What if the poetry that inspired revolutions, that gave voice to the colonized and the exiled, that was watched by the CIA and funded by the Kremlin, had been almost entirely forgotten?

This podcast is a journey into that hidden history.

In the wake of the historic Bandung Conference, a revolutionary literary movement was born. Poets from across Africa and Asia—from Palestine to South Africa, from Vietnam to Algeria—came together with a shared purpose: to forge a cultural weapon against colonialism, racism, and imperialism. They created two journals, Lotus and The Call, and filled them with poetry that was defiant, angry, and full of hope. These were poets who wrote from prison cells and in exile, who knew that a poem could be as powerful as a gun.

But their movement was torn apart by the Cold War, caught between the competing ambitions of the Soviet Union and China, and relentlessly surveilled by Western intelligence. Their work was scattered, their legacy fragmented. Until now.

Lines of Fire is a landmark new collection that brings this forgotten poetry back to life. It is a book of voices that refused to be silenced: from Mahmoud Darwish's aching laments for Palestine to Faiz Ahmad Faiz's defiant anthems against dictatorship, from the revolutionary songs of Vietnam to the anti-apartheid cries of South Africa.

In this episode, we sit down with Tariq Mehmood, the editor of Lines of Fire. For years, he has been on a quest to unearth this treasure trove of resistance literature. He takes us behind the scenes of the movement, explaining the bitter split between its two factions, the role of intelligence agencies in the cultural Cold War, and the incredible challenge of collecting poems originally written in dozens of languages.

But more importantly, we talk about why this poetry matters today. As the world watches a genocide unfold in Gaza, as the fight for freedom continues from Sudan to Kashmir, Tariq explains why these poems from the 1960s and 70s feel more urgent than ever. They remind us that the struggle for liberation is not new, and that poetry, as he writes in the book, is "not just an outlet for anger, grief, or love. It is resistance. It is resilience. It is the refusal to be erased."

Join us for a powerful conversation about the poetry that set the world on fire and why it is essential reading for anyone fighting for a better one. Tune in to hear the story behind Lines of Fire—a story of solidarity, struggle, and the enduring power of the written word.

In the final part, James describes the long legal battle for his freedom and his eventual release. Following three traumatic parole denials, his luck began to turn in 2001 when a Supreme Court ruling allowed him to appeal his deportation order. Despite the anxiety of 9/11 occurring while he was still incarcerated, he successfully won a 212C waiver hearing in 2002, effectively stopping his deportation. In 2003, after nearly a decade behind bars, he was transferred to Arthur Kill, where he finally encountered a parole board that recognized his humanity rather than just his crime. James concludes by explaining why he is now an abolitionist rather than a reformer; he argues that the carceral system is a direct descendant of chattel slavery and is predicated on the exploitation of Black and brown bodies. He emphasizes that true justice requires dismantling these interconnected systems of imperialistic and racist violence rather than simply making them more "humane".

This second part of a three-part podcast focuses on James's time at Coxsackie (the "Cat") and Greene Correctional Facility, where he began to "decolonize his mind" through the guidance of mentors. At Coxsackie, he met an elder named Pops, a former Black Panther who introduced him to revolutionary thinkers like George Jackson, Frantz Fanon, and Amílcar Cabral. Pops taught him the vital philosophy of "doing time" rather than letting "time do you," encouraging him to use his incarceration as an opportunity to build his mind and body. This period marked James's first "doctorate," as he became a voracious reader and began to see his struggle as part of a broader historical foundation of slavery maintained by the 13th Amendment. Later, at Greene, he met Bliss, who helped him find the power in his own voice through the Youth Assistance Program (YAP), where James shared his story with at-risk children. This section also details the devastating impact of the 1996 immigration laws, which resulted in James receiving a retroactive deportation order while already serving his sentence.

In the first part of the interview, Dr. Kirk J. James discusses his arrest in 1994 as an 18-year-old college freshman with no prior record. He explains that his book title, 94A6325, represents his transition from a human being into "state property": 94 is the year of his arrest, A refers to the maximum security processing track, and 6325 identifies him as the 6,325th person processed that year at the Downstate Correctional Facility. James describes the era of the 1990s as a "carceral genocide," noting that the prison population in New York exploded from 200,000 in the 1970s to over 2 million by the 1990s, driven by policies like the Rockefeller drug laws and "super predator" rhetoric. He details how he was entrapped by undercover police over several months and eventually sent to Riker's Island, a place he describes as a violent and overcrowded "ocean of destruction" where he felt a total loss of humanity. Facing the prospect of 45 years to life, he eventually accepted a plea deal of seven years to life just to survive the immediate violence of the system.

Since the catastrophic destruction in Gaza began over two years ago, the world has witnessed an unimaginable assault not only on human life but on the future itself. Every university in Gaza lies in ruins. Students and scholars have been killed, displaced, and cut off from their dreams. This systematic erasure of education and hope is what we call scholasticide.

Yet, amidst the rubble and the grief, a powerful act of resistance persists: the act of writing.

We Are Still Here: An Anthology of Resilience, Grief, and Unshattered Hope is a collection of raw, urgent testimonies from Gaza's university students. These are not distant reflections—they are real-time poems, stories, and essays forged in the crucible of survival.

In this vital interview, we speak directly with the student contributors and editors of this groundbreaking anthology.

