Radial Histories, a six-part audio miniseries produced by Sharjah Art Foundation, weaves together oral histories, archival sound and scholarly commentary to narrate untold stories about visual art in Sharjah and the wider UAE from the early 1960s to the early 1990s, just before the inception of the Sharjah Biennial.

In the 1980s, Sharjah was witness to the rise of experimental practices and leftist thought as well as the tussle between institutional frameworks and independent initiatives. Featuring conversations with Yousif Aydabi, Khalid Albudoor, Mohammed Kazem and Aisha Stoby, this episode traces how artists and writers navigated a rapidly evolving artistic landscape. Central to this moment was the Aqwas collective, whose self-published journal Silsilat Al Ramad challenged dominant artistic norms through experimental poetry and visual work. These practices were informed by socialist and Marxist ideas circulating through Arab intellectual networks and Cold War geopolitical circuits. The Arabic-language newspaper Al Khaleej also fostered critical debate, despite tensions around censorship and publishing restrictions. Through these intersecting narratives, we see how Sharjah became a site of both creative resistance and ideological plurality.

Credits

Host: May Alqaydi

Guests: Aisha Stoby, Khalid Albudoor, Mohammed Kazem and Yusuf Aydabi

Music and Sound:

Harner, Paul, contributor. ‘Radio Rumbos, Caracas, Venezuela: Winter 1980’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

Al Ghanem, Nujoom, poet. ‘Sakin almada [Dweller of the horizon]’, 2009. Literaturwerkstatt Berlin, 2009. Lyrikline, Haus für Poesie. 

Widner, Jack. ‘Radio Bucharest: December 31, 1989 (Romanian Revolution)’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

Harrold, Tim. ‘Radio Austria International (Romania Revolution Special Broadcast): 1990’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

Watson, Paul. Broadcast from Radio Damascus. ‘Shortwave Broadcast Compilation – Africa and Middle East: Circa 1980s’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

Gavaras, Tom. ‘Radio Jamahiriya: May 12, 1982’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

Balkannska Fantazija, 1985. Selected and mixed by Midnight Voodoo. Radio is a Foreign Country.

Broadcast from Radio Damascus,1980s.Transmissions from the Eastern Mediterranean (RIAFC 019). Radio is a Foreign Country. 

Ismail, Amr, singer. ‘Helwa ya baladi [How sweet is my country]’,1979. Transmissions from the Eastern Mediterranean (RIAFC 019). Radio is a Foreign Country.

Radi, Afaf, singer. ‘Yalla Bena [Let’s go]’, 1981. Transmissions from the Eastern Mediterranean (RIAFC 019). Radio is a Foreign Country. 

Khalifé, Marcel, singer. ‘Ya Malha Noura [Dreamy Sunrise]’, 1985. Transmissions from the Eastern Mediterranean (RIAFC 019). Radio is a Foreign Country. 

Taroub, singer. ‘Keshr El Bondok [Hazelnut Shells]’, 1985. Transmissions from the Eastern Mediterranean (RIAFC 019). Radio is a Foreign Country. 

Sabreen, musical ensemble. ‘Love on the Palestinian Way’, 1987. Radio Free Palestine – 2010 (hour 3, part 1). Internet Archive. 

‘News | 1989- | SHARJAH TV | SHARJAH | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES’ (track 1). 90s TV Show Intro Collection: United Arab Emirates, Sharjah TV. Internet Archive. 

Morrow, Frank, contributor. ‘Alternative Views #159: INSIDE LEBANON’, 1982. Alternate Information Network. Internet Archive. 

Greenall, Dan, contributor. ‘UAE Radio Dubai: Circa 1983’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

Watson, Paul, contributor. Broadcasts from Radio Bucharest, Radio Moscow World Service and Radio Station Peace & Progress. ‘Shortwave Broadcast Compilation – Eastern Europe & USSR: Circa 1980s’. Shortwave Radio Audio Archive. 

References:

Al Tashkeel, 1984–1992. Emirates Fine Arts Society, Sharjah. https://altashkeel.ae/media/

Kapur, Geeta. When Was Modernism: Essays on Contemporary Cultural Practice in India. Tulika Books, 2000. 

Mezaina, Hind. ‘Good Vibrations: Living It Up in Sharjah’s Hotels’. In Building Sharjah, edited by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Todd Reisz, 271–82. Birkhäuser, 2021.

Murrah, Usama. Interview with Kamayani Sharma and May Rashed, 15 January 2025.

Stanek, Łukasz. Architecture in Global Socialism: Eastern Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East in the Cold War. Princeton University Press, 2020.

Stoby, Aisha. Khaleej Modern: Pioneers and Collectives in the Arabian Peninsula. NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, 2022.

Editorial and Content Support: Kate Sutton, Kathleen Butti, Natalia Ulloa, Rajwant Sandhu and Rosalyn D’Mello

Research Associate: May Rashed

 

Sound Engineer and Designer: Riya Raagini 

Podcast Producer and Writer: Kamayani Sharma 

Executive Producer and Writer: Jyoti Dhar

Special Thanks: Hoor Al Qasimi, Nawar Al Qasimi, Dima Bittard, Hasan Hujairi, Alyazeyah Al Marri, Mahshid Rafiei, Ghaith Khoury, Salwa Mikdadi, Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Abdullah Al Saadi, Talal Moualla, Nasir Nasrallah, Abdelaziz Mohamed AlMulla, Yalda Bidshahri, Joseph De la Cerna, Unnikrishnan Suresh Babu, Magdi Emad, Ismail Al-Rifai, Ziad Abdullah, Abdullah Hussein, Mohamad Al Saadei, Jiwon Lee, Tima Ouzden, Noora Al Mualla, Ahmad Makia, Heba Hosny and Jawed Ali Mohammed

This episode features interviews recorded in February 2024, January 2025 and February 2026.

© Sharjah Art Foundation, 2026