Diaspora Blues

Today’s show is all about self-care and being content with who you are as a person. Our new host Khushi Jadhav took the reins today and had a little chat with Ayan about role models, self-care and our journey to confidence. Also, we included three crowd favourites: Pick up Your Feelings Ms Jackson Brown Skin Girl Taking off…Diaspora Blues. 

Sunanda Sachatrakul is a comedian, actress and producer. She's also a huge Britney Spears fan. Like huge. And today Sunanda discusses all things comedy and Britney Spears. We're also giving away free tickets to their comedy special Sunanda Loves Britney so stick around to find out how you can nab these tickets. MusicSongOops!... I Did It AgainArtistBritney SpearsSongRisk ItArtistJessica Mauboy 

This week we hear from Aziz Farah a Toronto based Somali who started a Somali resource project to help Somalis in the diaspora retain their language and also see the beauty and richness of Af Soomaali. MusicSongCan You Stand The RainArtistNew EditionSongWeirArtistKilling HediSongDouble DutchArtistBr3nya

Flora Chol joins us for a conversation about poetry, girlhood and appearing in the anthology Unlimited Futures. Flora is a Melbourne based South Sudanese writer and poet. Anna Emina is an artist, educator and writer based in Melbourne. Anna spoke to Khushi about her essay Mind Over Modesty.

Our guest this week is Idil Abdullahi, a ceramic and henna artist. Idil discusses her practice, the Somali exhibition AQAL, and shares the Somali icons that inspire her work. 

This week we meet Khushi the host of The Confession Tapes of Khushi Jadhav and Diaspora Blues' newest presenter! 

 This week we're taking it easy. So grab a mug and sit back as we play the freshest R'n'B tracks from downunder. PlaylistSongMade for silenceArtistMiieshaSongI Miss youArtistDjanabaSongLuv DrunkArtistA.GIRLSongCashmereArtistTkay MaidzaSongFlickArtistPookieSongTuesdayArtistTYSON

In celebration of the event SorBaes: Double Dip we're playing songs by the artists featured on the day. Donate to The Dhadjowa Foundation. MusicSongKing BrownArtistBarkaaSongEverything Is Better Without You ArtistKira PuruSongM31 (Racing down the Hume)ArtistMulaloSongSay SomethingArtistKira PuruSongPRETTYArtistBaroSongConcrete Jungle FeverArtistJerome Farah

This week we have a special International Women's Day episode of Diaspora Blues. Ayan reached out to some of her girlfriends to find out what #breakthebias means to them, and on today's show, you'll hear their answers. Break the Bias is this year's International Women's Day theme. 

Chido Mwat discusses her upcoming show 'She-Naningans', a multi-genre comedy extravaganza. She-Nanigans The Show is part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival and launches on April 4th.

Filmmaker Abdalla Omar shares his passion for movies and discusses his latest project - Shimbir. Shimbir is showing at the Immigration Museum for the event, Into the Night.

What do community development and performance art have in common? A lot if you were to ask Paulina Masika. Paulina chats to us about her group Nguvu Moja Theatre, casting for Once On This Island and much much more. For casting information email Paulina at nguvumojatheatre@gmail.com. MusicSongAnd I'm Telling You I'm Not GoingArtistJennifer HudsonSongI Want You BackArtistThe Jackson 5 

Freelance journalist and community organiser Najma Sambul joins us this week. Najma looks at the story of Ismail Hussein, a young Somali man detained at Park Hotel, and how Novak's presence at the hotel was both a distraction & an opportunity to hear from the men. We also analyse the sexist tropes deployed against Grace Tame + other news headlines. MusicSongIsii Nafta (Love You More Than My Life)A...

Welcome back to our first live episode of 2022! Our guest this week is the lovely Inez Trambas the founder of Negro Speaks of Books. Inez chats to us about bell hooks, Langston Hughes, her mother, and the impact bell hooks had on her life. Check out the Accent of Women special on Viv Malo. MusicSongLucky Country (features Viv Malo)ArtistProvocalzSongOne Sweet DayArtistMariah Carey, Boyz II Men 

This is our final episode for 2021 and taking us out is a summer playlist created by Ayan's sister, Amal. We'll be back on January 17th, 2022.PLAYLIST SongIn2ArtistWSTRNSongNice To Meet YaArtistWes Nelson ft. Yxng BaneSongDjadja ArtistAya NakamuraSong163 För EvigtArtistCherrie ft. Z.ESongOjuelegbaArtistWizKidSongPeruArtistFireboy DMLSongHeadphonesArtistBaker Boy ft. Lara AndalloSongBreak It Off Ar...

The lovely Sogobri is our guest this week and she's created a playlist just for Diaspora Blues! Click here to listen to her gorgeous curation and follow them on Instagram at Sogobri. Support Blak Pearl Studio. 

Kicking off the show is a man of many hats, Mr Congo. Mr Congo is a DJ, poet and mental health clinician based in Melbourne. Check out his music here. And later in the program Disability Justice advocate Pauline Vetuna discusses Disability Day 2021. She also outlines the labour that goes into creating a 12-hour program! Special track: Demonstration 2020 by PersecutorImage 1: Grounding Disability J...

Our guests this week are Betiel Beyin and Leigh Lule. They are both creatives and real-life best friends - just like their fictional characters Ruby and Zion from Lil CEEBS. And on today’s show, we’ll hear all about their IG series, test their entertainment tastes and hear about their future solo projects.  

This week we're playing songs we've had on repeat. MusicSongDon't Let a Good Girl DownArtistThelma PlumSongEarthstrong ArtistPookieSong2000 n Somethin ArtistKaiitSongSelf CareArtistMiieshaSongEverything Is GreatArtistAlice Skye SongBetter thingsArtistKee'ahnSongI Am MeArtistSampa the GreatSongYouArtistJade 

Tony Green is a radio broadcaster, a pillar in his community, and someone I admire and value. Last week he sat down with me to yarn about family, community & his guest wish list. Hosted by Ayan ShirwaMusicSongProud Black ManArtistRonald CallaghanArtistArrested DevelopmentSongEveryday People 

This week we’re looking at the wonderful world of cosplay! Writer & occasional amateur cosplayer Micha invites us into her community & reveals some of the tensions in the industry. Interview by Serious Meerkat.

The Queen of neo-soul is taking over airwaves and yes we will be playing Call Tyrone!!Happy Erykah Badu Day! SongsDidn't Cha Know? On and OnHoneyWindow SeatPhone DownTyrone 

This week we're looking at a wellness practice that's very misunderstood: mindfulness! Thankfully we have Antonio Greer on the show to answer all of our questions, including what exactly is mindfulness?? Do we need expensive gear to practice mindfulness? Mindfulness myths we should retire, and much, much more. Catch Antonio in action at the 'Build Your Own Mindfulness Toolkit with Antonio Greer' w...

Serious Meerkat interviews Emily, a senior mental health nurse from Melbourne's west, for Mental Health Month. BioEmily is a Senior Mental Health Nurse at a Prevention and Recovery Centre (PARC) in Melbourne's West, Victoria. She has a Masters in Mental Health and has been practising in the space since 2005 and has worked in the United Kingdom, Brisbane, Adelaide and now Melbourne. MusicArtistSola...

This week we’re profiling CB Mako. CB Mako, also known as Cubbie, is a writer, disability activist, and fanfiction aficionado. CB Mako discusses the disability community and why it's not as inclusive as we think! They also read passages from their piece 'How do I write' which is more a manual on finding time - while meeting the demands of caregiving and competing deadlines - than the mechanics of...