This year’s first South Asia special edition of APEX Express spotlights a discussion with noted South Asian feminist scholar, activist, geek, poet Anasuya Sengupta on decolonizing the Internet and the project she co founded, Whose Knowledge?
In the second half of the show, we turn our attention to the South Asian island country of Sri Lanka. Known as a global tourist destination, the country is also neck deep in deep political crisis, which took a new turn of events in October 2018 when the president Maithripala Sirisena unilaterally displaced the sitting Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinge with MahinDa Rajapaksa, himself former President who presided over the end of Sri Lanka’s bloody25-year civil war and is accused ofserious human rights abuses during his rule from 2005 to 2015. What does this mean for a country that is still reeling recovering from the civil war? How are feminists and civil society grappling with the ongoing political and socio economic crisis plaguing the country? Listenup next to a discussion I had with noted Sri Lankan feminist activist Shreen Saroor.
Interview with Anasuya Sengupta in collaboration with KPFA’s Women’s Magazine
Tonight on Apex Express Mother/Daughter hosts Miko Lee and Ayame Keane-Lee spoke to Yvette Felarca from By Any Means Necessary about taking direct action out into the streets and stopping the Trump ICE raids. More information about an upcoming immigration forum is listed in the calendar below.
We spoke to Michelle Lee, curator of Shifting Movements, Art inspired by Yuri Kochiyama, which opens with a big celebration tonight at SOMARTS Cultural Center and runs through May 25. Shifting Movements is part of the 20th Annual United States of Asian America Festival. Some of the art pieces are shown above, but go check it out in person to see how amazing the work is.
Mari Nakagawa interviewed punk band Aye Nako who hits the Bay Area tonight and tomorrow night.
Poet Yujane Chan came into the studio and performed her erasure poem derived from her formal immigration papers. Ayame, also a youth poet, chatted with Yujane about her inspiration and process. Yujane performed this as part of Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam in April.
Miko spoke with award winning filmmaker Felicia Lowe’s about her latest work Chinese Couplets which is her personal tale about the Chinese Exclusion Act. They also discussed the big Rally for Inclusion that is happening this Saturday in Portsmouth Square Chinatown to acknowledge the 135th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Find out more about the Rally and how to take action page here.
Venue: SOMArts Cultural Center, Main Gallery, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco. Exhibition Dates: Tuesday through Friday from 12-7pm, and Saturdays from 12-5pm. Closing Reception: Thursday, May 25, 2016. 6-9pm.
This week on Apex Express we feature interviews and analysis of two cases you probably have not heard much about.
First we bring you in-depth coverage of Jo Nan Hui – woman fighting deportation, and the right to keep her child, after fleeing her abusive partner. We examine how her particular case sheds light on a broken immigration system, which often makes it difficult for victims of domestic abuse to seek help, and we look at how Korean and Women’s Rights advocates are fighting her case.
And, we talk toRaj Hameed and Anirvan Chatterjee, from the local South Asian Community about their response and organizing, in the aftermath of Avijit Roy’s murder in Bangladesh. Avijit Roy was an outspoken secularist blogger who was killed this week by a fundamentalist group. His murder sparked protests across Bangladesh, and has galvanized Bangladeshi-Americans to look to Congress, in the US, to help hold the government, and his killers, accountable.
That tonight at 7 pm, on 94.1, KPFA .
Hosted by Marie Choi and Salima Hamirani
Community Calendar
March 5, join us at Oakland Through Our Lens Featuring photographs of life in Oakland taken by women, the show will focus on women of color, queer women, and first time photographers. The exhibit will be at both Betti Ono Gallery and Show and Tell Concept Shop.
March 5th, at the International Hotel in San Francisco. There is a hip hop benefit for BlackOUT Collective & TGIJP (Transgender, Gender Variant & Intersex Justice Project). All ages, 6:30 to 11pm.
Saturday March 7th, from 9 am to 7 pm, is the Empowering Women of Color Conference. No better time than now: Transnational resistance, solidarity and love. in Wheeler Hall, at UC Berkeley.
Also Saturday March 7th from 3 to 5 pm, at the Asian Resource gallery, is your last time to see Rebel Legacy, which connects the century-long history of South Asian American activism with contemporary social movements, linking local and global struggles for equity and social justice.
This week we feature two documentary film makers from South Asia creating media about social outliers, and social justice issues.