We discuss:

• The real-time experience of living through genocide and scholasticide.

• The power of writing as an act of defiance, memory, and preservation of self.

• The unshattered hope that fuels their creativity even in the face of annihilation.

• The urgent need for the world to listen, witness, and remember.

These voices from Gaza are reaching out. For some, this may be their last testament, their final attempt to bridge the gap between their reality and our awareness. Tune in to bear witness, to understand the human spirit behind the headlines, and to honour the resilience of a people determined to be heard.

Today I have the honour of speaking to the author of this extraordinary novel, Flames of the Cherry Tree. It's a sweeping, intimate portrait of a young woman's coming of age against the backdrop of colonialism, rebellion, and indeed the birth of today's occupied Kashmir—at once tender and unflinching. It traces the story of one family through oppression, repression, and resistance, illuminating the forgotten histories that have shaped Kashmir today and the hope that survives in its people.

Leena Khan is an extraordinary woman. She's currently a Juris Doctor at Harvard Law School with an interest in international human rights law, and she has a long history of studying at Georgetown University with many prizes and awards, including work on Arab studies, and has published on that herself.

Unsilenced: Poems for Palestine Book Launch

On May 20, 2025, Daraja Press marked a significant literary and political moment with the launch of Unsilenced: Poems for Palestine, a stirring anthology edited by John P. Portelli. Bringing together the voices of 50 poets from across the globe, this collection weaves together art and activism, offering a lyrical testament to Palestinian resistance, resilience, and the enduring call for justice.

This special podcast episode presents a lightly edited recording of the powerful launch event in Ottawa, hosted by Adrian Harewood—award-winning journalist, professor at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication, and former CBC anchor. With his decades of experience in media and cultural storytelling, Harewood guided an evening of profound reflection, where poetry became both witness and weapon against oppression.

The panel featured an extraordinary gathering of contributors, each lending their unique perspective to the conversation:

• John Portelli, the anthology's editor, a poet, novelist, and professor emeritus whose work bridges academia and literary activism;
• Firoze Manji, Daraja Press publisher and public scholar, whose work centers African and global liberation struggles;
• Nahla Abdo, Carleton University professor and anti-colonial feminist scholar, whose research exposes the gendered violence of settler colonialism;
• Leila Marshy, writer and community organizer, whose novel The Philistine and family history inform her advocacy for Palestinian rights;
• Nibal Khalil, Palestinian anthropologist and gender studies expert, whose work amplifies marginalized voices;
• Shirani Rajapakse, award-winning Sri Lankan poet, whose writing explores themes of war, displacement, and healing;
• Omar Sabbagh, Lebanese-British poet and critic, whose forthcoming collection Night Settles Upon the City (Daraja Press) delves into Beirut's layered histories;
• Xanthi Hondrou-Hill, Greek-German poet and translator, whose award-winning work bridges cultures and languages;
• Joseph Ogbonna, Nigerian poet and educator, whose verses resonate with historical and contemporary struggles.

Their readings and discussions illuminated how poetry can transcend borders, challenge silence, and forge solidarity. From personal narratives to collective calls for justice, Unsilenced is more than a book—it's a movement.

Listen to this unforgettable day of words and resistance on Daraja Press's podcast. Available now on all major platforms.

#UnsilencedPoems #PoetryForPalestine #LiteraryActivism #DarajaPress

Produced by Pierre Loiselle, Music by Arlo Maverick. Thanks for listening.

Between 2021 and 2023 West Africa saw three popular military coups. Assimi Goïta became the president of Mali in 2021, Ibrahim Traoré became the president of Burkina Faso in 2022, and Abdourahamane Tchiani, became the president of Niger in 2023. The three former French colonies expelled French and US military. They withdrew from ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, and confederated, forming the Alliance of Sahel States. In French, that's the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES). They announced their intention to cooperate on regional security, integration, sovereignty, and economic independence.

In January, they announced a common passport, and in February, they raised a common flag. In March, Togo signaled its intent to leave ECOWAS and join the landlocked Alliance, giving it access to the sea. There's talk of Senegal and other bordering states following suit.

Host and producer Ann Garrison spoke to Eugene Puryear, author, journalist and Breakthrough News host, who attended the November 2024 Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel.
This podcast was first published by Pacifica Radio https://capitalismraceanddemocracy.org/2025/04/07/sahel-sovereignty-rises-afl-cios-foreign-arm-defunded-code-pink-calls-out-hands-off-hypocrisy-federal-workers-fight-echoes-patco/

The podcast discusses the growing alliance between Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—collectively known as the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES)—as they solidify their partnership in defiance of Western influence, particularly from France and ECOWAS. The interview highlights their shared commitment to sovereignty, anti-imperialism, and regional security, including joint efforts against jihadist threats without reliance on foreign military support.

Key points include the AES nations' rejection of neocolonial policies, their alignment with alternative partners like Russia (via the Wagner Group), and their push for economic and military self-sufficiency. The conversation also touches on Libya's potential role in supporting this alliance, given its historical influence in African geopolitics.

The interviewees frame the AES as a bold step toward Pan-African unity, challenging traditional power structures while facing internal and external pressures. The discussion suggests that this alliance could reshape West African dynamics, potentially inspiring other nations to resist foreign dominance in favor of regional cooperation.