Strength & Solidarity

The past decade has seen some spectacular social movements emerge, mobilising hundreds of thousands of people in defence of rights and sending powerful images of protest around the world. This revitalized activism is gaining energy despite rising authoritarianism. To hold the ground they gain, though, activists need to sustain their movements in between battles and turning a loose, ad hoc network into an organization isn’t easy. But one group in the Democratic Republic of Congo seems to be finding a way. Lucha - Lutte Pour Le Changement- is nearly a decade old yet it remains a grass roots movement. Fred Bauma, a member of the movement since its early months in 2012, explains how they are doing it. And in the Coda, Zimbabwe youth activist Namatai Kwekweza gets into some good trouble.

In this episode:

• Keeping faith with the grass roots while building for the long haul

• The Coda: Congressman John Lewis fires up an activist in Zimbabwe

For a list of supplemental readings and additional information about this episode’s content, please visit https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/

Send your ideas and feedback to [email protected]

Excerpted from Strength and Solidarity Episode 12. Inspired by the late US Congressman John Lewis, activist Namatai Kwekweza reflects on the difference between bad trouble and good trouble and explains why she’s determined to keep making a noise about injustice: “I personally believe that if the noise didn't really achieve anything, then they wouldn't be telling us to keep quiet.”

Many mission-driven organisations are grappling with the challenge of unhappy workplaces. And whether the cause is bullying or harassment, over-work, or demands for a share in decision-making, management is usually in the crosshairs. For some, conventional models of hierarchical bureaucracy are bound to be inappropriate for driving social change. But what’s the alternative? South African feminist Ishtar Lakhani discusses her approach as a manager to building a positive workplace culture. And in the Coda, Nigerian activist Yemi Adamolekun explains why a commitment to exposing bad government is mandated by her faith

 In this episode: 

For a list of supplemental readings and additional information about this episode’s content, please visit https://strengthandsolidarity.org/podcasts/   

Send ideas and feedback to [email protected]

Excerpted from Strength and Solidarity Episode 11. Yemi Adamolekun is inspired by the gospel of Matthew which calls on Christians to project their values and shine so that all can see their faith in action. But on the reluctance of Nigerian churches to take a stand on issues like corruption, she comments: “I've come to realize that being light and being salt will make you unpopular. It's much safer not to be seen as anti-government.”

This episode of the podcast steps onto tricky terrain with a conversation about identity, power and privilege. Mexican human rights lawyer Alejandra Ancheita tells host Akwe Amosu about building relationships of mutual respect with her clients - indigenous communities fighting against corporate encroachment on their land and livelihoods. And in the Coda, how the courage of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero - assassinated in 1980 for standing up to a violent, repressive regime – confirmed US lawyer Jim Goldston’s commitment to a career in rights.

In this episode:

For a list of supplemental readings and additional information about this episode’s content, please visit www.strengthandsolidarity.org/podcast

Send us your ideas and your feedback at [email protected]

Excerpted from Strength & Solidarity Episode 10. As a young US lawyer, Jim Goldston went to El Salvador in 1987 and documented atrocities by state-instigated death squads. The courage of Archbishop Oscar Romero, assassinated seven years earlier, and of ordinary civilians determined to resist the terror was an inspiration.

In this first episode of Season two, host Akwe Amosu looks back to late 2020 and Nigeria’s massive #EndSARS protests against police brutality and impunity and asks youth organizer Samson Itodo to assess their impact. What is the role of leadership and organizing in a spontaneous upswell of citizen rage and who has to deliver it? And in the Coda, veteran human rights defender Suliman Baldo recalls the way poetry powered the revolution in his country, Sudan.

In this episode:

● Converting protest into respect for right in Nigeria

● The Coda:  How poetry fuelled Sudan’s revolution

For a list of supplemental readings and additional information about this episode’s content, please visit www.strengthandsolidarity.org/podcast

Send us your ideas and your feedback at [email protected]

Excerpted from Strength & Solidarity Episode 9. Human rights organiser Suliman Baldo on poems as the secret weapon that helped topple a regime.

Our second season of Strength & Solidarity continues to explore the world of rights, equality and justice activism. Every two weeks, we invite people working in these fields to tell us about the dilemmas they face, and the tactics they use to achieve their goals. By speaking with actors at the heart of critical struggles we hope to get an up-close view on the current and future course of human rights. In our new season -  a raft of new topics, including how rights organizations cope with vicarious trauma, relevant human resources guidance in a sex workers organization, respectful solidarity with indigenous rights defenders,  and guidance on good governance from... the Bible. Join Akwe Amosu and her smart, passionate guests and check out The Coda – a regular opportunity for someone in the human rights field to tell us about the poems, music and people that inspire them.  All this and more, in Season Two! Listen, subscribe and send your ideas for future stories to  [email protected].

Excerpted from Strength and Solidarity Episode 8. A 20th-century revolutionary offers solace and strength to a contemporary human rights activist Adilur Rahman Kahn.