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 OTHER shows please see:
Conversations 4, 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 - 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

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - MAUREEN O'NEIL

 

We talk about a Canadian agricultural economist who played a huge role in Canada’s support of science and technology in developing nations. His name is W. David Hopper, and he died last month at the age of 84. But his legacy continues as we hear from Maureen O’Neill, a former president of Canada’s IDRC – the International Development Research Centre. Hopper was the first president of the IDRC. His presence at the centre was thanks to a number of people who believed in his vision, including former Canadian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace prize winner, Lester B. Pearson.

This conversation is from the December 17, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

More information on W. David Hopper - here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - SWATI SHARAN

 

A conversation with Toronto social activist and freelance writer Swati Sharan who’s organizing a special event this Sunday, December 18^th in Toronto. She’s asking people to come pray for peace between India and Pakistan. And if they can’t come downtown, to take 30 seconds to say a prayer for peace. It turns out this is part of an international pray for peace initiative.

This conversation is from the December 17, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Pray for Peace Between India and Pakistan - here

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - MAHMUDA ALDEEN

 

Mahmuda Aldeen, a program officer with the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, tells us about this year’s competition for the best paper on India by a Canadian university student. There are three prizes: one for undergraduate university students, one for graduate students, and one for a paper in French on India. The deadline for applications is January 16, 2011.

This conversation is from the December 17, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Lal Bahadur Shastri Student Prize info – here

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - SUKANYA PILLAY

 

Even before a new Canadian-American security trade border deal was announced on December 7, 2011, civil liberty questions were raised by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association along with the American Civil Liberties Union. Sukanya Pillay is the Director of the National Security Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

This conversation is from the December 10, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/10-12-2011/

 

Canadian Civil Liberties Association – www.ccla.org

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - PETER ST. JOHN

 

So if the new Canada-U.S. security perimeter agreement will allow for the sharing of lots more information, will we be safer in Canada and the United States? That’s what I asked Peter St. John, a retired professor of international relations who teaches at Canada’s University of Manitoba and elsewhere. He is an intelligence and terrorism expert, and the author of the 1991 book, “Air Piracy, Airport Security, and International Terrorism”.

This conversation is from the December 10, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/10-12-2011/

 

Peter St. John info -  here

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - MITA NAIDU

 

I have a fun and fascinating conversation with multi-talented Vancouver fashion designer Mita Naidu. She’s the founder of Lotus Eye, and has created an edgy mix of Indian and western styles which is making inroads into mainstream Canada.

 

This conversation is from the December 10, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/10-12-2011/

 

Mita Naidu’s Lotus Eye on Facebook – here

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - NAVEEN GIRN

 

I talk to Naveen Girn, a cultural researcher at Simon Fraser University. He’s a guest curator of a unique exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver called “Bhangra Me: Vancouver’s Bhangra Story”. The exhibition started this past May, and is the result of a collaboration between the museum and the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration (VIBC) which hosts annual bhangra music festivals and dance competitions.

The “Bhangra Me” exhibition not only focuses on music and dance, but also on what Girn calls the soundtrack of Vancouver’s history, and the history of South Asians in the city and Canada. It also discovered how present Bhangra was over the past few decades, including being used to organize Canadian farmworkers. As well, the Bhangra sound of Vancouver is unique, and different from that of India or the UK and yet, shows their influences, as well as those of other music such as hip hop.

This conversation is from the December 3, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/03-12-2011/

 

Bhangra Me website – www.bhangra.me

Museum of Vancouver – Bhangra Me page – here

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - SATHY RAJASEKHARAN

 

I talk to Sathy Rajasekharan, the Chair of the Montreal Business Council, of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. The Council is organizing an event this Thursday, December 8^th, called “Back from India”. It’s following up on other events that focussed on preparing people to do business or connect with India. This event takes advantage of the experience of Canadians who have already been to India, and who will talk about their experiences. We’ll also talk about some of the advantages of being based in the predominantly French-speaking province of Quebec, as far as promoting Canada-India relations.

