Rajat Malhotra — partner at Sole DXB: Dubai's annual footwear, music, art and lifestyle festival — comes on the afikra podcast to talk about bringing street culture to his home city. He shares what it was like starting the festival alongside his co-founders, reflects on his favorite acts from over the years, and what it's really like to curate an event of this scale. Rajat also reflects on Dubai's unique nature as a city that people of mixed heritage can easily make home, what Saudi Arabia's immense cultural investment might mean for Dubai's cultural eco-system, and whether political hip-hop can thrive in the Gulf.

Rajat Malhotra is a partner of Sole DXB alongside Hussain Moloohbhoy and Joshua Cox.

Sole DXB is an annual footwear, music, art, and lifestyle festival that takes place in the Dubai Design District in Dubai, UAE. It launched in 2011 as a modest gathering for sneaker enthusiasts and has since grown into a regional platform that brings global brands and performers to Dubai.

afikra partnered with Sole DXB in December 2023 to facilitate and moderate some talks as part of the festival.

Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani

Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna

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About afikra | عفكرة: We are a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity. ⚡ Become a member today.

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afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by curiosity.
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