Power, People and Planet

Kumi Naidoo
  • 5.0 (7)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Feeling at all freaked out by the state of the world at the moment? Wondering what you can do about it? Join Kumi Naidoo, the veteran social and environmental justice campaigner, to tackle some of the biggest issues of our time. In each episode Kumi is joined by activists, artists and community leaders who are dismantling our broken system - and building something better in its place. Hear their stories. Learn what has kept them fighting. Find out how we all can make a difference. Learn more about the podcast by visiting: powerpeopleplanet.org

  1. Africans Rising: Leadership, Unity, and the Future of Pan-African Activism with Hardi Yakubu

    FEB 11

    Africans Rising: Leadership, Unity, and the Future of Pan-African Activism with Hardi Yakubu

    What does it mean to be an activist today — and who gets to claim that title? In this episode of Power, People & Planet, Kumi Naidoo is joined by Hardi Yakubu, Coordinator of Africans Rising for Unity, Justice, Peace and Dignity, for a powerful conversation on leadership, solidarity, and building people-powered movements across Africa. From Hardi’s early experiences of standing up to injustice in school to his current role helping lead a pan-African movement with tens of thousands of members, the conversation challenges narrow, NGO-centric definitions of activism and calls for organising that goes beyond moments of protest. At a time of overlapping crises — from climate breakdown to economic injustice — this episode asks how movements can rise with clarity, courage, and care. Because pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford. 🧭 Topics Discussed ✅Early experiences that shape a life of resistance ✅The origins and growth of Africans Rising as a pan-African movement ✅Why mobilisation is not enough — and why organising matters ✅Building collective leadership beyond charismatic individuals ✅Challenging extractive economic models and imperial power ✅Unity, justice, peace, and dignity as foundations for Africa’s future RESOURCES: Hardi Yakubu- https://www.facebook.com/sonofafrica/ Africans Rising for Unity, Justice, Peace and Dignity- https://www.facebook.com/AfricansRising Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

    42 min
  2. Eco-Anxiety as a Call to Action: Fossil Fuels, Palestine and the Artivist Path with Tori Tsui

    12/09/2025

    Eco-Anxiety as a Call to Action: Fossil Fuels, Palestine and the Artivist Path with Tori Tsui

    “Your eco-anxiety is a sign your humanity is intact. You’re reacting rationally to an irrational world.” In this episode of Power, People & Planet, Kumi Naidoo sits down with climate justice activist, author and musician Tori Tsui (It’s Not Just You) for a profound and unfiltered conversation about the world we’re living in — and the world we must build. Together they explore: 🔥 Why climate change is not an “environmental issue” — but a failure of our political, economic & military systems 🔥 The deep connection between climate justice and the genocide in Palestine 🔥 How the military–fossil fuel industrial complex drives conflict and global emissions 🔥 The urgency of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty 🔥 Eco-anxiety: why it’s a rational response to an irrational world — and how grief, rage and sensitivity can be transformed into collective power 🔥 Artivism: how culture, music and imagination fuel resistance and liberation Tori shares her journey from wildlife scientist to outspoken activist, her work with Brian Eno and Earth Percent, and the “Together for Palestine” concert at Wembley. Kumi reflects on the need to centre artists, storytellers and culture-makers to reach hearts, not just minds — and why validating eco-anxiety is essential for building a resilient, people-powered movement. ➡️ JOIN THE MOVEMENT Support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: https://fossilfueltreaty.org Join the Global Artivism Movement: https://globalartivism.org ➡️RESOURCES Follow Tori Tsui at : https://www.instagram.com/toritsui_ Together for Palestine: https://www.instagram.com/t4plive/ Massive Attack: https://www.instagram.com/massiveattackofficial/ ______________ Check out Centre for Public Impact's latest episode for the Reimagining Government Podcast! This podcast shines a light on government changemakers around the world. This season explores what happens when those too often excluded from decision-making lead the way, and what their leadership reveals about how governments can work differently. Learn more here: https://centreforpublicimpact.org/our-work/reimagining-government-podcast/ Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

