In My Country

In our first episode, we meet Alyas Taqawi.  Alyas was born in Afghanistan and arrived in Australia on a boat in 2010. In his episode, Alyas examines his experiences with identity, religion, and luck: what brought him to the decision to board a boat to Australia, how did it all unfold, and what has he learned from it all? 

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Sound is mixed by David Gaylard. 

All music is from the Free Music Archive. Full song details on our...

Join Pia's conversation with Faisa Adan in our second episode.  

Faisa is a person who wears many hats: community worker, entrepreneur, muslim, and woman of big ideas. The first half of Faisa’s childhood was lived out to the backdrop of the Somali Civil War. The second half was spent in Kakuma, one of the world’s largest refugee camps.  

Pia talks with Faisa about some of the experiences of family life in these settings; childhood ...

Adam chats with Iago in our third episode.  Please note, Iago's episode has been divided into two parts. This is part one.  

Iago was born in Iraq and spent his adolescent years in Saudi Arabia. Despite intense pressure to conform, Iago has strived to express himself, his true self, his whole life. He has faced obstacles that would have pushed others over the edge. Instead, he has turned to the arts, and his extraordinary resourcef...

Adam chats with Iago in our third episode.  Please note, Iago's episode has been divided into two parts. This is part two. Please make sure to listen to part one first to hear his full story. 

Iago was born in Iraq and spent his adolescent years in Saudi Arabia. Despite intense pressure to conform, Iago has strived to express himself, his true self, his whole life. He has faced obstacles that would have pushed others over the edge....

Adam talks to self-described accidental activist Tenzin Choegyal in episode 4. Accidental activist is an incredibly humble description for a man who has done so much in his life to give voice to the story of Tibetans in exile. 

Tenzin was born in Tibet, but only lived there for the first few years of his life. His journey has taken him to Nepal, India, Australia, and all over the world. Tenzin is a passionate musician who has creat...

We’d be impressed if you’ve ever met a woman gutsier than Marcela Cornejo, from Chile. 

In our fifth episode, Pia talks to Marcela about her activism against Chile’s dictatorship in the 1980s; how she fought for the rights of political prisoners in her country; and about the sadness and loss she still carries from having to leave her country behind. 

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Sound is mixed by David Gaylard. 

All music is from the Free Music Archi...

In the final episode of the season, Adam talks to Liliana Maria, the daughter of Marcela Cornejo who was featured in our last episode. 

Liliana reflects on the journey of a refugee from the perspective of a child. She talks about being caught between countries and identities, about the journey towards finding meaning, and about the power of story. 

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Sound is mixed by David Gaylard. 

All...

Adam reconnects with Alyas Taqawi, our very first guest of the season. Alyas reflects on In My Country’s win at the 2020 Australian Podcast Awards (we’re still in shock) and how storytelling is in his blood. He also discusses his role on the board of the new organisation Refugee Voices and how they are working to ensure that people from refugee backgrounds have a seat at the table on all decisions that effect them.

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We bring you In My Country’s panel discussion at the REIMAGINE Virtual Festival held in November 2020 for our second bonus episode of the season. Join Pia in conversation with four of the guests from season one, Alyas, Liliana, Marcela and Tenzin. They discuss changing the conversation about what it means to be a refugee and why this is so important for all Australians, and share their thoughts about how all of us can create commun...