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°®Âþµº Meets: British Moroccan actress & star of ITVX's The Effects of Lying, Laila Rouass. She talks with urgency about a ceasefire in Gaza, taking a stand for Palestinians’ human rights and what it’s like to be asked 'Do you condemn Hamas?'

°®Âþµº Meets: North African selector and DJ, Cheb Mimo, whose efforts to uncover and share forgotten treasures are contributing to a revival of the region’s musical heritage at home and abroad.

°®Âþµº Meets: Gazan photojournalist, photographer, and filmmaker, Motaz Azaiza. Since October 7, Motaz's Instagram posts and media appearances have captured the world, offering humane and tragic insight into the plight of the Palestinians.

°®Âþµº Meets: Egyptian musician Samar Tarik, whose lyrics are more than just words. Ahead of her London’s Connecting Culture performance in November, Samar shares what drives her, the need for a bigger spotlight & being a voice for introverts.

°®Âþµº Meets: Amat Alsalam Al-Hajj, head of the Abductees' Mothers Association, a group of mothers fighting for the release of Yemen's civilian abductees and promoting Yemen's recent Declaration for Justice and Reconciliation.

°®Âþµº Meets: Iraqi director Maysoon Pachachi, whose films are an act of resistance in a world of war and sanctions. Her latest feature, Our River… Our Sky, explores the humanity in 2006 Iraq.

°®Âþµº Meets: Human rights activist Leanne Mohamad to discuss the Israeli occupation, the British government’s response and what more we can do to help liberate Palestine and support the people of Gaza.

°®Âþµº Meets: Syrian-American comedian and social media star Nasser Al-Rayess ahead of his US comedy show tour to talk about making Arab culture 'mainstream' and learning to embrace his Arabness after growing up in a post-9/11 America.

°®Âþµº Meets: Nadia Fares, whose documentary Big Little Women premiered at the Swiss Panorama of the Locarno Film Festival. It features generations of Egyptian women who oppose patriarchy but also juxtaposes popular, global ideas of feminism.

°®Âþµº Meets: Sepideh Nasiri, founder of Women of Middle East and North Africa in Technology. The non-profit wants to close the diversity and gender gap in STEM by offering community, mentoring, education and elevation for its members.