Diaspora Diaries

In this episode, Awa returns to conversations with guests from the first three episodes of season 2, weaving together their reflections to explore what drives us in life, and how that can take different forms across our work, our lives, and the ways we make sense of the world.JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa SowGuest: Luke de Noronha, Tariq Brown, Fuad BusoirEditor: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa is in conversation with Fuad Busoir about love – what it means, how it is recognised, and whether it’s something felt or practised. Moving between romantic relationships, friendship and family, they reflect on the ways love shapes how people relate to one another, to space, and to themselves. Along the way, they sit with questions of accountability, intention, and whether love can ever be separate from politics – or if it is always quietly structuring the worlds being built.REFERENCESDavies Jr., Akinola, dir. My Father’s Shadow. 2025. Drama film.Hooks, Bell. All About Love: new visions: Bell Hooks. William Morrow, 2000.Jenkins, Barry, dir. If Beale Street Could Talk. 2018. Film.Nash, Jennifer C. "Practicing Love: Black Feminism, Love-Politics, and Post-Intersectionality."Meridians 19, no. S1 (2020): 439-462.Prince-Bythewood, Gina, dir. Love & Basketball. 2000. Film.JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa SowGuest: Fuad BusoirEdited by: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa sits down with scholar Luke de Noronha to question what borders really do in our everyday lives. From citizenship and belonging to the politics behind “migration crises,” they explore how borders shape who belongs, who is welcomed, and who is framed as a threat.  JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠ REFERENCESBradley, Gracie Mae, and Luke De Noronha. Against borders: The case for abolition. Verso Books, 2022.Robinson, Cedric J. Forgeries of memory and meaning: Blacks and the regimes of race in American theater and film before World War II. UNC Press Books, 2012. CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa SowGuest: Luke de NoronhaEdited by: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa speaks with spoken word artist Tariq Brown about using poetry to make power visible. They explore how he transforms complex, often academic ideas – from capitalism to systemic oppression – into poetic, thought-provoking verse. It’s a conversation about heritage, awareness, and the poet’s role in illuminating systems of oppression. JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠ REFERENCESel-Kurd, Mohammed. 2025. Spoken remarks at the Closing Plenary of 25 Years of Human Rights at LSE Conference: Subverting Human Rights: Left, Right, and Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, May 16, 2025. Poetic Unity. https://www.poeticunity.org.uk/  CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa Sow Guest: Tariq Brown Editor: Awa Sow

Diaspora Diaries is back for Season 2 👀Here's a moment to revisit what this space is about — and an invitation to step in. Now powered by Transmission Roundhouse.

The first season of Diaspora Diaries is coming to a close.Thank you for listening, reflecting, and being in conversation with us. We'll be taking a short summer break — but we’ll be back soon with more voices, more stories, and more to reflect on.Season 2 coming soon. Stay tuned. 🌍✍🏽JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa SowEdited by: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa and Ellen discuss European identity building and memory politics, highlighting how national narratives shape collective memory. They emphasise the selective remembrance of historical events, and its impact on national identities. Together, they examine the silencing of racialised people’s histories and experiences within discourse on national identity and how this, in turn, plays a role in the rise of xenophobia and far-right ideologies. REFERENCESHalbwachs, Maurice. On Collective Memory. University of Chicago press, 2020.Lind, Jennifer. “Memory, Apology, and International Reconciliation.” Asia-Pacific Journal 6, no. 11 (2008): e21. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1557466008007936.Rafael, Vicente L. The promise of the foreign: Nationalism and the Technics of Translation in the Spanish Philippines. Duke University Press, 2005.Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. Silencing the past: Power and the Production of History. Beacon Press, 2015.JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa SowGuest: Ellen SowEdited by: Awa Sow

Stephanie discusses the valorisation of cultural heritage within the African diaspora, noting a shift in societal perception post-2020. She highlights the commodification of cultural pride by businesses and the rise of Afrobeats and other African music globally. Stephanie references the reinterpretation of cultural symbols like the Union Jack and the importance of authenticity in branding. Stephanie emphasises the fluidity of culture and the need to resist simplistic representations, concluding with her personal embrace of cultural heritage through wearing cornrows.CONTRIBUTORSHost: Stephanie IyalaEdited by Stephanie IyalaProduced by Stephanie Iyala Jingle: “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock,https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights

In this episode, Awa and Jade discuss their experiences navigating morality and dealing with tensions and contradictions in their personal and professional lives. They explore the challenges of addressing systems of oppressions within their families and friendships, and break down what it means to study or work in spaces that uphold these structures. Together, they  look into the importance of staying true to oneself, pushing beyond comfort zones, and finding a balance between personal and professional ethics.REFERENCESGargi Bhattacharyya, Personal Communication, January 14, 2025.Newell, Penny. “BDS and the Remains of the University, A Conversation on Resistance with Judith Butler.” Panel Talk, London, March 14, 2025.JINGLE “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa Sow Guest: Jade-Arsema GodinEdited by: Awa Sow

