DECONFINING series: Narratives in Between

A podcast series exploring connections, narratives, and cultural exchanges between Central-Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Africa.

About the Series

This series features conversations with researchers, artists, and cultural practitioners who reflect on themes of identity, history, and artistic collaboration across continents. It serves as an appendix to the publication “Narratives of Closeness and Distance from Central-Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Africa – a Multicontextual Patchwork“, produced by ART TRANSPARENT Foundation in collaboration with PRO PROGRESSIONE, Nafasi Art Space and the Women’s History Museum Zambia, and together with editors Urszula Markowska-Manista & Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda.

Produced by the Women’s History Museum Zambia, the podcast series Narratives In Between brings a strong Southern African voice to the conversation, weaving together oral histories, lived experience, and creative reflection to explore the rich intersections of memory, place, and identity.

🎙️ Episode 1: Nyimbili Suzyika

In this episode, author Nyimbili Suzyika joins host Samba Yonga to reflect on the experience of studying in Hungary as an African student. The conversation explores themes of displacement, cultural difference, and creative resilience. They also dive into the inspiration behind Suzyika’s evocative piece Lenshina: The Bloody Truth, unpacking suppressed narratives and the political weight of storytelling.

🎙️ Episode 2: Shilika Chisoko

Shilika Chisoko and Samba Yonga unpack the often-overlooked relationships between African countries and Eastern Europe. They challenge dominant narratives shaped by a binary view of coloniser versus colonised, and reflect on the shared legacies of subjugation and national trauma. This conversation offers a fresh lens on solidarity, complexity, and history across continents.

🎙️ Episode 3: Dr. Mwaka

Dr. Mwaka shares her journey as both a researcher and writer, reflecting on the challenges of decolonising knowledge and the importance of platforming diverse voices. From archives to lived experience, this episode offers insight into how stories are shaped — and why it matters who gets to tell them.

🎙️ Episode 4: Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda

Editor Natasha Omokhodion-Kalulu Banda reflects on her process of shaping Narratives of Closeness and Distance. She discusses the editorial and emotional labour behind curating diverse voices and speaks to the complexity of cultural collaboration, trust-building, and the power of story to bridge distance.

🎙️ Episode 5: Karolina Bieniek

In this episode, Karolina Bieniek — co-initiator of the Narratives of Closeness project — shares the story behind its creation. She reflects on building transcontinental partnerships, navigating differences, and what it truly means to deconfine cultural relations between Central Europe and South-Eastern Africa.