Arabic podcasts are rapidly growing in popularity, emerging as a leading form of digital content across the region. And speakers at Qatar Foundation’s inaugural BilAraby Summit have highlighted how these podcasts offer a dynamic platform that reflects diverse topics and resonates with audiences across the Arab world.

The session at the summit hosted by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) BilAraby initiative – which was held at Multaqa (Education City Student Center) and concluded on Sunday – was titled ‘Arabic Podcast: How Can We Advance Arabic Digital Content?”, and explored the differences between conversational and narrative podcast styles. 

Bashar Al-Najjar, host of the Manbit podcast on the Sawt platform, described podcasts as a manifestation of the “democratization” of content creation. “Ten or fifteen years ago, content creation was confined to traditional TV programs,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to be here today and create content. But with the democratization of content creation, I now have the ability to write and share my thoughts.

“As for the responsibility this brings, being able to receive feedback and reactions from listeners gives us a strong sense of duty to provide credible information from trusted sources that respect the listener’s intellect. Our currency is the listener’s time.”

Meanwhile, journalist Mohammed Al-Ramash, host of the Magharib podcast on the Atheer platform, said: “Although podcasts are not the product of traditional academic journalism, but rather content creators, they have imposed themselves on the market. My role as a journalist is to adapt to this development and present the story to the audience as they desire.”

Al-Ramash also pointed out that the BilAraby initiative supports this vision, emphasizing the shared belief that even imported ideas should be shaped through a local lens. “Not every initiative or idea that comes from abroad needs to resemble its origin – we can create our own unique school,” he said.

The speakers also discussed whether podcasts strengthen or threaten the Arabic language, with Al-Najjar explaining: “In my podcast, I try to blend colloquial Arabic and classical Arabic. Among younger generations, it’s become common to switch to foreign languages when they struggle to find the right word in Arabic.

“Sometimes, Arabic is presented with a sense of pity when used in content creation. But Arabic is a rich language full of diversity, and we must work to enrich the internet with it. There are languages spoken by far fewer people that have far more online content. We are over 400 million Arabic speakers, yet Arabic content remains scarce and often lacks quality.

“We should treat Arabic as a flexible and accessible language through which we can freely express ourselves. Speak Arabic, write in Arabic, communicate in Arabic, listen to Arabic – and let your children listen to Arabic.

“Arabic is a strong language that will endure with or without us. We thank the BilAraby initiative for inspiring us to do our best in celebrating the Arabic language. We don’t have to follow the West in our ideas – on the contrary, we can challenge and even surpass them through our language.”

For more information about QF’s BilAraby initiative, and to stay updated on all its latest news, please visit www.bilaraby.qa