A sampler of my work for CBC Radio. More at http://audio.andrewkurjata.ca.

Sample Pack

Our next story takes place on a logging road in northern B.C., and it involves and emu. ∞

When we got word an emu was wandering around the logging roads of northern B.C., we thought it would be an interesting story. But as soon as I called the guy who had seen it, Juan Huidibro, I knew I was sitting on radio gold. The above is the packaged, standalone version with music- I also had an interview version that aired on our own program, and a shorter version that aired internationally on CBC’s “As It Happens.” 

July 31, 2013

Juan and the Emu

When Bryce Lokken came across a Facebook page demanding a “special time just for Americans” he came up with a plan to infiltrate it. What he didn’t expect was international news crews would soon be asking for his home address. Andrew Kurjata brings us this edition of the Daybreak Story Exchange. 

October 28, 2013

Bryce Lokken vs America vs Canada

I heard rumours that in the 1920s, there was an African-American actor who had run a business in downtown Prince George. With a bit of delving I discovered Charles Sagar, an pioneer of the African-American theatre movement who later came to Prince George to cut hair on a floating barge. He also fought back against a city council who ordered police to clean up “N******town”. 

More details on this story at http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaknorth/interviews/2014/02/28/charles-sagar-n-town-and-a-little-known-piece-of-black-history-in-prince-george/

February 28, 2014

Charles Sagar And N - -- - -town Prince George

The VLA neighbourhood or Prince George has a reputation for being poor and crime-ridden. Often when people come to the city, they are told not to live there. But when Reza Akbari was new to Canada, he was given no such advice. Here’s his story.

This is part of a special series called “At Home in the Hood: Stories from Prince George’s VLA” starting Monday, January 20 on CBC’s Daybreak North. For more information visit http://bit.ly/cbc-vla

January 20, 2014

Reza vs the Hood

Promo track for my series "At Home in the Hood: Stories from Prince George's VLA Neighbourhood", which aired in January, 2014 on CBC Radio. Hear the full thing here: http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaknorth/at-home-in-the-hood/

At Home In The Hood Promo

Why aren't there more bike racks in downtown Primce George?

I find stories like this to be an interesting challenge: it’s an issue that affects people’s lives, but it can be so easy to present in a boring way. I was happy with how much people engaged in this piece.

May 30, 2014

Bike Racks

Part of the special series, "At Home in the Hood": http://www.cbc.ca/daybreaknorth/at-home-in-the-hood-stories-from-prince-georges-inner-city-vla-neighborhood.html

The VLA neighbourhood of Prince George was originally built to provide affordable housing for World War II veterans. 
Today, it has a reputation for crime and poverty. In order to understand the hood, you have to understand your history- so we get a little help from two students at UNBC who have been researching the area's history: Lisa Krebs and Willow Arune. They take us from the burning of First Nations village to the end of World War II, right up to the end of a once-thriving neighbourhood on the banks of the Nechako River. And we find out why it's called the VLA.

A Brief History Of The VLA

March 6, 2015 is the 100th anniversary of the city of Prince George. I'm happy to celebrate, but I also think it's important to reflect on how we got here. An important part of the story is what happened to the Lheidli T'enneh First Nation in order to make way for the city: the burning of their village and their removal to the reserve of Shelley, on the outskirts of town.

This track is an expansion of the A Tribe Called Red song "Burn Your Village to the Ground". All the music, as well as the monologue in the middle (an excerpt from the movie Addams Family Values), is part of the original track.

I've added portions of interviews with land use planner Lisa Krebs and Lheidli T'enneh band member Rena Zatorski about the burning of the Lheidli village prior to that monologue, and the second half includes clips from stories on missing and murdered women and residential schools from northern British Columbia. The final words are from Lheidli elder Edi Frederick welcoming everyone to the traditional lands of the Lhedli T'enneh.

The goal is to shine a light on the complicated history surrounding the creation and ongoing existence of Prince George, and make us think about how best to move in to the future together.

Credits:
Music and Addams Family sample: A Tribe Called Red (atribecalledred.com)
History of Lheidli, Truth and Reconciliation, and first missing and murdered women audio clip: Betsy Trumpener, additional audio from my own archives
Image source: lheidli2015.ca

Burn Your Village to the Ground - 100 Years Since Lheidli

The story of how professors and students at the University of Northern British Columbia banded together to save their copy services.

#ISupportBarry

Greatest hits: http://soundcloud.com/akurjata/sets/sampler

Deep cuts: http://audio.andrewkurjata.ca

Mixtapes: http://andrewkurjata.ca/mixtapes