Stance visits The Bronx to spotlight its rich history and contemporary landscape to dissect how it’s one of the city's most unique and overlooked boroughs in New York City. Through visual art, global cuisine, and music, Stance uncovers just some of the individuals, scenes and places that make up The Bronx. For generations, The Bronx has been a point of entry for people from all over the world from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico calling the borough their home. The birthplace of hip hop, The Bronx has been and still is a world renowned hub for creativity and collaboration, despite chronic underfunding. Stance views the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, Cosmic Nature at the New York Botanical Garden - the largest botanical garden in a US city. We tour The Bronx and chat with mixed media performance artist Tasha Dougé on creating work as an act of resistance, and rewriting existing narratives. We visit forth generation Italian bakehouse on Arthur Avenue’s Little Italy, Madonia Brothers Bakery, and taste West African cuisine from Togo at Bognan International. To end, we speak with South Bronx hip hop artist Kemba about the rare energy of The Bronx in shaping his personal and creative evolution.

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On Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by award-winning journalist and writer Ismail Einashe to explore the people and stories of East Africa. Inspired by migration, culture, music and history, the episode traverses through Kenya, Sudan, and Somalia, examining the contemporary hubs and ancient histories of East Africa. Starting in Kenya, we chat with political analyst and author of Travelling While Black: Essays Inspired by Life on the Move, Nanjala Nyabola about her experiences and observations of global travel as an African woman. Stance looks at archaeology, architecture, and cultural heritage in the Horn of Africa with Somali-Italian architect, Omar Degan and Somali-Swedish archaeologist, Sada Mire. Abdi Latif Dahir, East Africa Correspondent for the New York Times pens an essay love letter to Mogadishu exclusively on Stance, paying homage to renowned Somali musician, Fadumo Nakruma, who recently died of COVID-19. To end, Stance speaks with Sudanese artist Eltayeb Dawelbait about his art practice, reflecting on Nairobi as a hub for connections, and the growth of the art scene in Sudan.

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In Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by film programmer and cultural researcher Jemma Desai. Together they examine the practices of unlearning for Liberation, highlighting the many forms of abolitionist thinking through literature, music, academia and film. We speak with London based artist, writer and political organiser Joshua Virasami about his book How to Change It from #Merky books and Penguin, an accessible step by step guide to activism and campaigning work. California based Cultural strategist and film producer Sonya Childress, and Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at University of California, Riverside, Dylan Rodríguez, discuss their work on intersections of culture, movement building and the radical nature of abolition. Heading to Cape Town, Stance chats with musician, educator and organiser Asher Gamedze about his soulful and political Jazz album, Dialectic Soul. Between London and New York, we speak with Dalit rights activist and founder of Equality Labs Thenmozhi Soundararajan, and Kelsey Mohamed of London based Cradle Community about the links between caste and white supremacy. To end, we chat with Berlin based interdisciplinary artist and educator Camille Barton, and London based educator focused on radical teachings and spaces, Aditi Jaganathan about their work as facilitators and educators in enacting change.

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Marking the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Brixton Uprising, Stance explores the moments leading up to the unrest and the activism that inspired it, their connections to the Windrush scandal, and the 2021 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill and subsequent #KillTheBill protests in Bristol. Looking at the uprising through film, academia, literature, and music, we explore political poetry with globally renowned Jamaican poet, Linton Kwesi Johnson. Stance delves into Soundsystem Culture and the Smiley Culture collaboration with founder of Code 7 youth charity, DJ and musician Asher Senator. Novelist Alex Wheatle shares his firsthand account of being part of the uprising, then going to prison and how it led to the collaborative partnership with director Steve McQueen in producing the hit drama series, Small Axe. We chat with Queen of Lovers Rock, Carroll Thompson about her record-breaking album, Hopelessly in Love released in 1981, and her campaigning work around the Windrush Scandal. But how far have we actually come? We discuss policy and fair policing with Dr. Rebekah Delsol of StopWatch. To end, Stance looks to new wave Croydon born singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri, to find out more about her upcoming EP Four° In Winter.

