Race Matters

How do we understand hope as something within ourselves, and not as a far off horizon? A conversation with anti-oppressive therapist and educator  Leah Manaema Avene  on their expansive practice rooted in abolition, love, repair and the strategies to transform harmful power dynamics in bodies, relationships and systems. A sprawling dialogue spanning themes of rupture, hope, and the will...

"You have to speak the truth, even if your voice shakes" What does it mean to commemorate Nakba, not as a singular historical act, but as a way to honour the resistance that has continued long before October 7th?  A conversation with Dana Kafina from 3ain Radio and Toobs Anwar. This episode was hosted and produced by Toobs Anwar, with final audio editing by Shareeka Helaluddin. Live broadcast...

Without truth, what ground is there to stand on? We started this piece into  Creative Australia's appalling decision to rescind Lebanese artist Khaled Sabsabi's position  from the Venice Bienele, however over many weeks this piece evolved beyond one act of silencing. We are watching the normalisation of this genocide, enabled by imperial mechanisms of censorship, and as creatives how do...

We’re not just data, we are storytellers. Sometimes, the most radical thing we can do is speak, loudly and deliberately, into futures we get to shape ourselves. Ethan and Janey are joined by Nyungar technologist and futurist  Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker  to traverse the world of machine tech and human autonomy, learning how their work reimagines the embodied and expansive possibilities...

“We only have wood and stone to fight with to preserve our life” The words of young activists from Kanaky (so-called New Caledonia) who are engaged in fights to  reclaim their land from French occupation , fighting for life and independence. Ethan and Shareeka speak to Roscoe, a special rapporteur for  Radio RATA , a decolonial media, culture and mutual aid network, operating...

"We're holding hope for other people and each other, and that's what the peer model is." Content Note: this episode contains mentions of suicidality.  Q ueer Muslim baddie takeover ~ in dedication to Imam Muhsin Hendricks - Allah Yerahmo.  The intersections of queerness, religion, and ethnic identity are so heavily intertwined and (sometimes) difficult to reconcile. Join Host Sara El You...

Can writing be a political practice? How do you write in a way that serves liberation, the making of better worlds?  Today Samantha and Bipasha are in conversation with Fabliha Yeaqub, a queer Bangladeshi writer, artist and community organiser based in so-called New York. We are talking about her journey with writing as catharsis and as rebellion, how it relates to her political work, and wha...

It takes a femme queen.  Movement as liberation, and the spirituality of performance. Join Ethan Lyons and Tim Worton in deep kiki with the Ruby of Western Sydney, vogue diva from the House of Silky, Jubahlee talking the love and kinship within the ballroom scene. This episode was produced and hosted by Ethan Lyons and Tim Worton, with Supervising Production and podcast edit by Shareeka Helal...

“I’m a child of the revolution”  Theatre as protest, storytelling as weapon. Fifty two years since the inception of Black Theatre - the subversive art form that spoke back to the colony and incited the beginning of community controlled services; resonates to this day. We’re so honoured to be speaking with  Angeline Penrith , the creative director and curator of Re...

A collision of sounds and a system built through found materials transforming every space it enters. Guest hosts (and fbi family) Madi Martin-Bygrave and Virginia Barahona chat to DJ, community-builder and artist  Lulu Quintanilla . Her hand built sound systems are a conduit for questioning culture in a particular moment. An emblem of her candour and DIY ethos where transmuting possibility is...

Not only is this Dunya temporary, it is also worth saving. Until we are all free. Open your ears and hearts with Sara El Youghun and Attu Ngor as they have a vulnerable chat with artist, poet, and kin  Mustafa . Together they explore his new album Dunya, dedicated to those still living in this world, fighting, praying, grieving and holding on to hope. Mustafa tells us about the importance of...

Repping the Black Caucus and some of the staunch advocates he organises alongside, Wiradjuri organiser and creative Ethan Lyons joins us as guest host. Stories that ode his matrilineal teachers, movements across black resistance, solidarities across borders and how young people can find their space in liberatory movements. Plus, a track list of queer, Black and First Nations excellence selected by...

Objects tell their stories if you let them. Bringing together inane objects, tapestries, Musiviri paintings and self portraits;  Nusra Latif Qureshi  work recognises the cracks within imperial institutions and reveals a complex beauty. Sehej Kaur and Toobs bring us an in depth interview with the Pakistani visual artist, who has spent many years reclaiming the Musiviri art form, alchemisi...