First we have a LIVE call in all the way from Mumbai : Anand Patwardhan is a documentary film maker based in India who’s films focus on themes such as the nuclear arms race, the treatment of dalits, and patriarchy and religion. Today he joins us on the phone to talk about media consolidation in India and how it affects our ability to disseminate information and critique the government.
Then, we’ll hear from an interview with director Saad Khan about his new movie about LGBT Pakistanis, called “Hide And Seek” and we also hear about his new upcoming project on Pakistani showgirls, that is, women on the stage and in theater.
On tonight’s show, contributor R.J. Lozada continues his reporting from his trip to the Philippines last summer. R.J. starts deep in the mountains of Mindanao, the southern region, as part of a series of international solidarity missions coordinated for the International Coalition for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (ICHRPP). R.J. sits and listens to various testimonials from villagers who have had difficulties being caught in a crossfire between Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (Paramilitary groups), and the New Peoples Army.
On a bus driving up and through the Mountain Provinces in the Philippines (photo by R. Lozada)
R.J. also takes us as far north to the remarkably cool climate of Sagada, and Baguio. There, R.J. learns of some of the significant drawbacks of purportedly alternative energy industries by speaking with an organizer from the Cordillera Peoples Alliance. In Sagada, R.J. integrates with a local community radio station, Radyo Sagada, to get an understanding of some the indigenous peoples (IP) struggles with maintaining a peace zone.
Terraces run throughout the Mountain Provinces (photo by R. Lozada)
All that, and so much more on this remarkable and short trip–including updates regarding the Pacific Pivot, the Philippine Peace talks with the National Democratic Front.
Part travel diary, part reportage, all Filipino diaspora. Tune in!
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
On Friday, from 5PM to 7PM join organizers, participants, and neighbors against displacement, gentrification, and the tech-led takeover of the Bay Area for a potluck at the 16th BART Plaza to kick off a week of actions coordinated by Defend the Bay Area. For more information, please visit defendthebayarea.org
Join the Asian Prisoner Support Committee for their Roots 2 Reentry CommunityPotluck this Saturday, March 29, at The Spot (299 13th St., Oakland) from 12PM to 1:30 PM. You can learn more about the new program, and meet the participants. Roots 2 Reentry is a support group for people returning to Alameda County from prison or jail–focusing on cultural needs and assets of the Asian, Pacific Islander, and “Other” communities. For more information you can visit their website at www.asianprisonersupport.com
Dis/orient/ed is coming back for two shows on April 5th. The successful comedy duo sold out their shows the last time they came to the Bay and they do not disappoint. The duo will be performing at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, you can purchase pre-sale tickets now if you visit their website at disorientedcomedy.com
The Navarasa Dance Theater Residency at La Pena Cultural Center present Courtesans’ Conversation, a dance theater by Aparna Sindhoor, Anil Natyaveda and S M Raju — is described as an artist’s journey into the world of women’s desires through conversations with three courtesans — and a pop star. The event happens on Friday and Saturday, April 4th & 5th at 8PM at the La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $18 at the door. For more information please visit www.lapena.org or call 510 849 2568.
If you haven’t given to APEX and KPFA yet – this is the weeks to do it! We are in our 2nd of 3 weeks of Winter Fund Drive at KPFA. Call in during the APEX hour for some awesome premiums:
Our feature premium is a recorded talk with scientist, author, and activist David Suzuki! He was interviewed by indigenous organizer Clayton Thomas Muller in 2012 about the environment, Canada’s social movements, and the fight against the massive tar sands development on indigenous lands. Listen in tonight for clips from that talk. And call in to pledge to get either a CD or DVD copy of it as a gift for your donation!
We’ll also be offering the KPFA Winter Speech Pack – a package of 10 amazing talks on CD – for a donation of $200.
We’re calling all book lovers and families to join us in exploring the history of Multicultural Children’s Literature, with an eye toward Asian/Pacific Islander Stories! In studio we have an exciting group of guests to talk about the power of culturally relevant narratives and positive portrayals of communities of color:
An interview with Kassie Pham and Kristine Aquino, staff at one of the oldest independent Bookstores in the nation focused on Asian and Asian American Literature – Eastwind Books in Berkeley. With the transformation of the publishing industry as a whole, are multicultural publishers on the decline?
And we invite you, our listeners at home to call in with your recommendations for the best Asian and Pacific Islander children’s literature. Is there a book that you have read to your children, or a book that stands out to you in your own life that was read to you at an early age?
Saturday, February 8th
Lunar New Year at OACC!
@ Oakland Asian Cultural Center in Oakland Chinatown above the Asian Library
Featuring traditional dances, drumming, live music, and much much more.
You can visit oacc.cc for more info.
Sunday, February 9th
Eastwind Books is hosting Deng Ming Dao and a reading of his book “The Lunar Tao.”
3:00 – 5:00 pm
@ Eastwind Books in Berkeley (2066 University Ave in Berkeley)
Unlike any other book, “The Lunar Tao” gives readers a new way to explore Taoism and shows readers a way to include the tenets of Taoism into daily life.
The event will include qigong demonstrations.
More info online is at asiabookcenter.com
Farmers and organizers from Hacienda Luisita protest the distribution of lands in front the House of Representatives in Manila. Photo courtesy of R.J. Lozada
Land is life. When Spain forcefully took and claimed land from the Philippines in 1521 they created a sociopolitical climate that would birth long-standing systems of oppression, manifesting in everything from political infrastructure to psychology to cuisine. Among the remnants and ghosts of colonization is HaciendaLuisita. The farmlands that belong to natives long before the Spanish were taken, and ended up in the hands of the family of the current President Benigno Aquino III, since the late 1950s. R.J. spent some time with farmers of Hacienda Luisita to learn what agrarian reform can really look like.
Flordia Sibayan, or “Pong,” is the chair of AMBALA, the farmworkers union at Hacienda Luisita. She and about 50 farmers and organizers camped out in front of the offices Department of Agricultural Reform. They’re protesting the lottery system, and other divide and conquer tactics to disrupt the movement for genuine agrarian reform. Photo courtesy of R.J. Lozada.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
On Saturday, August 31st at 7:30PM at the Solespace in Oakland, RAMA presents this months installment of Go! Ohana, featuring musicians Ben Ahn, Cynthia Lin, hosted by Tim Huey, and Leila Ramanculova. http://www.facebook.com/events/185431461636494
On Thursday, September 5th at 6:00PM, Undocu-Health: Healthcare and the Undocumented — this event at the Asian Resource Lobby in Oakland will feature a talk regarding the Affordable Care Act otherwise known as Obamacare, and the undocumented community. http://www.facebook.com/events/203747449792250
On Friday, September 6 at 7:00PM, the “Ordinary Guy,” Afro-Filipino Joe Bataan, will be at the I-Hotel in San Francisco for a meet and greet! http://www.facebook.com/events/574934042570084/
Formerly the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the revamped CAAM Fest is a celebration of food, music, and, of course, films. Thursday night’s opening film is Linsanity, and the program over the next 10 days looks to be exciting.
Contributor Preeti Mangala Shekar brings us interviews with two influential filmmakers Mira Nair, and Deepa Mehta.
This year, Mira Nair brings The Reluctant Fundamentalistto CAAM Fest:
Deepa Mehta renders Salman Rusdie’s Midnight’s Children to the screen:
This is a scan of a photograph taken by me during the Communal riots on Ahmedabad in February/March 2002. The photo shows the skyline of Ahmedabad filled with smoke as buildings are set on fire. (Wikimedia Commons)
Bay Area Solidarity Summer, or BASS, is hosting its 3rd annual summer leadership camp to develop future South Asian American activists and changemakers. Over five days in July, participants will explore social justice issues, meet artists and activists, get introduced to South Asian American history, and learn organizing and leadership skills.
Find out more about Bay Area Solidarity Summer, which participants call “inspiring” and “lifechanging,” at www.solidaritysummer.org. Apply by March 31 for first priority.
This Saturday, join the Arab Cultural and Community Center or ACCC, for our 6th Annual Bay Area Arab Women’s Conference at the San Francisco Public Library in downtown San Francisco–a unique grassroots Arab women’s conference produced by and for Arab women!
This year, panelists and performers from across the world will present on such topics as how Arab women move beyond colonial, orientalist, and Arab nationalist definitions of Arab womanhood; how to recognize diversity and challenge racism and ethnocentricism across the Arab world and diaspora; and how to lead more holistically healthy lives.
In the Summer of 2012, WNYC’s widely popular show, Radiolab, sought the Hmong perspective on chemical warfare during the Vietnam War, dubbed Yellow Rain. Producers from that show interviewed Kao Kalia Yang, award winning author of The Latehomecomer, and Eng Yang, documentarian of the Hmong experience post Vietnam War for Thailand. What would ensue in the interview has been widely discussed, and mostly criticized by Radiolab fans.
Kao Kalia Yang recently spoke at the annual Listen to the Silence conference at Stanford University. Yang also sat with APEX Contributor, R.J. Lozada to express her perspective on recent developments with WNYC, Radiolab, and the Hmong community.
