#209 After Eelam 2

Paying homage to the stories written decades ago, by the mother of Afrofuturism, Octavia Butler, Race Matters' King, Tim Worton and Tristan Cornelissen chat to artists Atong Atem and Santilla Chingaipe about how their practices have been shaped by the ever expansive tenents of Afrofuturism. Together they ask: was Butler forseeing the future, or just paying closer attention than the rest of us? Building visionary worlds that uncover the inequalities, fears and possibilities of her own time, Butler's work remained wishful - never fully abandoning a knowing that another world is possible. Thank you to Atong, Santilla and Francesca Breen for your connectivity. Produced by King, Tim Worton and Tristan Cornelissen in creative collaboration with Prinita ThevarajahSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A different kind of seeing - with Aja Monet   Grammy-nominated poet, musician and artist aja monet joins Race Matters for a conversation exploring the spiritual dimensions of poetry, the wisdom of ancestral knowledge and the unseen forces that shape how we move through the world. From the poet’s eye to the rhythms we inherit, she reflects on the power of language, the sacredness of creativity and what it means to surrender to the things we cannot always explain.   In conversation with Race Matters’ Tim, they explore poetry as a way of knowing, curiosity as a tool for connection and survival, and the possibilities of finding intimacy through conflict.   This episode was hosted by self-acclaimed CITY GIRLZ: Tim and Ethan, interview by Tim, and produced collaboratively by Tim, Ethan and EP Prinita for Race Matters on FBi RadioSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A different kind of seeing - with Aja Monet  Grammy-nominated poet, musician and artist aja monet joins Race Matters for a conversation exploring the spiritual dimensions of poetry, the wisdom of ancestral knowledge and the unseen forces that shape how we move through the world. From the poet’s eye to the rhythms we inherit, she reflects on the power of language, the sacredness of creativity and what it means to surrender to the things we cannot always explain. In conversation with Race Matters’ Tim, they explore poetry as a way of knowing, curiosity as a tool for connection and survival, and the possibilities of finding intimacy through conflict. This episode was hosted by self-acclaimed CITY GIRLZ: Tim and Ethan, interview by Tim, and produced collaboratively by Tim, Ethan and EP Prinita for Race Matters on FBi Radio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Striking against U.S. Imperialism in one territory will strike against U.S. Imperialism everywhere. When we wage and win the war against U.S. Imperialism in our homeland, that in turn positively impacts the fight for Indigenous sovereignty here. Yvonne Hong interviews Jamie Tyberg and Miyeon Jang from Nodutdol, a NYC based diasporic Korean organisation that organise for a world free of imperialism and for Korea's reunification and national liberation. Together, Yvonne and Anakbayan Sydney member Day Soriano reflect on both Korea and the Phillipines' struggle against American imperialism.   Reading list: ★ Gwangju Uprising: The Rebellion for Democracy in South Korea by Hwang Sok-yong, Jai-eui Lee, and Jeon Yong-Ho ★ Korea: A New History of South and North by Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo ★ Nodutdol's official statement 'US Out of Korea'   To keep up to date and get involved with Nodutdol and Anakbayan Sydney: ★ @nodutdol on Instagram ★ @anakbayan.sydney on InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Why be a sunflower and turn towards the sun? I myself am the sun” Ousmane Sembène ~ In this episode of Race Matters, kaapse South African sound-maker Tristan Cornelissen speaks with Safia Amadou, co-founder and co-director of Africa Film Festival Australia, about the importance of creating space for African and African-diaspora filmmakers to tell their own stories. From the histories of colonial representation, to the growing audiences for African cinema in so-called Australia, we ask what becomes possible when people have the space and means to decide not only what stories are told, but how they are told, and who they are told for.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to understand the personal and political as truly intertwined?  To know and to understand that the wins, griefs, losses, day-to-days and dreams of our lives are all shaped by political infrastructures?  