Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

Riada Asimovic Akyol
  • 4.8 (21)
  • Society & Culture

With compelling research, beautiful storytelling and powerful interviews with extraordinary people from different industries and from all around the world, journalist Riada Asimovic Akyol presents a podcast about fresh narratives on confronting despair, alleviating distress, and forging ahead. While innovatively linking two powerful concepts - dignity and resilience - she also aims to grow a global conversation that seeks to better acknowledge different individual and sociocultural perspectives on meaningfully weathering life‘s adversities. Ultimately, this podcast is an invitation for people to engage in a thoughtful introspection, regardless of one‘s geographical location or state of mind. Stronger human relationships and more adequate resources for everyone‘s resilience are the goal. We have different lives, distinct pathways, cultures and contexts, but we can find common ground in supporting dignified resilience anywhere.

  1. 03/17/2022

    Riada talks to Karina Orlova on Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, censorship, propaganda, ways forward

    This was a special episode. I interviewed a dear friend, someone whom I enjoy having conversations on many topics offline, and today we decided to move our conversation about Russia’s conversation of Ukraine, about propaganda and misinformation, censorship, something that Karina Orlova, my today’s guest is very knowledgeable about herself. She was the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Russia’s liberal radio station, Echo of Moscow, before it was shut a few days after the invasion began. She left Russia in 2015, and has for years been very vocal about her opposition to Vladimir Putin and his regime. This was a very illuminating conversation with Karina, who as per usual self, offered many frank insights on the context of the invasion, her thoughts about why she feels guilty and ashamed at the moment, about the benefits of the sanctions and the consequences for the stability of the regime, her thoughts on Putin’s potential usage of chemical and nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and how to help Russian dissidents and people who most need it today - those in Ukraine.

  2. 02/23/2022

    Riada talks to Catherine Baker, Azra Hromadzic on Politics, Race, Migration, Environment in Balkans

    Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

  3. 01/24/2022

    Riada talks to Blerta Basholli, director of ‘Hive,’ film from Kosovo shortlisted for Oscars 2022 nominations

    It was a pleasure to host Blerta Basholli, the director of the Kosovar film "Hive," currently shortlisted among 15 international feature films for Oscars 2022. The film is inspired by the true story of Fahrije Hoti from Krusha village, whose husband was missing from the war in Kosovo. In order to help the survival of her family and ensure kids' livelihood, she comes up with an idea to establish a cooperative, to start an agricultural business. On the way, she faces numerous challenges in a traditional, patriarchal environment. I spoke with Blerta about the background of the story, the process of making the film, Fahrije's resilience, the grief and its portrayal in the film, the importance of storytelling through this medium, the reception of the film in Kosovo, Blerta's plans for the film and her message for the viewers. It is a beautiful movie and I hope this conversation brings to more visibility for it, and that as many people get to see it! The film has achieved a tremendous success already, it won the top three awards at the US Sundance Film Festival in 2021, for “Best Film”, “Best Director” and “Audience Award," and continues its festival route. It will also be available for streaming on some major platforms in the US soon.

  4. 12/16/2021

    Riada talks to Dr. Bruce D. Perry on ”What Happened to You?” - on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing

    Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

  5. 09/30/2021

    Riada & Jasmin Mujanovic, Harun Buljina on politics, multigenerational legacies of trauma, history, future of Bosnia & H., Western Balkans

    Wow, what a truly candid and powerful conversation - on politics, history, future of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Western Balkans and so much more! Learn why Jasmin believes that the biggest threat in the Western Balkans region is the renewed Serbian ultra-nationalism as the stated government policy of the regime in Belgrade. Guests also addressed the “Open Balkan” regional market initiative and the absence of Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and why ”in the Western Balkans, the Serbian World is a fact on the ground and a threat to be confronted; concepts like the Open Balkan initiative are just fine ideas on paper” (J.M.). Harun and Jasmin shared their thoughts on the latest news (which is not news at all) from the EU that it can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries that were for years led to believe they had a place in the EU. We talked a lot about the continuous gaslighting and dehumanization of Bosnian genocide survivors, as well as Bosniaks more broadly, and about the historical aspects and longevity of the anti-Muslim sentiment about the region. At the same time, the research on the denial of the Bosnian genocide shows it has moved into the academic-literary sphere at the international level, so guests shared their views about that, including on repercussions of insulting, hateful and dangerous claims such as that “Bosniak nationalists” have made Srebrenica their “chosen trauma” to avoid reconciliation with the Serbs. We talked about intergenerational legacies, representation, trauma, mutual mentorship, future prospects for Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, hope, dealing with hate online and so much more. I hope that this conversation helps you learn or deepen your knowledge on these subjects, and that you see it as an invitation for more, maybe better or more thoughtful and meaningful exchanges on these topics in the future. Jasmin Mujanovic is a political scientist and analyst of southeast European and international affairs with a PhD from York University in Toronto. His career background is a unique blend of global academic and professional engagement, as he has worked as a scholar, policy analyst, consultant, researcher, and writer in both North America and Europe. His first book, ”Hunger and Fury: The Crisis of Democracy in the Balkans,” was published in 2018. He was the co-host of the podcast Sarajevo Calling. Harun Buljina is a historian of the late Ottoman and modern Balkans, with a focus on Muslim intellectual and socio-political networks in this region. He received his Ph.D. in History from Columbia University in May 2019, defending a dissertation on the Pan-Islamist reform movement in late 19th and early 20th century Bosnia-Herzegovina. Most recently, he was affiliated with the Center of the Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University.

  6. 09/23/2021

    Riada and Jay Van Bavel on ”Power of US” - Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation and Promote Social Harmony

    Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

  7. 04/05/2021

    Riada talks to Amra Sabic-El-Rayess on book "The Cat I Never Named," Bosnian genocide, resilience

    Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

  8. 02/26/2021

    Riada talks to Dr. Brian Hare about his book "Survival of the Friendliest"

    Dignified Resilience with Riada Akyol

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4.8
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

With compelling research, beautiful storytelling and powerful interviews with extraordinary people from different industries and from all around the world, journalist Riada Asimovic Akyol presents a podcast about fresh narratives on confronting despair, alleviating distress, and forging ahead. While innovatively linking two powerful concepts - dignity and resilience - she also aims to grow a global conversation that seeks to better acknowledge different individual and sociocultural perspectives on meaningfully weathering life‘s adversities. Ultimately, this podcast is an invitation for people to engage in a thoughtful introspection, regardless of one‘s geographical location or state of mind. Stronger human relationships and more adequate resources for everyone‘s resilience are the goal. We have different lives, distinct pathways, cultures and contexts, but we can find common ground in supporting dignified resilience anywhere.

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