Soundings

No hay pelo malo

Producer: Alyssa Vann
Description: This podcast explores the burgeoning natural hair movement in the Dominican Republic, where the vast majority of women prefer to straighten their hair. In doing so, it explores the intersections of race, gender, and history in the country’s capital.
Music: All music recorded in the plaza in the Colonial District of Santo Domingo, or in salons.

Una Isu: a Ñuu Savi warrior resisting through hip hop

As indigenous people from Mexico migrate to California, their languages and cultures are threatened. One indigenous trilingual rapper based in Fresno is fighting back.
“We are taught that we're not valuable, we are taught that we have no history, we are ignorant, we don’t have richness of culture…. I’m trying to turn everything around.”
Miguel Villegas Ventura came to the US at age 7 speaking only Mixteco, an indigenous language spoken by the Ñuu Savi nation in the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla. He came of age in Fresno, California, amidst poverty, bullying and the constant pressure to hide his roots.
But when Miguel learned the history of Una Isu, a 12th century Mixteco warrior, everything changed.
Today Miguel demands respect and dignity through trilingual hip hop. Like Una Isu, he seeks to unite indigenous Mexicans who have found a new home in the United States.
Producer: Jackie Botts
Featuring voices of Miguel Villegas, Leoncio Vasquez and Irma Luna
Music:
“Mixteco es un Lenguaje” by Una Isu
“Intro [Prod. Esteban]” by Una Isu
“Quisieron [Prod. Esteban]” by Una Isu
“Se que avanzare (Con Mixteko) [Prod. Starbeats]” by Una Isu
“Soñadores [Prod. Fenix]” by Una Isu
“Cinco años (Con Mixteko) [Prod. Guerrero]” by Una Isu
“Asi quiero sanar [Prod. N3w Lment]” by Una Isu
“Pop Song” by Johnny Ripper
“Lamentos en Aula Remix” by Toiletrolltube
“If You Should Lose Me” by Lil Rob
“Summer Nights” by Lil Rob
Una Isu complete music at https://soundcloud.com/miguel-villegas-29

Heaven and Hell: Inside the Maternity Ward of Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar

Producer: Megan Calfas
After delivering one child, the Head Nurse Nassara turns around, changes her gloves, and delivers another. In Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar, 30-50 babies are born a day. Often, in the maternity ward, there are only 3-4 nurses working at a time. As the largest public hospital in Zanzibar, Mnazi Mmoja faces the island’s high rate of maternal mortality head on, yet, the root of the problem is hard to uncover--it’s tangled up in a much larger system. This piece would not be possible without the Program in Global Health Technologies at Boston University led by Dr. Zaman, the Stanford Storytelling Project, and the kindness of everyone at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital.
Music: Rui -- “Caress me to Sleep”, “Selbstheilend”, “No sudden movements”, Johnny Ripper --”Nicolas”, Orbique-- “Simple”, Cuban Cowboys-- “Outro”

Sandbranch: a Deep-rooted Community Fights for Water

Sandbranch is a community outside of Dallas that hasn’t had running water or well water for decades, but the residents refuse to leave.
Founded by former slaves, it used to be a thriving town of over 500 people. In the 1980s, its wells were contaminated. The residents have been fighting for running water ever since. Now, led by a pastor, an environmental lawyer, and past and present residents of the community, Sandbranch is on the brink of change.
Producer: Claudia Heymach
featuring:
Eugene Keahey, Mary Nash, John Wiley Price, Mark McPherson, Ivory Hall, Chess Jones,
and the choir of Mt Zion baptist church.
Special Thanks: Carol Francois, Clay Jenkins, Edward Shore, the residents of Sandbranch, Catherine Girardeau, Jackson Roach, and Jake Warga.
Music: Music used (Title(s), Artist, Album. Include links and permissions)
From freesound.org: Slow Sad Tones by TJ Mothy https://freesound.org/people/TJ%20Mothy/sounds/92734/
Wind Howl 2 by swiftoid
https://freesound.org/people/swiftoid/sounds/117610/