TROUBLEMAKERS

"If I am not for myself, who will be? And if I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, when?" — Rabbi Hillel the Elder. Yomna Ahmed, a Harvard-trained community organizer, empowers activists through Public Narrative and Community Organizing. She co-founded Athar Network, uniting activists across seven Arab countries. In this episode, Yomna explores the Story of Self, Us, and Now framework—...

What does it take to challenge powerful systems and win? In this episode, we explore the power of grassroots organizing, worker solidarity, and strategic negotiations in the fight for justice. Veteran trade unionist and activist Gino Govender reveals how people power can bring even the most oppressive systems to their knees. From building worker power to outmanoeuvring employers and governments, t...

"Winning this case isn’t just about us—it’s about showing people that you can demand justice and fight for your rights." —Meralney Bomba Description: What does it take for a small island community to stand up to a colonial power? How can the law become a weapon of change in the fight for climate justice? In this episode, we meet Meralney Bomba, a community organizer from Bonaire, who has joined fo...

How do we build numbers? How do we organize at a colossal scale? How do we build mass cooperation amidst our cultural, linguistic, generational, religious diversity? How do we unite around issues affecting us all?   Zakia Soman guides us through how she and other Indian women's rights activists established Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan , the largest nationwide Muslim women’s mass organization. T...

We explore with Tunisian trans activist Joséphina Bouden (Jouda) how joy becomes a powerful form of resistance in the face of oppression. We discuss how cultural disobedience transforms everyday acts into powerful protests. We dive with Josephine into the historical and modern significance of joy as an act of defiance. From enslaved communities creating moments of celebration to the concept of Bla...

In this powerful episode recorded with a live audience at MS TCDC in Arusha, Tanzania (a centre established by the administration of Pan-African socialist Julius Nyerere, who famously said “We will stand with Palestine, as we stood against apartheid and colonialism in South Africa”), we sit down with Wesam to learn about the history of Palestinian resistance. We explore the deep-rooted connections...

Phethani Madzivhandila is an organizer, theorist, and unionist based in Azania (South Africa). He’s a member of The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and one of the Walter Rodney Library founders. He’s also a member of MS TCDC’s 2023 Activist-in-Residence cohort.   In this episode, we dive into one of South Africa's most powerful social movements: Fees Must Fall. Starting in 2015, this student-led...

We explore Uganda's generational discontent as young people challenge the ideological, political, and moral contradictions of the government. Fueled by economic struggles and social injustice at Makerere University and other higher learning institutions across Africa, students demand a freeze to tuition hikes (at the very least, in pursuit of free education ideally).   Read more about Fees Must Fa...

“Win or lose, mass strikes reveal the truth.” —Jeremy Brecher   In this episode, we dive deep into how general strikes are happening in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Our guest explains how as a collective, the citizens are conducting their strikes in demand for an end to the military coup and the release of their leaders. We consider how the people of Myanmar have been able to outlast repression...

“Martyrdom is a fascist tendency.” —Gopal Dayanenni   A lot is happening under the rug in Kenya. In this episode, we speak with Nafula Wafula, a Kenyan protester, organizer, feminist, and Pan-African. Kenya’s uprising against the IMF and World Bank-sponsored Finance Bill recently marked 100 days since its beginning. Repression against the uprising was characterized by sexual violence. We explore m...

We speak with Sarita Pariyar, a writer, social justice activist, and the founding convener of the International Darnal Award for Social Justice. She is the principal investigator of Just Futures Initiative ( https://www.justfuturespahal.org/ ).  Sarita speaks of her activism in Nepal, learning and struggling with fellow  Dalit women. From Black Lives Matter to Dalit struggles to academia, Sarita h...

Actions speak louder than words. — Ruckus Society motto   Have you ever been confused by a protest, or have you asked why activists are even angry to begin with? Perhaps the protesters’ message wasn’t clear. This confusion points to a lack of something we call “Action Logic.” With solid Action Logic, an action can speak for itself. In this episode, we speak with activist and author Dan Glass, abou...

Bel dan pa di zanmi (Just because someone is smiling at you doesn't mean they're your friend) — Haitian proverb Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and people powered movements, resistance, revolution, it’s all a complex relationship, fraught with many challenges as well as potential! Campaigning organizations such as ActionAid have a history of engaging with movements but are now asking how the...

We speak with Sacajawea Hall, activist and co-founder of Cooperation Jackson — an emerging vehicle for sustainable community development, economic democracy, and community ownership — on solidarity economics, a tradition of radical economic organizing that strives to replace dependance on exploitative and oppressive economic relations through ‘solidarity chains’ linking community-based alternative...

Reframing is a process of replacing an old story with a new one by widening the frame, narrowing the frame, or shifting the frame to another scene entirely. The powers-that-be usually go to great lengths to frame their agenda in a way that is favorable for their interests. Just think of how we’ve heard these words used: tax relief. Like a camera’s viewfinder, the frame of a narrative focuses the p...

We speak to Mahmoud Nawajaa, General Coordinator for the Palestinian-led global movement Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) National Committee. Inspired by the movement against Apartheid in South Africa, the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and more, we look at how decentralized tactics such as boycott and divestment — as used in the Palestinian struggle on a global scale — can be used to isolate a ta...

If Frantz Fanon woke up today he’d be like, “You guys are still talking about decolonization, I thought we addressed that in the 60’s. What the f*** happened?” We speak to Alieu Bah and Sungu Oyoo on decolonization, a set of ideas, lived experiences, and political programs that challenge imperialism through forms of bottom-up disobedience to historical and ongoing colonization.   Read more about d...

Amidst growing radicalization of public debate around refugees and migrants in Poland, a conscious restaurant serves dishes from regions of active conflict around the world for Warsaw locals. With Jarmila Rybicka, co-founder of Conflict Kitchen, we talk food and solidarity. We learn how preparing and sharing a delicious dish can offer many points of entry for public engagement and cultural exchang...

Learn more about the transcontinental partners behind this podcast! Global Platforms: https://www.globalplatforms.org/   Beautiful Trouble: https://beautifultrouble.org/   MS TCDC, The MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation: https://mstcdc.or.tz/ MOVE, The Global Social Movement Centre: https://www.globalplatforms.org/move