This week we are joined by the homie A-L-I-T-E Alite!  Hip-hop artist, comedian, podcaster, and most recently, event producer!  He tells us about his life growing up Brown in East Van.  We get into his immigrant story, journey through Hip-hop and honing his skills, discovering his love for comedy, and parenting in an unjust and inequitable society.  But before all that we get angry about some stuff, laugh at some other stuff, and we relish in our recent glory at the High Phrase Live show!  Big shout out to everyone who came out to support us and all of the other artists.  *WARNING: in the intro of this episode Angelene and Ashneil highlight a recent incident which took place on a local radio station where the host voiced misogynistic ideologies.  There are also mentions of domestic abuse.  Feel free to skip ahead to beginning of Alite’s interview at 43:00 minutes.

High Phrase podcast & hosts:

@highphrasepodcast, https://www.highphrase.com/, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-Bxwt88cF7JuRZNubMPDA/featured

@its_alite, @therealmikeoulton

High Phrase Live talent:

@iamjonelle

@dawreckage

@jerendrew

@kingmizomadeit

FOLLOW US!

Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

Happy Women's History Month fam!  This month, and EVERY MONTH we honour and recognize the contributions of the amazing women who came before us, and the amazing women who are in our lives today.  Sheetal was in town from Toronto and we couldn't pass up the chance to sit down with her.  She tells us about her and her mom's immigrant story which we love!  We get into the gender roles within our community and even cheekily discuss some tangible ways in which men can do more to acknowledge women.  

Also a reminder to COME SEE US LIVE on Saturday, March 19th in New West: High Phrase LIVE

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Sheetal: @sheetal_naicker

Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

This week we sit down with one of the most intelligent people we know.  Rizwaan Abbas: Archaeologist, friend, and all around cool guy!  Yes, you read that right, we said archaeologist.  If it wasn’t for his exhibit we never would have met our new brood.  On this episode we talk about how the hell his dad went from Fiji to freaking Sparwood, B.C. of all places!  He tells us about growing up in a small town of 5,000 and the shock of coming to live in the city of Surrey.  Currently an Archaeologist for Semiamhoo First Nation, we get into why he chose this path and what prompted him to create his exhibit, “The Indo-Fijians: Surrey’s Pocket of Paradise” at the Museum of Surrey in British Columbia, Canada.

Links:

FOLLOW US!

Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

It’s Black History Month and we need to talk about it.  We need to talk about how the ten highest earning TikTokers do not consist of a single Black creator.  We need to call in governmental organizations at all levels to not only acknowledge BHM but to also be transparent about what they’re doing to commit to recognizing their participation in the inequities Black people face, and also what they’re actively doing to combat and change it.  In the 1870s, John Sullivan Deas was a prominent Black business owner in Ladner, BC.  We feel this canning pioneer doesn’t get the clout he deserves.  From our own experience and lens as Indo-Fijians who live in a culturally diverse region of Canada, we want to provide some leadership on how we can be better allies to the Black community.  We get it, this can be hard.  Especially for anyone new to the cause or doesn't look like us.  But that's OK!  We're here to help!

Forbes Article:

https://www.bet.com/article/l3r5vw/forbes-top-earning-tiktok-2022-list-zero-black-creators

John Sullivan Deas:

https://www.delta.ca/parks-recreation/parks-trails/park-and-amenity-search/deas-island-regional-park

https://bcblackhistory.ca/john-sullivan-deas/

Black History Awareness Society

https://bcblackhistory.ca/about-us/

https://bcblackhistory.ca/john-sullivan-deas/

Monte Cristo Magazine - https://montecristomagazine.com/community/john-sullivan-deas

Delta Optimist - https://www.delta-optimist.com/local-news/delta-throwback-one-of-bcs-first-prominent-businessmen-of-colour-3365060

Gulf of Georgia Cannery - https://gulfofgeorgiacannery.org/canned-stories-john-sullivan-deas/

Vancouver Sun article - https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/canada-150-john-deas-built-first-commercial-salmon-cannery

Delta School District - https://www.deltasd.bc.ca/news-events/news/february-is-black-history-month-2/

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Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

Remember the Estonia and Titanic?  Well the Syria was the indentured labour equivalent!  Like the Estonia and Titanic, the Syria was a ship doomed by its crew's negligence. This week we get back into some Girmit history and we talk about the wreck of the Syria.  We get into who was there, what happened, why, and how the disaster helped to change regulations and sailing practices for the future.  Bottom line, don't drink and sail.  But in all seriousness, lives were lost due to carelessness and lack of experience and this is not something to be swept under the rug or forgotten.

