Race Matters

"We have been doing this because we love our people”Joannie Lee and Sara El Youghun welcome Moh, a community builder and organiser from Myanmar to talk about her peoples’ fight for freedom, self-determination and justice from brutal military imperialism. Together they talk about taking pride in our solidarity and what it takes to keep our collective movement for liberation alive and interconnected. We honour the people fighting on the ground in Myanmar and look to them to hold steadfast here in this colony. The people of Myanmar will not be forgotten. You can check out more info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/s/all-in-one-piece-movement-sydn/4291906044463956 Many thanks to Janey Li for producing this episode and our beloved Executive Producer, Shareeka Helaluddin for all her support. Podcast mixed by Janey Li. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I want it to feel like you're in my living room including the chaos" On today's show, Alicia Zhao and Bruce Koussaba (of Liberation Cinema) are in conversation with the brilliant and staunch organiser of Miya Miya Film Club, Karim Nasser. Miya Miya is a grassroots, community film screening space, carved out as a gathering place for discovery, dialogue and connection - centred around cinema from the SWANA region. Together, Alicia, Bruce and Karim talk about why these independent microcinema spaces matter, how they reshape possibility, and act as a conduit for building a more expansive creative scene in so-called Sydney. Learn more about Miya Miya here: Website: https://www.miyamiyafilmclub.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/miyamiyafilmclub Next event: https://www.miyamiyafilmclub.com/upcoming-events/i-cant-think-straight This episode was produced by Alicia Zhao and Bruce Koussaba, with support from Samantha Haran. Podcast production by Shareeka Helaluddin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To be able to truly envision better world—not just in vague outlines, but vividly in all its colour and brilliance, so much so that you begin to taste on it on your tongue—is the first step to making revolution. A special collaboration with R.T. Samuel takes us on a journey through their deep and abiding love of speculative fiction, and the possibilities in holds for liberatory world-making, particular Dalit futurisms. RT is a Dalit cultural producer working between London and New Delhi, and a co-editor of the speculative fiction collection, 'The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF.' In conversation with different writers from the anthology including Rahee Punyashloka / Artedkar and Hameedha Khan; RT roams across a range of South Asian histories of oppression and resistance, and explores how science fiction can up open new ways of seeing the world.Learn moreThe Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF: https://www.blaft.com/products/the-blaft-book-of-anti-caste-sfFollow RT's work via their instagramAnti-caste SF is available locally in-person or online through the Magenta HouseThis piece was produced by R. T. Samuel with additional sound design and supervision by Shareeka Helaluddin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we sustain ourselves for the revolution?  Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah is a multi award-winning novelist, human rights advocate, lawyer and sociologist researching Arab & Muslim social justice movements, Islamophobia and the war on terror. Yvonne Hong and Sara El Youghun are joined by Randa in conversation about the release of her new book Discipline, unpacking the daily reality of what it is to reconcile living in a world that dehumanises and censors you as a Palestinian.  Randa speaks about the power of creative fiction and the imagination to change the world; finding joy, discipline and building spaces we can nourish each other to be able to appreciate what are we fighting for, not just what we’re fighting against. You can order Discipline here from UQP. Special thanks to Sarah Valle for helping coordinate the interview, Shareeka Helaluddin, Samantha Haran and Alicia Zhao for producing this episodeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we rely on each other and take ownership of our collective liberation? Sehej and Janey take us through sites of DIY culture and alternative economies. From ad-hoc sound systems in Bengal, a sound tower in Palestine, to enclaves and car parks of Wentworthville; exploring ecologies of repair and world building in refusal of extractive colonial power. Together they remind us that the way we mend and repair fosters our ability to relate to, care for and sustain each other. Works mentioned -- Club Chai HOT CUE Installation ScoreGaza Sound Tower (Minaret)West Bengal Sound System Heart ArmourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A love letter to the hearts and labour of community radio, beaming from a shipping container in Brixton, London aka Reprezent Radio. Binta Yade is a London-based poet, community builder, storyteller and legacy community radio broadcaster. This is her ode to the radio station that she calls home, and the many people that keep it going through tireless amount of time, love, music selecting, teaching. Despite it all, community radio is somewhere we all return to, where we belong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Omar El Akkad, a journalist and novelist focused on war and the impact of empire, shares insights about his latest work, "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This." He discusses the challenge of using language to affirm humanity amidst violence and the complexities of cultural narratives that shape resistance. Omar reflects on his disillusionment with colonial conditioning and the hidden costs of modern convenience. He also emphasizes the need for loud cultural expressions of grief and the psychological challenges of confronting empire.

Dr. Chelsea Watego, a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander scholar and author, joins Samantha Haran and Ethan Lyons for a compelling conversation. Chelsea emphasizes the importance of welcoming rage as a catalyst for love and honors the legacy of Black feminist radicals. She discusses the power of cultural solidarity, connecting Indigenous struggles from Palestine to West Papua. The conversation dives into the ethics of writing, collective critique, and the necessity of expressing Black emotions freely. Chelsea passionately encourages listeners to craft their stories on their own terms.

Non-linear sounds, improvising as spiritual catharsis, computer coding as companion. Sehej Kaur & Alicia Zhao immerse into the sound worlds of naarm-based artist Nū. Utilising live coding, Ethiopian samples, gospel trills and reclaiming non-linear time. We unearth the world-building of TECHNOFRO and relinquish into the divine unknown of hope and possibility. This episode includes clips from Nū's songs Bati and Night Time. Listen to more of Nū here: https://nu-nu.bandcamp.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean that desire, even queer desire, is built on dead bodies? What happens when we realise that our desires, even our most intimate, erotic ones, may be rooted in specific, traceable violence and death? Wiradjuri baddie and alleged tender queer Ethan Lyons on all things TWINK. The desire, the violence, the whiteness of it all. Joined by his dear friend David Soriano, on discerning the colonial parasite, the reproduction of racist harm in gay communities, non western queerness and how we can live truly as queer people, embracing decolonial practices. This episode references the work if Driftpile Cree Nation writer Billy Ray Belcourt and the work of queer thinker Martin F. Manalansan, Global Divas. Produced and edited by Ethan Lyons, with creative advice from Shareeka Helaluddin. Podcast edited and produced by Samantha Haran. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.