Middle Eastern Bloc Season 2. Episode 10:Welcome to the Club by Jowan SafadiTranslation: Youssef Chaabi Performer: Demian StimsonSound design and music: Saku Kämäräinen Concept: David Kozma and Bita RazaviSpecial thanks to Umayya Abu-HannaIn Spring 2020, when the first wave of the global pandemic hit the world, we were wondering how people residing outside their country of birth experienced the situation. How people living away from their families coped with the difficulties. We asked ten writers to reflect on their experiences and published the stories in the form of a podcast.Now, towards the end of 2021, the situation has continued way longer than most of us could imagine. Different countries have dealt with the latter waves of pandemic with different strategies.The vaccination entered the scene but not all countries have access to it equally. Global economy and political relations came into play. All of these have created different experiences of the situation in different parts of the world. Some people deal with the disappointment of cancelled theatre performances and closed bars, some bury friends or family members on a regular basis. We decided to reflect on the situation again in another season of our podcast. We asked writers and playwrights from different corners of the world to reflect on their experiences and their surroundings with the hope to draw a wider image of the situation and put things into perspective.Jowan Safadi is a Haifa based musician, singer songwriter. Mostly known for sarcastic and political songs often considered provocative.He broke through to the Arab world with the release of his album Namrud, breaking social taboos .His lyrics can be controversial with his personal reflections on a wide range of issues that give his work a rare and revealing authenticity