Episodes
This week the Race Matters team settle in to have a deep chat about love. What is the role of love when we are witnessing the horrors, violence and apathy of the genocide of Palestinian people and the rise of facism? Join Alicia Zhao, Toobs Anwar and Samantha Haran unpack the politics of love and what it means to practice radical and political love in our everyday life. Featuring excerpts from Saul Williams & James Baldwin.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 04/30/24
how can we gather in non-hierarchical ways, form solidarities, resist shallow representation and form cultures of genuine reciprocity? ⁠ Upending the colonial building of artshouse during Dalit History Month, ಒಡಲಾಳ Odalala (‘from the depths of one’s being’) brings together local and international artists to examine histories of caste, migration, gender and sexuality through contemporary expression. Envisioned by Dalit curator-artist Vishal Kumaraswamy morphing conventional expectations...
Published 04/23/24
Published 04/23/24
MIGRANT SEX WORKER OF COLOUR DIARIES: WE SPEAK CLEARLY 〰️ this episode is in loving memory of dear friend and colleague, Venus ⁠〰️ A special episode this week as we delve into the second offering of our Migrant Sex Worker of Colour Diaries produced by Jasmine Raat-Ki-Raani. An intimate, extended dialogue with Natasha tracing her life from Brazil to so-called a̶u̶s̶t̶r̶a̶l̶i̶a̶. Hear stories of navigating the workforce as an immigrant, joining the s^x industry and learning the value of...
Published 04/02/24
A stunning and expansive world conjured by Aaqila aka halalbutch Aaqila is a writer, artist, DJ and community organiser based on Whadjuk land and sometimes Gadigal land. Their habitude operates towards providing tools for collective liberation beyond the tools of the institution; which manifests in different ways from the dinner table to the gallery. Their threads of research are drawn from Malay-Anglo subjectivities and move slowly through contemporary and ancestral understandings of...
Published 03/12/24
"Space is scared. We often think that space is related to the physical and the tangible but also the metaphysical. To hold space for someone is a great gift. In today's world, we all have these pockets of existence, but we rarely and genuinely hold space for others that is more than just superficial. To hold space for another is to exist with them at that moment - to share breath and existence. If we want to build the bridges between ignorance and discrimination, we must share breath....
Published 03/11/24
an audio vignette exploring the past and future of pasifika music and what it means to make forward-thinking music as a pasifika artist. narrated by conversations with experimental producer ripley kavara (lakatoi, kandere) and aus hip-hop pioneer hau lātūkefu (koolism) @lonelyspeck / Sione Teumohenga is a Tongan-Australian artist, producer and musician based on Kaurna land, best known for producing experimental pop music as Lonelyspeck. Drawing from diverse sounds and styles, their work...
Published 03/11/24
"⁠An experimental and (non)fictional invitation to see myths and mythmaking as a form of queer storytelling. Home dwells in the languages we keep." Darren Lesaguis is of Bisaya and Tagalog descent, a former co-host of Race Matters, and community radio worker. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭Kitchie Nadal - ‘Huwag na Huwag Mong Sasabihin’Kulintang Ensemble - Kulintang Mamayog Akun Background Free Download No CopyrightField recordings from freesound[dot]com 𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫+ “Ambot sa Essay Kwoah: From Swardspeak to...
Published 03/11/24
"⁠A journey through time, and gender- exploring Dalit womanhood and Dravidian masculinity through an anti-caste and trans lens. Bounded and centred by an all-Dalit & Tamil Greek chorus consisting of photographer Jaisingh Nageshwaran, scholar Dr. Roja Singh, community oragniser Grace Banu and wise young woman Ritu Elizabeth Samuel, soundtracked by rapper nasbandi - and me." R.Talitha Samuel is a cultural producer based in New Delhi. Featuring only guest experts from caste-oppressed...
Published 03/11/24
"⁠How do you find your place in a world that was never built to accommodate you? An intimate memoir, unravelling the shifts in a body and the world around them in a world before and during the global pandemic." Tori Hobbs is a disabled healthcare worker, writer and co-founder of Disability Justice Network. a grassroots organisation run for and by multiply marginalised disabled people in so called australia. Alongside their daily work as a nurse they have been a tireless advocate for...
Published 03/11/24
"⁠What is it that you call home? For a queer Palestinian in diaspora the answer can be complicated. From Beiti to Beitak, Chicago to Naarm, I try to find out. Featuring interviews with Nourah of Salon Kawakib and Mirna of Aywa Syndicate." Kal Jazeera is a queer Palestinian creative currently based in naarm by way of potawatomi land Chicago. They orbit many fields across performance but the heart of their work is grounded in community. Their sense of joy, depth and love was distilled in all...
Published 03/11/24
Broadcasting from the 24/7 sit-in at the PM's office, we hear from two core organisers from Families for Palestine - Sarah Shaweesh and Zuzia. We chatted about the collective power of staking a picket and how communal acts of care are an expression of resistance. ⁠Please support the work of Families for Palestine, sign up for a sit in shift by sending them a message, or learn about other ways you can support their effrots and call for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire.  This episode...
