Stance Podcast with Chrystal Genesis

Come with Stance to Jamaica to explore the old and new currents shaping the shifting arts and cultural scene. We speak with musicians, creatives, artists, and activists to discuss the Jamaica of today We head to the National Gallery of Jamaica to explore Jamaica Jamaica, a touring exhibition highlighting the islands fascinating and storied celebrated music history from mento to dancehall. Iconic reggae singer Judy Mowatt, a member of Bob Marley’s I-Threes, chats with us about her life’s philosophy and her formidable musical career thus far. We catch up with comedian, law grad and educator, Raul Blaze about his comedic expressions and musings on Jamaican culture. We meet with Donna Blake, the island’s director of The Nature Conservancy to understand the island’s lush and fertile ecosystem, the effects of climate change, and the efforts in conserving ecology in the Caribbean. We chat with founder and art consultant Susanne Fredricks about her visual art platform Suzie Wong Presents, one of the most comprehensive platforms promoting artists from the region. Finally, we catch up with music producer and record owner iotosh to get to know the contemporary sounds and hottest tunes shaping Jamaica right now. Join the conversation at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast @chrystalgenesis

To mark our fourth birthday Stance Takes is here with a special programme celebrating the black image in visual arts. Tired of the old interpretations of the black image and inspired by new forces that are redefining who gets to choose, view and critique the Black image, Stance brings you a podcast profiling the curators and visual researchers who are remapping how it's presented in art and culture. We juxtapose the work of two archivists - Alayo Akinkugbe from @ABlackHistoryOfArt in the UK, and Renata Cherlise from BlackArchives.co in the US - who are challenging dominant narratives surrounding the Black image in visual art. We hear from Italy, where visual researcher Theo Imani finds echoes between African and European imagery. We delve into the world of curation with Osei Bonsu of Tate Modern and discuss the challenge of making artistic space that includes all types of Black expression. Pioneers of the Past celebrates the revolution in agency these curators and researchers represent. Made in Partnership with Vibe Called Tech for The North Face and Gucci collaboration. Join the conversation at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast @chrystalgenesis

To mark the New Year Stance Takes is back with a special programme celebrating a new book Forces of Art which champions the work of artists and arts organisations across the world. We travel to the Choco region of Colombia to look at the work of Más Arte más Acción, who are using art and the rainforest to innovate change. We cover Syrian artists in exile displaced after a decade of war and revolution to explore how it has redefined their lives and artistic practice. In Central Asia we discuss how successive generations of post-soviet creatives are forging new artistic space in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. And finally, we hear from Queer poets in Uganda and Kenya on how they’re thriving despite living in societies virulently hostile to their very identities. Forces Of Art: Perspectives from a Changing World takes the reader on a dizzying journey across the globe with the analysis of more than 30 researchers given free rein to write about the radical role art plays in societal change. Made in collaboration with The European Cultural Foundation, The Prince Claus Fund, Hivos and Valiz. Join the conversation at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast @chrystalgenesis

In this episode of Stance, we cover music, literature and politics by asking whether 2020 marks a tipping point for the system of Failing Upwards. Are we seeing the beginning of a Tearing Down as the incompetence of populist leadership is laid bare? We chat with academics, authors and politicians including Chryl N. Laird, Taylor Small, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Sarah Kendzior and Kwame Anthony Appiah. We speak with rapper, singer, and producer Tricky about his new album Fall to Pieces and his illustrious career in music. Chrystal Genesis is joined by writer and journalist Komal Thakur based in Mumbai to chat with the award-winning author and essayist, Elif Shafak, now based in London about her latest book How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division, a stirring reflection on the current state and future of modern politics and society.  Join the conversation at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast @chrystalgenesis

In this episode of Stance, Chrystal Genesis covers the creatives and change-makers on the African continent through music, visual art, politics and film. We speak with the iconic Ghanian musician and father of Highlife and Afrobeat, Ebo Taylor, and his son Kweku about his life's work. We head to Morocco to discuss the continent’s dynamic and evolving art scene with 1-54 International African Contemporary art fair founder, Touria El Glaoui. The Morrocan-British visual artist and photographer Hassan Hajjaj shares his journey and striking art works. We speak with actors Jesesi Mungoshi and Tendaiishe Chitima and producer Joe Njagu, of Zimbabwean feature film Cook Off to discuss the country's cinema industry and cultural scene past and present. We head to Nigeria to report on the End SARS movement, speaking to filmmaker Ifeoma Chukwuogo about the ongoing protests against police brutality. Finally, we highlight the mood in New York City amidst the upcoming Presidential election and COVID-19, speaking to voters at a Manhattan polling station.  Join the conversation at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps @stancepodcast @chrystalgenesis

