British Subjects
39 episodes - English -A podcast telling the stories of 52 immigrants from Commonwealth countries.
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Episodes
38/52 Nauru – Fourteen
January 03, 2020 20:09 - 13 minutes - 31.2 MBAt the time of the last UK census there were fourteen Nauru-born people living in the UK, without being able to get hold of any of them this episode explores the reasons they may have moved here. The two clips in the episode are from: Activists read the Nauru files outside Australia House in London … Continue reading 38/52 Nauru – Fourteen
37/52 Seychelles – Grandchildren of Chagos
October 29, 2019 20:52 - 14 minutes - 33.2 MBStefan from the UK Chagos Support Association shares the story of a generation of children who are not welcome in the UK, but can’t return to their motherland either. To learn more about their story and donate to some of their causes visit chagossupport.org.uk.
36/52 Tonga – Taulupe Faletau
October 08, 2019 14:39 - 7 minutes - 16.1 MB110kg Taulupe (Toby) Faletau was born in Tonga in 1990, but as a child moved to Ebbw Vale with his rugby playing dad. Growing up with the sport it’s not hard to see how he’s become a hero of Welsh rugby. Wales Online has two stories on the family’s move to Wales, and Toby’s subsequent … Continue reading 36/52 Tonga – Taulupe Faletau
35/52 Zambia – Lord Eddie Tembo
September 17, 2019 06:00 - 11 minutes - 27.4 MBZambia-born Eddie Tembo is an international shinty player from Drumnadrochit, the village where the Loch Ness monster lurks. He is a proud-Scotsman exploring ways his young family can connect with their African heritage.
34/52 Trinidad & Tobago – Claudia Jones
August 20, 2019 06:00 - 9 minutes - 21.7 MBClaudia Jones was born in Trinidad, grew up in the States and ended up in Britain when she was deported for being a communist. In this episode we visit five spots around London where you can learn more about her enormous contributions to the city – which include starting Notting Hill Carnival.
33/52 Antigua & Barbuda – Kelso Cochrane
August 13, 2019 06:00 - 12 minutes - 29.6 MBKelso Cochrane is unfortunately better known in death than he was in life, murdered by racists in Notting Hill 1959. For more information on this story read Mark Olden’s ‘Murder in Notting Hill‘ and check out these links in: The Socialist Work The Telegraph Our Migration Story
32/52 Mauritius – Robert Nairac
August 06, 2019 06:00 - 17 minutes - 39 MBCaptain Robert Laurence Nairac GC was born in Mauritius, and served as a British Army officer in Northern Ireland where he was abducted and assassinated by the Provisional IRA. In this episode I speak to Geoff Knupfer, lead forensic investigator at the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains. If you have any information … Continue reading 32/52 Mauritius – Robert Nairac
31/52 Vanuatu – Jimmy Joseph Nakou
July 31, 2019 18:07 - 12 minutes - 28.3 MBThe 2007 show ‘Meet the Natives’ brought five men, including Jimmy Joseph, from Vanuatu to learn about the native culture of… England. But of course, what the show really teaches us is about their culture. And their religion! Villagers on Tanna believe that the son of god is Prince Philip. For more on that, check … Continue reading 31/52 Vanuatu – Jimmy Joseph Nakou
30/52 South Africa – Peter Lobengula
July 30, 2019 06:00 - 8 minutes - 18.8 MBPeter Lobengula to the UK from South Africa as part of Frank Fillis’ circus in 1889. Many centuries before Beyonce’s Lion King album this was considered the largest ever showing of “African culture”, and it was large with 16,000 visitors a day When the show opened, Peter said: ‘My first thought was that the whole … Continue reading 30/52 South Africa – Peter Lobengula
29/52 Malta – Edward de Bono
July 16, 2019 10:13 - 7 minutes - 17.6 MB“If you never change your mind, why have one?” asked Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono, a Maltese physician and psychologist known as the father of lateral thinking. Here are some of the resources I used to create this episode: A Little Lateral Thinking – BBC Interview in The Guardian, 2007 Interview in The Times, 2003 British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose … Continue reading 29/52 Malta – Edward de Bono
28/52 Grenada – Evena Morris
July 09, 2019 06:00 - 18 minutes - 41.9 MBEvana Morris shares her story of coming to England from Grenada as part of Evewright’s Caribbean Takeaway Takeover. “The Caribbean takeaway is an important cultural meeting place in the Caribbean community. A home from home, the kitchen is where meals are prepared, but also where stories are exchanged and shared. Going back to African roots, … Continue reading 28/52 Grenada – Evena Morris
27/52 Lesotho – Lindka Cierach
