In this episode, Awa returns to conversations with guests from the first three episodes of season 2, weaving together their reflections to explore what drives us in life, and how that can take different forms across our work, our lives, and the ways we make sense of the world.

JINGLE
“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

CONTRIBUTORS
Host: Awa Sow
Guest: Luke de Noronha, Tariq Brown, Fuad Busoir
Editor: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa is in conversation with Fuad Busoir about love – what it means, how it is recognised, and whether it’s something felt or practised. Moving between romantic relationships, friendship and family, they reflect on the ways love shapes how people relate to one another, to space, and to themselves. Along the way, they sit with questions of accountability, intention, and whether love can ever be separate from politics – or if it is always quietly structuring the worlds being built.

REFERENCES

Davies Jr., Akinola, dir. My Father’s Shadow. 2025. Drama film.

Hooks, Bell. All About Love: new visions: Bell Hooks. William Morrow, 2000.

Jenkins, Barry, dir. If Beale Street Could Talk. 2018. Film.

Nash, Jennifer C. "Practicing Love: Black Feminism, Love-Politics, and Post-Intersectionality."Meridians 19, no. S1 (2020): 439-462.

Prince-Bythewood, Gina, dir. Love & Basketball. 2000. Film.

JINGLE
“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

CONTRIBUTORS
Host: Awa Sow
Guest: Fuad Busoir
Edited by: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa sits down with scholar Luke de Noronha to question what borders really do in our everyday lives. From citizenship and belonging to the politics behind “migration crises,” they explore how borders shape who belongs, who is welcomed, and who is framed as a threat. 

JINGLE

“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

REFERENCES

Bradley, Gracie Mae, and Luke De Noronha. Against borders: The case for abolition. Verso Books, 2022.

Robinson, Cedric J. Forgeries of memory and meaning: Blacks and the regimes of race in American theater and film before World War II. UNC Press Books, 2012.

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Awa Sow

Guest: Luke de Noronha
Edited by: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa speaks with spoken word artist Tariq Brown about using poetry to make power visible. They explore how he transforms complex, often academic ideas – from capitalism to systemic oppression – into poetic, thought-provoking verse. It’s a conversation about heritage, awareness, and the poet’s role in illuminating systems of oppression.

JINGLE

“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

REFERENCES

el-Kurd, Mohammed. 2025. Spoken remarks at the Closing Plenary of 25 Years of Human Rights at LSE Conference: Subverting Human Rights: Left, Right, and Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, May 16, 2025. 

Poetic Unity. https://www.poeticunity.org.uk/ 

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Awa Sow

Guest: Tariq Brown

Editor: Awa Sow

Diaspora Diaries is back for Season 2 👀
Here's a moment to revisit what this space is about — and an invitation to step in. Now powered by Transmission Roundhouse.

The first season of Diaspora Diaries is coming to a close.

Thank you for listening, reflecting, and being in conversation with us. We'll be taking a short summer break — but we’ll be back soon with more voices, more stories, and more to reflect on.

Season 2 coming soon. Stay tuned. 🌍✍🏽

JINGLE

“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Awa Sow
Edited by: Awa Sow

In this episode, Awa and Ellen discuss European identity building and memory politics, highlighting how national narratives shape collective memory. They emphasise the selective remembrance of historical events, and its impact on national identities. Together, they examine the silencing of racialised people’s histories and experiences within discourse on national identity and how this, in turn, plays a role in the rise of xenophobia and far-right ideologies. 

REFERENCES

Halbwachs, Maurice. On Collective Memory. University of Chicago press, 2020.

Lind, Jennifer. “Memory, Apology, and International Reconciliation.” Asia-Pacific Journal 6, no. 11 (2008): e21. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1557466008007936.

Rafael, Vicente L. The promise of the foreign: Nationalism and the Technics of Translation in the Spanish Philippines. Duke University Press, 2005.

Trouillot, Michel-Rolph. Silencing the past: Power and the Production of History. Beacon Press, 2015.

JINGLE

“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Awa Sow

Guest: Ellen Sow

Edited by: Awa Sow

Stephanie discusses the valorisation of cultural heritage within the African diaspora, noting a shift in societal perception post-2020. She highlights the commodification of cultural pride by businesses and the rise of Afrobeats and other African music globally. Stephanie references the reinterpretation of cultural symbols like the Union Jack and the importance of authenticity in branding. Stephanie emphasises the fluidity of culture and the need to resist simplistic representations, concluding with her personal embrace of cultural heritage through wearing cornrows.

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Stephanie Iyala

Edited by Stephanie Iyala

Produced by Stephanie Iyala 

Jingle: “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock,

https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights

In this episode, Awa and Jade discuss their experiences navigating morality and dealing with tensions and contradictions in their personal and professional lives. They explore the challenges of addressing systems of oppressions within their families and friendships, and break down what it means to study or work in spaces that uphold these structures. Together, they  look into the importance of staying true to oneself, pushing beyond comfort zones, and finding a balance between personal and professional ethics.

REFERENCES

Gargi Bhattacharyya, Personal Communication, January 14, 2025.

Newell, Penny. “BDS and the Remains of the University, A Conversation on Resistance with Judith Butler.” Panel Talk, London, March 14, 2025.

JINGLE

“Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock, ⁠⁠https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights⁠

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Awa Sow 

Guest: Jade-Arsema Godin

Edited by: Awa Sow

In this episode of Diaspora Diaries, we spoke all about internalised misogyny. Stephanie and Nadia discuss their personal experiences with internalised misogyny, exploring how it manifests in women's lives with an exemplative list. They also touch on how internalized misogyny intersects with race, diaspora experiences, and societal expectations. The conversation aims to unpack and understand the complex ways women internalize and perpetuate misogynistic attitudes. It must be premised, that these are their personal understandings of internalised misogyny, and they are still currently navigating this! Feel free to share your opinions (with love, of course!)  <3

Here is a core reading list (for our academic/ curious listeners) 

CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Stephanie Iyala

Guests: Joalane Nadia Setipa

Edited by: Stephanie Iyala

Produced by Stephanie Iyala and Awa Sow

Jingle: “Niamey Nights”, Bamako Bae, Shutterstock,

https://www.shutterstock.com/music/track-1221135-niamey-nights