Somewhere To Believe In
28 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago -All the leaves are brown and the sky is grey... and we’re back for the second series of Somewhere To Believe In, a podcast by the people who bring you Greenbelt Festival.
Each week we’ll meet brilliant guests and chat to them about their life and work. We want to bring you timely, provocative and funny dollops of hopefulness, to keep us all going in these strange times. This time around we’re celebrating artists that we love and we know you’ll love them too.
We’ll also be digging into our love of fields, festivals and communal gatherings – remember those? – and sharing some of the behind-the-scenes Greenbelt stuff. Importantly, too, we want to hear from YOU, whether you’ve danced in a field with us or not.
Our plan is to release this second series of eight episodes in the run-up to Christmas – with a new episode coming out each Friday. We’ve called it ‘Somewhere to Believe in’, because maybe more than ever, we all need that right now. We really hope you like it.
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Episodes
In the Bleak Midwinter
December 16, 2022 00:01 - 35 minutes - 64.6 MBThis episode of Greenbelt’s ‘Somewhere To Believe In’ comes in the form of a one-off Christmas reflection; brought to you by our friend Beloved Sara Zaltash, a ‘non-denominational rabble-rouser and soul-soother for a world in crisis’. It was our pleasure to welcome Beloved Sara to Greenbelt for the first time this year, along with her heavenly spiritual chants and adaptation of the Islamic Call to Prayer. And now she’s back again, reflecting on Christmas, with personal stories of communi...
The Job of Paradise
August 27, 2021 00:05 - 46 minutes - 63.8 MBThis episode of Greenbelt’s ‘Somewhere To Believe In’ podcast takes a different form. It’s a one-off. It knits together 45-minutes of reflection, conversation, music and prayer in the form of a listen-and-share service to mark the festival’s 2021 August Bank Holiday weekend incarnation (its 48th) – when only a fraction of the wider Greenbelt community could actually physically be together at the Prospect Farm pop-up camping gathering. The hope is that the audio form of the service will gi...
Grace with Nadia Bolz-Weber
July 23, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 107 MBIt’s the final episode in series three of our podcast *cries*, and some might say we’ve saved the best ‘til last. We get to it with festival friend and everyone's favourite Lutheran minister, Nadia Bolz-Weber. With her usual candour, humour and joy Nadia talks about her experiences growing up within a very particular, conservative Christian tradition, her journey away from Christian faith as a young adult and into other spaces that helped her heal, and her return to the fold later on; build...
Liberation with Danté Stewart
July 16, 2021 00:05 - 58 minutes - 104 MBThis week – in what may be the best recommendation we’ve ever had – we’re talking to theologian, former American footballer, and probably Rowan Williams' biggest fanboy, Danté Stewart. With fire in his belly, Danté “takes us to church”, telling us the story of his own faith journey; from his childhood spent learning of Black revolutionary power, to his full immersion into white evangelical culture as a college football star. And, ultimately, his decision to turn his back on white evangelica...
Humanism with Andrew Copson
July 09, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 128 MBGet your best philosophical hats out for this episode because we’re doing a deep dive into the not-so-holy-trinity of dinner table topics – religion, politics and belief – with Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK. Andrew gives us the 411 on what it means to be a Humanist. And we wrestle with some meaty questions, like: Where does morality come from? Are religions dying out? Can good ever come from causing offence? And does it really matter what we choose to believe? Plus, Kather...
Interdependence with Mpho Tutu van Furth
July 02, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 116 MBWe’re feeling humbled and full of love this week as we chat to artist, speaker, writer and priest, Mpho Tutu van Furth. Mpho tells us about her experiences living under apartheid as a young girl and the freedom and justice that so many South Africans, including her family, fought for. We also hear about Mpho’s journey into priesthood and how she reluctantly handed her license back to the church after their (unfortunately unsurprising) reaction to her ‘lovely can of worms’ – AKA falling in ...
Community with Rabbi Herschel Gluck
June 25, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 83 MBThis week we bask in the warmth of Rabbi Herschel Gluck – an incredible Orthodox Jewish leader – whose entire life seems to be one big act of love. Aside from being in awe of Rabbi Gluck’s gentle soul and kind nature, we talk about his life-long dedication to his community, his outlook on the good that could come from the pandemic and his belief that we can work together to create a better future; without losing sight of our own traditions, cultures and values. Rabbi Gluck also shares ho...
Radicalism with Yvonne Ridley
June 18, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBThis week on the podcast it’s our absolute privilege to chat with Yvonne Ridley, a journalist and activist who has one of the most fascinating life stories we think you’ll ever hear. Plus, her very enthusiastic peacocks have their say, too. We talk about Yvonne’s experience as a prisoner of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, the promise she made to her captors to study Islam and read the Quran if they released her, and her unexpected faith journey thereafter, as she decided to leave the Ch...
