The Global Sisterhood Podcast is a project developed by Emma Shippey and Anh Ngo (Faculty of Social Work, WLU) in partnership with the Siinqee Institute. The podcast is a series of stories told through conversation and dialogue with people who are actively working and researching in the areas of gender justice and migration alongside diasporic communities. Listen along to the first season of the podcast, as Emma discusses themes of solidarity, community, and healing with members of the Siinqee Institute.

Emma Shippey is a social worker, community artist, and musician who is passionate about arts-based practices for storytelling and community engagement. Anh Ngo is a scholar in the areas of social work and critical refugee and migration studies.

Episode 1 Part 1: Knowledge Under Conditions of Rupture with Kuwee Kumsa

Emma is joined by Kuwee Kumsa, a scholar from Oromia, Ethiopia, whose work centers Oromo women’s experiences, feminist thought, and the intersections of culture, power, and education. They discuss concepts of gratitude, knowledge as a form of resistance, and Siinqee feminism. This is Part 1 of a 2-part podcast episode. 

For further reading on the concepts discussed by Kuwee, please explore these publications: 

·      Kumsa, M. K. (2022). Weaving academic home: Metaphor, insurgent culture, and transnational

·      Indigeneity. Qualitative Inquiry, 28 (6), 618 – 624. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10778004211002759

·      Kumsa, M.K. (2016). Thinking about Research, Qualitative Social Work: Research and Practice, 15: 1-8, 2016

·      Kumsa, M. K. (2007). The Meaning of Displacement and the Displacement of Meaning. In A. Asgharzadeh, E. Lawson, K. U. Oka, & A. Wahab (Eds.) Diasporic Ruptures: Globality, migrancy, and expressions of identity (Volume II, pp. 95-110). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Episode 1 Part 2: Diaspora, Sisterhood, Future Generations with Kuwee Kumsa

Emma is joined by Kuwee Kumsa, a scholar from Oromia, Ethiopia, whose work centers Oromo women’s experiences, feminist thought, and the intersections of culture, power, and education. They continue the discussion from Part 1 and delve further into Global feminism, international advocacy, diaspora responsibilities for knowledge keeping and transmission, and the development of the Siinqee Institute. This is Part 2 of a 2-part podcast episode.

For further reading on the concepts discussed by Kuwee, please explore these publications:

·      Kumsa, M. K. (2013). Songs of Exile: Singing the Past into the Future. Kitchener, Canada: Duudhaa Publishing. Available on the Siinqee Institute website at: https://siinqeeinstitute.org/songs-of-exile

·      Kumsa, M. K. (2007/2011). A Resettlement Story of Unsettlement: Transformative Practices of Taking It Personally. In D. Baines (Ed.), Doing anti-Oppressive Practice: Social Justice Social Work (Second Edition), pp. 229-248. Halifax and Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing.

·      Kumsa, M. K. (2010). Wounds of the Gut, Wounds of the Soul: Youth Violence and Community Healing among Oromos in Toronto. Canadian Social Work Journal, 12 (1), 123-130. 

Episode 2: Community with Peri Klemm and Rufo Juro

Emma is joined by Peri Klemm, an African art historian and professor whose work focuses on the rich artistic traditions of Oromia, with particular attention to identity, dress, and the body, and Rufo Jiru, a chemist, Oromo women’s advocate, founder of Jara and Jiru Foundation. Collectively, they discuss diaspora, cultural memory and practices as well as women’s community resistance and collective action.

For further exploration on the topics, please click on the links to view the documentary, The Siinqee Sisterhood: A Women's Ateetee Ritual in Arsi, Oromia, as well as the recorded film screening and panel discussion featured at the Siinqee Institute’s International Women’s Day webinar.

Episode 3: Healing with Aga Ruda and Chizuru Nobe-Ghelani

Emma is joined by Aga Ruda who is a social worker and community advocate, and Chizuru Nobe-Ghelani who is a scholar focused on health and wellbeing with marginalized communities. Collectively, they discuss decolonial wellbeing, earth-based healing, connections to ancestral lands and cultures, and the work of storytelling in wellness promotion. 

For additional viewing and learning, please explore the following resources:

·      https://globalhealth.harvard.edu/news-reimagining-mental-health-through-indigenous-worldviews/

·      https://www.cvt.org/articles/decolonizing-mental-health-moving-towards-harmony-balance-an-indigenous-perspective-on-wellness/

·      https://www.pbs.org/show/mysteries-mental-illness/collections/decolonizing-mental-health/

·      https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/

·      https://foresttherapyhub.com/