Often on Sonic Journeys we hear from filmmakers about how they work with sound, but today we’re trying something different: we’re just going to listen to a short film. 

“WASKA: The Forest is My Family” feels like bathing in a forest. It honors co-director Nina Gualinga’s grandfather, a leader who had a deep relationship with the powerful – and coveted – plant medicine Hayakwaska. Gualinga explains that the film “invites us to collectively question the ways in which we seek to heal ourselves, so that we don’t perpetuate the legacy of extractivism.” 

What does it feel like to just listen to this film? We invite you to try. 

Learn more about "WASKA" on The Guardian’s website.  

Sonic Journeys is presented by 4th World Media, a matriarch-led organization dedicated to media justice, narrative sovereignty and the holistic care of underserved filmmakers.

Host and Creator: Stina Thomas Hamlin

Supervising Producer: Jenny Asarnow

Executive Producer: Tracy Rector

Theme song: Tooh Nílíní by Kino Benally

Consulting Graphic Designer: Joel Schomberg

Cover art: Mer Young

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Sonic Journeys is an independent podcast. You can find it on Apple Podcasts and anywhere else you get podcasts.