Dissent with Sister Teresa Forcades
June 11, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 86.6 MBThe second conversation in our ‘Keeping the faith’ series is with Sister Teresa Forcades who – with good reason – has been dubbed ‘Europe’s most radical nun’. Sister Teresa joins us from her Monastery on the mountain of Montserrat, near Barcelona in Catalonia, where she lives with thirty Catholic Benedictine sisters. We discuss her open criticism of the very Catholic Church she serves, her feminism, her politics, her general mission to speak out in order to create a more loving and fair soc...
Service with Leroy Logan
June 04, 2021 00:05 - 1 hour - 90.1 MBWelcome back to Somewhere To Believe In! We’re calling this series ‘Keeping the faith’ because this time around we’re having no-holds-barred conversations with people who get stuck in BECAUSE of what they believe. Arguably, no one has done more to keep the faith than our first guest; former superintendent in the Met police, man-on-a-mission to change a racist police system from within, subject of one of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe films and general truth-to-power-speaker, Leroy Logan. We tal...
Exile with Rafeef Ziadah
December 18, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 107 MBIn our final episode in this series, we talk to Palestinian spoken word artist, human rights activist and our new favourite politics teacher, Rafeef Ziadah. We dig into poetry, art, trauma, displacement, equality and justice as Rafeef shares her experiences of being a third-generation Palestinian refugee, exiled from her home and now living in London. Rafeef reminds us that issues like climate change and the pandemic do not respect borders, which makes us reflect on the entire ‘nation-state...
Humanity with Ben Caplan
December 11, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 105 MBThis week we connect with Canadian singer-songwriter and theatre-maker Ben Caplan. Ben joins us from the car park of a Canadian fast-food giant called Tim Hortons, en route to play a socially distanced gig as part of the Small Halls Festival in Ottawa. We get all the deets about life and lockdown in Canada. Ben has praise for his government’s response to the pandemic – in stark contrast to what we’ve heard from other artists both here in the UK and elsewhere. We talk about Ben’s identity as...
Punk with Dream Nails
December 04, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 139 MBOn the podcast this week Katherine and Paul welcome Mimi and Lucy from “queer, feminist, punk-witch band” Dream Nails. We discuss what it means to be punk – in the cliched sense but also in the Dream Nails sense, which includes: writing badass music, creating safe gig spaces where everyone can dance without fear, shouting ‘women and non-binary people to the front’ at the start of every show and placing hexes on the patriarchy; all done with an immense amount of joy. Describing themselves a...
Opportunity with Testament
November 27, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 98 MBThis week we’re talking to “jack of all trades, master of ceremonies” Testament: hip-hop MC, writer, theatre-maker and world-record-breaking human beatboxer. Listen in as Testament discusses his cultural upbringing, including his love of De La Soul as well as the Pet Shop Boys, along with his theory why Glee is not only prophetic, but “the real hip-hop”. Testament gets real with Paul and Katherine about his own faith, feminism and social justice work. Including his attempts as a rebellio...
Democracy with Natalia Kaliada
November 20, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 81.1 MBThis week’s podcast episode is a very important one, so let’s get straight to it. Katherine and Paul speak to writer, human rights campaigner, political refugee, theatre-maker and ‘public enemy’ to Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus, Natalia Kaliada. Natalia is a founding Co-Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre, a collective of artists who use the power of theatre to fight for democracy in Belarus and oppose what’s known as ‘the last dictatorship in Europe’. We hear about Natali...
Stories with Muneera Pilgrim
November 13, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 123 MBIn the third episode of our second podcast series, Katherine and Paul welcome Bristol-based poet, theatre-maker and powerful storyteller, Muneera Pilgrim. We hear about Muneera’s experiences growing up as a black woman in Bristol – and what it means for her to finally see the statue of you-know-who toppled. We also talk about Muneera’s unexpected faith journey: from repeatedly falling in and out of love with her Caribbean Christian roots, to eventually finding her home in Islam. Above all ...
Resilience with Josie Long
November 06, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 121 MBThis week on the podcast we’re beyond excited to welcome the hilarious comedian and all-round lovely person, Josie Long. We hear about Josie’s unique journey into comedy, beginning aged just 14. And how she’s determined to extend the olive branch of opportunity to the next generation of young creatives. Needless to say, we talk about the current government's support (or lack thereof) for the creative industries and why she’s decided she’s had enough and is moving to Scotland. Plus, Paul an...
Power with Lee Bains
October 30, 2020 01:05 - 1 hour - 135 MBWelcome to the second series of Somewhere To Believe In! We’re back by popular demand(ish). This time around we’re coming together to celebrate and hear from artists we love – and we hope you’ll love them too. Who better to kick things off than Lee Bains of Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, a self-proclaimed ‘deep-south wide-open far-left liberation gospel’ Rock-N-Roll band from Alabama, USA. Lee and his band are on a mission to fight against white supremacy, xenophobia and systems of power,...
