TROUBLEMAKERS

Ep31: Make New Folks Welcome with Rebecka Blomqvist

“You are invited. By anyone, to do anything. You are invited, for all time. You are so needed, by everyone, to do everything. You are invited, for all time.— The Dismemberment Plan, “You Are Invited”
Bringing in new people is essential to any activist group that wants to grow in size and capacity, but recruiting is only the first step. Integrating people into an established group can be an even bigger challenge. In this episode, architect Rebecka Blomqvist shares insights on how both organisational and physical architecture can help create spaces where newcomers feel truly at home.
 
We explore:
Why some groups struggle to retain new members and how deliberate attention and intentional design can make the difference.
Surprising tactics like removing signage to spark authentic interactions, and the power of cozy spaces that calm the nervous system.
The importance of one-on-one relationship building to help new folks feel seen and valued — and why this upfront investment can help people plug in faster and stick around longer.
 
Rebecka also invites us to imagine: what if activist groups and architects collaborated to co-create spaces that embody community, activism, and hospitality?
 
Connect with us:
Instagram: Troublemakers Podcast
Email: troublemakerspodcast@gmail.com
Connect with Rebecka: Blomqvist Architecture 
 
Licensing:
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers Podcast. It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.
Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.

Ep30: Postcolonialism with Somdeep Sen

“Imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we must clinically detect and remove from our land but from our minds as well.” — Frantz Fanon
What does liberation mean when the very language of freedom is shaped by empire?
In this episode, we speak with Somdeep Sen, political scientist and author of Decolonizing Palestine: Hamas Between the Anticolonial and the Postcolonial, about what it means to struggle for freedom in a postcolonial world. Drawing from personal experience and deep theoretical work, Sen challenges the universalist narratives of human rights, democracy, and justice that often underpin activist discourse.
We ask hard questions:
Can we be liberated within systems that define what liberation should look like?
What happens when activism reuses the same symbolic frameworks as the powers it resists?
How can we hear subaltern voices outside the scripts we've written for them?
Postcolonial theory complicates easy binaries of oppressor and oppressed. It insists that resistance must also question its own assumptions, ideologies, and categories. It urges us to find what Homi Bhabha calls the “third space” — an ambiguous, non-deterministic zone where new forms of struggle, identity, and solidarity can emerge.
Sen challenges us to move beyond performative politics and imagine a liberation that is not defined by the coloniser’s table, but by shared values, radical imagination, and transnational solidarity.
 
Resources & Show Links:
Decolonizing Palestine – by Somdeep Sen (Book) 
Beautiful Trouble Toolbox - Postcolonialism
Host: Phil WilmotGuest: Somdeep SenProducer & Audio Production: Rodgers GeorgeIntro/Outro Jingles: Mwaduga Salum & Beautiful Trouble

TM Polycrisis Prep: One Drink to Rule Them All?

“As things fall apart, what’s the one drink you’d carry into the collapse?”
In this episode, we pose the critical question of our time: if we all end up in one ecological safe zone during the polycrisis and are only allowed one alcoholic beverage for the rest of our lives... what drink are we bringing with us?
We’re joined by Mia, Maggie, and Malemi, who gamely dive into this hypothetical apocalypse:
Mia goes with... apple cider.
Maggie: Team Budweiser.
Malemi also sides with beer.
“We just hope the island beer doesn’t give us hangovers — especially if it’s unlimited. That would be a nightmare.”
There’s also a touching ancestral link to apple trees and cider... but the sugar content might make it unsustainable for eternal sipping.
 
So where did we land?
Cider: Refreshing, crisp, but high maintenance (bathroom-wise).
Beer: Reliable, social, versatile — maybe not exciting, but comforting.
Stronger stuff? A tempting shift... but we didn’t see that coming.
So now we ask you: What alcoholic beverage are YOU bringing into the polycrisis?
Tag us, write us, send a voice memo. Let’s build our apocalypse bar cart together. 🍻🌍

TM Smoke Signals: On Pro-Palestine protestors "disrupting exam studies" at Colombia University

Phil, who was a Pro-Palestine campus activist in his university days, reflects on the recent police repression of student protesters at Columbia University and how it's part of a broader assault on pro-Palestinian solidarity movements across global campuses. But beyond the headlines, this episode dives into a deeper question: what counts as learning, and does dissent not create a stronger learning environment?
 
Phil challenges the idea that protest is a disruption to education and argues that dissent is not just compatible with learning—it is essential to it. Drawing parallels to state repression in Uganda and the weaponization of “order” against public mobilization, we rethink the role of public space, universities, education, and protest in our society.
Key Themes & Ideas:
 
The false dichotomy between protest and academic learning
Western pedagogies vs. action-oriented learning traditions
The politics of space: libraries, campuses, and the commons
The normalization of violence against dissent
The necessity of public discomfort for public growthGet Involved:
National SJP
 
Credits:Image: pbs.orgHost: Phil WilmotProducer: Rodgers George

Ep29: Follow the Lead of the Most Impacted with Lusekelo Chinyama

What does it mean to be a good ally—and not a harmful one—in movements for justice?
In this episode, we explore the difficult but essential work of following the lead of the most impacted. Our guest reflects on the dangers of “do-gooder arrogance” and the importance of showing up with humility, not solutions.
 
We talk about how movements led by marginalised communities challenge extractive allyship and why strategic support must be grounded in consultation, not control. Examples from Lusaka—including the Youth for Parliament initiative—offer real-life examples of leadership from below.
 
This episode invites all activists, allies, and organisations to pause and ask: Are we truly supporting the people most impacted, or are we unintentionally speaking over them? Solidarity requires deep listening, humility, and the courage to be directed by others.
 
