Accent of Women

Massive civil society protests have continued in Hong Kong. Commencing on 9 June, we’ve seen millions of people march, originally against the introduction of the extradition bill, but now the movement has raised a number of demands including full suffrage for the people of Hong Kong. Accent of Women first covered this issue in June, and you can go back and listen to that podcast, which is posted to our page on 3CR’s website. Since that broadcast, much has happened in Hong Kong. We’ve seen the formal entry of the workers movement, we’ve seen right wing elements assert themselves in the movement – what happens now is a matter of political analysis. And to have that conversation with me, I welcome back Carol Ng, the elected women’s officer of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions.

Creative producer Daisy Nduta talks about her exciting new show - Assimilate. Assimilate is showing at Darebin Arts as part of Melbourne Fringe 2019. Tickets can be purchased here. Assimilate was created and produced by Daisy Nduta and is performed by Naomi Sepiso, Tamara Bailey, Anyuop Dau, and Daisy Nduta.

Veteran broadcaster Namila Benson talks ghost-writing, community radio, and Jack Charles.Later in the show, cultural historian Samia Khatun discusses the inspiration for her book - Australianama.GuestsNamila Benson is a broadcaster, media trainer and national radio producer who works across multiple media platforms. She got her start in radio 26 years ago on 3CR. Most recently, she ghostwrote the memoir of respected actor, activist and Elder - Uncle Jack Charles. The book is called, “Jack Charles: Born-again Blakfella”. Outside of media and motherhood, Namila hosts, moderates and guests on public talks at various festivals and events across so-called Melbourne and beyond.Samia Khatun is a writer, filmmaker and cultural historian whose documentaries have screened on SBS-TV and ABC-TV.

August 30, 2019 commemorates 20 years since the East Timor referendum on independence. In 1975, Indonesia invaded East Timor, beginning a brutal regime of occupation that would last until 1999. More than 200,000 East Timorese died and many more suffered during massacres, torture and starvation.Carla Chung is an organiser with the United Workers Union, she is East Timorese, and an East Timor independence activist. She both grew up in East Timor and is one of the younger generation of activists she says is continuing to fight for East Timor’s future, and she joins me on today’s program.

Thirteen million people in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir have spent the last three weeks under a regime of extraordinary repression and collective punishment at the hands of India’s Hindu supremacist BJP government. Freedom of speech and assembly have been abolished, with gatherings of more than four people outlawed. Critics who have denounced the repression to the media have been imprisoned. Public transport has been shut down, and the region’s economy has ground to a halt.  So, what is this dispute about? Hasn’t Kashmir always been contested, isn’t it always highly militarised? To answer these questions, I am joined on today’s program by Kavita Krishnan, leftists and feminist activist in India, and leading member of the Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist

What comes to mind when you hear the word love? Is it romantic relationships? Friendships? Self-love? Community? Arts and cultural curator Bigoa Choul joins us this week to make sense of a concept that is so polarizing. Today’s episode is inspired by an upcoming event called ‘Let's Talk Love’ hosted by Bigoa Chuol and featuring the contributors of 'Growing Up African in Australia'. The event is part of the Melbourne Writers Festival.Artist bio: Bigoa is an arts and cultural curator, writer and presenter. Her work has featured internationally and in various renowned literature, music and poetry festivals all around Melbourne Australia since 2015. Presently, she is working on (re) establishing cultural connection, re-distributing knowledge and language inter-generationally within the South Sudanese diaspora through different artistic mediums in the co-produced Medida Winter Series. As well as a research project with the University of Melbourne Social Equity School into perceived gender norms among the Nuer. She is the Events Coordinator at Footscray Community Art Centre, a community-engaged contemporary art centre.

The face of the environmentalism movement in Australia is predominantly white. Why is this the case and how can the movement expand to include all voices?The Multicultural Greens Victoria hosted a panel that tackled those exact questions. We also spoke to Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Green's Senator for NSW, about islamophobia, decolonisation and why she continues to speak out against misogyny and racism. Panelists- Dr. Priya Srinivasan, Associate Professor Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization Deakin University- Lidia Thorpe, First Aboriginal Women in Victorian Parliament- Lisa Maza, Professional Actor/Singer and Member of the Blak Greens- Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Senator for NSW

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, recently announced plans to introduce an Indigenous voice to parliament. Some embraced the news as a positive step towards self-determination,  while others were more skeptical.On today's episode we ask Gunnai-Kurnai and Gunditjmara woman Lidia Thorpewhat she thinks about an Indigenous voice to parliament, and also get updates on Victoria’s exciting treaty negotiations. Lidia Thorpe is a human rights advocate and a former greens MP for the seat of Northcote.  If you’d like to know more about treaty, sovereignty and land rights check out 3CR programs, Fire First, Blak 'n' Deadly and Blaknoise!

NAIDOC week was 8 to 15 July. This week on Accent of Women, we bring you the voices of Aboriginal women in struggle. In the second part of the show, we play an exerpt from a public meeting held at Victoria’s Trades Hall. The public meeting was called Fighting for Black issues in a White Democracy.But first up on the show, the landmark announcement about the Stolen Wages settlement. A class action on behalf of an estimated 10,000 Indigenous workers in Queensland who had their wages stolen last century has been settled with the state government for $190m. For decades leading up to the 1970s, the wages of Indigenous workers in Queensland were not paid directly to them but to the state under so-called "Protection Acts". But about 60 per cent of those involved in this historic case, have since passed on.One of the claimaints, Colleen Hurley, joins us on the show.

In 1994, close to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus lost their lives in the Rwandan Genocide.  We commemorate the 25th anniversary by bringing you stories of hope and resilience. In the second half of the program, you'll hear a snippet of the event Fighting for Black Issues in a White Democracy , organised by First Nations Workers Alliance and Victorian Trades Hall Council .