18 HR AGO

TLS x CG: Critical Hope and the New Imagination with Ashley and Helene

This is the third in our series of seven short-form episodes, produced in collaboration with The Common Good Collective. In this episode, we unpack the idea of critical hope, drawing on the work of Jeff Duncan-Andrade and a powerful quote from Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of Hope. We introduce Ashley and Helene Visagie, founders of Bottom Up, a Cape Town youth organisation that equips teenagers with tools of critical thought to question the systems around them rather than simply plugging gaps. Through clips from the original Liminal Space episode, Ashley describes the shift from fixing broken toilets to asking why they’re broken in the first place, and how capitalism alienates us from our work, each other, and the environment. Helene speaks about telling kids the truth without leaving them stranded in despair, and what it takes to move forward together. We reflect on when we first encountered critical thinking, and why imagining a new world requires us to question the imagination behind the current one. The episode closes with a guided imagination exercise inviting listeners to picture their neighbourhood 20 years from now. Themes Critical hope. Democratising critical thought. Stop plugging gaps. Alienation under capitalism. Education as liberation. Imagination as action. Youth as co-constructors of change. Listen to the Full Episode This episode features clips from The Liminal Space Season 1, Episode 3: Critical Hope and Being Human with Ashley Visagie. The full conversation is available on all podcast platforms. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube Featured Voices Ashley & Helene Visagie are the founders of Bottom Up, a Cape Town-based youth organisation that develops socially engaged leaders who can critically analyse how political, economic, and cultural systems produce inequality, and then organise to change them. Tristan Pringle is a life and executive coach, facilitator, and poet based in Cape Town. Rashid Adams is a musician, songwriter, music producer, and ethnomusicologist based in Cape Town. Credits Produced by Rashid Epstein Adams Music by Rashid Epstein Adams (AKA Arkenstone) and Pursuit A collaboration between The Common Good Podcast and The Liminal Space Podcast Links Podcast: linktr.ee/theliminalspacepod Substack: theliminalspacepodcast.substack.com Instagram: @theliminalspacepod

18 min

18 MAR

TLS x CG: A Safe Space in a Not-So-Safe Place with Bongeka and Aphiwe

This is the second in our series of seven short-form episodes, produced in collaboration with The Common Good Collective. In this episode, we head to Khayelitsha, where two young founders, Bongeka and Aphiwe (Qhama), have created something remarkable: Thembisa Ratanga, a community space they describe as “a safe space in a not-so-safe place.” Through a clip from the original Liminal Space episode, we hear them reflect on the deep connection between nature, spirituality, and the body. Yoga poses that imitate trees and birds. Sunsets you don’t plan but can’t avoid. The quiet gift of a wetland on the edge of a township. We then unpack what it means to “just be” in a world that demands we constantly produce or consume, and ask whether rest itself might be a revolutionary act. Themes Coming home to our bodies. Being vs doing. Nature asteacher. Rest as resistance. Spatial apartheid and its legacy. Yoga in the township. Eliminating economic isolation. Listen to the Full Episode This episode features a clip from The Liminal Space Season 2, Episode 11: What happens when we reclaim our stories and find home in our bodies? with Bongeka and Aphiwe. The full conversation runs about an hour and is available on all podcast platforms. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube Featured Voices Bongeka & Aphiwe (Qhama) are the founders ofThembisa Ratanga, a Khayelitsha-based NPO that uses education, art, and sport as tools for community development and self-empowerment. Their space has been dubbed “a waterfront in the township.” Tristan Pringle is a life and executive coach, facilitator, and poet based in Cape Town. Rashid Adams is a musician, songwriter, music producer, and ethnomusicologist based in Cape Town. Support Thembisa Ratanga Bongeka and Aphiwe are currently running a BackaBuddy campaign to support day-to-day logistics and building improvements for the kids in their community. If you’d like to contribute, visit the link below. Donate on BackaBuddy Credits Produced by Rashid Epstein Adams Music by Rashid Epstein Adams (AKA Arkenstone) A collaboration between The Common Good Podcast and TheLiminal Space Podcast Links BackaBuddy: backabuddy.co.za/campaign/tembisa-ratanga Podcast: linktr.ee/theliminalspacepod Substack: theliminalspacepodcast.substack.com Instagram: @theliminalspacepod

16 min

11 MAR

TLS x CG: Welcome to the Liminal Space with Tristan and Rashid

This is the first in a series of seven short-form episodes, produced in collaboration with The Common Good Collective. What happens when imagination meets reality? In this pilot episode, we kick off a special miniseries connecting The Liminal Space with the Common Good conversation. We share what drew us to the idea of liminality and explore the stories that ground us right now; from earth as a shared garden to the liberating power of intuition. The episode closes with a collectively written poem on imagination, storytelling, and the search for glimpses of a better world. About the Series Over seven episodes, released weekly on Wednesdays, this miniseries brings a Global South perspective to the Common Good Podcast’s core themes: the significance of place, eliminating economic isolation, and the structure of belonging. Through conversations with guests in Cape Town; from yoga practitioners in Khayelitsha to educators, and community organisers; we explore what it looks like to rebuild belonging in the wake of extraction and inherited inequality. Credits Recorded and produced by Rashid Adams Music by Arkenstone / Rashid Adams A collaboration between The Common Good Podcast and The Liminal Space Podcast Links Podcast: linktr.ee/theliminalspacepod Substack: theliminalspacepodcast.substack.com Instagram: @theliminalspacepod

