Selection of recent interviews from
"MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

At the end of the page, there's an alphabetical list of interviewees on this page. For interviews from earlier shows please see:
Conversations 3, Conversations 2, Conversations 1.

If you have questions or comments please don't hesitate to reach us at masala@rcinet.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - VIJAYA CHIKERMANE

I talk to Vijaya Chikermane, the Executive Director of the Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention (ASAAP). A little more than a week ago the Alliance raised concerns about two cases now before the Supreme Court of Canada. Cases that could further extend the definition of when it is a crime in Canada not to tell a partner about having the HIV virus.

Up until now, the law suggested that only in cases where there is a serious danger to their sexual partner was it a crime. She discusses the concerns of the Alliance, and the challenges of discussing these issues publicly.

This conversation is from the February 18, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/18-02-2012/

Alliance for South Asian Aids Prevention (ASAAP) – www.asaap.ca

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - ANN CAVOUKIAN

I talk to Ann Cavoukian, the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Canada’s most populous province, Ontario. She is an independent officer of the provincial legislature and reports directly to the legislature on issues of privacy.

She and a number of other people in Canada were vocal this past week in condemning a proposed federal law tabled this past week by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. The law would give police access to so called IP addresses, the addresses of each Canadian’s computer, and access to that computer’s activities on the Internet. The law would oblige Internet service providers to store that information, and make it available to the police.

This conversation is from the February 18, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/18-02-2012/


Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario – www.ipc.on.ca

Bill C-30 [Lawful Access Bill] – here
 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - VIKAS KOHLI

Toronto musician, composer, and producer Vikas Kohli talks about his latest project, creating a soundtrack for a new film, Samuel Kiehoon Lee’s “Wild Goose Daddy” with an orchestra of 28 musicians. An experienced composer and producer who’s produced numerous Canadian and international musicians at his Mississauga studio FatLabs, Kohli found himself in a very new situation with the challenge of composing music that would create the appropriate atmosphere for the film, and be played by all these musicians.

This conversation is from the February 11, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

Vikas Kohli FatLabs studio – www.fatlabs.com

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - ROBERT FOX

We talk about a new report released by the international humanitarian aid organisation Oxfam called “Crises in a New World Order, Challenging the Humanitarian Project”. Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, explains the focus of the report is making sure enough aid goes to local response groups, local civil society and local governments, whether it’s for disasters that have just occurred or in preparation for future disasters. Among the challenges, the importance of raising funding for disasters that have been averted thanks to local initiatives.

This conversation is from the February 11, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

Oxfam Canada – www.oxfam.ca
Crises in a New World Order report – here


 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - RAVIDA DIN

We talk about a new feature length documentary film from Canada’s world renowned public film producer and distributor, the National Film Board. The documentary is called “Pink Ribbons, Inc.” and the film’s director is Léa Pool. The film looks at how breast cancer has become the focus of huge and popular marketing campaigns that promote awareness of breast cancer, and at the same time promote the image and revenues of the corporations that support these campaigns. Just this past Friday the film got its theatrical release across Canada. To find out more, I talked to the National Film Board’s Ravida Din who is the Executive Producer and producer of “Pink Ribbons, Inc.”

This conversation is from the February 4, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

Pink Ribbons, Inc. website – here

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - RAJENDHRAN RAJAKUMAR

I talk with Montreal researcher and doctoral student, Rajendhran Rajakumar. He’s part of a research team at Montreal’s McGill University, at the Abouheif Lab, headed by Dr Ehab Abouheif, the Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Development Biology. Rajakumar, Professor Abouheif, and several other researchers last month published an article in Science Magazine in which they describe their explorations of evolution, and how they stimulated the million years old capacity of some ants to become huge, supersoldier ants. We talk about how they did it, and how this will help us understand evolution.

This conversation is from the February 4, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

Supersoldier ant research – here

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - SUPINDER WRAICH

 

A conversation with Toronto actor Supinder Wraich who co-stars in a new interactive web series called “Guidestones”. The story is intriguing: it’s about a real monument in the American State of Georgia – called the Guidestones. And in eight languages, including Sanskrit and Hindi, it gives guidelines for rebuilding civilization after an apocalypse.

 

Supinder Wraich plays the role of a journalism exchange student from Delhi studying in Toronto, and the deepening mystery she gets involved with in investigating a murder, a global conspiracy and the Guidestones. The series opens on February 2nd on the web.

 

This conversation is from the January 28, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/28-01-2012/

Guidestones website – www.guidestones.org

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - ROGER AUGUSTINE

 

We’ll examine the state of relations between Canada and its indigenous peoples, and in particular the results of the Crown-First Nations Gathering in Ottawa, this past Monday and Tuesday. The meeting between Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, along with some of his ministers, and the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, and First Nation chiefs from across the country, raised both expectations and cynicism within Canada’s indigenous communities.