Also it’s fund drive at KPFA, and we’ve been in touch with Coffee House Press, the publisher of Kao Kalia Yang’s award-winning memoir, The Latehomecomer-if you donate during broadcast, you receive The Latehomecomer as a thank you gift!
To listen to Radiolab’s amended segment vist here:
They made four different edits from it’s initial launch on their website on September 24, 2012 to October 05, 2012: first, to add Radiolab host, Jad Albumrad’s context, the second, to remove snickering at the end of the segment, third, to shorten the silence following Kao Kalia Yang’s tearful close of the interview, and fourth, to add Radiolab host, Robert Kruwich’s apology.
To read Kao Kalia Yang’s response she posted to Hyphen, vist here:
Curator Lucy Lin did an amazing job of putting together a beautiful & thought-provoking show that examines the deeply personal & continuing impact of organized conflict.
Featuring the works of artists Natalia Anciso, Binh Danh, Bessma Khalaf, John Jota Leaños, Gabby Miller, Geri Montano, Nguyen Phuong Linh, Lordy Rodriguez, Tina Takemoto, & Wafaa Yasin.
Join us for the closing reception, War Gastronomy: Recipes of Relocation on Friday, March 1, 5-8 PM, 310 8th Street, Oakland.
Presented by artists Justin Hoover and Chris Treggiari, this performance/participatory work prepares and serves food from a sustainable, mobile kitchen. Dishes served from the cart are from recipes contributed by people who have shared their personal stories of dislocation due to war and conflict.
Also as part of the reception, KSW is excited to announce a screening of Iranian film, The White Meadows, from 5-6:30 PM.
Presented by Santhosh Daniel, Director of Programs at the Global Film Initiative. Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof,this dreamlike yet earthbound film draws firsthand on the challenges faced by Iranian artists of today. It serves as a gorgeous allegory of intolerance, brutality, and mystified routine that resonates far beyond any one state’s borders.
Get down with the Hyphen Hoedown! To celebrate the release of Issue 26: The South, we will be serenaded Southern-style by famed country crooner Toshio Hirano, and we’ll get down to the blues sensibilities of guitarist and singer Wilson Wong. Beer, wine, sangrias and champagne will be provided alongside San Francisco’s favorite Brenda’s French Soul Food and delectable treats by Jade Chocolate. Southern attire encouraged!Tickets
Early bird $12 (’til 2.28.13) l GA $15 l At the door $20
Purchase tickets now: http://hyphenhoedown.eventbrite.com/
Time & Date
Saturday, March 2 l 9pm – 1am
Where
Gallery and Bar 4N5 l 863 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103
21+ l Alcohol will be served at the bar, cash only
Balay or Bahay: House/Home in Tagalog, Ilocano and Visayan
Doors open at 3 pm, program starts at 3:30 pm, Eastside Arts Alliance, Oakland.
http://www.facebook.com/events/251444658320984/
A group of nine Anakbayan East Bay members and solidarity allies spent December traveling through Luzon and Mindanao on an Exposure Trip to learn about the struggles and organizing of Filipinos fighting for liberation. Everywhere we traveled, thekasamas in the Philippines told us about their struggle for home.From Anakpawis members in urban poor squatter communities, to peasants in Hacienda Luisita struggling to create collective farms, to Typhoon Pablo victims, to political prisoners and minnning and logging communities, they were all struggling for the self-determination and liberation of home and land. This has been constant struggle for the Filipino people since Spanish colonialism.
This struggle is very close to the hearts of the Anakbayan East Bay delegation members. As Oakland residents, we are constantly fighting gentrification for space. Members of the delegation do work around housing, environmental justice, urban youth organizing, reproductive justice and workers rights issues. But the core of all of our work is building safe and just communities for low-income people of color here in the East Bay.
We came back to the Oakland with a dream of building solidarity for the liberation of home and land from Oakland to Manila, Luzon to Mindanao. Please join us for a report back to help make that dream real. Hear our stories, see our photos and video, share food, donate to the victims of Typhoon Pablo and peasants in Hacienda Luisita struggling to take back land and learn about other ways to support this movement.
The event will be livestreamed at http://bit.ly/ABEBLive. This venue is wheelchair accessible. Please RSVP on the wall if you have childcare needs.
APEX Express is a proud member of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality, or AACRE. AACRE is a network of Asian American social justice groups with shared values that are working to create positive change.
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