July 02, 2019 10:45 - 4 minutes - 10.8 MBLindka Cierach was born in Lesotho to Polish-British parents, and is best known for designing Sarah Ferguson’s wedding dress. This is her lovely Kensington apartment which she sold last year. AFRICA: Botswana – Ear of Sorghum and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) Cameroon – Red Stinkwood (Prunus africana) Gambia – White Variety Orchid Ghana – Caladium … Continue reading 27/52 Lesotho – Lindka Cierach
26/52 Sri Lanka – Dulani Kulasinghe
June 25, 2019 09:27 - 12 minutes - 28.9 MBI was introduced to Dulani’s work through her contribution to the Hidden Sussex Anthology. Her piece tells the story of the Chattri, a monument in Brighton to 53 Indian soldiers who died in WWI. In this episode she speaks about her family history, her work and the importance of teaching her daughters about belonging. Dulani … Continue reading 26/52 Sri Lanka – Dulani Kulasinghe
25/52 Bahamas – Edward Clement Bethel
June 18, 2019 06:00 - 5 minutes - 12.2 MBA minisode with Lisa Monks about E. Clement Bethel, the leading scholar in Bahamian music and Junkanoo. You can read more about his life on the Caribbean Memory Project. British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.
24/52 Solomon Islands – David Nanau Kausimae
June 18, 2019 06:00 - 3 minutes - 7.96 MBA minisode with Lisa Monks about David Nanau Kausimae, who never emigrated to the UK, but was given an OBE and later knighted for ‘services to the community in the Solomon Islands’. More details about his life are available on Solomon Encyclopaedia. British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.
23/52 Mozambique – Albert Alick Bowlly
June 18, 2019 06:00 - 8 minutes - 19.5 MBLisa Monks steps in with this minisode about Al Bowlly, once described as ‘Europe’s Most Popular Crooner and Famous Radio and Record Star’. His Blue Plaque can be seen at 26 Charring Cross Rd. The book mentioned is Your 48 page pictorial story souvenir of Al Bowlly, 1975 by Ray Pallett. And the music in … Continue reading 23/52 Mozambique – Albert Alick Bowlly
22/52 Barbados – Robyn Rihanna Fenty
May 28, 2019 06:00 - 6 minutes - 15.2 MBThis, the final sentence of a recent Rihanna interview with The New York Times has sent London Twitter crazy. RihRih lives in London!? British Subjects is produced by Anna Rose Kerr.
21/52 Belize – Sam Martinez
May 21, 2019 06:00 - 12 minutes - 27.5 MBSam Martinez was born 10 February 1918 in Honduras, now known as Belize. He came to Scotland in 1942 to help with the war effort as a lumberjack. He lived until the age of 106 having many careers and children, and becoming a dedicated fan of local football team the Hibs. In this episode I … Continue reading 21/52 Belize – Sam Martinez
20/52 Kenya – Tayiana Chao
May 14, 2019 06:00 - 12 minutes - 29.5 MBChao is a digital heritage specialist and overall history geek. After starting a history blog in 2012, she realised that the history she was taught growing up had significant gaps, was impersonal and had no room for personal stories and memories. Since then, she been doing various projects to document history/ culture through digital media. You can find her … Continue reading 20/52 Kenya – Tayiana Chao
19/52 Namibia – Matron Hulda Shipanga
May 07, 2019 06:00 - 6 minutes - 15.3 MBHulda Kamboi Ngatjikare (married name Shipanga) was born on 28 October 1926 in Aminuis, South-West Africa (now known as Namibia). She came to the UK to study and qualifed as a theatre nurse and specialising in paediatrics and orthopaedics. In this episode I share the little we know about her incredible life story. If anyone is interesting in … Continue reading 19/52 Namibia – Matron Hulda Shipanga
18/52 Bangladesh – Altab Ali
April 30, 2019 07:00 - 18 minutes - 41.3 MBAltab Ali was a textiles worker who moved to London from Bangladesh, with his uncle in 1969. When he was murdered by racists on May the 4th 1978 his death sparked a protest of thousands of Bengali people and supporters. In this episode I speak to Rafique Ullah, who was a teenager at the time, … Continue reading 18/52 Bangladesh – Altab Ali
17/52 New Zealand – Nancy Wake
April 23, 2019 06:00 - 20 minutes - 47.3 MBNew Zealand-born Nancy Wake loved a good drink and handsome men, and hated nothing more than the Nazis. Working as a freelance journalist in 1933, Wake travelled to Vienna to interview the German Chancellor, a man named Adolf Hitler. She saw Nazi brutality first hand, and developed a deep, deep hatred for the party, vowing … Continue reading 17/52 New Zealand – Nancy Wake
16/52 Malaysia – Bryon Chan
April 16, 2019 12:19 - 18 minutes - 42.1 MBBryon Chan considers himself a citizen of the world, and of nowhere. The first third of his life was spent in Malaysia, the second third in New Zealand, he now lives in London where he works as a software developer and volunteers with Good Gym.
