Bannuar Voices

In this episode, host Chachie Abara dives into DreamWorks' Forgotten Island to look beyond the fantasy and folklore, unpacking its deeply relatable themes of diaspora trauma, identity, and mental health.

As a 1.5-generation Filipina-American, Chachie breaks down the psychological weight behind Jo and Raissa’s journey on the mystical island of Nakali. What starts as an epic animated adventure quickly mirrors real-world immigrant anxieties: the terrifying fear of losing touch with your roots, the grief of cultural erasure during assimilation, and the emotional toll of trying to preserve lifelong friendships when your worlds begin to shift.

Tune in for an insightful conversation on:

• The 1.5-Gen Experience: How navigating life between two cultures shapes identity and belonging.

• Cultural Erasure & Memory: The quiet grief of adapting to a new world without forgetting who you are.

• Friendship as an Anchor: The vital role of Kapwa (shared identity) and keeping your safe spaces alive through life's transitions.

Whether you're a fan of Philippine mythology or looking to destigmatize mental health conversations within immigrant communities, this episode offers a warm, validating space for collective healing.

Welcome to a brand-new season of Bannuar Voices (formerly Kasamahan Co). We’re kicking things off by stripping away the polished edits and inviting you directly into the room with us for a special, uncut season opener.

In a world that often asks us to curate, shorten, and package our truths, this episode is a deliberate space to slow down. We’re holding space for the full, messy, and beautiful complexity of our stories—the long pauses, the spontaneous laughter, the deep breaths, and the real talk that usually gets left on the cutting room floor.

Inside This Episode

• Honoring Our Roots: We reflect on our transition from Kasamahan Co to Bannuar Voices, unpacking what it truly means to step into courage and honor the "everyday heroes" in our families and neighborhoods.

• Generational Truths: Candid reflections on identity, diaspora life, holding onto cultural roots, and navigating the quiet moments of healing and growth.

Note to Listeners: Because this is an uncut release, you’ll hear all the organic warmth, conversational tangents, and genuine moments as they naturally happened. Thank you for walking this path with me!

Welcome to Season 11 of Bannuar Voices (formerly Kasamahan Co).

What started as a shared table to bring our community together has grown into a living, breathing archive of our stories. This season, we’re stepping fully into our rebrand to Bannuar—the Ilokano word for hero or brave pioneer.

We’re moving away from distant legends and turning the mic toward the everyday heroes in our neighborhoods, families, and diaspora: the storytellers, elders, organizers, artists, and quiet changemakers keeping our heritage alive.

• Unfiltered Conversations: Moving past polished edits to hold space for raw, honest, and human storytelling.

• Deep Roots & Diaspora Narratives: Exploring identity, ancestral wisdom, labor, and generational healing across the Ilokano and Filipinx community.

• Radical Community Care: Honest discussions on what it means to show up for each other, build resilience, and shape public space.

Whether you’ve been walking with us since Episode 1 or you’re pulling up a chair for the very first time—welcome home. Your story belongs here.

Subscribe & Follow🎧 Catch new episodes streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Connect with us on Instagram: @BannuarVoices

What to Expect in Season 11!

• Unfiltered Conversations: Moving past polished edits to hold space for raw, honest, and human storytelling.

• Deep Roots & Diaspora Narratives: Exploring identity, ancestral wisdom, labor, and generational healing across the Ilokano and Filipinx community.

• Radical Community Care: Honest discussions on what it means to show up for each other, build resilience, and shape public space.

Whether you’ve been walking with us since Episode 1 or you’re pulling up a chair for the very first time—welcome home. Your story belongs here.

Subscribe & Follow🎧 Catch new episodes streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.

📲 Connect with us on Instagram: @BannuarVoice

When it comes about Filipino identity and culture has so much than just where you came from or what language you speak. If you ask me when I first started with the podcast, I was first taken back by all the different cultures and language but as I continued with this journey, it comes to the land-based identity.

If you want to hear more of Jonah's story, listen to the podcast and follow his small business at @nanea.designs

AJ Clifforde Alcover (1st generation) Filipino-Cebuano who immigrated from Digos City in the Philippines. He is a former graduate and alumni of Brown University.

Shoutout to Kaeo Studios (@kaeostudios) in Waipahu Plaza for providing a space for us to do the podcast in person!

Marnelli Joy B. Ulep is the Program Development Manager for the Business Administration Division at UH West Oahu. She holds a BBA in Marketing and International Business and a MEd in Higher Education Administration, both from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. 

For many years, she was involved with community organizations like NaFFAA and groups that empower Filipino/a youth, like the Sariling Gawa Youth Council and Miss Oahu Filipina Scholarship Pageant. She currently is an member of Advisory Boards for local high school academies.

Marnelli is also a wife, mother to two, and daughter to immigrant parents. 

Fourth generation Filipino-Kama'aina Settler in the Kingdom of Hawai'i, I introduced to you, Tiffany Nohea Kasoga (she/her/hers). Through the season of her life she calls this, "motherhood" and the journey in re-discovering her culture again especially since growing up she did not have any close ties that helped her uproot her own cultural upbringing or the way she was brought up varied through her genealogy.

Key terms you should know: