Courageous Conversations

In our second interview supported by the Ford Foundation, Jillian speaks with Bonita Meyersfeld, the Director of the Centre for Applied Legal Studies and an associate professor at the School of Law, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Bonita is a gender-based violence expert trained in South Africa and the US, with a background as an advisor to the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. She is the founding member of the organisation Lawyers Against Abuse and the author of the book "Domestic Violence and International Law". Against a backdrop of increasing public discourse and awareness of sexual and gender-based violence, Jillian and Bonita explore the complex moral realities of violence, the concept of human progress, and our systemic causes of and responses to harm.

In today's excerpt, Jillian speaks with Kene Esom about the changing nature of masculinity and the role of male identity, which was part of our larger conversation with Kene on queer inclusion and intersectionalities.

Until very recently, Kene Esom was the Director of AMSHeR, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights. He is a Barrister-at-Law advocating for marginalised communities including unaccompanied/separated children, refugees and asylum seekers, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and sexual minorities on the African continent. In the full interview, Jillian and Kene discuss the concepts of othering and being "queer", intersectionalities and privilege, and the roles of religion, culture and social justice towards a more equitable and empathetic world. Listen at http://soundpage.fm/courageousconversations/7137.

Our first in a series of interviews supported by the Ford Foundation, Jillian speaks with Kene Esom who until very recently was the Director of AMSHeR, African Men for Sexual Health and Rights. Kene is a Barrister-at-Law advocating for marginalised communities including unaccompanied/separated children, refugees and asylum seekers, survivours of sexual and gender-based violence, and sexual minorities on the African continent. Jillian and Kene discuss the concepts of othering and being "queer", intersectionalities and privilege, and the roles of religion, culture and social justice towards a more equitable and empathetic world.

In our first episode of Season 2, Jillian interviews Tamburai Chirume, an up and coming fashion designer and entrepreneur in Cape Town - and half of the mother and daughter label ONEOFEACH - about creating beauty and the more personal side of troublemaking. From Zimbabwe to South Africa to the British Museum, growing up in a society fraught with racism and inequality has had a profound effect on Tamburai. Join us as she talks about juggling her feelings of insider-outsider, anxiety and well-being, finding beauty in the every day and making her own way in the world.

In our final episode for 2016, Jillian and Jenn talk with Rehann Calitz and Howard Drakes of Farm This City, about radical empathy and how with a single seed, a farmer and a sprinkle of empathy, we can re-imagine our cities as living ecosystems that sustain life and "farm a solution" for us all. Learn more about Farm This City: www.farmthiscity.co.za

In episode four, Jillian Reilly interviews Melanie Burke, a powerhouse in the Cape Town development community who while has always been a troublemaker in the professional sense, decided to dig a little deeper in the courageous conversations that she was having at home. Here, Melanie talks about her journey to becoming a "courageous wife" and finding the balance between her work and personal life.

In episode three, Jillian interviews Kayin Scholtz from the South African Education Project (SAEP) about the concepts of courage, bravery and masculinity. Upon first meeting one might consider Kayin an unconventional troublemaker, but through this conversation you'll get a glimpse of how he approaches conversations in his daily life with reflection and deep listening.

In episode two, a continuation of Jillian and Jenn's first conversation, they discuss what it means to "show up" in our professional and personal relationships - and how to overcome the fears and insecurities that may get in the way of our efforts to live courageously.

Courageous Conversations is a series exploring the art of showing up authentically in our everyday spaces. Created by Jillian Reilly and Jenn Warren, the podcast challenges us to live bravely and with compassion during this critical time in history, in an effort to become more effective changemakers. In the first episode, Jillian and Jenn discuss Jillian's book "Shame: Confessions of an Aid Worker in Africa" and explore some of her missed conversations and opportunities to live more courageously.