Hicham Kaye's interview was recorded online on May 20th 2020 Hicham Kayed A Palestinian filmmaker and activist originally from Jaffa, was born in Lebanon where he currently lives and works. He is the director and the multimedia coordinator of AL-JANA, The Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts in Beirut, organizations which work conducting writing and film workshops for Palestinian youth living in the refugee camps in Lebanon. Hicham’s films have been shown at Film Festivals around the world. http://al-jana.org Interviewers: Lucine Serhan & Shahrzad Arshadi Music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV8SGjibIng *Life stories Quilt podcast website: https://lifestoriesquilt.com

Säye Skye’s Interview was recorded online on June 22nd, 2020. This Episode is in Farsi.  Säye Skye is an award winning transgender Iranian rap artist and LGBTQ rights activist at the forefront of a new hip-hop movement that has its basis in social consciousness. With astonishing originality, his experimental raps challenge deep-rooted stereotypes of misogyny, discrimination, and queerphobia. Since age 13, he has been crafting songs and poems that resonate deeply with people, using music as a platform for communicating truth. Säye Skye’s work is distinguished by both its mystery and infectious energy. Using the poetic language of Farsi, each song elicits an instant audience connection through its passion and pulse. From its unpredictable flow and hypnotic rhythms to its evocative lyrics, Säye Skye’s work invites listeners to question their current state of being. Säye Skye is the first person in Iran’s history to dare sing about the LGBTQ community, their existence and their protracted struggle for freedom. In 2009, he recorded and released his first single in Iran, Säye Yek Zane Irani (Shadow of an Iranian Woman). As a queer artist, he was consequently put at great risk for singing and advocating for LGBTQ rights through his music. In 2010, Säye Skye was forced to leave his home and seek asylum in Turkey, where he was granted refugee status, and moved thereafter to Toronto in March 2011. Säye Skye is currently collaborating with acclaimed German producers and singers on the release of his first EP. sayeskye.com سايه اسكاي خواننده رپ و فعال حقوق بشر در سال ٢٠٠٩ با سه آهنگ “سايه يك زن ايران، حق كشي و بيداري” جرات كرد براي اولين بار قفل سكوت جامعه ال جي بي تي كيو ايران را بشكند، كاري كه منجر به خروج سايه از ايران و زندگي در تبعيد در كانادا شد. در سال ٢٠١٣ جايزه بهترين هنرمند تازه وارد كانادا به سايه اسكاي تعلق گرفت. سايه با آهنگ تي ان ايي همكاري مشترك بين تيم آلماني و كانادايي به وجود آورد كه گفته ميشود در موزيك ويديو اين كار ٢٣ نفر از آلمان در منفيه ١٥ درجه دور هم جمع شدند تا پيام انساني اين آهنگ را به تصوير بكشند. در سال ٢٠١٨ سايه اسكاي در جشنواره تدي اوارد مهمترين جشنواره فيلم كويير جهان با آهنك و ويدئو تي ان ايي روي صحنه رفت و براي اولين بار در تاريخ اين جشنواره به عنوان يك خواننده ايراني حضور پيدا كرد. سايه در ٢٠٢٠ ساخت موسيقي متن و تيتراژ فيلم “نوهارد فيلينكز” را به همراه تیمش به عهده گرفت، اين فيلم داستان دو همجنسگراي پسر ايراني را با كارگرداني فراز شريعت به تصوير مي كشد. فيلمي كه دو جايزه “بست فيچر فيلم” و “ريدزآوارد” رو در جشنواره تدي اوارد در برليناله  از آن خود ساخت و از ماه سپتامبر در سينماهاي فرانسه، انگليس و امريكا بر روي پرده خواهد رفت. آخرين آهنگ منتشر شده از سايه اي دي اچ دي نام دارد كه بي شك پيشگام گفتگو در ارتباط با سلامت روان در جامعه ايران محسوب مي شود. Music and songs: Säye Skye Interview and Edit: Shahrzad Arshadi Photo: @instil_image_co /courtesy of Säye Skye *Life stories Quilt podcast website: https://lifestoriesquilt.com

Interview with Bermal Che was recorded in June 2018 in the mountains of Kurdistan. Bermal Che is a Kurdish poet, Singer, songwriter  and freedom fighter. Bermal was born and grown up in Bakur – Northern Kurdistan (Turkey). She is member of PKK. This Episode is in Kurdish. Music and songs by: Bermal Che Interview and Edit: Shahrzad Arshadi Translations: Çiwana Photo by: Shahrzad

