Accent of Women

This week's Accent of Women looks at apostasy – the practice of changing or leaving your religion.Apostasy is a critical demand for the international workers movement – it goes to the heart of collective consciousness, especially working class consciousness. It is about breaking the chains of religion that suppress and oppress, particularly women.But it is also an extremely difficult conversation to have, in this political climate. Atheism and the rejection of religion entirely, arises with scientific and technological development – and these two things are often conflated with western progress. So then, the conversation about apostasy is often appropriated by liberals, right-wing feminists, and quite frankly, racists.And yet, apostasy is a critical demand of the international workers movement.Accent of Women attempts to have this conversation. There are progressives right across the world, challenging the hold of religion on their lives, their societies, and their struggles for liberation. They live in places like Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia. These socialists, these progressive, require our solidarity. In exactly the same way, that Muslims under atttack in Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, France, need our solidarity in defence of their right to practice their religion.

On Today’s Accent of Women, we will learn more about the Labor Victorian government’s plans in relation to the Public Housing Renewal project, and the social impacts that this will have.We hear from Yasemin Shamsili of the Public Housing Defence Network and Ayan Mohamud, a community activist and public housing tenant

The 26th January, 2018 saw some of the biggest rallies across Australia in solidarity, defence and struggle with Aboriginal people.  In Melbourne alone, 50 to 60,000 people marched the streets, overshadowing the official Australia Day Parade 50 to 1. This week's Accent of Women looks at the Abolish Australia Day campaign featuring interviews with Dtarneen Onus-Williams and Meriki Kalinya, and a speech by Jenny Munro

Today on Accent of Women, we look at the supposed crime wave of African gangs that is sweeping Victoria.To discuss this issue, two young women are featured on Accent of Women, who in very different ways, are both working towards combating the media's racist rhetoric, and ultimately to ending this kind of racism. These two young women are Eunice Gabboyi, chairperson of the Afro Australian Student Association, and Sajda Yacoub ffrom the Peer Advocacy Team of the Police Accountability Project at Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre.

In Melbourne, at the Immigration Museum Palestinian installation artist Aseel Tayah brings us Bukjeh: Stories of home, and of having to leave it.Bukjeh is an installation and a series of short performances created with people who have been forced to leave their homes, and in response to children's questions about refugees.

US President Donald Trump's announcement to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is effectively an endorsement of Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem. The announcement sparked protests in Gaza and the West Bank and some commentators are describing the situation as a third intifada. But to understand the current provocation, what's happening in Palestine and what the future is for the Palestinian struggle, Accent of Women speaks with Palestinian activist, Samah Sabawi.

On today’s Accent of Women, we look at women organising in the South Korean labour movement. In the second part of the program we will hear from Wol San Liem, director of International Affairs for the Korean Public Transport Workers Union, about a current strike in the railways, against privatisation. But first up on the show, we look at a significant labour movement event on the South Korean workers’ calendar – Jun Tae Il day.

On today’s Accent of Women, we conclude our exploration of early Japanese communist women.Shomi Yoon is member of the International Socialist Organisation in Aeteoroa/New Zealand. Shomi herself is from Japanese origins, and was a keynote speaker at the Marxism conference held in 2014.

On today’s Accent of Women, we take a step back into history and look at early Japanese communist women.Shomi Yoon is member of the International Socialist Organisation in Aeteoroa/New Zealand. Shomi herself is from Japanese origins, and was a keynote speaker at the Marxism conference held in 2014.

On October 12, Hamas and Fatah signed a landmark reconciliation deal in Cairo in what has been said is a key step towards ending a decade-long rift between the two Palestinian factions.But do these developments hold hope for Palestinian liberation and the end to Israeli apartheid? Or is it another attempt to goad the Palestinians into agreeing to ever more concessions to Israel, ceding land and resources? To discuss this development, Reem Yunis, Palestinian activist and socialist based here in Melbourne.