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In Stance, Chrystal Genesis is joined by actor and activist Alix Wilton-Reagan to unpack pregnancy and birthing experiences right now. Bringing to the forefront women’s voices from around the world, we explore what it means to be pregnant during the pandemic with Doula Maiysha Campbell Kramer, and Positive Birthing Movement Founder and Author Milli Hill. We exchange views on pregnancy while living with a visible or invisible disability with Tania Akbarali on anxiety, on autism and neurodiversity with Samantha Stein, and physical disability and pregnancy with Dr. Erin Andrews. Next, we head to Ecuador, speaking to Ofelia Salazar, Olga Chongo and Maria Tapuy, three Kichwa midwives at the AMUPAKIN clinic to explore the power and history of vertical birthing. We are also joined by Dr. Nina Moeller, a longtime associate of AMUPAKIN to find out more. Ending the show, Stance speaks with Ghanaian Australian musician Genesis Owusu about his album Smiling With No Teeth. He takes us through his musical influences, creative process and shares his joy at playing a live show just recently.

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Come with Stance to Jamaica to explore the old and new currents shaping the shifting arts and cultural scene. We speak with musicians, creatives, artists, and activists to discuss the Jamaica of today. We head to the National Gallery of Jamaica to explore ‘Jamaica Jamaica’, a touring exhibition highlighting the islands fascinating and storied celebrated music history from mento to dancehall. Iconic reggae singer Judy Mowatt, a member of Bob Marley’s I-Threes, chats with us about her life’s philosophy and her formidable musical career thus far. We catch up with the multi-talented comedian, law grad and educator, Raúl Blaze about his comedic expressions and musings on Jamaican culture. We meet with Donna Blake, the island’s director of The Nature Conservancy to understand the island’s lush and fertile ecosystem, the effects of climate change, and the efforts in conserving ecology in the Caribbean. We chat with founder and art consultant Susanne Fredricks about her visual art platform ‘Suzie Wong Presents’, one of the most comprehensive platforms promoting artists from the region. Finally, we catch up with music producer and record label owner iotosh to get to know the contemporary sounds and hottest tunes shaping Jamaica right now.

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To mark our 4th birthday Stance Takes is here with a special programme celebrating the black image in visual arts. Tired of the old interpretations of the black image and inspired by new forces that are redefining who gets to choose, view and critique the Black image, Stance brings you a podcast profiling the curators and visual researchers who are remapping how it’s presented in art and culture. We juxtapose the work of two archivists - Alayo Akinkugbe @ablackhistoryofart in the UK, and Renata Cherlise from blackarchives.co in the US - who are challenging dominant narratives surrounding the Black image in visual art. We hear from Italy, where visual researcher Theo Imani finds echoes between African and European imagery. We delve into the world of curation with Osei Bonsu of Tate Modern and discuss the challenge of making artistic space that includes all types of Black expression. Pioneers of the Past celebrates the revolution in agency these curators and researchers represent.

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To mark the New Year Stance Takes is back with a special programme celebrating a new book Forces of Art which champions the work of artists and arts organisations across the world. We travel to the Choco region of Colombia to look at the work of Más Arte más Acción, who are using art and the rainforest to innovate change. We cover Syrian artists in exile displaced after a decade of war and revolution to explore how it has redefined their lives and artistic practice. In Central Asia we discuss how successive generations of post-soviet creatives are forging new artistic space in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. And finally, we hear from Queer poets in Uganda and Kenya on how they’re thriving despite living in societies virulently hostile to their very identities. Forces of Art takes the reader on a dizzying journey across the globe with the analysis of more than 30 researchers given free rein to write about the radical role art plays in societal change.

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In this episode of Stance, we cover music, literature and politics by asking whether 2020 marks a tipping point for the system of Failing Upwards. Are we seeing the beginning of a Tearing Down as the incompetence of populist leadership is laid bare? We chat with academics, authors and politicians to get their view. We speak with rapper, singer, and producer Tricky about his new album Fall to Pieces and his illustrious career in music. Chrystal Genesis was joined by writer and journalist Komal Thakur based in Mumbai in India to co-interview award-winning author and essayist, Elif Shafak about her latest book How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division, a stirring reflection on the current state and future of modern politics & society.

