Race Matters

An emotional one ... Sara's last show. Join us as we revel, celebrate, cry, remember the four formidable and inimitable years that Sara Khan has offered us. It’s hard to say what Race Matters would be without her, and the depths of knowledge, power, care, laughter she has given to this show and FBi radio more broadly. There aren’t enough words to describe how much Sara has changed the landscape of radio and what it is to have content led by and for First Nations and people of colour. Listen in for iconic artists we've loved on the show, delving deep on the history of Race matters, reflections and some surprises! <3 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content note: this story revolves around racial trauma and has mention of trauma, anti-Asian racism, colourism and references to statistics on suicide and self harm. Whilst not discussed in detail, we ask that you go gently, surround yourself with some comforts, or come back to this at a time that feels okay for you.  What are the impacts of racism when it comes to our minds, bodies and spiritual wellbeing? In today's story, we hear from FBi presenter Maleeka Gazula (Up For It!) as she maps her ongoing journey and reckonings with how the racism and colourism she has long-experienced has had a profound impact on her mental and physical health. Alongside discussing her own increased awareness and resilience; she spoke to music therapist, founder of Shapes and Sounds and Asian-Australian mental health advocate Asami Koike. They bring together how broader systems of injustice play out in interpersonal relationships, trauma and healing - and the ways we can move towards a type of care that recognises the intricacies of being a racialised person, and how we find our own versions of resilience and regulation.  If this conversation brought up some heavy, uncomfortable or distressing topics, some resources can be found below:  Qlife 1800 184 527  BeyondBlue 1300 22 4636 Lifeline 13 11 14 Safe Haven 02 9113 2981 Our Directory - Connecting Mob, Māori & BIPOC with mental health and wellbeing support Asian Australian Mental Health Directory Shakti South Asian Practitioner List  This episode was produced and hosted by Maleeka Gazula. Additional production, editing and sound design by Shareeka Helaluddin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Too many incredible writers of colour, not enough time to read and do them justice! We are excited to be airing the first episode of BOOK CLUB with our friends at Amplify Bookstore - a site dedicated to Black, First Nations and writers of colour. Hear co-founders Xuan and Marina on how they started Amplify, what makes an Amplify book (it's not just about race and racism!), and the curation they wanted to introduce to us. The books discussed in this episode were~ The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution. by R.F. Kuang.​  Australia Day by Stan Grant  Another Day in the Colony by Dr Chelsea Watego All This Come Back Now edited by Mykaela Saunders The Upwelling by Lystra Rose  If you’re in Naarm, you can catch Amplify at some pop up location from December 3,10 and 17 at 11 Hope Street, Brunswick from 10-3pm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A treat to be in conversation with Kombumerri man, sound artist and performer Rowan Savage aka salllvage; who has long-worked at the intersection of queer club music, performance and connection with Country, helming a truly unique creative output. Hear him chat on the power and politics of deep listening amid the current exhibition NURA: Deep Listening, currently on Cement Fondu alongside Barkindji artist. We also chat about the textures and techniques that explore Indigenous Futurisms in his album Deep Gecko Energy, and the considerations in bringing this to life at Soft Centre this week Learn more about NURA: Deep Listening, which is on at Cement Fondu from now until November 26  Experience salllvage live at Soft Centre's Late Night Program (II) alongside Abadir, e3p Anuraag, /amalg on November 26 get tickets here Image Credit: Kayru Creative. The track heard throughout this episode is salllvage - Autochthonic Sensory MeridianSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A special announcement on today's show ... Plus, producer Shareeka Helaluddin held a personal conversation with creative S. Shakthtidharan. Shakthi is a Western Sydney storyteller with Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry; and a writer, director and composer of original music. His first play, Counting and Cracking, galvanised audiences across the globe, as it traced the story of Sri Lanka’s descent into civil war. This week the debut of his next work the Jungle and the Sea unfolds into another chapter, travelling back in time to follow the story of a family during the war.  Hear him talking through telling difficult stories as an act of healing, how the current crisis in Sri Lanka impacted the production and the power of creating community-based art - that is interested in collaboration, access and transformation.  