“Our biggest flaw as a nation, which resulted to us never really attaining independence or democracy, is that, somehow we have a flawed sense of nationalism. We are very family oriented as people, but the thing is, we value our family more than our country.”

Revisit this conversation from June 2024 on Democracy in The Philippines. Jackline and Jabs introduce me to a county that has survived waves of colonial occupation, military coups, a dictatorship, and intractable family dynasties. Our conversations about the role of violence and personal sacrifice in political struggles seem especially prescient, given recent events.

This week I am re-releasing all the interviews from this podcast in their full-length versions in preparation for the last episode of the season, an interview with anthropologist Nicola Sharratt on Democracy in the United States. Look out for that interview, coming later in December 2024.

What Democracy Looks Like In... is a podcast where ordinary voters explain how democracy works in their countries. In each episode an emigrant voter and a voter currently on the ground describe their lived experiences of democracy, of voting, and of trust versus corruption in their home country.

Find out more about the topics discussed in this episode
and the series as a whole at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.democracyinpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠!