English

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 12- Interview with Hicham Kayed

Artist, English, Palestine, Refugee 00:54:29

Hicham Kayed's interview was recorded online on May 20th 2020.

This Episode is in English. 

Hicham Kayed A Palestinian filmmaker and activist originally from Jaffa, was born in Lebanon where he currently lives and works. He is the director and the multimedia coordinator of AL-JANA, The Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts in Beirut, organizations which work conducting writing and film workshops for Palestinian youth living in the refugee camps in Lebanon. 

Hicham’s films have been shown at Film Festivals around the world. 

http://al-jana.org

Interviewers: Lucine Serhan & Shahrzad Arshadi 
Music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV8SGjibIng

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 8 – Part 2: Janet Lumb

English, Montreal 00:41:25

Interview with Janet Lumb recorded on December 15, 2018 in Montreal.​

Janet Lumb, born and raised in Toronto for twenty years and having lived in Vancouver for ten years, Janet Lumb has now been living in Montreal for the majority of her life. As a musician and sax player since ‘75 and working with dancers, poets and painters, she has been exploring her visual interests as a composer for film music for over 20 years. As Director of Accès Asie, an Asian arts Festival, Janet merges her passions for the arts, culture, community and social activism. A great believer in the chaos theory, that there is order in chaos, Janet continues taking chances in the magic of the moment.

Interview and Edit: Shahrzad Arshadi   /  Original Music by: Kayon Taheri
Photo by: Hooman Kazemian

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 8 – Part 1: Janet Lumb

English, Montreal 00:54:55

Interview with Janet Lumb recorded on December 15, 2018 in Montreal.

Janet Lumb, born and raised in Toronto for twenty years and having lived in Vancouver for ten years, Janet Lumb has now been living in Montreal for the majority of her life. As a musician and sax player since ‘75 and working with dancers, poets and painters, she has been exploring her visual interests as a composer for film music for over 20 years. As Director of Accès Asie, an Asian arts Festival, Janet merges her passions for the arts, culture, community and social activism. A great believer in the chaos theory, that there is order in chaos, Janet continues taking chances in the magic of the moment.

Interview and Edit: Shahrzad Arshadi   /  Original Music by: Kayon Taheri
Photo by: Hooman Kazemian

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 7 – Part 2: Tess Tesalona

English, Montreal 00:44:23

Interview is recorded on October 20th, 2017 in Montreal.

Tess Tesalona is a Montreal based Filipino-Canadian feminist and union organizer. She is one of the founder and active member of Immigrant Workers Centre,  Women of Diverse Origins and more…..

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 7 – Part 1: Tess Tesalona

English, Montreal 00:46:50

Interview is recorded on October 20th, 2017 in Montreal.

Tess Tesalona is a Montreal based Filipino-Canadian feminist and union organizer. She is one of the founder and active member of Immigrant Workers Centre,  Women of Diverse Origins and more…..

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 6 – Part 2: Freda Guttman

English, Montreal 0:42:12

Interview is recorded on October 19th, 2017 in Montreal.

To celebrate Freda’s 85th birthday! A unique and wonderful Artist and Activist. 

Happy BirthDay Freda! 

“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” -Bertolt Brecht

One advantage of having had the good fortune to live into old age is that I can look back and see my life in art and activism as a story, a journey that begins with three facts about myself as a child: I was aware in some way of being in opposition to the society I grew up in; I was keenly interested in what was happening in the world; and I knew that what happened in the world had, in some way, an impact on my small life.

This longevity, (for which I am grateful!), offers me the opportunity to reflect on personal intentionality and processes of engagement against a changing social and political backdrop. Art and Activism. Although there have been many permutations and combinations in how I managed these activities, I can’t really separate my journey into political radicalization from my development as an artist, nor can I separate my activist intervening in struggles for social justice from the creative work I’ve done. They coincide. The same path, the same journey of learning, of opening. A journey conducted within specific social cultures of resistance to repression in the political conditions of specific times.

