Brown Don't Frown Podcast

We begin Season 3 with Climate Change Activist and Co-Executive Director of Green New Deal UK, Fatima-Zahra Ibrahim. No previous war or recession has resulted in such a rapid decline in emissions as we’ve seen during COVID-19. We therefore ask: is it a real catalyst for addressing climate change? 

We explore Bangladesh as a case study for environmental migration, namely how Mongla, a port town on its south coast is an attractive alternative to an overcrowded and environmentally endangered Dhaka.

We talk about optics, the polarised public perception of Extinction Rebellion, and how impactful activist campaigns are in engendering real change. We also consider how we can address the lack of representation and diversity in climate change activism. I invite Fatima to talk more about Green New Deal UK, and whether a Green New Deal is indeed compatible with the dominant political and economic system of our time: Capitalism. We discuss how environmental policies can be embedded within strategies to address the pandemic-induced economic crisis and wider inequality. 

Finally, we look at the steps we can take, on an individual scale, to be more climate conscious.

This was a live podcast originally broadcast on 13 August 2020 in collaboration with #SouthAsianHeritageMonth. 

From Gujuratis in Harrow and Wembley, Punjabis in Southall and Handsworth, Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets and Pakistanis in Bradford and Sparkhill, South Asians form the fabric of British society, influencing the development of communities, infrastructure and services. In this special episode, Brown Don't Frown and BAME in Property share your housing stories. We unpack the experiences of social housing, community cohesion, financial decision-making, cultural and social mobility, sexism and inter-generational living as told through your voices. Following our discussion, we open up the floor to our audience, where we answer questions and facilitate an interactive discussion. 

Continue the conversation by using the hashtags #OurStoriesMatter and #SAHM and tag us on Twitter: @BDFpodcast, @BAMEinProp, Instagram: @browndontfrownpodcast, @bameinproperty and LinkedIn: Brown Don’t Frown podcast, BAME in Property. 

In the final episode of season 2, I sit down with Artostry, a spoken-word poet and artist. We examine the implication of necessity rather than pleasure during sex education at school, and how as young girls and women we experienced stigma around openly discussing the female anatomy. The language we use reinforces gender stereotypes around sex which is why embedding neutrality in our communication is integral to sex positivity for women. 

Secondly, we discuss pleasure. Why is female masturbation still the most stigmatised aspect of modern sexuality?  Why are women still subject to a double standard with casual sex? How do we reclaim our agency when it comes to pleasure? 

Shirin Shah and Sheetal Mistry of South Asian Sisters Speak join me to review Netflix’s ‘Never Have I ever’. What initially emerges as trivial teenage satire quickly becomes a bastion of embracing imperfection.

We talk about the raw portrayal of miscommunication, resentment and high expectations which so often define South Asian mother-daughter relationships. We explore the struggle between tradition, familial expectations and individuality through Kamala’s decision to choose an arranged marriage over her boyfriend. We also discuss the South Asian diaspora’s interrelationship with its various cultures and faiths, and consider the example of the divorcee who was shunned for marrying a Muslim. We discuss whether this type of “infighting” accurately represents the relationship between Hindus and Muslims today. 

While representation is about personal experience, we felt there were several missed opportunities which could have challenged these anti-Muslim and arranged marriage stereotypes instead of vindicating them.

Finally, we talk about the side-effects of grief: anger and trauma. Through these themes,  ‘Never Have I Ever’ shows us that protagonists can be flawed. They are human, after all. 

Today, Busayo Twins and I discuss white denialism, colourism and the desensitisation of black trauma. Though minorities are grouped under ‘BAME’ for our ‘otherness’, it does not account for cultural, ethnic, religious and racial diversity. Does ‘BAME’ mask our lack of progression against anti-blackness? Busayo also explains why seeing Diversity & Inclusion policies as an ‘add on’ will not enable transformative change. 

Black Lives Matter has empowered South Asian communities to challenge the stigma of dark skin. I ask Busayo whether she thinks it will also challenge the colourism faced within black communities and perceptions around skin-tone hierarchy for good. 

In part II, Saint Santana, Abi and I pose various questions. How can we educate ourselves to be more tolerant, inclusive and respectful towards transgender and non-binary people? Are gender neutral toilets a distraction? Is the grouping of ‘‘LGBTQ” otherising? Can trans-exclusionary radical feminists be feminists? Are JK Rowling’s tweets transphobic? Should we normalise gender neutral pronouns? 

We talk about the delicate balance between mindset, experience and, ultimately, human decency. Even though we might not always understand difference, we can certainly learn to respect it.

In this two part mini-series, I sit down with Saint Santana, who identifies as a trans man, and Abi, who identifies as a bisexual woman.  I wanted to facilitate an open discussion around gender, sex, sexuality, and womanhood, firstly, to challenge our ingrained heteronormative societal constructs; and, secondly, because I wanted to address some of my own ignorances. 

In part I, we explore the links between gender, sex and sexuality. We discuss self-expression, equity vs equality, double standards, gender norms, sexual freedom, transgender experiences, and bisexuality. Saint sets the scene with his very philosophical take: gender occurs in the brain, sex occurs in the genitals and orientation occurs in the heart...

Is discussing football at work sexist? Should wolf-whistling be illegal?

On today’s episode Lawyer Ellie and I explore ‘Political Correctness' and its interrelationship with Feminism. We posit Feminism as a means of exercising free choice, having opportunity, and - respecting others - a core tenet of political correctness. We talk about the historical significance of political correctness, how it shapes discourse today and whether the current interpretation of it is sustainable in the long-term. 

We share our own experiences to help illustrate how at one end, political correctness can be used to manipulate conversation, exacerbate hypersensitivities and polarise views, while at the other end, it can help to build tolerance and inclusivity. Ultimately, we realise that it is about compromise, decency and common sense.

Journalist and former Brexit Party parliamentary candidate Inaya Folarin Iman and I sit down over Zoom and ponder over the UK’s current political climate and public accountability during COVID-19. We start off discussing our fixation with identity politics and how to overcome it. I also ask Inaya why she believes in Brexit and whether her experience with the Brexit Party felt any different as a woman of colour. 

We reflect on Conservatism and Feminism and ask whether they are mutually exclusive. We talk through the objectives of Intersectional Feminism and examine the tacit hierarchies of morality and ‘victimhood’. We then look at the significance of freedom of speech and its compatibility with truth and lasting peace. In doing so, we recognise that as individuals, we only hold part of the truth and that exchanging contrasting views enables original thinking beyond the political binaries of good vs evil, conservatives vs socialists or oppressor vs oppressed. In the midst of this pandemic, we see how dissent, scrutiny and even partisanship help us to hold our leaders accountable.