Soyeohang Rai (he/him) is a learning photographer and design student of Nepalese descent living in New Delhi.

In this episode we take a deep dive into the topic of indigenous knowledge, colonization, gender and language. Soy speaks about their upbringing in a rural hill village and the influence of the English language as a way of overwriting local, ancient languages spoken in the region. Connecting to that point, he also explains the detrimental consequences of colonization under the "promise of progress" and the imposition of the gender binary in a culture where gender did not exist in such rigid forms. A very drastic example of that are traditional dances which used to be performed by everyone and today only by cis women.

This episode is a big reminder for the importance of an anti-capitalist, decolonial global understanding of queerness. For more background information on language and colonialism check this blogpost on our website

This podcast is partially funded by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Phnom Penh, Cambodia & Heinrich Böll Stiftung New Delhi, India in collaboration with SafeSpaceBtB

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I am your host Béla Belissima, non-binary soul from Berlin on the journey to dismantle our cis-heteronormative world and look beyond all binaries. Re-writing our narratives and telling our own stories. Thanks for being here