This conversation is from the December 3, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/03-12-2011/

 

Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce – www.iccc.org

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - GARY THANDI

 

I talk to Gary Thandi, the lead researcher on a report just released this past week by the Justice Institute of British Columbia. It’s called “This is a man’s problem: Strategies for working with South Asian male perpetrators of intimate partner violence”.

 

The study is the result of extensive interviews with 17 frontline workers: counsellors, social workers, police and probation officers who have extensive experience in dealing with the issue of domestic violence in the South Asian community. Thandi also spoke with men who had committed violence and were getting help to deal with the issue of male violence. Among the recommendations of the report: a need to understand the context of family violence within the South Asian community.

This conversation is from the November 26, 2011 edition of  "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Justice Institute of British Columbia – www.jibc.ca

“This is a man’s problem” report – here

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - VIVEK SHRAYA

 

Toronto singer-songwriter-musician Vivek Shraya, who’s also a filmmaker and writer, talks about his just released EP of six songs 1:1. It’s a change in his musical approach from electronic to acoustic. But an acoustic sound that is full and lush. The EP also examines a lot of issues: aging, self preservation and self assessment in a personal and accessible way.

This conversation is from the November 26, 2011 edition of  "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Vivek Shraya music and info – www.vivekshraya.com

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - MALIK SIRAJ AKBAR

 

I talk to Malik Siraj Akbar, a Pakistani journalist and the Editor-in-Chief of the English on-line newspaper "The Baloch Hal". We discuss why he asked for, and was given, asylum in the United States. We also  talk about the disappearances and murders of journalists and others in Pakistan’s largest province Balochistan, and about his hopes for the future.

This conversation is from the November 19, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

The Baloch Hal – www.thebalochhal.com

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - NATASHA CHANDEL a.k.a. MUMBAI CHOPRA

 

I talk to actor and director Natasha Chandel who’s now into her second season as Mumbai Chopra, the star of the TV web series "Landing in Mumbai”. It’s about the materialistic daughter of a spiritual guru. She talks about how the idea came about, and about the changes in the series as it went into its second successful season this past October.

This conversation is from the November 19, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Landing in Mumbai website – www.mumbaichopra.com

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - ROBERT FOX

 

I talk to Robert Fox, the Executive Director of the international aid organization Oxfam Canada. He describes the crisis flood situation in Pakistan, and the lack of urgency and funding from world governments for relief aid for the millions affected in Pakistan. This past week Oxfam, along with three other aid agencies, warned some of the relief work may have to stop after December because more money is not being made available.

 

This conversation is from the November 12, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

Oxfam Canada - www.oxfam.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - ROB DEIBERT

 

I talk to Dr Ron Deibert, the Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. The Citizen Lab focuses on the surveillance of the Internet by governments, on cyber warfare, and on privacy and human rights issues on the Internet. We’ll discuss his concerns about these issues and the tendency of people to transfer their data from their computers and other devices to the computers of “cloud-computing” providers.

 

 

This conversation is from the November 12, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Citizen Lab website - www.citizenlab.org

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - E.V.

 

I talk to Vancouver singer, musician, DJ and music producer “E.V.”. We’ll talk about the album he and the hip hop band A-SLAM are working on, on their debut music video “Back Down” which features Gary Mangat, the first Sikh featherweight to hold a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) belt. We talk about the members of A-SLAM and their urban hip hop sound in Punjabi, Hindi and English. And about the tendency for Vancouver artists to collaborate in each other’s projects.

This conversation is in the November 5, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

A-SLAM music and info - www.a-slam.com

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - TAZEEN QAYYUM

 

I talk to Tazeen Qayyum, a Toronto-area visual artist and contemporary miniature painter. She works with all kinds of materials paper, acrylic and digital prints. Her latest exhibition opens this coming Wednesday, November 9 at the Textile Museum of Canada in Toronto, with two other artists under the title “Veiled”. Tazeen Qayyum’s work is called “Our Bodies, Our Gardens” and uses the common rubber hot water bottle as her medium of expression to highlight stories by women.