Published 03/11/24
A sprawling, expansive chat with two artists who embody a DIY ethos interconnected with spirituality and poetry.  Two chats with musician, sculptor Lonnie Holley and poet Moor Mother (Camae Awaye) chatting through their practices, converging across their innovative use of materials, unique ways of collaborating and principled resistance. A conversation to sink deep into, with both Lonnie and Camae reminding us that beauty is in our toolkit for the revolution.  You can catch them both live,...
Published 02/13/24
Conversations at the intersection of healing, justice and anti-racism happening this summer.  "We are watching genocide, a lot of us come from lines of attempted genocide. we can't 'self care' our way out of that but what we can do is hold each other ... we don't have a choice" our final episode for the year is helmed with Samantha Haran in conversation with Quandamooka and Wiradjuri woman, and First Nations Healing Practitioner LJ Phoenix Singh. LJ works from an anti-oppressive,...
Published 12/22/23
Conversations at the intersection of healing, justice and anti-racism happening this summer.  Hear Toobs and community herbalist Salma Yassien speaking through community practices of collective care, herbalism and spirituality that proved vital in the wake of hyper-policing and medical racism in and outside the global pandemic. A sprawling chat grounded in spirit, hope and the wisdom of daily, ancestral remedies.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 12/18/23
Conversations at the intersection of healing, justice and anti-racism happening this summer.  Hear Tanya Shukla in conversation with narrative therapist Sekneh-Hammoud Beckett. In an intimate and reciprical dialogue they explore the intersectional race politics in our deepest desires and connections; unravelling into a vulnerable offering of how we can move through and transform sites of trauma into practices of love and resistance.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Published 12/11/23
We are honored to offer this bonus episode with gratitude and soldiarity with The Red Rattler Theatre, Autonomous Collective Against Racism (ACAR) & Blak Caucus. This is as much a talk as it is a compelling call to action, listen to their words.  "Palestinian activists and the Blak Caucus invite you to this plenary on unceded Gadigal land.  Our siblings in Palestine face a genocide, their existence at risk of total wipeout. On this colony, another Black death in custody rips through...
Published 12/05/23
Xuan and Marina from Amplify Bookstore are back for another episode of anti racist book club! Hear their recommendations of Palestinian authors across all genres of books. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but we hope it offers a starting point for engaging with Palestinian literature in the spirit of solidarity, empathy and dissent.  Hear them chat through A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum, Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, Power Born of Dreams by Mohammad Saba'aneh; and Songs for the Dead...
Published 11/28/23
Alicia Zhao and Toobs Anwar chat to poet and Fulbright scholar Stephanie Niu, about her expansive research on Christmas Island with the local community, weaving together poetry, stories and community mapping and archiving. Plus, Stephanie shares a reading of her poem "Vision for America" Find out more about Stephanie’s work here. Her forthcoming collection "Survived By" will be available for preorder with Host Publications starting in January See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Published 11/27/23
Where would Race Matters be without Tanya Ali? Honestly, we probably wouldn't exist. As well as being one of the founding co-hosts of the show, Tanya was a luminous compass for the show’s vision and growth in her time as executive producer and continues to nurture what we do. Somewhere in the haze of post-lockdown she graciously stepped out of her volunteer role as Executive Producer and never got a final show. SO this morning we are going to honor her her years of work and the real labour...
Published 11/13/23
We take some reprieve amid the heaviness of the world to bring you some of the new(ish) voices of Race Matters. Over the last six months, every week, our new volunteers have been coming together to help bring Race Matters to life. Today we hear from Tim Worton, Alicia Zhao, Toobs Anwar with Executive Producer Shareeka Helaluddin talking about what brought them here, consciousness-raising texts (spoiler: Chicken Run is about workers rights), and their everyday acts of resistance. Lots of love...
Published 11/06/23
Meet some of our newest co-hosts and producers Samantha Haran and Alicia Zhao. They’ve been working together on this new series to reimagine and explore the possibilities of what ‘education’ can be and alternative ways in which we learn, gesturing towards modes that are transformative and healing. They begin by looking critically at the ways in which current models of education are failing people and enacting violence; hearing from some listener voice messages that were both vulnerable and...
Published 11/06/23
We are very excited and honored to bring forward the first episode of Migrant S3x Workers of Colour, a series of intimate dialogues produced by Jasmine Raat Ki Raani "The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this audio series are by migrant sex workers of color who speak for themselves and not for the entire community. We do not take responsibility for how the audience perceives us or our stories because we are not here to please. We are a work in progress and our thoughts, views and...
Published 10/23/23
On today’s show we seek to continue to uplift the ongoing resistance and interconnectedness of displaced peoples on these lands, in Palestine and occupied territories. Tracing settler colonial roots in so-called Australia, this moment a day after the referendum and links to Palestine.  Content note: some of this episode contains mention of graphic acts of genocide, dispossession and state-sanctioned violence.  Hear from Darumbal and South Sea Islander journalist and co-organiser...
Published 10/16/23
As the noise continues and racist rhetoric unfolds across the continent, Race Matters will be deferring our platform entirely to First Nations activist and community groups to amplify nuances beyond the yes/no rhetoric of The Voice and to centre complex and healing dialogues.  This week, we hear from Kieran and Dan from Black People's Union: a revolutionary organisation that aims to empower Indigenous people in Australia through the pursuit of full self-determination and sovereignty. They...
Published 09/25/23