TROUBLEMAKERS

What does it really mean to feel welcome? In this second part of Make New Folks Feel Welcome, we flip the mic and pass it to the people. Real voices share real stories that made them feel like they mattered. 

These are stories of kindness, comfort, and quiet inclusion.

Then, we sit down with Lennart Dose, an architect deeply engaged in restoration and spatial design, to reflect on what it ...

What happens when we don’t just imagine a better world, but practice it right now?

Our host Monica Kamandau speaks with Ally, a creative writer, author-activist, and community organizer from Zanzibar about building truly inclusive communities. 

Ally relates his experience with stuttering and how embracing his voice gave him a thirst for storytelling, organising, and helping others reclaim their power through words.

Key Ideas and ...

"Every single time, I’m the first audience I have to think about." – Minentle Luthuli

Can you stay true to your story and still move others to act? Should you even try?

In this deep and dynamic episode of Trouble Makers, South African filmmaker Minentle Luthuli challenges the idea that artists—or activists—should start by considering their audience. Drawing from personal experience, she speaks about creating stories from the heart ...

There’s one style of leadership in which a charismatic, commanding figure sets the agenda, builds a vertical hierarchy, and pulls everyone else along for the ride. But what happens when leadership flips the script?

In this episode of Trouble Makers, we explore the power of supportive, enabling leadership through the work of Juma Erassy, coordinator of the Youth Hub at MSTCDC in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Key Ideas and Highlights:

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“You are invited. By anyone, to do anything. You are invited, for all time. You are so needed, by everyone, to do everything. You are invited, for all time.— The Dismemberment Plan, “You Are Invited”

Bringing in new people is essential to any activist group that wants to grow in size and capacity, but recruiting is only the first step. Integrating people into an established group can be an even bigger challenge. In this episode, ar...

“Imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we must clinically detect and remove from our land but from our minds as well.” — Frantz Fanon

What does liberation mean when the very language of freedom is shaped by empire?

In this episode, we speak with Somdeep Sen, political scientist and author of Decolonizing Palestine: Hamas Between the Anticolonial and the Postcolonial, about what it means to struggle for freedom in a postcolon...

“As things fall apart, what’s the one drink you’d carry into the collapse?”

In this episode, we pose the critical question of our time: if we all end up in one ecological safe zone during the polycrisis and are only allowed one alcoholic beverage for the rest of our lives... what drink are we bringing with us?

We’re joined by Mia, Maggie, and Malemi, who gamely dive into this hypothetical apocalypse:

Mia goes with... apple cider.

M...

Phil, who was a Pro-Palestine campus activist in his university days, reflects on the recent police repression of student protesters at Columbia University and how it's part of a broader assault on pro-Palestinian solidarity movements across global campuses. But beyond the headlines, this episode dives into a deeper question: what counts as learning, and does dissent not create a stronger learning environment?

Phil challenges the...

What does it mean to be a good ally—and not a harmful one—in movements for justice?

In this episode, we explore the difficult but essential work of following the lead of the most impacted. Our guest reflects on the dangers of “do-gooder arrogance” and the importance of showing up with humility, not solutions.

We talk about how movements led by marginalised communities challenge extractive allyship and why strategic support must ...

Welcome to the first-ever segment of Troublemaker’s Polycrisis Prep School, a special segment of the Troublemaker’s Podcast where we debate the most “pressing” dilemmas of our turbulent times. First on the chopping board:

🍕🍍 Is it acceptable to put pineapple on pizza?

Joining the food fight are the Three Ms—Malemi, Maggie, and Mia.

Malemi is firmly in the no camp—pizza is savory, and fruit (beyond tomatoes[?]) has no place he...

"I have the people behind me and the people are my strength."— Huey Newton.

What does solidarity look like when comrades are behind bars? In this episode, we explore jail solidarity through the eyes of Céline Lebrun-Shaath, a committed organizer and internationalist. She speaks about the moral and political imperative to stand with those who remain imprisoned—not just by supporting their freedom, but by sustaining the struggles the...

It takes more than organising to shift a society's sense of what's possible.

In this episode, we travel to Moldova to explore how feminist and LGBTQ+ activists are reimagining the boundaries of public discourse and reshaping the culture of protest in a quiet, conservative society. Our guests, Julia and Stella, are part of a growing movement challenging apathy, tradition, and fear with bold, consistent action.

We unpack the conc...

How do you take on a corporate giant—and win?

In this episode of Troublemakers, we dive into a story from BDS Palestine organizers in Jordan. They built one of the most impactful consumer boycotts in recent memory, targeting Carrefour supermarkets. Fatima and Enas walk us through the strategy, creativity, and community power that made it possible.

They share how neighborhood committees were formed, how young people and students got...

In this episode of Trouble Makers, we dive into the spectacle surrounding Disney’s  Snow White remake to explore a deeper story: how corporate media co-opts identity politics, commodifies culture, and shapes our collective imagination for profit. We unpack how companies like Disney use outrage as marketing and brand loyalty as a form of identity, leaving us with sanitized, commercialized narratives that limit our vision for justi...

In this episode of Troublemakers, we dive into Participatory Action Research (PAR) with Abel Sibanda, exploring how research needn't be divorced from reality but can actually foster social transformation and systems change, especially when it's not separated from our complex realities and the actions of our movements. We discuss the nuances of solidarity when carrying out research together with social movements, and the many perils...

If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.— Maya Angelou

Phil sits with a longtime comradely fellow organizer Phionah Kyokusiima from Solidarity Uganda. Together they delve into the tactic of cultural disobedience, which has just as much subversive power—sometimes more—as civil disobedience. Kyokusiima is a seasoned organizer with the powerful Solidarity Uganda network (solidarityuganda.org)....

And when they spy on us, let them discover us loving.

— Alice Walker

Our guest helps us answer many of the questions activists have about privacy and digital security. He has chosen to remain anonymous to share his insights on protecting oneself online, avoiding surveillance, and practicing safe digital habits.

From understanding encryption to safeguarding your personal data, this conversation equips listeners with essential tools ...

In this second part of our series on "Use the law, don't be afraid of it," we speak with climate justice lawyer Victoria Whalen, who offers a refreshingly positive perspective on what the law is and what it can do. She puts law in the hands of the people as a tool to mould new realities, and frames the history of legal rights as a living archive of movement victories.

Victoria Whalen is such a dynamic force in climate justice. With...