Beyond the loss, the distance, and the isolation brought on by the global pandemic, Bilal Ghalib has found creative and effective ways to keep learning; about himself, his loved ones, and humans in general. He also has never stopped experimenting with ways of connecting with people or tapping into his own talents and fears. Today on the podcast, we spend the hour speaking with Bilal about his reflections over the past year, what he has figured out and what he struggles with. We tackle history and the parts of our past that are difficult to talk about or make sense of. We speak of family and the complication of distance when being the outsider /foreigner becomes a way of life. We also manage to discuss what gaming means to us, so far, with limited experience.
Bilal is a very special person who has appeared on this podcast numerous times over these past two decades, and Im very thankfully to have had this time together and to be able to share it with you the listeners.
When the global pandemic broke out, David Brightbill was struggling to make it home to his cooperative community in Florida. In the months that followed he faced a personal health scare and became aware of the shortages of PPE among first responders in his region and across the country.
Now over a year into the pandemic, he is part of a network of maker spaces that rose to the occasion – providing that much needed equipment. He has also navigated, like so many senior citizens, the new world of vaccines and testing.
Today on the podcast we dive into supermarkets as healthcare centres, governors who do terrible things, masks and the noses that stick out over them.. and much more. Davey is a longtime friend and a unique human being that it brings me great joy to talk to. Tune in to hear it all.
South Africa is not a place where keeping a distance from one another matches the traditions of how communities have survived and thrived for generations. But since March of this year, the nation has lived with restrictions, lockdowns, closures and limits of social activities familiar to many people around the world. Meanwhile, the ongoing struggle with gender based violence rages on, though it is not clear if this is a new chapter with real change on the horizon or just a continuation of injustice as usual.
My guest on today’s podcast is the wonderful Noni Shakur joining us from Cape Town to talk about South Africa during Corona, and reflections on what we’ve got, what we need, and what we may not get in the near future. Follow her on instagram @nonishakur or follow her brand new lockdown project: @yobiggirlplanties – plants as metaphors for life.
Cornelius Kibelka somehow got on the last flight from Europe to Brazil before they closed the border earlier this year. Upon arrival he was greeted by a São Paulo under lockdown, and a nation deeply divided about how to deal with a virus along political lines. Today on the podcast he tells us what he is seeing, feeling and hearing in the most populous city in Brazil and what it all might mean for the weeks and months to come.
Before there was youtube, twitter, or any other major platform for sharing video content, Ruud Elmendorp was producing content from the continent of Africa for the internet. His focus, then and now: everyday life. With the onset of the global pandemic, Ruud is where he has been for the past two decades, trying to report on daily life from a region that doesn’t get the global headlines that North America and Europe do. Today on the podcast, Ruud Elmendorp joins us from Tanzania, to talk about life as a journalist in East Africa during corona times.
Mexico City is big, heavily populated, exciting, dangerous, and poluted thanks in part to all of the above. Along came a pandemic. Today on the podcast Lorena de la Parra takes us through her daily life and what she sees happening in CDMX, from the price of masks to the phenomenon that is López-Gatel. Listen and enjoy.