And how can this knowing transform how we live our lives? On today’s show, Samantha Haran is in conversation with Lebanese writer Sheree Joseph about her new memoir, Juicy: How to Live a Life in the Wreckage of Expectations. This memoir takes us on a journey through Sheree’s own reckoning with being unable to fulfil what she thought was expected of her by her mid 30s: a husband, motherhood, children, a home, a neat plan. Coming to terms with these expectations-lost required her to re-think everything about what it means to live a meaningful life. Together, Samantha and Sheree talk through how Sheree has been reconceiving everything from motherhood to writing to grief, and finding a new paradigm for how to live in this ever-changing, ever-heartbreaking - but also, ever-beautiful - world. Buy Sheree Joseph’s memoir, Juicy: How to Live a Life in the Wreckage of Expectations Follow Sheree on instagram: @shereewriter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“What kind of space allows people like us to fully exist? To be a Black, queer creative is to return to this question again and again, and, sometimes, to become the answer yourself.” Visionary performer, curator, founder of Pyramid, Basjia reflects on the language she discovered through movement, tracing the journey from a body shaped by expectation to one that became a site of freedom, pleasure and expression. Together, King and Basjia explore what it means to move through a world that celebrates Black creativity and how performance can transmute into a practice of resistance.A Language We Learned is a month-long Race Matters residency led by King Baba, centring Black Afro-diasporic creatives across so-called Australia through storytelling, conversation and music. The series is supported by technical producer and creative collaborator Prinitha Theverajah, with creative mentorship from Shareeka Helaluddin and Binta Yade, and artwork by Tim Worton. Content warning: this episode contains discussion of eating disorder and dysmorphia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What languages do we inherit before we ever find the words for ourselves?Huda the Goddess traces the journey from the language of her childhood in Sudan and Egypt to the poetry that became her way of making sense of the world. Together, King and Huda reflect on ancestry, oral storytelling and the wisdom carried through memory before turning toward the communities that teach us how to belong. Through Black Inc, ballroom and chosen family, Huda shares a vision of care rooted in softness, truth and collective responsibility. A reminder that the most powerful legacies are the ones that make space for others to flourish.A Language We Learned is a month-long Race Matters residency led by King Baba, centring Black Afro-diasporic creatives across so-called Australia through storytelling, conversation and music. The series is supported by technical producer and creative collaborator Prinitha Theverajah, with creative mentorship from Shareeka Helaluddin and Binta Yade, and artwork by Tim Worton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

after the floods, people. after thefires, people. not governments.not borders. not the soldiers or rifles. not the statehistory or news or flag. people, in masks,cooking food, sorting rubble & burned wood, driving tonmngeach other, asking are you okay, baby? when the skyturned black, when the sun went into the ocean,when ash fell instead of rain. Fatimah Asghar, al-haq After Eelam is a patchwork of voices, struggles, solidarities that ask what does a Tamil homeland look like, feel like, breathe like, outside of a man made agenda? Outside of borders, class, caste, gender? What does Tamil liberation on the island of so called Sri Lanka mean if it includes not just the North Eastern Tamils, but also our Malayaha and Muslim kin? And where does queerness fit in Tamil nationalism? Thank you to Angel Queentus, Hazel Tetteh, Imaad Majeed and Krish for sharing your stories. Sound design Fr3sh by Kareem Lofty Produced by Prinita ThevarajahSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Knowing means understanding there are things we can never know  All knowledge is limited by positionality and governed by relationships  The world cannot be fully understood by life in human shapes because humans cannot occupy the spaces held by all other life or to see to the end of connections Ambelin Kwaymullina After Eelam is a patchwork of voices, struggles, solidarities that ask what does a Tamil homeland look like, feel like, breathe like, outside of a man made agenda? Outside of borders, class, caste, gender? What does Tamil liberation on the island of so called Sri Lanka mean if it includes not just the North Eastern Tamils, but also our Malayaha and Muslim kin?  Thank you to Brahmi, Aunty Kalyani Inpakumar, Thinesh Thillai, Sanjana Ravi and Uncle Ana Parajasingham for sharing your stories. Produced by Prinita ThevarajahSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.