The Arts of Travel

Even the most pessimistic of predictions, could not have foreseen the lack of global cooperation during the Covid-19 Pandemic. To try and help untangle this Gordian Knot I spoke to Hyo Yoon Kang, an Academic and Legal Theorist at the University of Kent. 

From countries using 'Vaccine Nationalism' to engender loyalty from citizens, to Big Pharma jealously guarding IP even if it means more global deaths, to the Gates Foundation encouraging 'Vaccine Apartheid' in the name of defending Capitalism,  I discuss why the worst pandemic in recent memory has brought out the most selfish of behavior from corporations and government in a time when cooperation is needed more than ever. 

For more with Hyo Yoon, I highly recommend her long-form article here on the legal implications of Covid-19: https://criticallegalthinking.com/2021/02/09/patent-capital-in-the-covid-19-pandemic-critical-intellectual-property-law/

Music by H3 Music: https://www.youtube.com/c/H3Music/videos

 I was joined by academic and organizer Chu May Paing for a discussion on growing up in Myanmar & Myanmar's freedom struggle against a brutal military dictatorship. The main theme of our discussion is on Feminism as it relates to the protests vs. patriarchy as it relates to the Military & Buddhist Nationalists in Myanmar. 

Some of our conversation points are: 

- The history of Feminism in Myanmar and past freedom struggles.

- Feminist tactics of resistance in the current protests.  

- How Feminists in the country saw the rule of Aung San Suu Kyi 

- How Patriarchy is a negative solidarity between the Military & Buddhist Nationalists 

- And how Feminists globally can support Myanmar's freedom struggle without talking over local feminists. 

To help Myanmar and its protesters, Chu recommended the following resources:

 1. Mutual Aid Myanmar https://mutualaidmyanmar.org

2. I support myanmar https://isupportmyanmar.com

3. Chu is also a member of the diasporic activist collective called Baydar. https://baydarcollective.org

For more with Chu, I highly recommend her website & social media which has a host of resources on Myanmar: https://www.lionwithaflowingmane.com

Music by H3 Music: https://www.youtube.com/c/H3Music/videos

I was honored to speak with Warren Stanislaus, a PhD Candidate at Oxford & Associate Lecturer at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, on his studies of Blackness, Japan and the history of Afro-Japanese identity. 

Warren and I discuss the history of how Black people have encountered Japan & how Japanese people have encountered Blackness, how Japan's racism towards Blackness differs from the 'structural white supremacy' of countries like the United States, how the global Black Community (from W.E.B Du Bois to the Wu Tang Clan) have looked to Japan in solidarity, and how the rise of Black Japanese Superstars like Naomi Osaka, Rui Hachimura and others are changing perceptions of Black identity in Japan. 

For more on Warren's fascinating scholarship, please follow his twitter @warren_desu   // and visit his website:  https://www.warrenstanislaus.com/

Music by Gold Streak Beats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz_Mmlgc8DQ

I spoke to Edward Ongweso Jr. of Vice for a two-part interview on Proposition 22, the gig economy and the devastating effects it will have on labor in both in the US and globally. 

In Part 1 we discuss the propaganda, strategy and money behind proposition 22. We also discuss why so many ex-Obama officials teamed up with Gig Economy capitalists. 

Why are those whose claim to represent progress, condemning black and brown Americans to a near-feudal existence at the feet of Uber, Lyft and other Gig Economy monopolists? Edward explains all this and more in a fascinating two part conversation. 

For more w. Edward (who I would vouch for as the best progressive critic on Silicon Valley in America) please check out his writing here: https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/edward-ongweso-jr

Edward's witty (and acerbic!) twitter profile is here: https://twitter.com/bigblackjacobin

And you can listen to Edward and tech researcher Jathan Sadowski, on their own podcast: This Machine Kills: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills

Music for this episode is by Kiyoto - "Saltation": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ik8_zdC48g

This was a fascinating conversation w. Garrick Cooper, senior lecturer at Canterbury University on Aotearoa history, contemporary Māori politics and how Māori resistance offers wisdom to other global freedom struggles. 

We pack quite a bit into just an hour of chat, discussing Māori language, the Land Wars of Aotearoa, the double-edged sword of 'Māori faces in high places', and where the resistance struggles of Māori are today. 

For more w. Garrick please check out the group Māori Philosophy of which he is a founding member: https://www.maoriphilosophy.com/about-us

&  read his contributions in the Guardian on Māori relations to the current New Zealand Labor party: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/01/jacinda-ardern-faces-waitangi-day-reckoning-with-maori-as-progress-stalls 

Beats by Prod Riddiman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o2z2WFyKlM 

Journalist Hussein Kesvani joined us for an in-depth discussion on his Book : Follow me Akhi - The Online World of British Muslims

Our chat covers Hussein's Book and examination of Digital Spaces for UK Muslims, his thoughts on how the US/UK Left misunderstands Islam, and how the state violence Muslims face is a threat to all those opposing Capitalism and White Supremacy. 