Published on: December 05, 2019 at 1:00 AM Interview with Ronia was recorded in June 2018 in Kurdistan. Ronia Arial is a young Kurdish/Iranian writer, poet and freedom  fighter. She was born and grown up in Sanandaj, Kurdistan (Iran). This interview is in Farsi. *Music and songs by: Bermal *Interview and Edit: Shahrzad Arshadi https://lifestoriesquilt.com

Janet Lumb, born and raised in Toronto for twenty years and having lived in Vancouver for ten years, Janet Lumb has now been living in Montreal for the majority of her life. As a musician and sax player since ‘75 and working with dancers, poets and painters, she has been exploring her visual interests as a composer for film music for over 20 years. As Director of Accès Asie, an Asian arts Festival, Janet merges her passions for the arts, culture, community and social activism. A great believer in the chaos theory, that there is order in chaos, Janet continues taking chances in the magic of the moment. Interview and Edit: Shahrzad Arshadi   /  Original Music by: Kayon Taheri

Janet Lumb, born and raised in Toronto for twenty years and having lived in Vancouver for ten years, Janet Lumb has now been living in Montreal for the majority of her life. As a musician and sax player since ‘75 and working with dancers, poets and painters, she has been exploring her visual interests as a composer for film music for over 20 years. As Director of Accès Asie, an Asian arts Festival, Janet merges her passions for the arts, culture, community and social activism. A great believer in the chaos theory, that there is order in chaos, Janet continues taking chances in the magic of the moment. Interview is recorded on December 15, 2018 in Montreal *Interview and Edit by: Shahrzad Arshadi *Original Music: Kayon Taheri *Photo by: Homman Kazemian

Tess Tesalona is a Montreal based Filipino-Canadian union organizer. She is one of the founder and active member of Immigrant Workers Centre,  Women of Diverse Origins and more….. Interview is recorded on October 20th, 2017 in Montreal. 

Tess Tesalona is a Montreal based Filipino-Canadian union organizer. She is one of the founder and active member of Immigrant Workers Centre,  Women of Diverse Origins and more... Interview is recorded on October 20th, 2017 in Montreal.

 Interview is recorded on October 19th, 2017 in Montreal. To  honour Freda Guttman, a great Montrealer and to celebrate her 85th  birthday! A unique and wonderful Artist and Activist that we have the  privilege to listen to her life story on this Quilt episode.  Happy BirthDay Freda!  “Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” -Bertolt Brecht One  advantage of having had the good fortune to live into old age is that I  can look back and see my life in art and activism as a story, a journey  that begins with three facts about myself as a child: I was aware in  some way of being in opposition to the society I grew up in; I was  keenly interested in what was happening in the world; and I knew that  what happened in the world had, in some way, an impact on my small life. This  longevity, (for which I am grateful!), offers me the opportunity to  reflect on personal intentionality and processes of engagement against a  changing social and political backdrop. Art and Activism. Although  there have been many permutations and combinations in how I managed  these activities, I can’t really separate my journey into political  radicalization from my development as an artist, nor can I separate my  activist intervening in struggles for social justice from the creative  work I’ve done. They coincide. The same path, the same journey of  learning, of opening. A journey conducted within specific social  cultures of resistance to repression in the political conditions of  specific times. – Freda Guttman, from her website. Music for  this Episode is courtesy of Stefan Christoff from родина (rodina) album;  an exploration of duets between Sam Shalabi on oud and Stefan Christoff  on piano.

 Interview is recorded on October 19th, 2017 in Montreal.   To  honour Freda Guttman, a great Montrealer and to celebrate her 85th  birthday! A unique and wonderful Artist and Activist that we have the  privilege to listen to her life story on this Quilt episode.   Happy BirthDay Freda!  “Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” -Bertolt Brecht One  advantage of having had the good fortune to live into old age is that I  can look back and see my life in art and activism as a story, a journey  that begins with three facts about myself as a child: I was aware in  some way of being in opposition to the society I grew up in; I was  keenly interested in what was happening in the world; and I knew that  what happened in the world had, in some way, an impact on my small life. This  longevity, (for which I am grateful!), offers me the opportunity to  reflect on personal intentionality and processes of engagement against a  changing social and political backdrop. Art and Activism. Although  there have been many permutations and combinations in how I managed  these activities, I can’t really separate my journey into political  radicalization from my development as an artist, nor can I separate my  activist intervening in struggles for social justice from the creative  work I’ve done. They coincide. The same path, the same journey of  learning, of opening. A journey conducted within specific social  cultures of resistance to repression in the political conditions of  specific times. – Freda Guttman, from her website.   Music for  this Episode is courtesy of Stefan Christoff from родина (rodina) album;  an exploration of duets between Sam Shalabi on oud and Stefan Christoff  on piano.