17 min

25/12/2025 · BONUS

Bonus: What Took Root During Our Hibernation with Tristan and Rashid

As we mark the end of 2025, we created a brief episode to share some lessons learned during our recent “hibernation” period. During this time of quiet, seeds of possibility have been germinating underground. We’ve been slow-cooking a couple of possible collaborations, letting new ideas soften and deepen, and giving space for a few new people joining our team to find their footing. More on all of that in due course. For now, we’re choosing to stay in this liminal space intentionally: not quite “away”, not quite “back”, and not rushing either. We feel so grateful that we could record again this year, as we put together the 8 episodes which comprised season 2 of our podcast. The conversations, the questions, the moments of honesty, and the way the show kept teaching us how to listen is what keeps us excited about what's next. The two small offerings mentioned in this episode: A poem by Tristan; see the full text on our substack. A neat collation of themes from season two — a small map of the terrain we’ve explored. It’s there for your wandering on lazy afternoons. We won’t say too much; part of the fun is discovering what it shows you. See link here. Thank you for being here with us, on the threshold. We’re looking forward to what comes next, and we’re letting it arrive in its own time. The music in this episode is composed and arranged by Rashid Epstein Adams / Arkenstone.

10 min

26/06/2025

What grounds us and reflections on stories changing systems with Rashid and Tristan

We started season 2 with a question, "Can stories change systems?" We weren't sure that we would land on an answer but we thought of it as a thread we could explore throughout the season. In some episodes we had beautiful answers to that question, and even more beautiful questions. We end this season reflecting on the season. And rather than trying to summarise each conversation, which we may do in future in some format, we rather offer some brief reflections. Our starting point for this episode was self-analysis. We asked the question “where were we at” in terms of creative energy, personal wellbeing, and how grounded do we feel. What emerged was an idea for a shorter episode. We both answer the question “What stories ground you?”. We now take a break for the South African winter. Hibernating. And then we plan to emerge in the spring with new energy, inspiration and more questions, conversations and - of course - plenty of stories. The song Tristan references is by Pearl Jam and is called “Present Tense”, whilst Rashid shares a quote from the book Kapilolo’s Kulimatji: A !xun San storyteller’s memoir (2016) by Kapilolo Mario Mahongo. Right at the end of the episode, Rashid reads a quote from an editorial titled “Speaking truth to power: Indigenous storytelling as an act of living resistance” by Aman Sium and Eric Ritskes, which comes from the book Decolonization, Indigeneity, Education & Society (2015). It says: “If stories are archives of collective pain, suffering and resistance, then to speak them is to heal; to believe in them is to reimagine the world”. The music in this episode is composed and arranged by Rashid Epstein Adams / Arkenstone and Pursuit.

19 min

29/05/2025

Rehumanising stories from the screen, stage and dreamspace with Abduragman Adams

Abduragman Adams (also known as Abdu Adams) is an award-winning South African actor, director and drama lecturer. He has appeared in several television shows including Heartlines, Known Gods, Rugby Motors and Die Boland Moorde. In 2015 he landed a starring role in the kykNET soap opera, Suidooster, set in Cape Town in the fictional suburb of Ruiterbosch. He also worked on 7de Laan, where he played the character of David Abrahams. He also starred in award-winning films such as Four Corners (2013) directed by Ian Gabriel and won a SAFTA award for best Supporting Actor in Daryne Joshua’s feature film Noem My Skollie (2016). His passion for performance extends into his work in various South African theatre productions. He also loves mentoring the next generation for the screen and stage and is the founding director of the Saturday Varsity Film Academy, which specialises in Acting Master Classes designed to make actors screen and set ready. Abduragman is currently working on his one man theatre show, titled From Constantia to Manenberg Avenue, a memory play which explores his unique performance DNA as an actor, arts activist and educator. In this episode Abdu shares with us lessons learned in his career both as an actor, and as a nurse. He was trained and worked as a nurse before what he calls a Divine intervention. Access to a dreamspace led him on a trip to a drama department that would change his life. Abdu also reflects on refusing the stories that told him not to pursue acting as a career and choosing to do it anyway. We delve into the power of dreaming, with Abdu remarking, “If you don't dream, you’re dead”. At the end of the episode we have some fun speaking about the characters he has portrayed over the years. This was a special episode and the first time we interviewed a family member, with Abduragman also being Rashid’s beloved uncle. The music in this episode is composed and arranged by Rashid Epstein Adams / Arkenstone and Pursuit.