15/52 St Kitts & Nevis – Myrtilla
April 09, 2019 06:00 - 9 minutes - 21.8 MBMyrtilla was brought from Nevis to Warwickshire. When she died in 1706 her grave was given a headstone, thought to be one of the earliest in England commemorating a person of African descent. To begin your own research on Myrtilla here are some resources: Guardian article by Alison BenjaminArticle by Dr Sarah RichardsonThe Oxhill Village … Continue reading 15/52 St Kitts & Nevis – Myrtilla
14/52 Sierra Leone – Fatmata Wurie Bah
April 02, 2019 07:00 - 15 minutes - 34.4 MBFatmata came to the UK to further her education, with the intention of eventually going back to Sierra Leone to develop her nation of birth. But while living here she’s actively involved in many initiatives developing Tower Hamlets, where she lives.
13/52 Cyprus – Maria Skarlatou
March 26, 2019 07:00 - 17 minutes - 39.2 MBAt the time of writing this, there are three countries that sit both in the Commonwealth and the European Union – United Kingdom, Malta and Cyrpus. On the week Brexit is supposed to be delivered Cyprus-born Maria Skarlatou talks about how this intersection has impacted her identity and home country. Maria moved to the UK … Continue reading 13/52 Cyprus – Maria Skarlatou
12/52 Ghana – Quobna Ottobah Cugoano
March 19, 2019 07:00 - 14 minutes - 33.1 MBQuobina Ottobah Cugoano, who was also known as John Stuart, was born around 1757 in what is now Ajumako, Ghana. His book Thoughts And Sentiments On The Evil & Wicked Traffic Of The Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species forms the basis of this episode. 25 March 2019 marks the 212 year anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade … Continue reading 12/52 Ghana – Quobna Ottobah Cugoano
11/52 Tuvalu – Suliana Lopati Barber
March 12, 2019 07:00 - 14 minutes - 32.4 MBSuliana is mother to three and “Island Mum” to many more. Her house in Alton has become a second home for many of her children’s Palangi (British) friends, who come in and out as they please, eating the food and learning about Tuvaluan culture by osmosis. I was lucky to spend a day full of … Continue reading 11/52 Tuvalu – Suliana Lopati Barber
10/52 Cameroon – Eliza Anyangwe
March 05, 2019 07:00 - 17 minutes - 39.6 MBEliza Anyangwe is a journalist, editor, and moderator born in Cameroon, raised across Africa and based in London. She is also the founder of The Nzinga Effect, a media project focused on telling the stories of African and Afro-descendant women and The Nzinga StoryLab, which works with other organisations to tell better stories about Africa and African peoples. Nzinga’s current … Continue reading 10/52 Cameroon – Eliza Anyangwe
09/52 St Lucia – Unknown Prisoner
February 26, 2019 07:00 - 12 minutes - 29.3 MBAs the title suggests, this prisoner of war is fairly unknown to us, right now. But this is a very real story about a very real person, so we’ll talk about what we do know. We do know they were captured in St Lucia during the 1793 war between Britain and France in the Caribbean. … Continue reading 09/52 St Lucia – Unknown Prisoner
08/52 Guyana – Jessica Huntley
February 19, 2019 07:00 - 13 minutes - 29.9 MBOn 23rd of February 1927 (164 years to the day since the Berbice Slave Uprising) a new revolutionary is born in Guyana, Jessica Huntley. In this episode I speak to her friend Maureen Roberts at the London Metropolitan Archives about her life and work in the UK. In Huntley Archives at the LMA include photographs, … Continue reading 08/52 Guyana – Jessica Huntley
