Accent of Women

This week we speak to Abbey Mag and Awak Kongor about their contributions to the South Sudanese community in Melbourne and the ethical risks of creating for/about community.Abbey Mag is a proud Dinka Bor woman of Junub Sudan, now formally known as South Sudan. Abbey’s interest lay in the use of social media and how it can be utilised as means of telling stories and changing narrative. Awak Rech Kongor is a South Sudanese young black woman in Narrm, Melbourne Victoria. She is the founder of Procrasinated Productions, a South Sudanese, Melbourne based, film and content production company.

On today’s program, we speak with Fiori Giovanni motivational speaker, social commentator, and author of the about to be released life memoir, Defy Your Destiny. Fiori is a woman who uses her own story of survival to help others. Born in war torn Eritrea, in north east Africa, Fiori defies a destiny of being a child bride, being a child soldier, and eventually being a refugee, to make it in Australia.

On January 23, the US government sponsored a political coup in Venezuela, with right-wing politician Juan Guaidó’s self-swearing in as “interim president,” a stunt worked out in advance with the Trump administration. Washington immediately recognized Guaidó, an operative of the extreme right, US-funded Voluntad Popular party, who had been suddenly elevated to the presidency of the opposition-controlled National Assembly on the eve of the coup. The Trump administration at the same time declared the Maduro government “illegitimate.”As you can imagine, the situation is developing quickly in Venezuela, with imperialist countries circling to side with Guaido to further exploit the natural resources of the country, in the context of economic and political unrest. Accent of Women is not a news service, so we can’t provide you with up to date information about what’s happening. However, today’s program offers some analysis of the background and context for this Parliamentary coup. On the show today is Eulalia Reyes de Whitney, co-convenor of the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network, working towards solidarity with Venezuela since the Bolivarian Revolution.

A recording of a fundraiser organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance. The panel, Decolonising Solidarity - what can i do, was part of WAR's 7 days of resistance campaign.Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to Tanya Day's family in the lead up to the Deaths in Custody trial in March. PanelistsCaroline Martin is a descendant of the Briggs family and Custodian of Boonwurrung Country, and the 2019 Creative Director of the Yirramboi Festival. Crystal Mckinnon is Yamatji woman and research fellow.Clare Land, is the author of Decolonizing solidarity: Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles.Idil Ali is a Youth Practitioner at Drummond Street Services, and supervises VoiceFest.  Charandev Singh is a human rights advocate and paralegal and educator.

Meriki Onus, is from the Gunai and Gunditjmara nations and one of the co-founders of Warriors of Aboriginal Resistance (WAR).Meriki discusses the Invasion Day Rally and the legacy of Aboriginal activism. Check out WAR's website - Invasion Day,  for information about events, resources and how to donate/support.

International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is held on 3 December each year. This year’s theme is ‘Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’. To mark this important date, Marisa Sposaro spoke to Jiselle Hanna about meaningful inclusion, self-determination and the accessibility of activist spaces. Marisa Sposaro, is a broadcaster at Community Radio 3CR, and produces a radio show called Doin Time about prisoner rights and advocacy.

Ayan Shirwa sits in on a debriefing session organized by Naarm Imagining Abolition.Naarm Imagining Abolition was organized by Meriki Onus and Idil Ali to address the inequity of capital. Through a series of fundraisers they were able to send a group of young people to Brisbane for the Imagining Abolition Conference organised by Sisters Inside.

Can you say whatever you want on social media? On today's program I chat to Tarneen Onus about the cost of speaking out against instituional racism. Later in the show Areej Nur sits down with me to make sense of our rights and responsibilities on Facebook.Areej Nur is a radio producer and educator Tarneen Onus is a Yigar Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Bindal and Torres Strait Islander. She has been a sexual health and consent educator, social worker, activist and rally organizer. Interview by Ayan ShirwaSound by Purple Planet Music.

For Us By UsThis episode is a recording of a keynote speech by Antoinette Braybrook, who's an Aboriginal woman and the CEO of Djirra. Antoinette spoke at the Tranforming Democracy conference organized by the Federation of Community Legal Centres. Antoinette discusses why Aboriginal led organizations are better placed to address complex and multilayered issues like family violence. Content warning :This episode contains descriptions of torture, sexual violence, rape, phsyical violence and mental health that may be distressing to some listeners. Numbers to contact:Djirra  03 9244 3333 or free call 1800 105 303 Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au djirra.org.au

On today’s episode of Accent of Women, we look at the leading causes of gender inequality in the Australian workplace and why female dominated sectors are underpaid.We speak to Kara Keyes, the Australian Council of Trade Union’s Campaign Director, and Achut, who is an early childhood educator in Victoria.If you want to know more information about the Change the Rules Campaign, go to  https://changetherules.org.au/Music: http://www.purple-planet.com