In this special show, Stance visits Paris to explore the fresh and creative cultural landscape of this iconic, global city. We discuss literature, film, music and podcasts as Chrystal Genesis is joined by Lory Martinez, host of Mija Podcast and Founder of the Paris based Studio Ochenta. We speak with comedian and director Jean-Pascal Zadi about his new comedy-drama Tout Simplement Noir. We catch up with writer Lindsey Tramuta who talks us through her book The New Parisienne: The Women & Ideas Shaping Paris. We dissect French culture, new writing and the power of translation with Coven bookshop owner Lucie Camara and non-fiction translator Celine Leroy. Musician and composer Chassol tells us about his new record Ludi and we cover the boom in French podcasts coming out of Paris with Melting Pot exploring French identity, Dinner For One showcasing the healing power of food and VOXXX, an innovative audioporn podcast. Join the conversation at stancepodcast.com and all podcasting apps. This episode contains adult themes and explicit references to sex

We cover film, literature, music and dance starting with the documentary On The Record, which charts decades of abuse at the hands of US Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons. We discuss this and more with the author of Miseducation: A Woman’s Guide to Hip Hop Shanita Hubbard, Kierna Mayo, an exec at The Lena Horne Prize and former editor-in-chief of Ebony and The Source and feminist cultural critic, author and journalist Dr Joan Morgan. We speak with dancer and choreographer Akram Khan who talks us through his prolific career as well as his thoughts on politics, movement and family; we talk to singer and songwriter Roisin Murphy who discusses new music and creativity; we head to Canada to meet author Zalika Reid-Benta to discuss her critically acclaimed first short story collection Frying Plantain. We also highlight new writing from The Commonwealth Short Story Prize and head to Oklahoma through the thoughts, and music, of Tulsa’s Steph Simon on the legacy of Black Wall Street. Join the conversation @ stancepodcast.com and on all podcasting apps

In this show we cover health, food, performance art and music as Stance starts off by asking what lies behind the loss of black lives during COVID-19 as Chrystal Genesis is joined by Shanae Dennis, a biochemist, journalist & campaigner and by Charlene Prempeh,  who runs A Vibe Called Tech, set up to address the absence of black voices in conversations about technology. In this informative and eye-opening interview, they discuss the weakness of  existing data when it comes to understanding health inequalities and what urgent actions need to be taken. Stance speaks with award-winning pastry chef and TV Judge Cherish Finden. We talk taste, baking and experimentation during lockdown as well as life in Singapore, judging on TV and being a perfectionist. Performance artist and writer Travis Alabanza discusses their most recent work Burgerz and their views on arts and outreach as well as reflecting on life growing up in Bristol. We head to Oklahoma where Choctaw singer and producer Samatha Crain explores ideas of renewal and hope on her new record, A Slow Death. And finally listeners from around the world to share quarantine journals from Guadalajara, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, La Drome, Ubud and Kampala. Join the conversation @ stancepodcast.com and on all podcasting apps

In this episode of Stance we have visual arts, music, politics and film featuring Bobi Wine, the Ugandan politician and musician hoping to be the country's next president; Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat guides us through her work culminating in her new exhibition, Land of Dreams. British singer Ghostpoet introduces his new album I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep; and finally, we are off to Mexico with filmmaker Elizabeth Carroll who talks to us about her debut documentary Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy. It explores the life of this culinary legend and authority on Mexican cooking. As we all try to cope with the restrictions that COVID-19 has brought to our lives, Stance wondered if there was some kind of global commonality to be found in our experiences. We ask people from around the world to share their quarantine journals. We hear from Mumbai, Guadalajara, New York and Ulaanbaatar. Join the conversation @stancepodcast.com

Stance asks: Is This For Real? as we explore authenticity through the growth of lab-grown diamonds within the jewellery industry with filmmaker and journalist Harriet Constable and with 77Diamonds co-founder Tobias Kormind; we speak with bestselling author Susannah Cahalan about her book Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness which uncovers mental health misdiagnosis and her new book The Great Pretender which investigates a famous study about the line between sanity and insanity; and we end our topic with a conversation about the growth of Deepfakes - digitally manipulated content, oftentimes, used for nefarious purposes - and touch on whether the tech industry is using language to manipulate the increasingly blurred lines between real and fake. We hear from children to get their views on life in quarantine. Finally, we profile comedian and writer Sophie Duker to find out more about her rise in the comedy scene and life growing up. Join the conversation @stancepodcast.com