58 min

24/04/2025

Reorienting ourselves toward community and building new capabilities with Leila Kidson

Leila Kidson is a social systems researcher, facilitator, and designer focused on better integrating grassroots voices into systems design, advocacy and action. As co-founder of social design studio OCTOPI, she blends storytelling, co-creation, strategy, and intersectional feminist praxis to drive radical transformation in civic freedoms, solidarity economics, and social justice. She appreciates sitting around a lunch table with interesting people and free diving in kelp forests. OCTOPI is a South African-based social design studio that partners with organisations aiming to create positive social impact, particularly in marginalised communities within developing nations. Their approach combines strategic design processes with accessible storytelling to co-create solutions that address complex societal challenges from the ground up. In this episode we are treated to Leila’s exquisite ability to answer questions succinctly. She weaves with us through intersectional feminism, whiteness and what a more communally driven world could look like. She mentions Rutger Bregman’s book Humankind as an entry point into the idea of human beings being innately good. Together we consider what possibilities become alive when we reorient ourselves towards goodness. All held together by story. The music in this episode is composed and arranged by Rashid Epstein Adams / Arkenstone, Gabriel Montgomery and Pursuit.

54 min

27/03/2025

Re-membering the fragments of our heritage and identity in the colonial city with Ra-eesha and Taahirah

Ra-eesha Smith is an undergraduate Psychology student with a strong interest in understanding human behaviour and promoting mental well-being. Outside of academics, she is passionate about creating awareness about and addressing social injustices and inequalities. With this aim in mind, she is a youth mobiliser at BottomUp where she assists in facilitating social justice oriented events and workshops. Ra-eesha also uses her social platforms, especially TikTok, to create content that creates awareness on critical social issues, advocating for justice and equality. She is also a freelance photographer and aspiring writer, especially poetry. She enjoys singing, learning languages and exploring new hobbies. Taahirah Hoosain is a visual artist based in Cape Town, South Africa, specialising in alternative style photography. Taahirah has completed her diploma in Photography at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, her work explores the intersection of identity, culture, and self-expression as well as challenging conventional beauty standards and the structures that uphold them. Outside of her studies, Taahirah volunteers as a youth mobiliser at BottomUp, facilitating social justice events and workshops aimed at youth development. She also enjoys painting, music/singing, and creative makeup. Through her art and activism, she is committed to empowering marginalised voices and fostering an inclusive community. This episode explores themes of identity, heritage and revolutionary love. Ra-eesha and Taahirah speak about their experiences living on the cape flats in Cape Town. They grapple with what shapes their identity and how to reclaim it. We also briefly tackle how mental health issues are seen and dealt with in communities made up predominantly by people of colour. And of course we tell some hair stories. We hear a beautiful untitled original poem by the two of them: “As a child it is only natural to look at the world And let it surround you You allow the world roll down your face You let it sink deeper into your skin As it consumes your entire being. Stuck between who i was and who i am yet to be I walk a journey of uncertainty, Unaware of the destination, Or the path’s direction, I hope that I am not lost. As you continue to watch the world filled with destruction and disruption It feels easier to be compressed into nothing I don't want to occupy any space, I'm fragile, & I perform stability. Who am I beyond time? My values? My goals? My achievements? A soul, body or mind? I wander restlessly as I grapple with my identity. I look into the world for some form of guidance, But I am met with an unfair reality. The world constantly brings me to my knees It brings everyone and everything to its breaking point. But that is not the narrative I want. I'm depleted but not defeated I'm ready to fight, to love radically To revolt, to change. To rewrite- To make a difference in my own capacity. To love, To give freely, To be compassionate, to be the change I want to see. And while I don’t know where I am headed, I know what I can do now, So I continue, despite the confusion, To serve selflessly." You can view original photography by Ra-eesha and Taahirah on our substack. Follow Taahirah’s photography on her instagram page. The music in this episode is composed and arranged by Rashid Epstein Adams / Arkenstone, and Pursuit. #yeet

1hr 1min

The Liminal Space

TLS x CG: Critical Hope and the New Imagination with Ashley and Helene

TLS x CG: A Safe Space in a Not-So-Safe Place with Bongeka and Aphiwe

TLS x CG: Welcome to the Liminal Space with Tristan and Rashid

Bonus: What Took Root During Our Hibernation with Tristan and Rashid

What grounds us and reflections on stories changing systems with Rashid and Tristan

Rehumanising stories from the screen, stage and dreamspace with Abduragman Adams

Reorienting ourselves toward community and building new capabilities with Leila Kidson

Re-membering the fragments of our heritage and identity in the colonial city with Ra-eesha and Taahirah

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The Liminal Space

Episodes

TLS x CG: Critical Hope and the New Imagination with Ashley and Helene

TLS x CG: A Safe Space in a Not-So-Safe Place with Bongeka and Aphiwe

TLS x CG: Welcome to the Liminal Space with Tristan and Rashid

Bonus: What Took Root During Our Hibernation with Tristan and Rashid

What grounds us and reflections on stories changing systems with Rashid and Tristan

Rehumanising stories from the screen, stage and dreamspace with Abduragman Adams

Reorienting ourselves toward community and building new capabilities with Leila Kidson

Re-membering the fragments of our heritage and identity in the colonial city with Ra-eesha and Taahirah

About

Information

You Might Also Like