Fourteen years too long, permanent visas and protection now. Content note: this episode traces the cruelty of state violence and asylum seeking experiences, with mention of suicide. There is no graphic detail, however we ask that you take care when listening in. Joannie Lee and Sara El Youghan take us to the  Refugee Encampment in Punchbowl , at the 24-hour Protest. Passing its 111th day, many hav...

What does accessibility to sexual liberation really mean?  Content warning: this interview contains mention of sexual violence.  Alicia Zhao shares an intimate dialogue with friend, artist and advocate Dakota Quin. Facing the question of the body no longer being a productive vessel for capitalism, Dakota’s artistic and activist work seeks to find the pleasure and possibilities of embodied liberati...

A tale of two  Dilwale's : Mateo and Bipasha move through the phenomena of Bollywood cinema and its grasp on broader subcontinental culture. Specifically, a classic  Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge  (1995) and it's less-regarded not-so-classic  Dilwale  (2015), both starring the inimitable SRK and Kajol. They trace their relationships with growing up with Bollywood cinema, recount watching these films...

Race Matters as found family, as a liberation practice, as a space to play. Settle into a grounded and cosy episode hearing the newest voices on air and behind the scenes: Yvonne, Hong, Aysenur Kara, Janey Li guided in conversation by Alicia Zhao Produced by Shareeka Helaluddin Podcast and CRN edit by Mateo Baskaran See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The people’s blood won’t stain our hands" - the words decried from a recent direct action in  Athens where the port workers took industrial action to stop the shipment of Israeli arms.  This is an example of a way we can boycott, divest and sanction in our everyday lives. We're joined by staunch, third-generation Palestinian organiser and advocate Rand Khatib to take us through the legacy of resi...

Your feelings are your responsibility. Content Note: this episode contains mention of explicit sexual content and swearing. A final sharing from our Migrant Sex Worker of Colour Diaries, hosted by  Jasmine Raat Ki Raani . A sensual and galvanising take down of white feminism and fragility. We hear the intimate experiences of workers Natasha,  Tamil King  and  Korie , on the pleasures and truths of...

COVID is not over. It is still here. This is an invitation to understand that reality, and to let it transform you. Grounded in disability justice, and brought to you by a chorus of staunch disabled voices: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Darcy from Sick/Sovereign, Tori Hobbs and Julia Rose Bak from The Disability Justice Network and Li from COVID Solidarity ‘syd.’ Produced by Samantha Haran, Sh...

Would you make a good revolutionary leader? What would you do when the playable revolution corrupts? Mateo and Sara are joined by Berlin-based revolutionary game designer and artist Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, to question the role of video games in possibility and conversation.  Find out more about Muriel Tramis Play Danielle’s work: Black Trans Archive   I CAN’T FOLLOW YOU ANYMORE Hosted by Sara...

What comes to mind when you hear “language under occupation”? We're joined by Lebanese-Palestinian writer, editor, arts worker and educator,  Hasib Hourani  to move through this question and making language a vessel for critique, resistance and play.  Liminal Festival is happening at The Wheeler Centre (Victoria) and online from August 2-4 . To learn more about this ground-breaking literary festiv...

What is it to hold the heartbreak of facing a world of systemic injustice, and turn it into energy and meanignful action? We're joined by Inez, a radio broadcaster on  3CR's Thursday Breakfast , community organiser and mental health worker. An intimate chat on navigating hurt and anger of dealing with systemic injustice, processing the recent Indian election and its impact, and how a solidarity wi...

There are no universities left in Gaza.  Alicia Zhao & Samantha Haran take us through the university encampments in solidarity with Gaza, a soundscape of the Student Intifada. Field recordings from across so-called australia and a foundational teach in by Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung, Dunghutti educator and poet Lizzie Jarrett.  Even in lulls and in the quiet, you can hear it. You can hear the pos...

Full house on Race Matters today as we welcome the amazing crew from  Jam for Justice  - a community fundraiser happening on  June 22 raising funds for PARA (Palestine Australia Relief and Action)  to support Gazans on the ground, and Palestinians seeking asylum in australia. Hear from artists and organisers Wytchings (Jenny), Zeadala (Zainab), Tru (Sara), Emad (Jafar) and Wasiela (an.other collec...