Complementarity, Catalysts, Compliance: The International Criminal Court in Uganda, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo by Dr. Christian De Vos, Managing Advocacy Officer, Open Society Justice Initiative
CCRJ, SOAS University of London

Complementarity, Catalysts, Compliance: The International Criminal Court in Uganda, Kenya & the DRC

This episode features a conversation between Professor Carlos Oya from SOAS, and Khalid Abu-Ismail, Senior Economist at United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and lead report author of “World Development Challenges Report: Development from a broader lens”. The report launch was hosted by SOAS DevTraC on October 2022 at SOAS. This discussion captures insights shared by the lead author and stimulates debate about the report and its use.

#1. UN-ESCWA’s World Development Challenges report: Conversation with Khalid Abu-Ismail

"Afghanistan in Archives" is the first of a two-part episode, a group of SOAS scholars, Florence Shahabi, Zeynep Tuba Sungur, Barry Sadid, and Bismellah Alizada, examine the role of archives in shaping nationalism, identity and the state, both in the past and present. They explore the prospects of using archives to preserve the Afghan identity and humanise local discourses surrounding the state. This podcast is an invaluable addition to the ongoing debate on the preservation of memories and cultural heritage for stateless and scattered diasporas, a critical issue for an increasing number of nation-states plagued by political instability, with memories often inaccessible to researchers.

#2. Afghanistan in Archives: Nationalism, identity and the State

In part two of the Afghan podcast, Bismellah Alizada, Reza Hussaini, Rabia Khan, and Zarifa Hosseini discuss the struggles encountered by Afghan migrants seeking a new home, both as individuals and as a group on the move. Through personal anecdotes and insightful analysis, the group investigates the impact of language on inter-group relations and how it adds to the 'us' versus 'them' mentality in political discourse. This harsh reality has the potential to hinder migrants' prospects for a "better life" and upward mobility. The ultimate goal of this discussion is to advance a more inclusive and cooperative social order, grounded in ideas rooted in equal civility and shared citizenship, both in the UK and internationally.

#3. From Home to Unknown: The harsh reality of the Afghan migration crisis

An insight into the SOAS Swahili study abroad programme and a student's typical day. 

Swahili students at SOAS can study at The State University of Zanzibar (SUZA)as part of their degree program. This is either for six weeks over the summer between academic years or in term one of their year abroad before going to Nairobi, Kenya. 

Produced by Anna de Wolff Evans.

Featuring: 

- Adam Rodgers Johns, Senior Lector in Swahili at SOAS University of London.
- Dr Ida Hadjivayanis, Senior Lecturer in Swahili and convenor of the Summer and Year Abroad programme at SOAS University of London. 
- Carina Ming En Lee, Student of BA Politics and Languages and Cultures (Africa Pathway) at SOAS
- Mwalimu Kututuwa, Swahili teacher at SUZA. 

Find out more: https://www.soas.ac.uk/

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Music credit: 
Daka Kozi Manowe by The Sounds of Taarab, Free Music Archive 
Rufiji by The Sounds of Taarab, Free Music Archive

Swahili at SOAS: A day in the life of a year abroad student in Zanzibar

Decommoning the sea, the role of the corporates and prioritising profit vs planet, these are only a few points raised in this conversation between Christopher Cramer, Professor at SOAS, and Guy Standing, Professorial Research Associate in Development Studies at SOAS and among other things senior official at the ILO, on Guy’s latest book “The Blue Commons: rescuing the economy of the Sea”.

#4. The Question of "The Blue Commons": Christopher Cramer in conversation with Guy Standing

Ida Ward was one of the first Western scholars to carry out advanced and comprehensive work in the field of African languages, specialising in phonology and tonology.

In this 1933 recording, part of a series on the pronunciation of English, Ward delivers a lesson on intonation.

SOAS Special Collections, ©SOAS University of London

Recording of Professor Ida Ward on the pronunciation of English, 1933

How might the lessons of history inform our choices in the present? Does a rules-based world order risk concealing informed discussions, potentially blurring the line between assumptions and reality? 
 