07/52 Canada – Alma Rattenbury
February 12, 2019 19:00 - 12 minutes - 28.1 MBAlma Rattenbury (nee Packenham, nee Dolling, nee Radcliffe Clarke) was a talented musician, whose loving of men led to her ultimate demise. She was born in British Columbia, Canada and played piano and violin as well as writing her own music. Here she is playing a composition she wrote: Alma was shunned from Victoria after … Continue reading 07/52 Canada – Alma Rattenbury
06/52 Fiji – Naibuka Qarau
February 05, 2019 07:00 - 19 minutes - 45.6 MBIn the 1960s Her Majesty’s Armed Forces recruited 12 women, and 200 men from Fiji, Naibuka Qarau was one of them. In this episode we learn how he’s made Hackney home and he’s completed the circle of early Methodist missionaries. There are at least two books written about Naibuka’s years of service, 212 Solider for … Continue reading 06/52 Fiji – Naibuka Qarau
05/52 Kiribati – Rotee Walsh
January 29, 2019 07:00 - 13 minutes - 30.1 MBSomewhere in rural Wales you’ll find the Kiribati Honorary Consulate, and there you’ll find Rotee Walsh. In this episode we learn about her life, and how she’s raised her family with an appreciation of both cultures. You can read more about their home and the work of the Kiribati Consulate in this BBC article. I … Continue reading 05/52 Kiribati – Rotee Walsh
04/52 Australia – Alice Procter
January 22, 2019 07:00 - 21 minutes - 49.8 MBAlice Procter is an art historian who immigrated from Australia, she runs Uncomfortable Art Tours in major British museums examining how we “curate historical trauma and national identity”. Her work has been featured in The Guardian, Al Jazeera and even the Daily Mail! You can book tickets for Uncomfortable Art Tours here, or follow The Exhibitionist on Facebook to … Continue reading 04/52 Australia – Alice Procter
03/52 Nigeria – Adeyemi Michael
January 15, 2019 07:00 - 14 minutes - 33 MBIn this episode we meet Nigerian-born immigrant Adeyemi Michael, the artist behind the iconic image of a woman riding a horse through Peckham. You can watch his short film Entitled on YouTube, or right here: British Subjects is a podcast created and produced by @annarosekerr.
02/52 India – Srinivasa Ramanujan
January 08, 2019 07:00 - 16 minutes - 38 MBAgainst the wishes of his mother and his religion, Srinivasa Ramanujan immigrated to the UK from India in 1914 to become one of the most prolific mathematicians to work at Cambridge University. In this episode Dr Sarah Meikeljohn tells us the story of her favourite mathematician, and also reads out every taxi cab number currently known … Continue reading 02/52 India – Srinivasa Ramanujan
01/52 Dominica – Baroness Patricia Scotland
January 01, 2019 07:00 - 16 minutes - 38.2 MBFrom Dominica to Marlborough House, Baroness Scotland has gone where no woman has gone before. Learn about her story and her current role as Commonwealth Secretary-General. Thank you to Julian Rogers for letting me use audio from his interview with the Baroness, you can listen to the full show on Soundcloud. The book I reference … Continue reading 01/52 Dominica – Baroness Patricia Scotland
00/52 An Introduction
November 15, 2018 17:33 - 12 minutes - 29.3 MBOver the next 52 episodes we’re going to learn the stories of 52 first generation immigrants. Technically there are 53 Commonwealth countries, but the United Kingdom features in the stories of all these individuals, as it’s where they all end up living. In this introduction episode you’ll learn a little more about me, and why … Continue reading 00/52 An Introduction