Music woven throughout the show is ELSZ - Holy Water Meditation with Ganavya காடும் கடலும் / ගණ වන මුහුද / The Jungle and the Sea is showiong at Belvoir Street Theatre from Nov 12 - Dec 18. Don't miss out! Get your tickets hereSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Darren Lesaguis sat down in a deep chat with Andrew Brooks - who's one half of the critical art collective Snack Syndicate - alongside Astrid Lorange. Together, they make texts, objects, installations, and meals. Their collection of essays, Homework, was published in 2021 by Discipline. Andrew Brooks lectures in Media Cultures at UNSW, is a founding member of the Infrastructural Inequalities research network, and the author of poetry collection Inferno (2021). Hear them chat about study as a social practice, love as a political and ways that we can find possibility and hope in unexpected places. Listen in if you want to revel in a conversation with a lot of heart, hope and knowledge.  Readings Mentioned: On anti-colonial radio from Algeria - Frantz Fanon, This is the Voice of Algeria On loving action and love as dis-possession rather than possession -Poetics of Relation, Édouard Glissant On understanding race a shifting construct, not as a fixed marker of identity - Stuart Hall, Race: The Floating Signifier On the important history of Black Feminism and the origins of what we now call "identity politics" - 1977 Combahee River Collective Statement On study as a social practice - Stefano Harney and Fred Moten, All Incomplete (Brooklyn: Minor Compositions, 2021), 26. Image: Andrew Brooks by Jacquie ManningSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content note: This episode contains mention of the violence faced at the hands of brutal regimes. We ask that listeners go gently, particularly if this content relates directly to the lived experience of you and your community.  We are honored to be joined Iranian artist Hoda Afshar on the ongoing feminist revolution unfolding in Iran. She brings to light the Kurdish roots of this movement, the neglect of Western media; and untangling the right for autonomy and expression for Muslim women from the trappings of Islamophobic rhetoric.  Sign the petition by Amnesty International  Follow Hoda's instagram where she is sharing updates @from____iran on instagram is also sharing live updates amid the internet blackout  Salaam Radio on 3CR recently aired a deeply personal and potent piece tracing Melbourne solidarity protests and emotive reflections on the current moment by media artist and feminist activist, Ramak Bamza Image: Twofold by Hoda AfsharSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content note: this episode describes acts of homophobic violence mentioned in a film and from lived experience. Whilst not discussed in detail, we acknowledge that these instances could be distressing for audiences, and ask that you take care if you choose to engage. If you are in need of support, Qlife offers free and anonymous support via call on 1800 184 527 or online chat.  An introspective episode as Darren and Sara reflect on what compels them to make art or find their "why" in creative processes. Darren reflects on seeing Isaac Julien's 1991 cult classic Young Soul Rebels and the profound impact it had at this moment in his life. Sara shares the vulnerable process of being a writer on the acclaimed Netflix series Heartbreak High and what it is to write Indigeneity on such a mainstream platform.  This episode was hosted by Darren Lesaguis and Sara Khan. It was produced and edited by Shareeka Helaluddin. Cover image: a still from Young Soul Rebels dir. Isaac Julien (1991).   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We were privileged to be joined by Gumbainggir historian, educator, activist Dr Gary Foley who for decades has played a central part in some of the most pivotal civil rights movements for First Nations justice. He's been part of community-led services including Redfern’s Aboriginal legal Service, the Aboriginal health service in Melbourne, and National Black Theatre; and continues to be an outspoken advocate for First Nations' justice and self determination.  In 1972 a documentary called NINGLA-ANA: Hungry For Our Land was released - charting the history of these movements. It’s since been restored and re-released, available nationally.  Hear him in conversation speaking to the legacy of Blak radical traditions, the importance of archives to envision socially-just futures, and what the hopes are for having this film being released for new generations to see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we tell the stories of those who have been diminished or ignored in the writing of history? How do we do justice to the lives they lived, or to the people they were? How does where we come from connect to where we are headed?  These are some of the questions put forward in a new anthology by LIMINAL, an anti-racist literary and art platform based in Naarm. A collection from the longlist of the Liminal and Pantera Press Nonfiction Prize, the book is titled, Against Disappearance. The essays on memory are a powerful collection of First Nations and People of Colour questioning the past and envisioning new futures - free from any shallow or singular story. Hear from editors Leah Jing McIntosh and Adolfo Aranjuez earlier this week on the importance of bringing together these works, fighting against the forced disappearance of cultures in so-called Australia through subversive and experimental writing and thinking. Catch them at the book launch on November 1st, details here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.