In a world shadowed by its history, Professor Gilbert Achcar from SOAS Development Studies urges us to transcend the rhetoric and slogans of blame when examining contemporary issues - from the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine to the tense Taiwan standoff with China, and the evolving power dynamics between the US, Russia and China in between. Instead Achcar’s analysis of the present political tensions challenged us to transcend the ‘black and white debate’, and unravel the nuances of policy decisions taken at critical junctions, dynamics present in the global structure, and the psychological dimensions shaping this social fabric. By offering us a manual crafted by past lessons, Achcar’s “New Cold War” is a call to take inspiration from how existing institutions like the UN were forged and wield this knowledge to navigate the complex political landscape for a more sustainable path. Achcar’s hopefulness resonates throughout, taking a firm belief that another world was and still is possible.

#5. The New Cold War: The United States, Russia and China, from Kosovo to Ukraine

Surbhi Kesar, lecturer at SOAS Department of Economics, in conversation with Sara Stevano, provides a comprehensive analysis of the informal economy, challenging traditional economic development theories by demonstrating how postcolonial economies persistently reproduce informal economic structures. 
 
Her research, primarily focused on India, reveals a complex landscape of economic flux characterised by precarity, limited upward mobility, and systemic exclusion. 
 
By examining the historical and contemporary dynamics of informality, Kesar argues that current economic growth models fail to address the fundamental structural challenges faced by workers in the Global South. Her work highlights the need to understand informality not as a temporary phase, but as a critical component of contemporary capitalist reproduction.

#6. Informal Economy: New Approaches

Sara Stevano, senior lecturer at SOAS Department of Economics, in conversation with Surbhi Kesar, explores the concept of social reproduction as a critical lens for understanding economic activities, particularly in the Global South. 
 
Sara Stevano argues that social reproduction encompasses all work necessary to maintain life, including paid and unpaid labor, care work, and social rituals. Drawing on her research in Mozambique, she demonstrates how traditional economic analyses fail to capture the complex realities of work and survival in peripheral economies. 
 
The discussion highlights the importance of recognising social reproduction as a fundamental aspect of economic processes, not just a peripheral consideration. Ultimately, the episode calls for a feminist political economy approach that centers the everyday experiences of workers in understanding economic development.

#7. Social Reproduction

Erotic Music and Female ‘Renegade’ Artistes: A Critical Study of Sexuality and Social Positioning
30th November

Dr. Adebayo Mosobolaje presented his study which examines the agency of the erotic music of two prominent women ‘renegade’ artistes Iyaladuke Abolodefeeloju and Saint Janet in the contemporary Yoruba society governed by foreign religious strictures with a view to establishing their music as performance of power.

Chair: Akin Oyetade

Find out more about this event at http://www.soas.ac.uk/cas/events/africanseminar/30nov2015-erotic-music-and-female-renegade-artistes-a-critical-study-of-sexuality-and-social-positio.html 


Erotic Music and Female ‘Renegade’ Artistes: A Critical Study of Sexuality and Social Positioning

This recording of new Honorary Graduate Toumani Diabaté playing a kora duet with his son Sidiki Diabaté at the SOAS University of London Graduation Ceremony on 23 July 2015.

You can watch a video of this performance at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKVin1doEEE

You can find out more about studying music at SOAS University of London at http://www.soas.ac.uk/music

Toumani Diabaté and Sidiki Diabaté playing at the SOAS Graduation 2015

This talk traced the politics of song ownership and the ways that copyright laws encouraged new relationships to music, sound, and intangible property. It documents the impact of international laws on notions of music and rights at a time when artists struggle to attain international recognition for their music and economic prosperity from their creative expressions.

Speaker: Alex Perullo (Alex Perullo, Professor of Anthropology and Music)
Discussant: Makeen Makeen (SOAS)
Chair: Angela Impey (SOAS)

Owning the Angel: Property, Rights, and Law in African Music

This is a recording of The Epic of Gilgameš, Standard Version, Tablet XI, lines 1-163, read by Karl Hecker.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/4Muqmx
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Standard Version, part of Tablet XI, read by Karl Hecker

This is a recording of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, BM+VAT, lines ii.0'-iii.14, read by Martin West.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/WAb9R5
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, part of VA+BM tablet, read by Martin West.

