NORTH WEST QUARTER
NORTH WEST QUARTER
THE SOUND
OF COMMUNITY
I’ve had a life-long interest in radio.
KILBURN TO KENSAL (K2K) RADIO BEGAN IN 2012. FOUNDED BY A COMMUNITY OF RADIO LOVERS, IT INITIALLY BROADCAST FROM THE POP-UP AT THE ALBERT IN SOUTH KILBURN. LATER, IT MOVED VENUES TO SOUTH KILBURN STUDIOS, AND NOW ITS HOME IS AT THE GRANVILLE. Its mission is to provide a platform for people to share their voices and passions with the world. From its humble beginnings, K2K now has a dedicated station manager, a super studio tech team, media consultants, and a multitude of regular DJs. Presenting a mix of great tunes, local and global focus, plus wonderful conversation, K2K Radio is utterly unique. We caught up with one of its DJs, Maha Rahwanji, to hear all about her passion for radio and the music she shares. I’ve worked for K2K since 2015... but I started my radio show on Thursday, 13th November 2013! I remember that date so clearly. It was the first ever Arabic radio show on K2K, and I chatted with Hana Haj Ahmad, who owned a local café. I clicked with Hana from the moment I met her, and we’ve been friends ever since. Sadly, her café is now closed, but our friendship remains.
K2K is a beloved radio station because it gives anyone wishing to try their hand at radio a chance, without judgment. I have a ridiculously eclectic taste in music. I love electronic dance, jazz, hip hop, and opera… my list is long! I’m also bilingual, so I appreciate music from different cultures. I sing to myself in Arabic and English, and other languages such as Italian. But the ‘golden oldies’ of Arabic classics that my grandparents listened to are always on my playlist. Sabah, Fairuz, Abdel Halim Hafez, Fareed El Attrash, and Asmahan, are all artists I loved growing up. I also love music that makes me want to dance from Salsa to belly dancing! I remember listening as a child in Egypt with my grandmothers in the kitchen and memories of radio shows from all the Middle Eastern countries I ever visited. I’ve lived in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Morocco and the one consistency is that the radio would always be playing at home. It also surrounds you in many of these places, blaring from cafés and markets as you go about your day. My show is Middle East meets Desert Island Discs! I play sun-soaked sounds that conjure up memories of lazy, hazy days from the Med to the Red and the Azov to the Arabian Seas. Over the years I have interviewed many interesting people from the Middle East or Arabs from the diaspora around the globe. This includes actors, poets, artists, musicians, journalists, photographers, rappers, writers, playwrights, filmmakers, DJs, bands, and even restaurateurs and chefs. They talk about their work and share their favourite music. It presents an opportunity to flourish in a supportive, nurturing environment. Some people fly and others are very cautious, but whatever style of participation they prefer, they are left to do so at their pace and level.
Heroes Project
I was featured in a beautiful mural painted by local artist, Nur Hannah Wan. Portraits of some of Kilburn’s best- loved local heroes can be seen right outside NWQ.
In a move to celebrate the people and heritage of the area, Granville Community Kitchen, which is located in The Granville, commissioned local artist, Nur Hannah Wan, to paint portraits of the heroes chosen by the South Kilburn community. LOCAL PORTRAITS
LESLIE BARSON SAID: "The project has been wonderful to organise, involving our local community and meeting important members of the community. The mural itself is better than anything we dreamt of and is a continuing reminder through the building work that there is important community history in South Kilburn that we must recognise and celebrate!"
– MAHA RAHWANJI
Bena Raithatha, community pioneer
Maha Rahwanji, K2K Radio operations manager
Dolors Villa Farres, community activist
Linda Elizabeth Charles, community activist
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