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Promo image for Words Without Borders: An Evening of Poetry and Spoken Word

Words Without Borders: An Evening of Poetry and Spoken Word / Poetry

With Manal Younus, Hani Abdile, Flora Chol and 2 others

'Poetry is like a bird,' the Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko famously said. 'It ignores all frontiers.'

People whose lives have been governed by borders often find solace in the freedom of artistic expression. Join us for an evening of poetry and spoken word, performed by members of Australia’s refugee communities.

Curated by Manal Younus, the celebrated Eritrean storyteller who now calls South Australia…

Podcast episode

Cover image for of Tom Porteous on Human Rights and COVID-19

The Fifth Estate

Tom Porteous on Human Rights and COVID-19 / Human rights

Sally Warhaft speaks with Tom Porteous, who joined us live from Paris

Tom Porteous is a former journalist for the Guardian and the BBC, and an expert on global conflict management and resolution. Now deputy program director at Human Rights Watch, he joined Sally Warhaft live from Paris to discuss human rights and COVID-19.

The pair talk through the existing tensions and inequities the pandemic has brought into sharp relief. They discuss, too, the immediate human rights challenges – from healthcare access and healthcare workers’ labor rights to family violence, education access and prisoners’ rights, to increasing incidents of racism.

Porteous also discusses post-pandemic life and the reasons for caution and optimism. What challenges can we anticipate, and mitigate, in terms of vaccine access? And could the post-COVID moment prompt a rethinking of social contracts, and an era of major public policy innovation?

Promo image for The Fifth Estate: Tom Porteous on Human Rights and COVID-19

The Fifth Estate: Tom Porteous on Human Rights and COVID-19 / Human rights

With Tom Porteous and Sally Warhaft

The pair talk through the existing tensions and inequities the pandemic has brought into sharp relief. They discuss, too…

14 Jun 2020

Past event

Promo image for On ‘Welcome’: Migration, First Nations and Refugee Communities

On ‘Welcome’: Migration, First Nations and Refugee Communities / Human rights

With Shabnam Safa, Amiel Nubaha, Gheran-Yarraman Steel (Briggs) and 1 other

What’s in a welcome? It’s a word we hear often in relation to Australia’s refugee movement – but in the context of hostile refugee policy and unceded sovereignty, what meanings can it hold?

Together with the Refugee Council of Australia, we’re hosting the official launch of Refugee Week 2020. We’ll kick off the week-long celebration with a deep dive into…

15 Jun 2020

Past event

Words Without Borders: An Evening of Poetry and Spoken Word / Poetry

With Manal Younus, Lujayn Hourani, Flora Chol and 2 others

'Poetry is like a bird,' the Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko famously said. 'It ignores all frontiers.'

Curated by Manal Younus, the celebrated Eritrean storyteller who now calls South Australia…

Podcast episode

Cover image for of Joshua Wong: Unfree Speech

The Fifth Estate

Joshua Wong: Unfree Speech / Freedom of speech & censorship

Sally Warhaft, left, and Joshua Wong

Joshua Wong was still a teenager when he rose to international prominence as a leader in Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement, protesting increased Chinese Communist Party intervention in the city’s electoral system.

‘That’s the transformation of Hong Kongers … Before last summer, nobody could imagine more than 2 million people taking to the streets. […] But we did it. Almost one-fourth of the population [stood] up against the regime of Beijing.’

A lot has happened since. Wong has served two prison terms and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He's co-founded a new political party, Demosistō, and written a book, Unfree Speech. All the while, the protest movement in Hong Kong has simmered on, boiling over last year into extraordinary mass protests and brutal police confrontations.

With Sally Warhaft, Wong talks about the evolution of Hong Kong’s democracy movement and the impact of COVID-19. Assembly restrictions enforced due to the pandemic have hampered demonstrations and possibly cleared the path for more authoritarian rule in the city. In mid-April, more than a dozen high-profile pro-democracy activists were arrested.

How does Wong expect these arrests to impact Hong Kong's legislative elections in September? What effect might a weakened United States and an emboldened China have on the One Country, Two Systems principle that grants Hong Kong special autonomy?

Wong reflects on these questions and more.

#TWCFifthEstate

With Joshua Wong and Sally Warhaft

The Fifth Estate: The World’s Largest Party: China / Australian politics What’s That Sound? Activism Today / Activism

With Tess Lawley, Gary Foley, Amelia Telford and 2 others

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