This is a recording of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, Tablet II, lines 1-239, read by Karl Hecker.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/w1iTgv
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, part of Tablet II, read by Karl Hecker

This is a recording of The Epic of Gilgameš, Old Babylonian Version, Tablet II, lines 1-38, read by Antoine Cavigneaux.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/LM52mn
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, part of Tablet II, read by Antoine Cavigneaux

This is a recording of Diviner's Prayer to the Gods of the Night, read by Michael Streck.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/BKjBUz
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

Diviner's Prayer to the Gods of the Night, read by Michael Streck

This is a recording of The Codex Hammurabi, Prologue, i.1-49, read by Albert Naccache.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/yfccp9
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

The Codex Hammurabi, part of the Prologue, read by Albert Naccache

This is a recording of Ammi-ditāna's hymn to Ištar read by Doris Prechel.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/ewD5Z5
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

Ammiditana's Hymn to Ishtar, read by Doris Prechel

This is a recording of Ammi-ditāna's hymn to Ištar read by K. Hecker.
A translation of the incantation can be found at goo.gl/U9fwIc
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

Ammiditana's Hymn to Ishtar, read by Karl Hecker

The piece, “391”, composed by Nick Gray, is especially designed for instruments from two of the SOAS gamelan sets (one Javanese and one Balinese), tailored to the individuality of their particular tuning, celebrating the uniqueness of SOAS.

Players: Rob Campion, Charlie Cawood, Andy Channing, Aris Daryono, Cathy Eastburn, Paula Friar, Nick Gray, Manuel Jimenez, Lucie Treacher.

First performance on Saturday 10th September 2016 as part of the SOAS Alumni Weekend.

You can find out more about studying music at SOAS at https://www.soas.ac.uk

391 for gamelan by Nick Gray

Burmese By Ear (BBE) is a systematically graded foundation course in modern colloquial Burmese. You can download the book that goes along with it at https://www.soas.ac.uk/bbe/file53735.pdf 
There are many other Burmese language resources on the SOAS website at https://www.soas.ac.uk/sea/burmese/ 
BBE aims to give you a confident and enjoyable start in speaking Burmese, focussing on what you are most likely to need when you visit Burma: “survival language” for cafés, taxis, shops, and so on, and “social language” for getting to know people and making friends. You will find that Burmese is a much easier language to learn than many people think.
First Published in England in 2002 by Audio- Forum, Sussex Publications Limited, Microworld House, 4 Foscote Mews, London W9 2HH. ISBN 1 86013 758 x
Audio-Forum relinquished publication rights in 2006, after which the course was distributed by the author.
From 2009 it has been available for downloading free of charge from the website of SOAS, Uni- versity of London.

Burmese by Ear Lesson 12.1 Asking about family

Burmese by Ear Lesson 2.6

Burmese by Ear Lesson 2.4

Burmese by Ear Lesson 2.1 Going to do, want to do, please do, and counting

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.10

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.8

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.7

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.6

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.4

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.3 numbers pronunciation

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.3 pronunciation

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.3

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.2 numbers pronunciation

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.2 numbers

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.2 pronunciation

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.2

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.1 numbers pronunciation

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.1 numbers

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.1 pronunciation

Burmese by Ear Lesson 1.1 - Statements and questions, numbers 1-9999, and prices

Our first podcast features a discussion on blended online learning chaired by Head of the School of Arts, Professor Shane McCausland, in conversation with Professor Lucy Durán (Music), Dr Estrella Sendra Fernandez (Film and Screen Studies) and Dr Caspar Melville (Centre for Creative Industries, Media and Screen Studies).

Music credits:

Opening theme - Bamanaya (trad). performed on Bobo balafon by Wali Coulibaly (age 6) and Daniel Dembele (age 10). Recorded in Bamako in 2015 by Lucy Durán .
Excerpt from Sattelites, original composition by Garth Knox (2016 Inner Sunset Publishing)
Closing theme - excerpt from Sunjata's Time, original composition by Fodé Lassana Diabaté (2016 Inner Sunset Publishing)

Produced by Lucy Durán and Morgan Davies

The Digital Turn: Blended and Online Learning in the Arts at SOAS

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, Tablet X, Lines iii.1–14, read by John Huehnergard.
The transcript is available at https://bit.ly/3jLfA02 
This is part of the Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings project at SOAS University of London.
You can find out more about this project at www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Old Babylonian Version, Tablet X, Lines iii.1–14 read by John Huehnergard

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