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In this episode of Stance, we cover creatives and change-makers on the African continent through music, film, art and politics. We speak with the iconic Ghanian musician and father of Highlife, Ebo Taylor, and his son Kweku about his life's work. We head to Morocco to discuss the continent’s dynamic and evolving art scene with 1-54 International African Contemporary art fair founder, Touria El Glaoui. The Morrocan-British visual artist and photographer Hassan Hajjaj shares his journey and striking art works. We speak with actors Jesesi Mungoshi and Tendaiishe Chitima and producer Joe Njagu, of Zimbabwean feature film Cook Off to discuss the country's cinema industry and cultural scene past and present. We head to Nigeria to report on the End SARS movement, speaking to filmmaker Ifeoma Chukwuogo about the ongoing protests against police brutality. Finally, we highlight the mood in New York City amidst the upcoming Presidential election and COVID-19, speaking to voters at a Manhattan polling station.

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In this special show, Stance visits Paris to explore the fresh and creative cultural landscape of this iconic, global city. We discuss literature, film, music and podcasts as Chrystal Genesis is joined by Lory Martinez, host of Mija Podcast and Founder of the Paris based Studio Ochenta. We speak with comedian and director Jean-Pascal Zadi about his new comedy-drama Tout Simplement Noir. We catch up with writer Lindsey Tramuta who talks us through her book The New Parisienne: The Women & Ideas Shaping Paris. We dissect French culture, new writing and the power of translation with Coven bookshop owner Lucie Camara and non-fiction translator Celine Leroy. Musician and composer Chassol tells us about his new record Ludi and we cover the boom in French podcasts coming out of Paris with Melting Pot exploring French identity, Dinner For One showcasing the healing power of food and VOXXX, an innovative audioporn podcast.

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In this summer episode of Stance, we cover film, literature, music and dance starting with the documentary On The Record, which charts decades of abuse at the hands of US Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons. We discuss this and more with the author of Miseducation: A Woman’s Guide to Hip Hop Shanita Hubbard, Kierna Mayo, an exec at The Lena Horne Prize and former editor-in-chief of Ebony and The Source and feminist cultural critic, author and award-winning journalist Dr Joan Morgan. We speak with dancer and choreographer Akram Khan who talks us through his prolific career as well as his thoughts on politics, movement and family; we talk to singer and songwriter Róisín Murphy who discusses new music and creativity; we head to Canada to meet author Zalika Reid-Benta to discuss her critically acclaimed first short story collection Frying Plantain. We also highlight new writing from The Commonwealth Short Story Prize and head to Oklahoma through the thoughts, and music, of Tulsa’s Steph Simon on the legacy of Black Wall Street.

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In this show, we cover food, music, performance art and health as Stance starts off by asking what lies behind the loss of black lives during COVID-19 as Chrystal Genesis is joined by Shanae Dennis, a biochemist, journalist & campaigner and by Charlene Prempeh, who runs A Vibe Called Tech, set up to address the absence of black voices in conversations about technology. In this informative and eye-opening interview, they discuss the weakness of existing data when it comes to understanding health inequalities and what urgent actions need to be taken. Stance speaks with award-winning pastry chef and TV Judge Cherish Finden. We talk taste, baking and experimentation during lockdown as well as life in Singapore, judging on TV and being a perfectionist. Performance artist and writer Travis Alabanza discusses their most recent work Burgerz and their views on arts and outreach as well as reflecting on life growing up in Bristol. We head to Oklahoma where Choctaw singer and producer Samatha Crain explores ideas of renewal and hope on her new record, A Slow Death. And finally, people from around the world share quarantine journals from Guadalajara, Sao Paulo, Hong Kong, La Drome, Ubud and Kampala.

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In this episode of Stance we have visual arts, music, politics and film featuring Bobi Wine, the Ugandan politician and musician hoping to be the country’s next president; Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat guides us through her work culminating in her new exhibition, Land of Dreams. British singer Ghostpoet introduces his new album I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep; and finally, we are off to Mexico with the filmmaker Elizabeth Carroll who talks to us about her debut documentary Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy. It explores the life of this culinary legend and authority on Mexican cooking. As we all try to cope with the restrictions that COVID-19 has brought to our lives, Stance wondered if there was some kind of global commonality to be found in our experiences. We ask people from around the world to share their quarantine journals. We hear from Mumbai, Guadalajara, New York and Ulaanbaatar.

