In February of 2020 I returned back home to Aotearoa for a few weeks primarily to complete my work on island festivals which included writing up with an island resident and activist, John Stanfield, a chapter on Waiheke islands and its 'festivalscape'. I had arranged to stay with another island resident and artist, Nora West, with whom I had stayed in the past and whose house is right by the Oneroa Bay and its iconic beach. Little did I know that the island a...
My new island “Ikigai” company is consisting of my father’s nonagenarian friends who are meeting daily at the neighborhood’s cafe. I recently I had the rare honor to frequent the company of these oldies who entertained me with their stories, folk poems- traditional Cretan couplets/“madinades/μαντιναδες”- and commentary on politics, history, and society as well as on international affairs (they clearly have the advantage of time, they have seen it all in their...
Another intensive fieldwork out in the northwest of Kyrgyzstan mapping the communicative ecology of remoteness. The trip gifted us once again with grant vistas but also a much-needed inspiration. While our research started with the community radios in this part of the country, we very quickly came to realize that there is more to Talas and Sussamyr than their radio.
Behind the “people’s reporters” that report to Radio Most from their communities are a group of...
Mapping the communicative ecology of remoteness: another inspiring community radio encounter in the Talas region of Kyrgyzstan. To get there we had to go through two of the highest altitude mountain passes in the country and 11 hours of driving in total from the capital and back but the rewards were rich: stunning scenery that left us speechless and in awe of its grandness and superb data for our project.
Radiomost 100.5 FM (Radio Bridge), run by Gulmira Osmon...
My most inspiring fieldwork experiences have always been with community media, including this one at the Suusamyr community radio in Kyrgyzstan.
To get to Suusamyr village we had to go through a high mountain pass that right at the top offered us a spectacular view of the Suusamyr Valley that lies at 2,500 meters above the sea level between two ranges of Tian Shan mountains. Once there we were treated with full Kyrgyz hospitality by our host Aizada Kalkanbekov...