In this episode of Diaspora Diaries, we spoke all about internalised misogyny. Stephanie and Nadia discuss their personal experiences with internalised misogyny, exploring how it manifests in women's lives with an exemplative list. They also touch on how internalized misogyny intersects with race, diaspora experiences, and societal expectations. The conversation aims to unpack and understand the complex ways women internalize and perpetuate misogynistic attitudes. It must be premised, that these are their personal understandings of internalised misogyny, and they are still currently navigating this! Feel free to share your opinions (with love, of course!)  <3Here is a core reading list (for our academic/ curious listeners)  Ain’t I a woman by bell hooks Woman, Race and class by Angela Davis Love in Exile by Shon Faye Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde  Men who hate women by Laura Bates Who’s Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler  The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf Fat is a Feminist Issue by Susie Orbach CONTRIBUTORSHost: Stephanie IyalaGuests: Joalane Nadia SetipaEdited by: Stephanie IyalaProduced by Stephanie Iyala and Awa SowJingle: “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock,https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights

In this episode, Awa and Marianne explore the concept of diaspora – is simply “being from somewhere else” enough to claim a diasporic identity? They unpack what it means to relate to a place, and reflect on how diasporic experiences are shaped by history, culture, and power. The conversation also turns inward, as they grapple with the complexities of navigating positionalities within academia and the ethical implications of studying systems of oppression.REFERENCESAlcoff, Linda. “The Problem of Speaking for Others.” Cultural Critique, no. 20 (1991): 5–32. https://doi.org/10.2307/1354221.Andersson, Ruben. Illegality, Inc.: Clandestine Migration and the Business of Bordering Europe. California Series in Public Anthropology. University of California Press, 2014.Hall, Stuart. “Cultural Identity and Diaspora [1990].” In Selected Writings on Race and Difference, edited by Paul Gilroy and Ruth Wilson Gilmore, 257–71. Duke University Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1hhj1b9.17.Simpson, Audra. "On Ethnographic Refusal: Indigeneity, ‘Voice’ and Colonial Citizenship." Junctures: the Journal for Thematic Dialogue 9 (2007).Jingle: “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa Sow Guest: Marianne PolgeEdited by: Awa Sow

In this episode of Diaspora Diaries, Stephanie and her friends Sari Dom and Henna discuss the role of partying in the revolution. They explore the concept of revolution as the dismantling of oppressive systems, and the importance of joy and celebration. They emphasise the need for safe spaces for marginalised groups. As well as, highlighting the political nature of partying, the importance of community, and the balance between theory and practice. They also touch on Dom’s experience at PXSSY PALACE and the challenges of maintaining these party spaces! REFERENCES “political with a small p” - a phrase which was mentioned in class by Professor Tariq Jazeel  PXSSY PALACE is a platform which organises “intentional nightlife events”  for Queer and POC identifying people.  Here is their site: https://www.pxssypalace.com/ Here is their instagram to see Dom’s famous photo: https://www.instagram.com/pxssypalace/?hl=en  Jingle “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠CONTRIBUTORSHost: Stephanie IyalaGuests: Dominic Arzadon & Sari Hellara Hernández Fact Checker: Henna Randhawa Edited by: Stephanie Iyala

In this episode, Awa and Lavin discuss diasporic consciousness, focusing on the themes of belonging, identity, and home. Drawing on their experiences and reflecting on Warsan Shire's poem "Home," they explore what it means to feel at home.REFERENCESHall, Stuart, Gilroy, Paul and Gilmore, Ruth Wilson. Selected Writings on Race and Difference. New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478021223Shire, Warsan. Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head: Poems. Penguin, 2022.JINGLE“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights.CONTRIBUTORSHost: Awa Sow Guest: Lavin OusiPoem read by: Natasha ChilengweEdited by: Awa Sow and Stephanie Iyala

In this first episode, Awa and Stephanie delve into the concept of black excellence, the challenges of imposter syndrome, and the importance of recognising and leveraging their cultural backgrounds as strengths. References:Bedu, Cyrielle, host. “Le Syndrome de l’Imposteur: Pourquoi nous Hante-t-il?” Emotions (podcast). October 14, 2019. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://louiemedia.com/emotions/tag/syndrome+de+l%27imposteur.Asare, Janice Gassam. "Where do justice and liberation fit into diversity, equity, and inclusion." (2022).Santan Dave. “Three Rivers.” YouTube Video, 5:03 to 5:30 . July 22, 2021.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZHfPt6u90A.Jingle from:“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights.Produced by: Awa Sow and Stephanie IyalaEdited by: Awa Sow

Welcome to our new show - Diaspora Diaries! Meet your hosts and producers, Stephanie and Awa. In this space, we open discussions on matters of the diaspora such as home, belonging, identity, relations, studies, and more. Sit back and enjoy!Jingle from: “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights.Produced by: Awa Sow and Stephanie IyalaEdited by: Stephanie Iyala