Diaspora Blues

On this week's show you’ll listen to an interview we did with writer, multidisciplinary artist and community organiser Bobuq Sayed.Bobuq shares what it was like growing up in Perth and moving to the US as a teen, against the backdrop of 9/11. They also discuss their Rumpus article and give us an insight into the fallout from their Meanjin article 'A New Generation of Australian War Criminals'.

On the show this week we have Shania from the Flipino youth collective Anakbayan Sydney and founder and editor of Djed Press, Hella Ibrahim, joins us later in the program.

We look at the Atlanta shootings and discuss things we can do to tackle anti-Asian violence.

Serious Meerkat speaks to the collective Way Over There, a group made up of South East Melbourne artists, facilitators and passionate community members. The collective discuss the inspiration behind their name, the trials and tribulations of a new collective, and navigating predominantly white spaces.BioWay Over There seeks to promote the voices and stories of local artists and creative thinkers through collaboration, meaningful programming and paid opportunities. We collaborate on and deliver programs that promote inclusivity and social inclusion, specifically prioritising Black, Brown and Indigenous folk.InstagramFacebook

Torres Strait Islander woman Laila Thaker chats to Serious meerkat about her love of acting, racism in Australia’s creative industries and the inspiration she draws from the women in her life.

Last week we had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the one and only Heritier Lumumba. Lumumba tells us about his time in Perth, how he got started in football and connecting with the Brazilian community in Melbourne. He also discusses the matrifocal family structure, why names matter and what brings him joy.  PresentersSerious Meerkat & Ayan Shirwa

Software Systems Engineering student Martin Mashuro joins Serious Meerkat to talk about some of his favourite things: anime & gaming.

This week we're doing things a little differently. We've compiled a playlist we're calling resilience and tenacity and it's dedicated to Melburnians doing it tough.

This week we chat to spoken word artist Thabani Tshuma about his upcoming workshop with Footscray Community Arts Centre, and later in the program, we hear a gorgeous interview Serious Meerkat did with non-binary vocalist and poet Janina Nana Yaa.

Senator Lidia Thorpe speaks at the Invasion Day Rally Melbourne 2021 organised by Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance and Linda Iriza chats to us about community work, arts collectives and why history matters.GuestLinda Iriza is a Rwandan currently based in Boorloo (Perth). Her work centres African youth and continues to create community projects that bring them together. She does this through collectives like Soul Alphabet; where they support young bla(c)k and brown creatives through events, workshops and various projects. Linda is also passionate about archiving histories and she does this through Amateka Series and an Indigenous-led creative agency she's recently joined called Studio Kiin. Her passion for creating spaces for young Africans goes beyond borders; as she founded Nuru Tours which is an ethical travel project that works to connect the African diaspora to home.