 

 

This conversation is in the November 5, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

 

Tazeen Qayyum website - www.tazeenqayyum.com

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - ILA ARUN

 

I talk to singer, actor, writer, Ila Arun, about her tour in Canada over the past 15 days. Along with a group of 39 singers, dancers and musicians she’s presenting her show “A Musical Sandstorm” as part of the Indian government’s ‘Year of India in Canada’ celebrations. She’ll talk about the show that presents Rajasthani and Gujarati folk music, pop and Bollywood. She’ll also talk about her multiple other activities, including her Rajasthani version of Henrik Ibsen’s theatre play ‘The Lady from the Sea’ which she’s bringing to Canada next year.

 

This conversation is from the October 29, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

Ila Arun music on iTunes - here

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - HOWARD RICHARD

 

I run off to the circus, or actually to Montreal’s National Circus School, to talk to the school’s Director of Creation, Howard Richard. The school is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year, and this week started a cross-Canada tour in search of talented young people. Students, who are accepted into the program end up learning about circus performance, while at the same time completing their formal education. Graduates of the school are featured performers in circuses around the world.

 

This conversation is from the October 29, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda"

National Circus School website - www.nationalcircusschool.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - SHAWN MATIVETSKY

 

Montreal tabla player Shawn Mativetsky shares his passion for the tabla, India’s traditional percussion instrument. He’s just released a new solo album called “Cycles” which presents a number of Canadian new classical music composers works, which he specifically commissioned to utilize the tabla. When we talked this past Thursday, he still hadn’t received the album, an album which has taken ten years to produce.

 

This conversation is from the October 15, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/15-10-2011/

 

Shawn Mativetsky music and info – www.shawnmativetsky.com

 

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - BARBARA BYERS

 

We look at the Canadian union movement, at conservative think tanks and the Government of Canada’s attitude towards organized labour. I talk to Barbara Byers, the Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress, the CLC, which represents 3.2 million unionized workers in Canada in public sector and private sector unions and federations. She is also one of 14 worker delegates at the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency with union, employer and government delegates. We discuss a number of recent interventions by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in labour management negotiations, and what they mean for the future of the labour movement in Canada.

 

This conversation is from the October 15, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/15-10-2011/

 

Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) – www.canadianlabour.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - NAILA KABEER

 

A conversation about a difficult topic, the “missing daughters” in South Asia: the baby daughters that are not born because of selective abortions, or because the baby daughters die from neglect. I talk to Naila Kabeer who is a Professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University. She has written widely about development issues, and was the lead author on a World Survey on Women in Development for the UN Division for the Advancement of Women. This past week she gave a lecture in Ottawa at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) about a draft report: “Diverging stories of son preference in South Asia: a comparison of Bangladesh and India”.

 

This conversation is from the October 8, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/08-10-2011/

 

Naila Kabeer, School of Oriental and African Studies, London University – here

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) – www.idrc.ca

 

Wojtek Gwiazda in conversation with - DOLORES CHEW

 

I talk to Dolores Chew, a founding member of Montreal’s South Asian Women’s Community Centre. She is also a former president of the Centre, and teaches history and humanities at Montreal’s Marianopolis College. This year the Centre is celebrating its 30^th anniversary with a gala dinner next weekend on Saturday, October 15^th. We talk about why the Centre was founded, some of the challenges it has faced, and about the future.

 

This conversation is from the October 8, 2011 edition of "MASALA CANADA with Wojtek Gwiazda" http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/masala-canada/home/date/08-10-2011/

 

South Asian Women’s Community Centre – www.sawcc-ccfsa.ca

 

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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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Interviewees in alphabetical order:

( For archived conversations here )

 

MALIK SIRAJ AKBAR

MAHMUDA ALDEEN

ILA ARUN

BARBARA BYERS

NATASHA CHANDEL

DOLORES CHEW

GABRIEL DHARMOO

RON DEIBERT

E. V.

ROBERT FOX

NAVEEN GIRN

DENNIS GRUENDING

NAILA KABEER

SHAWN MATIVETSKY

MAUREEN O'NEIL

MITA NAIDU

SUKANYA PILLAY

TAZEEN QAYYUM

SATHY RAJASEKHARAN

HOWARD RICHARD

PETER ST. JOHN

SWATI SHARAN

VIVEK SHRAYA

GARY THANDI