Everybody Now
October 19, 2020 00:10 - 1 hour - 120 MBGreenbelt Festival is proud to be taking part in Everybody Now. We’ve caused a turning point in the Earth’s natural history. Everybody Now is a podcast about what it means to be human on the threshold of a global climate emergency, in a time of systemic injustice and runaway pandemics. Scientists, activists, farmers, poets, and theologians talk bravely and frankly about how our biosphere is changing, about grief and hope in an age of social collapse and mass extinction, and about taking act...
Criminal with Clive Stafford Smith
August 28, 2020 00:05 - 1 hour - 113 MBIn our final episode of season one, Katherine and Paul are joined by human rights lawyer, founder of Reprieve and all-round international justice powerhouse, Clive Stafford Smith. Clive candidly discusses his work representing prisoners facing the death penalty, those held in secret prisons (including Guantanamo Bay), and the victims of assassination by drones. He also shares his less-than-glowing views on the criminal justice system, our treatment of criminals and forensic science. He ev...
Climate with Amelia Womack
August 21, 2020 00:01 - 59 minutes - 92.7 MBThis week Katherine and Paul are joined by Amelia Womack, Deputy Leader of the Green Party. We talk about how, growing up, Amelia was inspired by David Attenborough to get into climate action, as well as her not-so-pleasant experiences as a young female politician in a male-dominated workplace. We also get Amelia’s take on the - literally - burning environmental and political issues of the day. Elsewhere Paul and Katherine talk about the quirks of their respective campervans, the protests c...
Love with Ruth Hunt
August 14, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 105 MBThis week on the podcast Katherine and Paul welcome *takes deep breath* openly-Catholic gay rights campaigner, life-long advocate for inclusion and equality, ex-CEO of Stonewall and recently appointed Baroness of Bethnal Green, Ruth Hunt. With inclusion, love and acceptance in our minds, we discuss the complex relationship between religion and sexuality and ask each other why the church is STILL so obsessed with who we love? Ruth talks about her own journey in connecting her faith with her ...
Coffee with Abdul-Rehman Malik
August 07, 2020 00:01 - 58 minutes - 90.6 MBThis week Katherine and Paul welcome the ever-inspiring Muslim thinker, writer and Yale Divinity School lecturer, Abdul-Rehman Malik. We brew up a conversation about food, drink and spirituality, and how slowing down to enjoy the ritual of making coffee can have a positive impact on your well-being. Abdul-Rehman, our unofficial spiritual guide and guru, tells us about the challenges and benefits of observing Ramadan during lockdown this year, as well as how this unusual time has been a grea...
Activism with Sarah Corbett
July 31, 2020 00:01 - 59 minutes - 96.5 MBThis week we’re talking about activism and kindness with the inspiring activist and creator of the Craftivist Collective, Sarah Corbett. We hear about Sarah’s remarkable journey growing up as the daughter of activists who campaigned for social change around the world, and her subsequent journey into activism as a career. Sarah’s work challenges traditional ideas of activism as loud and confrontational, as well as what constitutes a campaign ‘win’. Her gentler, more empathetic approach has b...
Empire with Danny Dorling
July 24, 2020 00:01 - 56 minutes - 103 MBThis week Katherine and Paul welcome the incredible social geographer Danny Dorling. Join us as we don our breathing apparatus and dive deep, deep down into all sorts of topics including the British Empire, inequality, brexit and pandemics. Danny’s huge brain is our guide in contemplating a more honest understanding of Britain's history and position in the world. He challenges us to confront why we, as a country, often think we’re somehow special and different to other countries. When Dan...
Dignity with Amanda Khozi Mukwashi
July 16, 2020 23:01 - 51 minutes - 80.7 MBThis week, Katherine and Paul are joined by the CEO of Christian Aid, and all-round wonder woman, Amanda Khozi Mukwashi. In an honest, powerful conversation we talk about how Amanda feels (and copes) being confronted daily by the realities of grinding inequality. We learn about the challenges of running a global charity during a pandemic in some of the poorest parts of the world: lots of us have had it tough during lockdown, but at least we’ve had power and running water. Amanda tells us ...
Empathy with Roman Krznaric
July 09, 2020 23:01 - 56 minutes - 85.6 MBWelcome to Somewhere To Believe In, a brand new podcast from Greenbelt Festival. In our first episode, hosts Katherine and Paul dig into the topic of empathy with philosopher and friend of Greenbelt Festival Roman Krznaric. We discuss why trying to understand how others see the world could have revolutionary power, and why now, more than ever, empathy is so important. Katherine and Paul also give you some behind the scenes insight into working at Greenbelt and the difficult but necessary de...
Introducing Somewhere To Believe In
July 01, 2020 17:55 - 2 minutes - 4.85 MBThis July, we’re launching ‘Somewhere To Believe In’, a brand new podcast from the lovely people who (usually) bring you Greenbelt Festival (when there’s not a global pandemic on). Because you can’t come to us this summer, we thought... maybe we could come to you? Each week we’ll meet brilliant guests and chat to them about their life and work, using extracts from our talks archive to spark ideas and conversation. We want to bring you timely, provocative and funny dollops of hopefulness, to...