Strength & Solidarity

Strength & Solidarity
  • 5.0 (15)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
Strength & Solidarity

A podcast featuring the people and ideas that are driving -and disrupting -human rights around the world. You can learn more about the project at our website, www.strengthandsolidarity.org. We welcome your feedback and your suggestions. In particular, if you have a poem or text, a speech, or a piece of music that expresses something important about your own commitment to rights, please tell us about it at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org.

  1. 4D AGO

    52. Nigeria: What’s happening to the activists?

    Passionate political debate is a cherished pastime in Nigeria. There’s a rich tradition of active participation too, whether it is in support of a favoured electoral candidate, or protesting against oppressive practices by security forces and price hikes that hit a struggling population hard. On the face of it, that tradition is being upheld – there have been several big campaigns in recent years to defend rights and democracy. But two civil society leaders tell host Akwe Amosu that all is not well with grass roots activists and that the government of President Tinubu – ironically once an activist himself – is coming down hard on those who challenge his policies.  Yemi Adamolekun of Enough is Enough, and Funke Adeoye of Hope Behind Bars break down the causes of the malaise.  And in the Coda, Lebanese human rights defender Farah Abou El Sel reflects on the music of Fairuz and how it has guided her path. https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org We are now publishing our newsletter on Substack, if you would like to subscribe: https://strengthandsolidarity.substack.com/

    49 min

  2. 5D AGO · BONUS

    52. [Excerpt] The Coda: How Fairuz’s songs pointed to a life defending rights

    Farah Abou El Sel recalls the mornings in her Lebanese childhood, when the silken, plangent voice of Fairuz could be heard in every street, welcoming the day.  Farah grew up hearing and loving the songs without thinking much about the lyrics. But in hindsight she sees how profoundly Fairuz’s empathy and humanist message has shaped her life choices, including her decision to work in human rights.  https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org We are now publishing our newsletter on Substack, if you would like to subscribe: ⁠https://strengthandsolidarity.substack.com/⁠ Music credits: Fairuz - Wahdon, 1979 Fairuz - Le Beirut, 1989

    7 min

  3. MAR 19

    51. Iran: Building a movement for rights in exile

    In the quarter century since Iran’s Islamic revolution, thousands of Iranians have left their home to live in exile. Although they all have a country in common, that diaspora is hugely diverse – coming from different generations and with a wide range of origin stories, political allegiances and views about the change they would like to see in Iran. When in 2022 a young woman in Iran was beaten and killed by the morality police for wearing her hijab incorrectly, anger across the exile community suggested favorable  conditions for a diaspora movement for rights in Iran to emerge. But what form should such a movement take? The founder and co-director of Azadi Network, Negin Shiraghaei, reflects on the choices she and other organizers faced as they took up that challenge. And in the Coda, Turkish eco-activist Burcu Meltem Arik shares a poem by Nazim Hikmet reminding us of what nature can teach us about resilience. Music Credit: Ben Sığmazam by Özge Arslan, 2023 https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org

    42 min

  4. MAR 19 · BONUS

    51. [Excerpt] The Coda: Learning lessons in resilience from nature

    When Burcu Meltem Arik first read Nazim Hikmet’s poem, The Walnut Tree, she exhaled with relief at its message. She reflects that nature has much to teach us - especially the value of community and connectedness for resilience – but we don’t always notice the lesson. Music Credit: Ben Sığmazam by Özge Arslan, 2023 https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org

    8 min

  5. FEB 26

    50. US Aid freeze: Catastrophe or Opportunity?

    The Trump Administration’s freeze on US aid has caused a global outcry.  Poor and vulnerable communities in famine and war-afflicted locations are suddenly without food, and without the medications that keep people with chronic conditions alive.  That aid also helped to protect persecuted activists and human rights defenders who are now at greater risk from violence and authoritarian abuse.  But the freeze has also made obvious the scale of dependency around the world.  Now that the danger of relying on donor funds is so clear, what can those who need the services do? Farnoosh Hashemian, global health expert and Dzikamai Bere, National Director of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association discuss the implications with host Akwe Amosu. https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org

    36 min

  6. JAN 28

    49. Myanmar: What a decade of democracy meant for LGBTQ rights

    In 2011, nearly 50 years of military dictatorship came to an end in Myanmar,  allowing LGBTQ activists to organize publicly to repeal a homophobic law, and advocate more positive attitudes towards SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) rights.  They were making big strides in their campaigns when a military coup returned the generals to power, making open activism impossible. Despite that, Hla Myat Tun Executive Director of LGBTQ group, Colors Rainbow, says the gains they made are holding strong and they continue to work underground.   And in the Coda, an Indonesian activist tells us why books mean so much to her. https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org

    39 min

  7. JAN 27 · BONUS

    49.[Excerpt] The Coda: ‘Books are a freedom for me’

    Indonesian human rights defender Fatia Maulidiyanti spent over two years fighting criminal defamation charges brought by a government minister, charges that could have landed her in jail.  But when life gets complicated, Fatia has her own private refuge to which she can retreat and recharge. https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org

    5 min

  8. 12/17/2024

    48. North Korea: What future do Koreans want, and do they agree?

    With North Korea becoming ever more repressive and closed to the outside world, what is the best path to change? For some, aggressive advocacy for human rights is needed; for others, especially an older generation of North Koreans who have found their way to the south, unification of the two Koreas should be the priority.  Still others, particularly the younger generation of South Koreans, doubt the value of devoting a lot of energy and resources to changing the status quo.   Hanna Song, Executive Director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, reflects on what underlies the differing views and ambivalence and argues that it’s critical to understand and listen to those who have escaped from North Korea. And in the Coda, a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer relies on soccer to keep things cordial. Music by Oliver Mtukudzi. https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/ Contact us at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org

    54 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

A podcast featuring the people and ideas that are driving -and disrupting -human rights around the world. You can learn more about the project at our website, www.strengthandsolidarity.org. We welcome your feedback and your suggestions. In particular, if you have a poem or text, a speech, or a piece of music that expresses something important about your own commitment to rights, please tell us about it at pod@strengthandsolidarity.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Strength & Solidarity
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    109
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Strength & Solidarity
  • Show Website
    Strength & Solidarity

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