Doha Debates Podcast

About 1.5 billion people in the world eat a plant-based diet. For most of them, it’s a necessity, because meat is either too expensive or unavailable. But about 75 million people choose to go vegetarian for reasons like animal welfare and personal health. Some meat-eaters counter that humans have evolved to eat meat, and that animals can be raised and slaughtered humanely. Doha Debates asks: Is choosing to eat meat is an act of cruelty, and what do humans and animals stand to gain or lose from continuing the practice? To debate this, we are joined by food blogger and meat-eater Humzah Ghauri, and Ghanaian musician and proud vegan Okyeame Kwame.

Who does art belong to? Where should it live? And how can—or should—it be shared with the world? These are some of the questions at the heart of this week's debate.Recently, museums like the Smithsonian in the US and the Horniman Museum and Gardens in the UK have made headlines by returning stolen and disputed artifacts to Nigeria, the country they were taken from centuries ago. Should more museums be doing this? And if so, what should that repatriation look like?Chidi Nwaubani, founder of digital art repatriation site Looty, says much of the damage is done and that we should focus on decolonizing our future. He proposes using technology like NFTs to digitally loot the stolen artwork and restore ownership. Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum in the UK, debates that artifacts in museums are valuable tools of education and cultural diffusion. Rather than returning all disputed artifacts, he says that we should find a more equitable way to house art in museums in both the global north and global south. Sofia Carreira-Wham, a curator and art advisor, says we must look beyond the museum walls and find meaningful ways to restore wider cultural benefits to the people and communities whose art has been taken from them. Listen to the Doha Debates Podcast as these guests dissect questions about ownership, reparations, colonial legacy, looting and who has the right to care for the world's treasures.Doha Debates Podcast is a production of Doha Debates and FP Studios. This episode is hosted by Afia Pokua. Thoughts on this conversation? Let us know! Follow us everywhere @DohaDebates and join the post-episode discussion in our YouTube comments.

Video games are built on creative storytelling and intricate worldbuilding, but what happens when the violence depicted in video games starts to spill over into the real world? Researchers at Dartmouth University have found a link between violence in video games and increased physical aggression in teens and preteens. Game designer Bahiyya Khan says that while violence can be important to video game storytelling, game makers must create responsibly and provide context for players. On the other side, political journalist Josh Ferme argues that video games are art—like books and music—which should never be censored. Listen to the Doha Debates Podcast as they discuss virtual violence, real-life repercussions and the future of video games.Doha Debates podcast is a production of Doha Debates and FP Studios. This episode is hosted by Karen Given. Thoughts on this conversation? Let us know! Follow us everywhere @DohaDebates and join the post-episode discussion in our YouTube comments.

Introducing the Doha Debates Podcast: A new debate every two weeks.Tackling the world’s most pressing issues, the podcast brings together people with starkly different opinions for an in-depth and human conversation that tries to find common ground. With a rotation of hosts and young guest voices from the Doha Debates ambassador program, join us for debate, dialogue and inspiration.

Note: This episode discusses suicide.In the final installment of our six-part series about the refugee experience, host Nelufar Hedayat talks to weightlifter, nurse and refugee Cyrille Tchatchet. A native of Cameroon, Cyrille first came to the UK in 2014 to compete in the Commonwealth Games. Feeling that it was too unsafe to return home, he became a refugee, experiencing both homelessness and depression. With support, Tchatchet went on to win multiple weightlifting titles, and became a mental health nurse. His story underscores some of the hardships that refugees face — and what can be achieved when people have the support and opportunity they need to succeed in their adopted countries.Listener challengeDuring this season of Course Correction, we're challenging you to reflect on different aspects of the refugee experience and share your thoughts with us.Our last challenge is a place for storytelling. If you are a refugee, our challenge is simple: Share your story with us. Tell us how you came to be displaced, what obstacles you face and what your hopes and dreams are for the future. Please share with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or tweet directly to our host, Nelufar Hedayat.