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.
 
Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox, where you can read more about Principle: Follow the lead of the most impacted.
Resources & Show Links:
Beautiful Trouble Card Deck
Youth for Parliament Zambia
Troublemakers Podcast on Linktree
Credits:Host: Phil Wilmot
Guest: Lusekelo Chinyama
Produced by: Rodgers George
Jingles: Mwaduga Salum & Beautiful Trouble

TM Polycrisis Prep: Pineapple on Pizza?

Welcome to the first-ever segment of Troublemaker’s Polycrisis Prep School, a special segment of the Troublemaker’s Podcast where we debate the most “pressing” dilemmas of our turbulent times. First on the chopping board:
🍕🍍 Is it acceptable to put pineapple on pizza?
 
Joining the food fight are the Three Ms—Malemi, Maggie, and Mia.
 
Malemi is firmly in the no camp—pizza is savory, and fruit (beyond tomatoes[?]) has no place here.
 
Mia also resists the pineapple urge, despite growing up around it. Nostalgia isn't enough to justify the sweet-savory mix.
 
Maggie, on the other hand, is pineapple’s loudest defender. For her, it’s the bold contrast—the sweetness of baked pineapple meeting salty cheese—that makes Hawaiian pizza a standout.
 
It’s complicated. But if the world is ending, maybe the real question is: what wouldn’t you try on your pizza?
 
Let us know what you think! Is pineapple on pizza a culinary crime or an underrated joy?

Ep28: Jail Solidarity with Céline Lebrun-Shaath

"I have the people behind me and the people are my strength."— Huey Newton.
What does solidarity look like when comrades are behind bars? In this episode, we explore jail solidarity through the eyes of Céline Lebrun-Shaath, a committed organizer and internationalist. She speaks about the moral and political imperative to stand with those who remain imprisoned—not just by supporting their freedom, but by sustaining the struggles they were part of.
Céline tells about her abduction and deportation from Egypt, and the many-years campaign she and many others fought for the release of her husband Ramy Shaath.
We spotlight the ongoing campaign for a political prisoner:
Alaa Abdel Fattah, a renowned Egyptian activist who, despite having completed his prison sentence, remains unjustly detained. His mother has been on hunger strike for over five months. You can follow the Free Alaa campaign on social media for real-time updates and action steps.
Céline challenges us not to see imprisonment as an endpoint—but as a call to pick up the torch of resistance and press forward.
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.
Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
Resources & Show Links:
BDS Movement: Campaign to free Ismail El Azawi
Free Alaa campaign
More from our channels
Host: Phil WilmotProducer: Rodgers GeorgeGuest: Céline Lebrun-ShaathJingles: Mwaduga Salum & Beautiful Trouble

Ep27: Use your radical fringe to shift the Overton window with Julia and Stella

It takes more than organising to shift a society's sense of what's possible.
 
In this episode, we travel to Moldova to explore how feminist and LGBTQ+ activists are reimagining the boundaries of public discourse and reshaping the culture of protest in a quiet, conservative society. Our guests, Julia and Stella, are part of a growing movement challenging apathy, tradition, and fear with bold, consistent action.
 
We unpack the concept of the Overton Window—the idea that public acceptance of ideas can shift depending on how they're framed and who dares to speak them first. Iulia and Steliana share what it's like to organize in a country where dissent is often seen as shameful and where radical ideas can be misread or feared before they are understood.
 
The Overton Window is a concept that can help us understand how the radical fringes of society pull what's palatable for the majority of society toward them.
 
This episode is a candid and moving conversation about courage, culture, and the slow, persistent work of shifting what's possible.
 
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media. Our podcast is inspired by the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
 
Resources & Show Links:
Use your radical fringe to shift the Overton window
Femicide in Moldova
More from our channels
Host: Phil WilmotProducer: Rodgers GeorgeGuests: Steliana Rudco & Iulia MacarencoJingles: Mwaduga Salum & Beautiful Trouble.

Ep26: Consumer Boycott with BDS Jordan

How do you take on a corporate giant—and win?
In this episode of Troublemakers, we dive into a story from BDS Palestine organizers in Jordan. They built one of the most impactful consumer boycotts in recent memory, targeting Carrefour supermarkets. Fatima and Enas walk us through the strategy, creativity, and community power that made it possible.
They share how neighborhood committees were formed, how young people and students got involved through art contests, and how a deep analysis of local economies shaped the campaign's tactical focus. From pressuring suppliers to rethinking contracts, to triggering public withdrawals, this is a story of people reclaiming power through organized resistance.
We also reflect on the emotional stakes of the campaign, the challenges of sustaining momentum, and the hope that fuels the struggle for a free Palestine.
Connect with us on our socials @troublemakers.podcast or write to us via email troublemakersthepodcast@gmail.com.You can read more about Consumer Boycott on our podcast inspiration, the Beautiful Trouble toolbox.
Anyone can use this podcast for free, with attribution to Troublemakers (the podcast). It is held under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License and can be used for radio or any other media.

TM Smoke Signals: Snow White & Disney Capitalism

In this episode of Trouble Makers, we dive into the spectacle surrounding Disney’s  Snow White remake to explore a deeper story: how corporate media co-opts identity politics, commodifies culture, and shapes our collective imagination for profit. We unpack how companies like Disney use outrage as marketing and brand loyalty as a form of identity, leaving us with sanitized, commercialized narratives that limit our vision for justice and liberation. Rather than arguing over casting choices, we ask: What is Disney, and what does it mean when billion-dollar corporations are the primary storytellers of our time? Before we debate a Disney remake, let’s understand the machine behind the magic.