Race Beyond Borders

On our season finale we examine "wildcards", a term among futurists for seemingly improbable events that, were they to happen, would set the trajectory for the future. The episode features two of such possibilities: the elimination of race and of widespread racial reassignment. Featuring assistant professor of English at the State University of New York in Oneonta Sheena Mason, and writer Jess Row...

In this episode, we look at the future of Blackness from another lens - how it can be trapped in the rhythmic call and response with whiteness. Nigel Richard chats to Nigerian writer, Bayo Akomolafe. They explore these patterns of race -making and ways of reimagining Black experiences.   Bayo Akomolafe wears many hats- a post-humanist thinker, philosopher, psychologist, professor and poet. He's a...

"I find that listening to young people is like listening to the future," Nigel says setting up our latest episode, which features the perspectives on the futures of race from young African people.   Our guests, who are students of the groundbreaking African Leadership Academy, are among the millions of people below the age of 25 who make up 60 per cent of Africa's population and make it the world'...

In this episode, Nigel chats with Remi Adekoya, author of Biracial Britain, about the complex ities of race .   Together, they explore   demographic trends, biracial identity and corresponding shifts in the way Blackness is lived and expressed in the United Kingdom.   Journey with us beyond the borders of time to explore how the nuance of biracial identity could impact how race is lived in the fut...

We continue this season's exploration of the ideas, people, and places shaping the future of Blackness. In this episode, Nigel Richard chats with New York Times bestselling author Morgan Je r kins about the construction of Black identity online.    T heir conversation responds to Jenkins' Mother Jones article, " Black or Bot? ",  where s he unpacks how Blackness is exploited online for political g...

In the first episode of season 3, we feature a Zimbabwean  new media artist based in London, Kumbirai Makumbe.  They use sculpture, digital audio-visual installation, video and images to interrogate the multi-dimensionality of "in-betweenness" and Blackness.   Our Host, Nigel Richard speaks to Makumbe about Black quantum futures, the multiplicity of Black experiences and how the digital sphere pro...

In Season 3 of Race Beyond Borders, we look at the future of Blackness through the lens of technology, art, innovation, changing demographics and geopolitics. Journey with us through conversations with artists, organisers, young people and other thinkers about Blackness today and tomorrow.   Hosted by: Nigel Richard Special thanks:  Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame, Nolwazi Laetitia Mbuli, Yasmeen Rubidge...

In this prequel, Nigel Richard has conversation s with two exceptional thought leaders about the future of Global Blackness. Our guest, Geci Karuri-Sebina, an urban-policy maker and Associate Professor at the Wits School of Governance, reveals tools that can assist us in planning and contemplating the future.     Also joining the conversation is Rasheedah Phillips, director of The Housing Policy L...

In our final episode, we share the most enlightening moments in our journey across the Black diaspora #BlackExperience. Hosted by: Nigel Richard & Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Special thanks to Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah. Produced by:  The Good People at Between Productions Website:  MOYA

In our penultimate episode of Season 2, we travel to the North Atlantic island of #Burmuda. Join us as we explore #Blackness across the #Black Pacific and Oceania with our guest, Quito Swan. Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Quito Swan Special thanks to Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Nigel Richard, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah. Produced by: The Good People at Between Productions Web...

The Black experience in Mexico - we explore the history of African kings and queens in colonial Mexico and uncover the power of Black Joy. Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Miguel Valerio Special thanks to: Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Nigel Richard, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah. Produced by: The Good People at Between Productions Website: MOYA

The Black experience in Iran - we find out what it means to be proudly "Siyah" in the Middle East.  Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Priscillia Kounkou Hoveyda Special thanks to: Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Nigel Richard, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah, Sidney Scott. Produced by:  The Good People at Between Productions Website:  MOYA

The Black experience in Colombia - what's the current racial conversation & how far do they still need to go? Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Manuel Gutierrez & Ana Maria Gonzalez-Forero Special thanks to: Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Nigel Richard, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah, Sidney Scott. Produced by: The Good People at Between Productions Website: MOYA

So far, our journey towards discovering the Black experience across the globe has taken us to Italy & Martinique. We're taking an end-of-year break, but will be back for our next leg of the journey. In Episode 3 , we'll travel to Colombia – 21 January 2022.

The Black experience in Martinique - a tale of an identity influenced by colonisation and claimed through liberation. Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Roseline Armange Special thanks to: Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Nigel Richard, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah, Sidney Scott. Produced by: The Good People at Between Productions Website: MOYA

The Black experience in Italy - from growing up isolated within your own race to forging a unique identity & helping others embrace their own. Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Adama Sanneh Special thanks to: Laetitia Mbuli, Modupeola Oyebolu, Nigel Richard, Anna Luiza Braga, Daryl Hannah, Sidney Scott. Produced by: The Good People at Between Productions Website: MOYA

In Season Two,  Race Beyond Borders  explores race across the world in search of underexplored experiences of blackness. Released monthly, each episode features a guest who takes us through the political and the personal dimensions of Black life in their countries. In charting the global African diaspora ranging from Italy to Iran, Martinique to Colombia, this season will raise new questions about...

Dr Mutinda Nzioki and Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame discuss the politics and potential of philosophy in Africa. They reflect on the centring of western philosophical thought and the marginalisation of the non-European "other" in the discipline. Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Mutinda Nzioki Website: MOYA

Queues Define the Working Class by Race Beyond Borders Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Mosa Phadi Website: MOYA  

How do we attack racialised inequality? Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Stephen Menendian Website: MOYA

"What's the point of opening doors to a more diverse group of students if they're going to continue to have a separate and unequal experience on campus? That's the fundamental question that universities do not typically ask themselves."  Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Anthony Jack Website: MOYA  

Science, Systemic Racism, and the Spectrum of Black Hair by Race Beyond Borders.  Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Malebogo Ngoepe Website: MOYA      

Of Police Brutality & Political Theatre by Race Beyond Borders Hosted by: Sebabatso Manoeli-Lesame Guest: Jonny Steinberg Website: MOYA  

In the inaugural episode of Race Beyond Borders, we sat down with hip-hop artist, Akua Naru, who is really a theorist of the Black experience. She is known for her sagacious and prophetic lyrics as well as her classic jazz-hop sound. Paying homage to James Baldwin, Alice Walker and Tricia Rose, her music is steeped in the rich intellectual ancestry of poets, writers and thinkers who have shaped an...

In our very first season, Race Beyond Borders will explore race across different domain of knowledge – from the perspectives of an underground womanist hip-hop artist from the East Coast, to an exploration of police brutality in South Africa and the United States, to the science and bio-mechanics of Black hair, all the way to uncovering philosophy's relationship to race, and so much more. Join us....