Cultural Archives — Page 4 of 6 — Alternative Radio

Ghazal: Urdu Poetry
Hafeez Ahmed Khan
Recorded at a mehfil, a house concert where everyone takes their shoes off and sits on pillows and carpets. The informal atmosphere is quite different from a concert hall. In this recording, Hafeez Ahmed Khan sings classic ghazals, Urdu love poems. This mehfil features the poetry of some of Urdu’s greatest poets including Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Jigar, and Josh. […]
What is Sufism?
Peter Lamborn Wilson
Sufis and Sufism are terms bandied about. There are romantic images of whirling dervishes and mystics deep in esoteric practices. But who are they and what do they do? Sufis are said to strive to be in the world but not of it. Genuine Sufis are usually hidden. Peter Lamborn Wilson critically discusses Idries Shah, […]
In Conversation
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut was a cultural icon. His observations on the destructiveness and dehumanization of the 20th century, distilled by his rich imagination and quirky view of events and their time frames, make for delightful reading and listening experiences. His irreverence is palpable, as is his disdain for Bush administration. Asked by a journalist for an […]
Indian Realities: Poetry and Viewpoints
John Trudell
Out of the thousands of FBI documents on John Trudell, the Bureau said this: “Trudell is an intelligent individual and eloquent speaker who has the ability to stimulate people into action. He has the ability to meet with a group of pacifists and in a short time have them yelling and screaming ‘Right on!’ In […]
Native American Poetry and Perspectives
John Trudell
Empire and Literature
Edward Said
Recorded at the University of Colorado.
In Conversation
Arundhati Roy, Howard Zinn
This extraordinary event, recorded in Santa Fe right after Roy’s “Globalization & Terrorism” lecture, brings together for the first time, America’s great radical historian with one of India’s and the world’s most brilliant writers and social critics. Zinn interviews Roy on a variety of topics ranging from her battle with the Supreme Court of India […]
Poetry & Politics
June Jordan
June Jordan knows well the burdens placed upon the children of immigrants. It’s part of what gave her the courage and conviction to observe the world with the unblinking eye of a reporter and relay what she experiences with the heart of a poet. Her highly political work is a deeply personal call for tolerance […]
Childhood Memories, Poetry & Palestine
June Jordan
June Jordan talks about her early life and influences growing up in New York, the daughter of immigrant parents. Her mother was from Panama and her father from Jamaica. She made money as a kid writing poetry. “I was a little hustler,” she admits. About politics she says, “There are a lot of Stalinists out […]
Latin America and the Universality of the Novel
Carlos Fuentes
The U.S. and Latin America
Carlos Fuentes
Fuentes, one of Mexico’s leading writers, points out the inadequacies of the term Latin America. A more accurate description would encompass the indigenous, African, and Iberian components which make the continent polycultural. He reviews the history of Mexico and the U.S. Highly critical of the “imperial designs of the U.S.” he warns Washington not to […]
Zapata’s Disciple
Martin Espada
What is the relationship between poetry and politics? Martin Espada makes the connection. He says, Progressive politics must be imagined first, and poetry is a great way to do it. Oppressive social conditions, before they can be changed, must be named and condemned in words that persuade by stirring the emotions and awakening the senses. […]

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