TROUBLEMAKERS

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...

How does storytelling reshape movements? What role does humor play in activism? How can we clown a hostile moment, a climate protest, a global convening sold out to the billionaires? Do children understand political expediency better — should we all be clowns and ninjas and unashamed painters instead of activists and campaigners?

In this episode of Troublemakers, we sit down with Angus Joseph to explore the intersections of satir...

Pain is often treated as something to suppress, avoid, or silence. But what if true healing comes from embracing it fully—together? We sit down with Nicaraguan movement psychologist Cristel Montenegro to explore the power of collective trauma processing. We examine how communities facing deep wounds caused by violence and systemic oppression can embrace healing through storytelling and welcoming emotion.

We discuss the role of an...

"Beware the level-headed person if they’re angry." — Arabic proverb

What happens when a nation reaches its breaking point?

In this episode of Trouble Makers, we sit down with Manzur Al Matin, an Advocate in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and Senior Presenter at Channel 24. During the Monsoon Revolution, Manzur took a bold stand—filing lawsuits against the detention of student leaders, defending their rights, and challenging unlawf...

"If I am not for myself, who will be? And if I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, when?" — Rabbi Hillel the Elder.

Yomna Ahmed, a Harvard-trained community organizer, empowers activists through Public Narrative and Community Organizing. She co-founded Athar Network, uniting activists across seven Arab countries. In this episode, Yomna explores the Story of Self, Us, and Now framework—how storytelling builds trust, mobi...

What does it take to challenge powerful systems and win? In this episode, we explore the power of grassroots organizing, worker solidarity, and strategic negotiations in the fight for justice.

Veteran trade unionist and activist Gino Govender reveals how people power can bring even the most oppressive systems to their knees. From building worker power to outmanoeuvring employers and governments, this episode is a masterclass in act...

"Winning this case isn’t just about us—it’s about showing people that you can demand justice and fight for your rights." —Meralney Bomba

Description:

What does it take for a small island community to stand up to a colonial power? How can the law become a weapon of change in the fight for climate justice?

In this episode, we meet Meralney Bomba, a community organizer from Bonaire, who has joined forces with Greenpeace Netherlands i...

How do we build numbers? How do we organize at a colossal scale? How do we build mass cooperation amidst our cultural, linguistic, generational, religious diversity? How do we unite around issues affecting us all?

Zakia Soman guides us through how she and other Indian women's rights activists established Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, the largest nationwide Muslim women’s mass organization. Their network, coordinated through a ...

We explore with Tunisian trans activist Joséphina Bouden (Jouda) how joy becomes a powerful form of resistance in the face of oppression. We discuss how cultural disobedience transforms everyday acts into powerful protests.

We dive with Josephine into the historical and modern significance of joy as an act of defiance. From enslaved communities creating moments of celebration to the concept of Black Joy reclaiming humanity and dign...

In this powerful episode recorded with a live audience at MS TCDC in Arusha, Tanzania (a centre established by the administration of Pan-African socialist Julius Nyerere, who famously said “We will stand with Palestine, as we stood against apartheid and colonialism in South Africa”), we sit down with Wesam to learn about the history of Palestinian resistance.

We explore the deep-rooted connections between Africa and Palestine. From...

Phethani Madzivhandila is an organizer, theorist, and unionist based in Azania (South Africa). He’s a member of The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania and one of the Walter Rodney Library founders. He’s also a member of MS TCDC’s 2023 Activist-in-Residence cohort.

In this episode, we dive into one of South Africa's most powerful social movements: Fees Must Fall. Starting in 2015, this student-led protest against tuition fees quick...

We explore Uganda's generational discontent as young people challenge the ideological, political, and moral contradictions of the government. Fueled by economic struggles and social injustice at Makerere University and other higher learning institutions across Africa, students demand a freeze to tuition hikes (at the very least, in pursuit of free education ideally).

Read more about Fees Must Fall. Our podcast is inspired by the ...

“Win or lose, mass strikes reveal the truth.” —Jeremy Brecher

In this episode, we dive deep into how general strikes are happening in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Our guest explains how as a collective, the citizens are conducting their strikes in demand for an end to the military coup and the release of their leaders. We consider how the people of Myanmar have been able to outlast repression and maintain momentum for more than...