 

We talk to Chief Roger Augustine, Regional Chief for the Atlantic coast provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island at the Assembly of First Nations, about the meeting, and about the expectations, mistrust, and hope among Canada’s indigenous people.

 

This conversation is from the January 28, 2012 edition of  "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/28-01-2012/

 

Assembly of First Nations website – www.afn.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - RAVI JAIN

 

I talk to Toronto actor and theatre director Ravi Jain. As the Artistic Director of “Why Not Theatre” he has explored many different approaches to creating a stage experience. In his new play “Brimful of Asha”, he acts and is, the son of his co-star, his real life mother, Asha. The subject of the play is arranged marriages, and that it’s time for Ravi to get married. We also discuss the fact that even though his mother co-stars in the play, she is not an actor, and what that has taught Ravi Jain about acting. The play opens at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre Thursday, January 26^th, and closes February 18th .

This conversation is from the January 21, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"  http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/21-01-2012/

 

Why Not Theatre website – www.theatrewhynot.org

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - JANAK KHENDRY

 

A wonderful exploration of the concept of time with Toronto dancer and choreographer Janak Khendry, the Founder and Artistic Director of the Janak Khendry Dance Company. This year the company celebrates its 33^rd anniversary with a rather remarkable exploration. An exploration of time, of the concept of time, of what has happened, and what will happen – all this through the movements of 14 dancers. This dance exploration is called “Kaal” (Time) and will be presented January 26^th to 28^th, at the Fleck Dance Theatre at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.

 

This conversation is from the January 21, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/21-01-2012/

 

Janak Khendry Dance Company website – www.jkdanceco.org

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - NAYAN STHANKIYA

 

I have a fascinating and wide ranging conversation with freelance photojournalist Nayan Sthankiya. For the past 11 years he’s been travelling the world, documenting natural disasters, wars, and the beauty of the world for such publications as the New York Times, The Guardian, Canada’s Maclean’s Magazine and Canadian Geographic. We’ll talk about how he approaches photography – whether it’s photographing Canadian writer Yann Martel, or taking photos after an earthquake in Pakistan. We'll also discuss the state of photojournalism, and the advantages and disadvantages of being based in our western Canadian city of Saskatoon, as opposed to key big cities like Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver.

This conversation is from the January 14, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/14-01-2012/

 

Nayan Sthankiya photos and info – www.nayansthankiya.com

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - NOA MENDOLSOHN AVIV

 

A conversation about a Canadian government fugitive list put out by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The list includes some of the people the agency wants to deport from Canada for allegedly being war criminals, or for a number of other alleged offences. We discuss the civil liberty issues that this list raises with Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, the Director of the Equality Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA).

This conversation is from the January 14, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/14-01-2012/

 

Canadian Civil Liberties Association – www.ccla.org

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - DENNIS GRUENDING

 

I talk about politics and religion in Canada with Ottawa-based author Dennis Gruending. He is a former journalist, a former Director of Information for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. He’s been a Member of Parliament, and is the author of a number of books. His latest, released this past autumn, is titled “Pulpit and Politics: Competing Relgious Ideologies in Canadian Public Life”. We discuss the alliances and antagonism among religious groups, the issues that unite many religious activists, and the approach of Canada’s ruling Conservative government towards the different political tendencies among them.

 

This conversation is from the January 7, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/07-01-2012/

 

Dennis Gruending blog – www.dennisgruending.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - GABRIEL DHARMOO

 

I talk to Montreal contemporary classical music composer Gabriel Dharmoo, who this Monday, January 9^th, will be performing a solo Carnatic Cello Concert at the Arkay Convention Centre in Chennai. For the past three months he’s been studying the Carnatic music approach of Indian classical music. It’s a music with a strong emphasis on singing, even if it’s interpreted by instruments. What Gabriel Dharmoo is doing is trying to understand the music as a composer, through playing the music, and playing it on a very western instrument, the cello. This Monday he’ll share that experience with an audience in Chennai. (Photo by Paul Neudorf)

 

This conversation is from the January 7, 2012 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/07-01-2012/

 

Gabriel Dharmoo music and info – www.gabrieldharmoo.org

 

 

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For more conversations please go here

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MASALA CANADA is an eclectic Canadian radio program with a South Asian flavour hosted and produced by Wojtek Gwiazda at Radio Canada International. rcinet.ca/masala

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ROGER AUGUSTINE

NOA MENDOLSOHN AVIV

ANN CAVOUKIAN

VIJAYA CHIKERMANE

GABRIEL DHARMOO

RAVIDA DIN

ROBERT FOX

DENNIS GRUENDING

RAJENDHRAN RAJAKUMAR

RAVI JAIN

JANAK KHENDRY

VIKAS KOHLI

NAYAN STHANKIYA

SUPINDER WRAICH