FOLLOW US!

Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

Hey y’all! We hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season and a stellar New Year! It’s the start of our new bi-weekly schedule, so this week we just kept it chill and talked about some current events in the UK. It’s a big GOOOOAAALLLLL for anti-racism! We also take a few mins to talk trash about Carrie Bradshaws “Sari” from the new Sex and The City reboot. You’d think with all the rich Indians in New York, someone would have said something, guess not! Also a reminder that The Indo Fijians: Surrey’s Pocket of Paradise exhibit is extended! It runs from Feb 5- May 1! So go check it out, virtual tours are also available, so no excuses…otherwise… Ash will find you, Ash will make you go….   

Surrey’s Pocket of Paradise at the Museum of Surrey - https://www.surrey.ca/arts-culture/museum-of-surrey/exhibitions/indo-fijians-surreys-pocket-of-paradise   

Article:

New UK anti-racism policy - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/racist-online-trolls-banned-from-football-stadiums-by-new-law

FOLLOW US!

Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

Listen up!  We have a lot of feelings and we would like to share them with you!  There was so much love, support, and positivity this year.  We are so lucky to have received what the universe delivered to us after we put ourselves out there.  "Grateful" does not even begin to describe it.  Enjoy our last episode of 2021 where we reflect and share what we learned this year.  Plus, we serve an important announcement.

Dr. Brij Lal: https://thewire.in/history/obsession-with-religious-identity-leaves-me-cold-remembering-indo-fijian-historian-brij-lal

The contents of the following episodes (and future episodes) were made possible by the scholarly work of Dr. Brij Lal:

Fijian 7s Rugby Team article

https://www.fijirugby.com/fiji-rugby-appoints-ben-gollings-as-fijian-7s-head-coach/

5xPress article by 5xFest: Navigating identity and lack of representation as an Indo-Fijian

https://www.5xfest.com/5xpress/navigating-identity-and-lack-of-representation-as-an-indo-fijian

Folks mentioned in this episode:

Anita @bisu0123 and Milan Singh @milsingh

Salvin Kumar @salvin.sarun - children’s book author

Archierose Natividad @saychiees - Filipino podcaster

Ashley Raju @maharani.movement - counsellor and mental health & wellness advocate

Sheetal Naicker @sheetal_naicker - metalsmith and singer

Alite @its_alite - Hip-hop artist and podcaster

Rizwaan Abbas @rizwaanabbas - archeologist and curator of Museum of Surrey's exhibit "The Indo-Fijians: Surrey's Pocket of Paradise"

Praveen aka “Pepper” Prasad @pepperprasad

Sandya Prasad @sandhya66 - mental health advocate

Shannon Permal @shannon_permal - TV show host and CFOFO President

Seasons greetings, happy holidays, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!  We’re okay if you say it.  Christmas at the Prakash household was, like any Indian’s, a roller coaster.  We did it the only way any Brown immigrant family does; large gatherings veiled under the banner of “Christmas” where we exchange gifts and eat a feast of Indian food with some roasted turkey on the side.  For some reason this conversation transcended into that time we went to a ritualist Catholic church holiday service and our mom’s uncle’s funeral.

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Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash

This week we have a special guest!  We are joined by Ash's buddy Riyaz who talks to us about growing up brown and his family history.  The three of us share our experiences with racism in our respective communities.  An honest and organic conversation full of side splitting laughs!  We also made some new friends over at Phyto Extractions.  But only AFTER Ash put his foot in his mouth! 🙃

Producer: Mat Trewhit @mattrewhit

Riyaz: @riyazyusufi

Podcast: @noties1879podcast

Tiktok: @noties1879podcast

Angelene: @angelenekp

Ashneil: @ashneilprakash