More than 85 percent of refugees and asylum-seekers are hosted in developing countries, many of which neighbor the countries being fled. In this episode, host Nelufar Hedayat looks at the role that local communities can play in hosting refugees.Nelufar speaks with Rodaan Al Galidi, who talks about his experiences fleeing Iraq to start a new life in the Netherlands. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and acclaimed Pakistani actor Mahira Khan tells Nelufar about her experiences meeting Afghan refugees in Pakistan.Listener challengeDuring this season of Course Correction, we're challenging you to reflect on different aspects of the refugee experience and share your thoughts with us.For today’s episode: Tell us about a time when you had the choice to welcome someone else into your social circle, What were the criteria you used to decide whether or not to let them in? If you did let them in, what enabled you to empathize with them?Please share with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or tweet directly to our host, Nelufar Hedayat.

This week, a bonus episode: A town-hall-style discussion with Malala Yousafzai on the future of women's and girls' education in Afghanistan and other conflict areas.In the six months since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, many schools and universities have closed their doors to young women, and promises to reopen have gone unfulfilled. Education and equality advocate Malala Yousafzai joined students and Afghan refugees for a global town hall conversation at Qatar’s National Library, moderated by Doha Debates correspondent Nelufar Hedayat, on March 28, 2022. The audio from this discussion and audience Q&A examines the refugee experience, men's role in the fight for equality and the future of education.Malala became the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2014. After surviving a 2012 attempt on her life by the Pakistani Taliban, she created Malala Fund, an organization dedicated to fighting for every girl’s right to access to free, safe and quality education.

Jennifer Roberts, a senior education officer with UNHCR, talks to host Nelufar Hedayat about the 10 million refugee children worldwide who lack access to education, what it takes to educate displaced people and how some host countries are working to meet the challenge.Next, Nelufar speaks with Dr. Saleema Rehman, an Afghan refugee who received her medical degree in Pakistan. Dr. Rehman talks about what it was like to attend school as a refugee and the pride she has now that she's able to give back to her community.Finally, Nelufar speaks with Academy Award-winning actor Cate Blanchett about her experiences as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador advocating for refugees. Blanchett explains that educating refugee children and young adults provides opportunities to be leaders in rebuilding their homelands while also benefiting their host countries.Listener challengeDuring this season of Course Correction, we're challenging you to reflect on different aspects of the refugee experience and share your thoughts with us.For today’s episode: While not all of us have experience as a refugee, many of us know what it’s like to attend a new school. What’s something that a teacher said or did that made you feel welcome and accepted? How did that change your perception of the school? What are some tactics that could make it easier for newcomers to integrate into schools?Please share with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or tweet directly to our host, Nelufar Hedayat.

In Part III of our season on refugees, we look at the mental-health toll of living as a refugee or an internally displaced person. Host Nelufar Hedayat speaks with an internally displaced Afghan woman about trying to care for herself and her children while living in a shipping container. She also examines different ways that refugees define and experience the trauma of conflict, and she shares stories from aid workers who help displaced persons process their experiences.Listener challengeDuring this season of Course Correction, we're challenging you to reflect on different aspects of the refugee experience and share your thoughts with us.For today’s episode: Have you been in a situation where you've had to worry about providing basic care for yourself or your family? What resources helped you through it? If you're a refugee, what was the moment you felt that your life stabilized enough to start thinking about your long-term hopes and dreams rather than daily survival?Please share with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or tweet directly to our host, Nelufar Hedayat.

On this episode of our season chronicling the refugee experience, we’re focusing on bodily harm. What kinds of injuries do displaced people suffer, and what does it take to tend to those injuries — not just the ones that can be seen, but the invisible ones that might take longer to heal? This episode features a first-hand account from an internally displaced Afghan dealing with a long term foot injury.If you want to help those who have suffered from physical ailments while being displaced, you can learn more at the following links: The International Committee of the Red Cross Doctors Without Borders World Vision International Listener ChallengeDuring this season of Course Correction, we're challenging you to reflect on different aspects of the refugee experience and share your thoughts with us.For today’s episode: Tell us about a time when you made a difference for someone with a health problem, disability or chronic pain or illness, and what the outcome was. Please share with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or tweet directly to our host, Nelufar Hedayat.