– Freda Guttman, from her website.

Music for this Episode is courtesy of Stefan Christoff from родина (rodina) album; an exploration of duets between Sam Shalabi on oud and Stefan Christoff on piano.

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 6 – Part 1: Freda Guttman

English, Montreal 00:41:35

Interview is recorded on October 19th, 2017 in Montreal.

To celebrate Freda’s 85th birthday! A unique and wonderful Artist and Activist.  

Happy BirthDay Freda! 

“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” -Bertolt Brecht

One advantage of having had the good fortune to live into old age is that I can look back and see my life in art and activism as a story, a journey that begins with three facts about myself as a child: I was aware in some way of being in opposition to the society I grew up in; I was keenly interested in what was happening in the world; and I knew that what happened in the world had, in some way, an impact on my small life.

This longevity, (for which I am grateful!), offers me the opportunity to reflect on personal intentionality and processes of engagement against a changing social and political backdrop. Art and Activism. Although there have been many permutations and combinations in how I managed these activities, I can’t really separate my journey into political radicalization from my development as an artist, nor can I separate my activist intervening in struggles for social justice from the creative work I’ve done. They coincide. The same path, the same journey of learning, of opening. A journey conducted within specific social cultures of resistance to repression in the political conditions of specific times.

– Freda Guttman, from her website.

Music for this Episode is courtesy of Stefan Christoff from родина (rodina) album; an exploration of duets between Sam Shalabi on oud and Stefan Christoff on piano.

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 5-Audio Quilt, Celebrating International Women’s Day 2019

English, Farsi, French, Montreal 00:24:25

For a World With Equality Against Forced Displacement, Religious Fundamentalism and Neo-Fascism

To honour and celebrate 2019 International Women’s Day, Life Stories Quilt podcast created a small Audio Quilt for March 8, asking different people about the importance of International Women’s Day in their opinion!

Most of the recording happened at the Women of Diverse Origins Conference on March 2nd, 2019 in Montreal.

Song that accompanied this Quilt is called; “The March of the Women”, by Ethel Mary Smyth. She was an English composer and a member of the Suffragettes movement.

Part of the lyric:

“Shout, shout, up with your song!
Cry with the wind, for the dawn is breaking;
March, march, swing you along,
Wind blows our banner, and hope is waking.
Song with its story, dreams with their glory”

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 4-Part 2-IWD Conference: Zahia El-Masri & Marie Boti

English, Montreal 00:20:50

Talks are recorded on March 2nd, 2019 in Montreal.

On March 2nd 2019 to celebrate International Women’s Day, The March 8 Committee of Women of Diverse Origins organized; Panel; Speakers, Culture, resistance and Bannock!

This podcast episode includes three sections;

  • First you will hear ZAHIA EL-MASRI speech. Zahia was born as a Palestine refugee in Lebanon. Her work and activism is mainly around areas of social justice, intercultural communications and peace building through recognition.
  • Second, Marie Boti’s short talk about Venezuela’s current situation and Canadian Government involvement. Marie is one of the founding members of The 8 March Committee of Women of Diverse Origins.
  • Third part is organizers closing remarks.

To know more about Women of Divers Origins you can check their Website; and also their Facebook.

Music and Song; Jawaz-el-safar/ Passport by Marcel Khalife 

Life Stories Quilt: Episode 4-Part 1-International Women’s Day Conference: Marlene Hale

English, Montreal 00:25:14

Marlene Hale’s talk is recorded on March 2nd, 2019 in Montreal.

On March 2nd 2019 to celebrate International Women’s Day, The March 8 Committee of Women of Diverse Origins organized; Panel; Speakers, Culture, resistance and Bannock!

On this podcast Episode you will hear Marlene Hale’s speech from Wet’suwet’en Nation.  
To know more about Women of Divers Origins you can check their Website; and also their Facebook.