Politically Depressed

In this episode, Ayman is joined by Dara Eilo. Dara is an Assyrian activist and human rights advocate who has been involved in organising activities in Syria and Lebanon for the past decade and a half. Our conversation focused on the events that have taken place in Northern Syria since Jan 13, specifically the fighting between STG (that is, the new Syrian government) and the Kurdish-led SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces). What began as military operations to capture all of Aleppo, of which some neighbourhoods were held by the SDF, ended up being a wide-ranging conflict that saw the central government control large areas like Deir Azzor and Raqqa. Meanwhile, the territory controlled by the SDF shrank significantly.At the time of recording, fighting was still ongoing, and there was a very real fear amongst Kurdish communities of a war of extermination, as they described it, an existential war.This episode was recorded on January 24, and that’s important to note because things have already changed since then. After the recording, we learned that a ceasefire was announced by the Syrian government. Then, six days later, on January 30, a comprehensive agreement was signed between the transitional government and the SDF, which includes a ceasefire, gradual integration of SDF battalions in the Syrian Army and civic integration into regional municipalities.The conversation you are about to listen to, like most of the interviews I do on this podcast, is not one that focuses on geopolitics, large narratives, or predictive analysis about what is going to happen next. Instead, as though sitting in a cafe in Beirut, it is a conversation between two people who are deeply connected to the current moment, seeing what is happening on the ground but also the discourse online, and connecting with their shared grief, frustrations, and thoughts.Of course, it goes without saying that we stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people, and with all people who are struggling under systems of oppression and domination.Links:Dara's InstagramAssyrian Movement for Collective LiberationBecome a member of the FTP Patreon today: https://www.patreon.com/c/fromtheperiphery

Today’s episode, the first for 2026, is a very very special one. I sit and talk with the Palestinian writer Tarek Baconi, who recently released a book entitled Fire In Every Direction. The book is a memoir that tracks Baconi’s upbringing as a queer Palestinian in Amman, Jordan, as well as the personal process of his political awakening. I can’t recommend this book enough, its so powerful, and at least for me, incredibly relatable.The conversation we hold jumps right into it. We talk about our shared experiences growing up queer in different Arab capitals and decades, him in Amman in the 90s, me in Beirut in the 2000s. We talk about Queer Arab identity, about the scholarship that exists on the subject, and the movements on the ground. Ultimately, our conversation is grounded in a mutual understanding that queer liberation is inextricably tied to our collective liberation in the global south, here specifically, in the levant or bilad al sham.You don’t have to have read the book in order to follow this conversation, but I do recommend getting hold of a copy if you’re able to.Here is a link for where you can buy a copy.Also if you appreciate this conversation, I’ll also provide a link below for the group I am a part of in Lebanon, Queer Mutual Aid Lebanon. For a number of reasons, we are running dangerously low on funds, and so are holding a sustained fundraiser to get more people to join our Patreon. More description of the work we do is in the About section of the Patreon.

In this episode of the Politically Depressed Podcast, I’m joined by a returning guest Sara al-Hassan. Sara is a Sudanese commentator and activist who has worked tirelessly to spread knowledge and awareness about the war in Sudan and before that the revolution and beyond. Like all the interviews I do for this podcast, this is an intimate conversation that centers Sara as a person first and foremost. We do of course talk about the war in Sudan, the developments over the last few months, and the discourses around it. But importantly we also talk about how messed up everything is, draw comparisons between Sudan, Lebanon, and Palestine, and really explore the question: how do we get people to care? How to keep people engaged? -- -- -- Follow Sara on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bsonblast/ Twitter: https://x.com/BSonblast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bsonblast.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bsonblast-- -- -- Follow me onInsta: https://www.instagram.com/politically_depressed/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/aymanmak.bsky.social-- -- -- Become a member of the Patreon today: https://www.patreon.com/c/fromtheperiphery-- -- --#sudan #war #revolution #activism #empathy #politics #history #africa #middleeast

So many things around us are collapsing all the time. Economies, political norms, communities, our ability to comprehend what the hell is happening and how to stop it and build something different. In this episode, I talk to Lebanese illustrators Rawand Issa about a series of Instagram stories she wrote a month ago about her decision to return to Beirut after leaving 3 years ago. The stories resonated deeply with me and so we talk about her experience away, as in immigrant in Istanbul, but also her return to Beirut and the inevitable mismatch between expectations and realities.Politically Depressed Podcast is a weekly podcast about being depressed during times of political, economic, and ecological collapse. Through solo episodes and interviews, I try to explore politics as lived-experience and asks the question: Can we ever stop being depressed if the world remains as horrible as it is? If you like this episode Tip me in my Tip Jar: https://ko-fi.com/aymanmak #lebanon #migration #community

Going back home always reminds me why I started this project. It's a constant reminder how everything is so absurd and terrifying and intense and how we're all pretty much losing our minds. I talk about my recent trip to Lebanon, share updates and talk about future episodes/video essays that i'm working on. -- -- -- Liked this episode? Become a member of the patreon: Patreon.com/fromtheperipheryTip me in my tip jar: https://ko-fi.com/aymanmak#beirut #psychology #podcast