Pour yourself some chai and settle in, because TSN is spilling tea in our Year in Review episode! Join us for a pop-up podcast, where we roast ourselves (and the world), shout out our favorite moments, and dish on what we’re most looking forward to. Your teacup (and your curiosity) will thank you. ☕️

In this episode Dawoud sits down with Dr. Ali Olomi and Dr. Nura Sediqe to discuss Islamophobia in today’s current climate.

Fresh from TSN’s 2023 retreat in Southern California, TSN cohosts Diz, Nura, and Ghizal reflect on blending cultural traditions, celebrating American holidays, and preserving language. Join us for our first episode of the year as TSN revamps and plays with new forms of media.

New Year, new look TSN! Nura, Weiss and Sultana sit down in a new format, tackling various topics ranging from TSN's absence, the fall of Afghanistan and the current refugee crisis. Each go through their own personal reflections over the chaotic few months and experiences with survivor's guilt and shame. They also speed round through various topics such from Nowruz to Kanye. As always, thanks for tuning in!

Susan and Weiss sit down with talented Afghan-American keyboardist Mahroof Sharif to learn more about what led him down his path, his thoughts on the evolution of Afghan music, and forming his identity as an Afghan-American musical artist. Finally, we’ll see how Mahroof does in the ever challenging trivia.

In this episode, Nura and Dawoud have a conversation with Trey Gonzalez, a member of the Dream Defenders, one of the first organizations created in Florida after the murder of Trayvon Martin. Trey shares with us his experiences in grassroots movement building, what Afghans can do as non-black POC to help, and as always plays a round of trivia with us at the end of the episode. How does Trey do on trivia, stay tuned to find out!

Pakora? Aash? Fasting while dealing with the existential dread of living under quarantine? How old is too old to get eid-ee money? Join TSN for a continuation of 'The Afghan-American Playbook', a part of the TSN podcast that focuses on the different ways Afghans in the U.S. navigate cultural rituals & traditions. In this episode, Almas and Weiss co-host and talk Ramadan and Eid. What are some of the unifying traditions among Afghans, and what are unique ones for each family. They are joined by guest Bahar Naimzadeh, as the three discuss different customs and practices during a very surreal Ramadan. Additionally, Bahar gets put through the ringer during our trivia section. Will she end up on top? Stay tuned to find out.

This past April 17 weekend a video challenge of male Afghan influencers went viral, but not for the typical reasons. One of the participants was revealed to have allegations of a history of domestic violence abuse with a former partner. This incident has exposed a wider, more systemic issue of domestic violence within the Afghan diaspora, and more importantly how we talk about it. What is domestic violence and how do we process the repercussions of the action? Join us for this difficult conversation, where we seek to discuss the spectrum of abuse that exists and the cultural nuances that we must navigate to ensure victims are not silenced by shame and secrecy.

Wash your hands! Social Distancing! We are a culture of family gatherings, festivities, and community. However, with the outbreak of the coronavirus, we have been asked to practice social distancing, quarantining, and (for some people) isolation. There has been a lot of information (and sadly, some misinformation) about COVID-19, which has led people to feel anxious, scared, and confused. The Afghan-American Conference, in collaboration with the Samovar Network, are organizing a panel discussion of medical professionals to discuss COVID-19, dispelling rumors and myths, as well as steps we can take to take care of not only ourselves, but members of our community who are most compromised by the virus.

In the second installment of Motherland Reports, we will discuss some of the current events happening in Afghanistan and how they impact us as Afghan-Americans. We’ll be discussing recent comments by Trump on his views of Afghanistan, peace talks with the Taliban, and the tragic killings that seem to have no end. We’ll hear from panelists within the United States and Kabul to understand how people are making sense of the tragedies and the prospect of peace.

In this episode of The Samovar Network Podcast, our host Dawoud Waziri interviews Sultana Mangal and Alexandra Millatmal about the 5th annual Afghan-American Conference. This year was the first year Sultana and Alexandra attended, and during the interview they discuss their initial reactions, favorite sessions, and share some stories of their conference experiences. For those of you who haven’t gone to an Afghan-American Conference this is a great way to learn through others experiences at their first conference, and for those of you who have gone you can compare your experiences with Sultana and Alexandra’s!

What do styrofoam cups and Costco runs have to do with funerals? Join TSN for the kick-off of their new series, 'The Afghan-American Playbook', a part of the TSN podcast that focuses on the different ways Afghans in the U.S. navigate cultural rituals & traditions. In the inaugural episode, Nura and Diz co-host and talk funerals and fatyas. The grief, the cultural practices and the chaos Afghan families bring to the process. They are joined by Dr. Iman Ahmad-Sediqe, a sociologist and ethnographer from Northwestern University. Iman discusses her fieldwork on Northern California Afghans, offering insight to the cultural and religious meanings of the grieving process, while Dawoud walks us through the story of a recent funeral in his family, including the styrofoam cup controversy.

Journalist Nelufar Hedayat joins TSN to discuss Afghans in the UK, being a woman of color in media, what her mom thinks of some of the dangerous situations she's been in, and her dark and magical past. We also talk about some of her fascinating projects, and her role in the new Doha Debates. Finally, we premiere a new trivia game. How did Nelufar do? Tune in and find out!