For more of Hussein's work you can follow him on Twitter @HKesvani. Or on the Podcasts: Trashfuture (https://trashfuturepodcast.podbean.com/) & the 10k  Posts (https://tenthousandposts.podbean.com/) 

Follow Me Akhi can be found here: for purchase:  https://bookshop.org/books/follow-me-akhi-the-online-world-of-british-muslims/9781787381254 

Music by Producer Riddiman: https://www.youtube.com/c/ProdRiddiman/videos

This is two-part conversation with Writer & Agitator Vicky Osterweil.  In part 1, we discuss the numerous bad faith attacks against her book 'In Defense of Looting', how the 'police' reconstitute themselves within Abolitionist movements and how the Capitalism' of figures like Barack Obama or Killer Mike are used to co-opt freedom struggles like Black Lives Matter or the George Floyd Uprising. 

In part 2 we discuss the work of Russell Maroon Shoatz on Maroonage and Achille Mbembe on Black death and fascism in the Anthropocene. 

For more w. Vicky, you can find her twitter at : @VickyACAB .  And you can find her book, 'In Defense of Looting' on Bookshop and other Non-Amazon platforms: https://bookshop.org/books/in-defense-of-looting-a-riotous-history-of-uncivil-action/9781645036692

Music is 'Ankle Deep' - by Golden Steak Beats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVH3Puc314

Articles mentioned or used for research in this episode: 

This episode showcases our best Southeast Asia Interviews of 2020.  The interview clips are 'highlights' (5-10 minutes in length) from long-form interviews on topics like: Rodrigo Duterte,  Thailand's Protests,  Anarchism in Indonesia, Vietnam's Diaspora, and other issues that impacted Southeast Asia in 2020. 

If you enjoy these interviews you can listen to the full interviews on the Arts of Travel Podcast. They have all been posted. I hope for new listeners this serves as a great introduction. The Guest List & Topics are below!

INDONESIA: Vincent Bevins (01:45)- The US's role in the Cold War Destruction of Indonesia //  Mita (0:5:15) - Protesting against Jokowi //  

SINGAPORE:  PJ Thum ( 12:30) - The Legacy of Lee Kwan Yew // Kirstin Han ( 19:16)- Censorship in Singapore

MYANMAR: Geoff Aung (28:03) - On Violence, Liberalism &  Aung San Suu Kyi

VIETNAM:  Long Bui (36:50) - How South Vietnam ' Haunts' Vietnam's Diaspora // Mai Trung (43:20) on Covid-19 and Vietnam's State Media

PHILIPPINES: Regine Cabato (47:35) - Covid & the Philippines // Nicole Curato (52:10) - On Duterte & Vulgar Populism  

MALAYSIA:  Deborah Augustin (56:29) - Racism in Malaysia 

THAILAND : Jasmine Chia (1:03:04) - Neoliberalism in Thailand // Pavin C. (1:07:26) - The Royalist Marketplace & Digital Activism in Thailand's Protests 

Music by  Gold Streak Beats : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPEP1rX_9zb_77z-56Ysprw/ 

Music By Lethal Needle : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYazzriGjuBcy-VwvQQftZA

I spoke to Ethnomusicologist Sylvia Alajaji for a long-form podcast on her incredible book: Music and the Armenian Diaspora.  Our discussion touches upon her fascinating research and our own complicated Armenian backgrounds. 

Besides our own family histories, we discuss Sylvia's research into the various figures (ranging from the Armenian Priest Komitas to the Metal Band System of a Down) who have influenced Armenian Music, and more broadly how a diverse and eclectic sound of 'Armenian Music' has survived Genocide and emerged as a cohesive movement from the far-flung global Diaspora of Armenians

For more w. Sylvia, please check out her book (which I would recommend to anyone who wants to better understand Armenians) Music and the Armenian Diaspora: https://iupress.org/9780253017611/music-and-the-armenian-diaspora/

Sylvia also recommended to following songs for those who want to do a 'deep dive' into Armenian Music:

Music for this episode is Soldier's March and Camel's Caravan: Aslanian's Armenian Orchestra. Courtesy of the Library of Congress 

The NBA is a global game and BLM is a global movement, with this in mind I'm honored to be joined by Bianca Tylek, the executive director of Worth Rises, to discuss The NBA, Black Lives Matter & the carceral capitalism of Detroit Pistons' Owner Tom Gores. Our conversation touches upon: 

- How Mr. Gores PE firm,  Platinum Equity , owns one of the nation's largest and most vicious prison Telecom companies: Securus. Who through price-gouging and exploiting the suffering of black, brown and poor incarcerated families,  earns over $700 Million dollars a year. 

- How  Detroit Pistons stars like Jerami Grant (who joined the Pistons, in part, to help represent the Majority Black city of Detroit) can try to pressure Pistons Ownership to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter. 

- And larger conversations on racial capitalism, inequality and the problematic politics of NBA owners. 

For more, I recommend the following resources: 

- Worth Rises main website and more information on their campaign against Tom Gores' Carceral Capitalism: https://worthrises.org/

- James Edwards III incredible article on Jerami Grant, Black Empowerment and the NBA: https://theathletic.com/2297656/2021/01/06/jerami-grant-detroit-pistons-denver-nuggets-nba-basketball-free-agent/

- John Gonzalez & Zach Kram of the Ringer and his reporting on the conservative politics of NBA owners: https://www.theringer.com/nba/2020/9/24/21453818/nba-owners-political-donations-trump-gop

Music by Gold Streak Beats : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPEP1rX_9zb_77z-56Ysprw

Episode Art by Worth Rises