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Stance asks: Is This For Real? as we explore authenticity through the growth of lab-grown diamonds within the jewellery industry with filmmaker and journalist Harriet Constable and @77Diamonds co-founder Tobias Kormind; we speak with bestselling author Susannah Cahalan about her book Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness which uncovers mental health misdiagnosis and her new book The Great Pretender which looks at a famous study investigating the line between sanity and insanity; and we end our topic with a conversation about the growth of Deepfakes - digitally manipulated content, oftentimes, used for nefarious purposes - and touch on whether the tech industry is using language to manipulate the increasingly blurred lines between real and fake. Some children share their throughs on living under quarantine. And finally, we profile comedian and writer Sophie Duker to find out more about her rise in the comedy scene and life growing up.

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In this episode, Stance takes on Institutions and explore their inner workings and how best to navigate them with professor, journalist, and author of Another Day in the Death of America, Gary Younge, economist and former head of the British Civil Service Lord Gus O’Donnell, and actor, campaigner and Chancellor of the University of Nottingham Baroness Lola Young. We look into the care system with @CPositivista, hearing their firsthand accounts from care leavers on their experiences and thoughts on the care system. We profile Grammy-nominated artist and Juno award-winning Musician and Composer Caribou who talks us through some of the tracks from his new record Suddenly.

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Stance interrogates what Belonging means through tattoo art, literature, music and journalism. Chrystal Genesis is joined by guest editor, author, journalist, Artistic Director and CEO of The Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Hannah Azieb Pool. We explore the theme of Belonging through the lens of people of the African diaspora. In this original and eye-opening episode SHINGAI tells us about her new record Ancient Futures, we catch up with journalistic giant Gary Younge as he leaves The Guardian for Manchester University and we talk tattoos with artists Jessica Horn and Laurence Sessou. Their new visual arts project The Temple of Her Skin examines the stories and aesthetics around African women and their tattooing journeys. In our Belonging feature, we speak to author Maaza Mengiste about her new novel, The Shadow King, which tells the story of female strength and is set during Benito Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia. And finally, we profile fashion powerhouse Duro Olowu to find out more about his background, pioneering womenswear label and his new exhibition at the Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago called Duro Olowu: Seeing Chicago.

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To celebrate our 3rd birthday, Stance Takes is back bringing you two live discussions on nightclub culture. We start with Beats, Racism and Strife as we explore prejudice and discrimination in the nightclub space over the decades. We examine how the commodification of black music intersects with racist door policies and politicized dance floors. We were joined by Grime legend Marci Phonix, writer and journalist Emma Warren, UK Father of the vogue house of Comme des Garçon Kartel Brown, and Soundsystem elder Clive Curniffe. The second talk covers the architecture and design of nightclubs. Stance traces how nightclub spaces have evolved from the adaptation of unprepossessing and unwanted spaces to the emergence of highly designed and architecturally specific nightclubs. We talk about how the lack of accessibility to nightclubs raises questions as to how inclusive these spaces really are. The panel was made up of disability rights activist Joshua Hepple, Associate Professor of Design History at Kingston School of Art, Dr Catherine Rossi, and award-winning teacher, architect and former nightclub promoter Neil Pinder.

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We unpack notions of Happiness through art and colour, celebrity, film, psychology and science as Chrystal Genesis is joined by guest editor, makeup artist and former co-editor ThandieKay, Kay Montano. We learn more about The Queen of Happiness Florence Mills as we take a trip to Harlem. We visit the artist and teacher Vanessa Jackson RA who discusses colour and emotion and we catch up with Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield who talks power, happiness and wealth. We speak with Dr Laurie Santos from the Happiness Lab podcast who opens up about how we can become happier. Stance profiles Zackary Momoh, the British actor from London, and one of Hollywood’s rising stars for 2020 about his new film Harriet. Finally, onto ‘Rites of Passage’ as we ask broadcaster and chef Andi Oliver and author and editor, Nikesh Shukla, to share a piece of literature that deeply resonates with them and makes them happy. 

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We explore film, music, literature and visual art as Chrystal Genesis is joined by guest editor, journalist and director of Bare Lit Festival, Mend Mariwany. We investigate the theme of The Disappeared as we head to Iraq to cover an estimated 250,000 to 1 million people who have disappeared without a trace. We look at the forgotten histories of those that have reappeared through the writer and academic Saidiya Hartman’s new book Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments. Plus, we visit Mexico City, often referred to as The Sinking City which may soon disappear if radical action isn’t taken. Stance profiles NYC singer and producer Amber Mark to hear about her new EP What If, and dig into her unique sound and global influences. Finally, we explore the city of Philadelphia to check out its incredible mural art scene with organisation Mural Arts.

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