Brains and Bronze: How Octavius Catto came back to life

Octavius Catto, a 19th century activist, stands in bronze as the first statue of a black man on Philadelphia public property. And he’s coming back to life in other ways–on a giant mural, and in the art and social justice scenes of the city. What would this statue of an activist from history say to the activists surrounding it now…why is he back, and what’s he trying to tell us? Produced in memory of Willis “Nomo” Humphrey.

Producer: Melina Walling

Featuring: Melina Walling, Keir Johnston, Shakirah, Eddy, Kim McCleary, Branly Cadet, Dejay Duckett, Paul Farber

Music: sonder, johnny_ripper, epilogue; Everybody Wants Gold and a Mermaid, Tony Higgins, Ray-A Life Underwater; You Can Calmly Put This Thing Together (Piece by Piece), junior85, Upside Down, Left to Right; Flight, Nctrnm, EQUINOX

The taste of war: The Koreans and U.S. combat ration

What does a war taste like? Tracing the history of U.S. military combat ration in Korea, the podcast tells the Koreans’ bittersweet encounters with America.

Producer: Won-Gi Jung

Music: Submerging Blue-Black by Podington Bear Memory Wing by Podington Bear

A Postcard from Mariana

Hurricane Maria revealed a dependency on the government but there was one community that used it as an opportunity to claim their independence. “There was no government here. And we couldn’t wait for the government. We couldn’t wait for anyone.” In this story I visit of the community of Mariana that has tried to separate themselves from the government.

Producer: Gabriela Nagle Alverio

Music: Puerto Rico by Englewood Elementary wave by Erokia Night Cave by Lee Rosevere

My Mexican Dream

I would have been born here, had my parents never left this town for the U.S. In my journey, I retrace my steps back to Malinaltenango, Mexico, the land my parents have always called home and a land I have never really known on my own. During my time here, I struggle with ideas of identity, belonging, family, and trauma. I re-open wounds that have long been sealed to make sense of my life in relation to my grandmothers. “It’s a part of my history that I never like to think about, because it makes me sad, or maybe guilty for being born when I was and where I was. Or maybe I don’t think about it because it makes me fear loneliness. Because what if they pain of loneliness is just as transferable as their love?”

Producer: Andrea Flores

Water on Concrete: An LA River Story

If a river could talk, who’s story would it tell? Running 51 miles through one of the most urbanized landscapes in the world, the Los Angeles River is overflowing with a rich history, a complex present, and a contested future. Travel down its concrete banks with producer Cameron Tenner, as he uncovers a story of power, exploitation, and resilience. Special thanks to Catherine Gudis, Robert García, Irma Muñoz, Steven Appleton, Johanna Hackett, and all those who spoke with and guided me along the way. Music: Memory Wind by Podington Bear Los Angeles New Years by Woody Guthrie

Genocide haunts our home: my mom copes life in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge.

How does one build a new home after losing all of one’s family? A son interviews his mother, a Cambodian refugee and genocide survivor, about her experience resettling in the U.S. He learns how her past has shaped his life.

Producer: Bunnard Phan

Featuring: Nickie Phan, Bunnard Phan

Music:
Khnom Min Sok Chet Te by Pan Ron
Chnam oun Dop-Pram Muy by Ros Sereysothea
Orchestral version of “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers performed at The (Military) Music Show of Nations 2002 Bremen, Germany (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejm3Q5ZKr28)

A Perfect Storm: Broadcasting Rhythms from the South Bronx to the East of Havana

From the rhyming styles of breakbeat poets and Bronx backyard jams of the 1980s, hip-hop sprang forth from the heart of urban black culture to give voice to the silenced narratives of black communities. The rhythm of resistance. Uncontainable, the sound waves traveled much farther than the national border. In the 1990s, young Cubans living in the barrio of Alamar resonated with the rhythms and attitude in the music and adopted the art form as their own. Moving through this rich oral history and into the present, we will hear the way hip-hop brought these two cultures together in a perfect storm.

Thank you to Luna Gallegos, Laura Cantana, Rolando Almirante, Dr. Cecil Brown, Jeff Chang, “The Wizard”/ “El Brujo,” Yulier, La Rafa El Individuo, and Alejandra Zamora for your honesty and warmth throughout the interview process.

Producer: Nya Hughes

Music:
The Message – Grandmaster Flash
Get By – Talib Kweli
Latino & Proud – DJ Raff
Tengo – Hermanos De Causa
Mi Raza – El Individuo
1981 SPECIAL REPORT: “SOUTH BRONX”
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLSDY8jPRds)
The Bronx in The 1980’s PART 1 (Original)
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgUsEVwXch0)
CHUPI CHUPI – Osmani Garcia

Photo by Nya Hughes

Heaven and Hell: Inside the the Maternity Ward of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar

After delivering one child, the Head Nurse Nassara turns around, changes her gloves, and delivers another. In Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar, 30-50 babies are born a day. Often, in the maternity ward, there are only 3-4 nurses working at a time. As the largest public hospital in Zanzibar, Mnazi Mmoja faces the island’s high rate of maternal mortality head on, yet, the root of the problem is hard to uncover–it’s tangled up in a much larger system.

This piece would not be possible without the Program in Global Health Technologies at Boston University led by Dr. Zaman, the Stanford Storytelling Project, and the kindness of everyone at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital.

Producer: Megan Calfas

Music:
Rui — “Caress me to Sleep”, “Selbstheilend”, “No sudden movements”
Johnny Ripper — ”Nicolas”
Orbique — “Simple”
Cuban Cowboys — “Outro”

We are still here – stories of the Tinggian

In Abra, a province of the northern Philippines, members of several indigenous communities – collectively called the Tinggian – are fighting to protect their histories. Listen to the stories of an elder charged with upholding a centuries-old peace pact; a pastor whose ancestors fought as revolutionaries; a mayor who evaded assassination to build a school in his hometown; and a weaver who’s made it her mission to revive a tradition of ritual and weaving.

Producer: Ethan Chua

Featuring:
Elder Bansilan Sawadan
Elder Johnny Guinaban
Pastor Ruben
Elder Norma Mina

With thanks to:
Ate Minda Guinaban
Raffy Tejero
The Center for Community Transformation (CCT)
My parents, Ronald and Anabelle Chua

Music
Podington Bear