Name: Episode 1: Speechlessness by radiosilence
Duration: 29 min 52 s
Description: Our debut episode, devoted to the topic of speechlessness, introduces you to our host Bahjat Abdulwahed, the “Walter Cronkite of Iraq” living as a refugee in Philadelphia. Hear an Iraq War veteran’s story about war crimes witnessed and, until now, unspoken; learn about the Iraqi doctor who refuses to be recorded because he can’t speak directly enough about the atrocities he witnessed.

Our debut episode, devoted to the topic of speechlessness, introduces you to our host Bahjat Abdulwahed, the “Walter Cronkite of Iraq” living as a refugee in Philadelphia. Hear an Iraq War veteran’s story about war crimes witnessed and, until now, unspoken; learn about the Iraqi doctor who refuses to be recorded because he can’t speak directly enough about the atrocities he witnessed.

Episode 1: Speechlessness

Radio Silence continues with the premiere of Michael Rakowitz's highly anticipated radio series. This special radio event will be broadcast on WPPM PhillyCAM radio and other community radio stations across the country, and distributed nationally by PRX (Public Radio Exchange). 

Radio Silence, produced by Mural Arts Philadelphia, first launched with a live performance on Independence Mall in Philadelphia on July 30, 2017 and a simulcast on PhillyCAM TV. The project can be seen as an alternative form of public art — trading the street corner for the public airwaves, and representation via images for evocation via voice and sound. Partners include Warrior Writers, Prometheus Radio project, and PhillyCAM.

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Major support for Radio Silence has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Hummingbird Foundation. Project collaborators and partners include a host of agencies and nonprofits that work on refugee and veteran issues, as well as independent community-driven media nonprofits.