Selam & Hello

Huwaida, Sam and Jason share how their identities, linked to language, religion and race, have affected their Kenyan and global lives. They answer questions about privilege, gaps that exist between generations and how they respond when someone asks, "are you really Kenyan?" Up/Root is grateful to Trademark Hotel in Village Market that sponsored this live recording on December 11, 2019. Sound recor...

When Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, many Ethiopians and Eritreans marked the historic moment with pride and celebration. It was also an opportunity for me to re-visit the shared and intertwined history of the two sister countries with my friend Moges. We talk, laugh and discuss our Eritrean and Ethiopian identities and examine the importan...

Stephen Ucembe and Ruth Wacuka grew up in "orphanages" despite having parents. Their story is true of 80-90% of children living in orphanages and children's homes: they have a living parent. Well-meaning and good-intentioned people like you and I keep children's homes and orphanages in business by volunteering there, patronizing them and contributing money and resources to their work, often rather...

Monica, Aluong and Andrew are South Sudanese nationals and scholarship recipients of the Student Refugee Program from World University Service of Canada. In this episode, they share insights from their past and present lives and hopes for their future - just weeks before beginning their higher education in Canada. And Up/Root was fortunate to talk to Aloung again after she arrives in Canada! She s...

Sippy Chadha is the writer, producer and director of the award-winning film Subira: Kenya's entry to the 2019 Academy Awards. Subira tells the story of a young Muslim woman who is pursuing her dreams, defying tradition and embracing love. Sippy shares with us her journey of taking Subira from being the first Kenyan short film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 to a feature-length f...

Four out of 5 women and girls in Kenya lack access to sanitary pads and health education. In the US, 35 states tax tampons as a luxury item while Viagra is tax-free. Project Imagine is a group of high school students in Nairobi, Kenya, led by Selah Piper and Isabella Bunkers, who are working to eliminate the shame and stigma attached to menstruation by distributing sanitary pads to poor girls who...

Wanjira Mathai is an environmental activist and Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation. As the daughter of Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai and Board member of the Green Belt Movement, she is carrying forward her mother's work and is striving to preserve and honor her legacy. Wanjira shares with us what she learned from her mother, how she "keeps at" the work of enviornmental justice and her...

Get rid of your assumptions, ideas and what you think you know about refugee communities. Instead, listen with an open heart and mind to student refugees as they share about their lives, experiences and hopes for the future in this special live episode of Up/Root. In this honest and complex conversation, they offer us joy, courage, a few dope bars and the inspiring plans they have to change the wo...

Latanya Mapp Frett is the incoming President and CEO of the Global Fund for Women and a lifelong human rights activist who has worked in over ten countries. She is the past-President of Planned Parenthood International and in her storied and dynamic career has worked tirelessly to access power and justice for women and vulnerable communities across the globe and at critical moments in history. She...

Living mobile and global lives as members of military, diplomatic, private sector or humanitarian service families comes with many wonderful benefits. But often – it does not come with professional opportunities for one partner in the relationship due to work permits, language barriers or visa restrictions. Join Hanne, Donovan and Susanne, all members of Here We Are Kenya (a chapter of Here We Are...

Transformational storytellers and artists Usifu Jalloh, Khanyisa Sigwanda and Alim Kamara share with Lilly how ancient, culturally-relevant and modern stories connect us to our roots and why they are essential to the future of the continent. Listen in to our conversation about about the power of stories and hear the tales of Truth, Mr. Cat and an impromptu story at the end that will "inspire great...

Ruth E. Van Reken, one of the leading experts on Cross-Cultural (CCKs) and Third Culture kids (TCKs) sits down with Lilly and discusses how parents, teachers and adults can best support students who are living "among worlds." How do we help students who are the "stayers" in a transient community? What are we learning about the brain science regarding mobliity? Are we all just CCKs? This episode is...

"Third culture kids" (or TCKs) are defined as children who are not growing up in either of their parent's home country or culture; they may be the children of diplomats, business people or development professionals and as such, find themselves moving often and living between cultures. Today's episode features the voices of six students: Adrian, Isaiah, Juliane, Lauren, Roman and Sahara and two adu...

In many African countries, 2019 has been declared the Year of Return to honor our ancestors who were stolen from the continent 400 years ago. In Kenya, a panel of African-Americans - Rebecca, Robyn, Curtis and Ben - share their experiences of coming "home" to Africa. Their stories capture the tension, the joy, the responsibility and often the duplicity that still remains for Black people worldwide...

Do we need heroes? Is curiosity underrated? How do we hold space for those we disagree with? How are colorism and racism intertwined? How do we resist the myth of entitlement and privilege? What does the commodification of black feminism look like? What is our plan for justice? So many questions - and many complex, nuanced answers with the South African author and voice for justice, Sisonke Msiman...

Where is home? If you have never lived where you were born, or your kids were born in a different country, or if you are a refugee or immigrant: where do you call home? A once simple question is tackled by four dynamic women who offer their own wisdom, humor and insights into this important question. And at the end offer a good piece of advice for all of us to consider.

Maimouna, Johnson, Ruth and Troy all live in Nairobi, Kenya but have identities rooted in multiple countries and cultures. Circumstances and choices have caused them to make decisions to leave home, opportunities or countries - often at significant cost to themselves and their families. In this episode, each of them answer the question: why did you leave? (This episode is dedicated to my friend, G...