    1h 7m
  3. “Fearless Artivism: The Beauty & Power of Art” | Shilo Shiv Suleman

    11/19/2025

    “Fearless Artivism: The Beauty & Power of Art” | Shilo Shiv Suleman

    Can beauty become the backbone of a social movement? 🧠✨ In this episode of Power, People & Planet, I sit down with artist and artivist Shilo Shiv Suleman to explore how art, beauty, and fearless imagination turn fear into love, trauma into healing, and streets into living canvases of resistance. From building an “army of fearless” women reclaiming public space, to creating climate monuments with frontline and Indigenous communities, we talk about: ☑️ How beauty can save us and help us heal ☑️ Why rebellion and imagination are essential political tools ☑️ What it means to root climate action in wonder, magic realism, and ancient wisdom ☑️ How art and culture are powering a new wave of global, feminist, decolonial movements If you’ve ever doubted that art can change the world, this conversation is for you. 🌟 #PowerPeoplePlanet #Artivism #FearlessImagination #ShiloShivSuleman #ClimateJustice #FeministFutures #GlobalArtivism Shiloh Shiv Suleman: https://www.instagram.com/shiloshivsuleman/ Fearless Collective: https://www.instagram.com/fearlesscollective/ Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

    1h 2m
  4. The Power of Artivism: Art for Dignity and for the Planet | Thiago Mundano Power, People and Planet

    10/12/2025

    The Power of Artivism: Art for Dignity and for the Planet | Thiago Mundano Power, People and Planet

    🔥 In this episode of Power, People and Planet Podcast, Kumi Naidoo sits down with Thiago Mundano — the Brazilian street artist and activist turning waste, ashes, and struggle into art that speaks for the planet. From the streets of São Paulo to the heart of the Amazon, Mundano’s work bridges the worlds of waste pickers, Indigenous defenders, and environmental justice — transforming discarded materials into powerful symbols of resistance and renewal. This conversation dives deep into: 🌍 How art can challenge systems of extraction and inequality ♻️ The dignity and power of waste pickers as environmental frontliners 🔥 Mundano’s project “Ashes of the Forest”, created from the remains of Amazon wildfires 🎨 The role of artivism in reclaiming hope and humanity amid climate chaos Kumi and Mundano explore what happens when artists dare to confront power — and when creativity becomes both a weapon and a lifeline. 💬 “When art comes from the ashes, it carries truth. And when truth moves people, change begins.” Join us in this journey through art, courage, and the fight for the Earth’s lungs. 📍References Thiago Mundano: https://www.instagram.com/mundano_sp/ Pimp My Carroca: https://www.instagram.com/pimpmycarroca/ #PowerPeoplePlanetPodcast #KumiNaidoo #GlobalArtivism #ClimateJustice  Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

    56 min
  5. Laudato Si, Music and Culture: Reimagining Climate Activism | Joe Moeono-Kolio | Power, People and Planet

    09/27/2025

    Laudato Si, Music and Culture: Reimagining Climate Activism | Joe Moeono-Kolio | Power, People and Planet

    “Laudato Si’ reframed climate change as an issue of justice, shifting the conversation into the moral and spiritual realm.” In this episode, Kumi Naidoo speaks with Joe Moeono-Kolio, Pacific Regional Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, about the spiritual and cultural dimensions of the climate struggle. Joe leads the Initiative’s diplomatic and campaign efforts across the Pacific. They explore how Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ reframed climate change as a moral and ethical crisis, connecting “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” Joe reflects on how faith traditions, indigenous wisdom, and Pacific spirituality continue to inspire action and resilience. 🎶 The conversation also highlights the vital role of arts and music as living archives of Pacific resistance. From colonial struggles to today’s climate fight, songs and cultural expression carry memory, healing, and power—reaching hearts where reports and policies cannot. 🔥 Key themes in this episode: Faith leadership and the impact of Laudato Si’ How spirituality and culture deepen the fight for justice Arts and music as tools for healing, resistance, and movement building Pacific traditions and their role in global climate activism 🎶 Featuring: This Is Our Home – Pacific Artists for Climate Justice ________ 🔗REFERENCES Personal: @joe.moeonokolio Organizational: @project.thisisourhome https://www.fossilfreepacific.org/ #LaudatoSi #FaithAndJustice #ClimateJustice #Artivism #PacificWarriors #KumiNaidoo Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

    1h 10m
  6. Climate Justice & the Pacific’s Fight for Survival | Alopi Latukefu | Power People and Planet

    09/19/2025

    Climate Justice & the Pacific’s Fight for Survival | Alopi Latukefu | Power People and Planet

