working day. Boom.Diwan revives these rhythms in a Khaleeji jazz-fusion style that Ghazi describes as experimental. He talks about how elders react to his music and the importance of preserving the authenticity of pearl-diving heritage, while also performing for new and diverse audiences. Boom.Diwan’s cross-cultural collaborations have also uncovered shared histories and sounds that span continents. Their coming performance at The Red Theatre at NYU Abu Dhabi on January 14 will feature a number of international guests including South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini.","meta_description":"In this episode of Culture Bites, Enas Refaei is joined by UAE-based musician Ghazi Al Mulaifi to talk about the traditions of Kuwaiti pearl-diving music…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1257,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/culture-bites-6616056/episodes/episode-104-the-band-reviving-kuwaiti-pearl-diving-music-through-jazz/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/culture-bites-6616056/episode-104-the-band-reviving-kuwaiti-pearl-diving-music-through-jazz.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}