and curious communities make better societies.
afikra began as a grassroots movement and evolved into a global media and educational platform dedicated to exploring Arab history and culture. We believe that curious people make better citizens, and curious communities make better societies.
A Founder’s Story:
How Mikey Muhanna built afikra | عفكرة
It all started on a Brooklyn rooftop, where a small group of friends began discussing how little we all knew about the Arab world’s cultures and histories.
(The Culture Counter by The Arts Club Dubai, April 2022)
Contribution
Over Consumption
Cultivating growth through activeparticipation and sharing.
Interests
Over Identity
Valuing our members’ curiosity and commitment to building a better future for the Arab world.
Curiosity
Over Promotionalism
Encouraging questions and over promoting personal agendas.
Community
Over Exclusivity
We encourage and welcome anyoneto join our community.
Kindness Above All :)
We aim to build a global community of curious minds, eager to understand and reframe the Arab world’s past, present, and future.
Who Are We?
afikra began as a grassroots movement and evolved into a pioneering global media and educational platform - a leader of curiosity, intellectual, and cultural understanding about the Arab world.
What We Do
Committed to reclaiming and reshaping narratives, we challenge them through education, media, and community engagement.
Why?
To counteract one-dimensional narratives and foster a nuanced understanding and appreciation of the Arab world, contributing to a global renaissance of cultural and historical awareness.
How?
Driven by curiosity, inclusivity, and community, we encourage proactive questioning and critical thinking, inviting our members to explore the Arab world's histories and cultures deeply. Through partnerships with leading institutions and the support of our volunteer network, we amplify our impact globally.
New Connections
Growing up in the Arab world, I’ve always called this region home. However, given the narrow and stereotypical popular narratives about what this place was, I did not know how I fit in. Since 2014, afikra has become a global movement to reshape that narrative and to showcase how broad, deep, and dynamic the histories and cultures of the Arab world are. And most importantly, afikra has connected me to global diverse community of friends invested in its past and future.
Mikey Muhanna
afikra Founder
Our story began as a simple question:
"Why don't we know our own stories?"
The first afikra presentation in Brooklyn.
What began as a living room gathering quickly became something larger than anyone anticipated. A handful of curious minds, a shared language, and a simple idea that Arab culture deserves a global stage.
The Brooklyn presentation set the tone for everything that followed — intimate, intellectually rigorous, and unapologetically Arab.
It was proof of concept. More importantly, it was proof of community.
First international chapters launch in Beirut and Dubai.
The community outgrew its Brooklyn roots and planted itself in two of the Arab world's most vibrant cities. Chapters weren't franchises — they were local expressions of a shared curiosity.
Beirut brought literary depth. Dubai brought cosmopolitan reach. Together they proved that afikra wasn't a moment — it was a movement.
The model was simple: gather people who care, give them a space to think out loud, and trust what emerges.
Pivot to digital; launch of the Global Podcast Network.
When the world went indoors, afikra went global. The pandemic forced a reinvention that turned out to be an expansion — suddenly, geography was no longer a barrier to belonging.
The podcast network gave the community a consistent voice and a weekly rhythm, reaching Arab audiences across dozens of countries with no stage required.
What was lost in physical presence was more than recovered in scale, consistency, and reach.
Launch of the afikra Academy and Youth Summits.
Education became the next frontier. The Academy formalised what afikra had always done informally — create structured environments for Arab intellectual growth, mentorship, and cultural inquiry.
Youth Summits brought the next generation into the conversation, betting that the people who will shape Arab futures deserve a seat at the table now.
The goal was never to teach. It was to activate.
afikra publishes its first book, Daftar: Beginnings.
A decade of conversations, questions, and community culminates in something permanent. Daftar: Beginnings is not just a publication — it's an archive of a movement finding its voice on the page.
The book marks a new chapter in how afikra shares knowledge: slower, deeper, and built to last beyond any single event or episode.
It is, fittingly, a beginning.