    🔥 What can young leaders, indigenous wisdom, and the arts teach us about saving our future? In this episode of Power, People, Planet Podcast, Kumi Naidoo sits down with Alopi Latukefu — Director of The Global Centre for Social Justice and Advocacy Leadership — to talk about his remarkable journey from Papua New Guinea to global advocacy and to explore stories of resilience, leadership, and justice from the Pacific to the world.  Together, they explore the Pacific’s leadership on climate justice—from law students in Vanuatu bringing the climate crisis before the International Court of Justice, to the region’s push for a Fossil Fuel Treaty that challenges global dependency on extraction. They highlight the urgent need to uplift indigenous knowledge, center cultural wisdom in climate solutions, and harness the power of art and music as tools for mobilization. The episode closes with the song “Don’t Mess It All Up” by Alope’s daughter Meena Siali, reminding us that protecting our planet is both a responsibility and a legacy. 🔑Episode Highlights: How young Pacific law students brought the fight for climate justice to the International Court of Justice Why indigenous knowledge and wisdom are essential for humanity’s survival The Pacific’s leadership in pushing for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and the global transition away from extraction The rising role of art and culture (“artivism”) in communicating the urgency of climate action 👉 Watch, listen, and be inspired to act: the fight for climate justice needs all of us. 🔗RESOURCES A Just(ER) Generation Podcast (Episode with Kumi) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYnGjL0xWvs Alopi Latukefu Linkein:  Mina-Siale Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6cgRFKW05DZQz6XJPkLgSR

    1h 10m
  7. Resisting from the Shadows: Ivetta Sergeeva on Covert Acts of Defiance

    09/18/2025

    Resisting from the Shadows: Ivetta Sergeeva on Covert Acts of Defiance

    Can small, hidden acts of resistance change the world?  Kumi Naidoo talks to Dr. Ivetta Sergeeva, postdoctoral scholar at Stanford’s Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, to explore the concept of stealth activism— the covert resistance necessary to navigate life in authoritarian regimes. As co-founder of the OutRush Project, Ivetta studies and supports Russian migrants who fled after the invasion of Ukraine, documenting their displacement and their ongoing covert defiance.  In this episode, we’ll learn:  What “15 minutes a day to fight the regime” can mean for anyone, anywhere Why supporting small, individualized acts of resistance is vital to long-term social change The distinction between visible protest and subtle dissent How activism takes on different shapes in repressive societies—and why that matters (4th) Why everyday acts like writing letters to political prisoners can be revolutionary How activism takes on different shapes in repressive societies—and why that matters With warmth, humility, and analytical clarity, Ivetta reminds us that power lies not just in marches and megaphones, but in maps, data, and silent courage.   Produced by Larj Media   🔗 Resources & Mentions  OutRush Project (verify the final link with Ivetta) Stanford CDDRL Write to Russian Political Prisoners – OVD-Info Guide (Russian Human Rights Org) “Weapons of the Weak” by James C. Scott [Stealth Activism concept – Alinea Salnikova-Cook’s work] Kumi Naidoo at Amnesty International   Follow her work: @IvettaSergeeva  Full show notes and links: powerpeopleplanet.org

    18 min
  8. Can Storytelling Hold Power to Account?

    09/05/2025

    Can Storytelling Hold Power to Account?

    Kumi speaks with journalist and Coda Story co-founder Natalia Antelava about reinventing journalism in the age of authoritarianism, disinformation and algorithmic manipulation. From reporting in Yemen to pioneering context-driven coverage at Coda, Natalia shares how storytelling can resist authoritarian playbooks and (re)build public trust.  They explore the role of media as activism, the dangers of being slaves to the “breaking news” cycle, and how narratives around family values and identity have been co-opted to fuel global authoritarianism. Natalia also reflects on her work with the ZEG Festival, an experiment in imagination and cross-disciplinary resistance that brings artists, journalists, and philosophers together to shape the “day after tomorrow.”  This episode asks: Can arts and media help us move from information overload to deep understanding—and action? Can journalism reclaim its place as a bridge between divided realities?   Resources & Links  Coda Story (co-founded by Natalia): www.codastory.com ZEG Festival (co-organized by Natalia): www.zegfest.org Coda's coverage on disinformation and authoritarianism:  👉 Coda’s Authoritarian Tech Section  👉 Coda’s Disinformation Section “Burning with Optimism” essay by Kumi Naidoo (on resistance, burnout & activism):  openDemocracy Article Produced by Larj Media

    44 min
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About

Feeling at all freaked out by the state of the world at the moment? Wondering what you can do about it? Join Kumi Naidoo, the veteran social and environmental justice campaigner, to tackle some of the biggest issues of our time. In each episode Kumi is joined by activists, artists and community leaders who are dismantling our broken system - and building something better in its place. Hear their stories. Learn what has kept them fighting. Find out how we all can make a difference. Learn more about the podcast by visiting: powerpeopleplanet.org

Information

  • Creator
    Kumi Naidoo
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Kumi Naidoo
  • Show Website
    Power, People and Planet