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Story Stance Podcast March 2, 2018

Alternative Realities - Witches? Kamila Shamsie, Kaytranada

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Women share their stories about witch hunts at ANANDI, a Gujarat non-profit group that supports vulnerable women. Image by Seema Yasmin. India, 2017.
English

Women in India are blamed for economic, agricultural and public health failures, accused of sorcery...

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Stance meets artist, writer, and curator Deanna Petherbridge CBE, whose exhibition Witches and Wicked Bodies at the British Museum examined the representation of women as witches throughout European art history, from Late-Medieval times to now.

Deanna takes us on a journey of imagery on how witches have been depicted through art history by artists such as Franciso de Goya who painted a volume of works that used images of witches and witchcraft.

As part of this series, Stance travels to Los Angeles, California, where we meet Gabriela Herstik, a practicing witch and writer of Craft, How to Be a Modern Witch. She gives us an insight into modern-day witchcraft, and believes that being a witch is not about Halloween, but a way of life and a connection to a power within and to the wider community.

And we talk to award-winning journalist Seema Yasmin, who recently returned from Gujarat in India, where, with support from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, she has been investigating witch-hunts that have claimed the lives of thousands of women.

Seema talks to Stance about the varied reasons why women in India are accused of sorcery and branded as witches, which leads to them being hunted, tortured and murdered.

Stance profiles the author Kamila Shamsie, whose most recent novel, Home Fire, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Home Fire tells the story of two families torn apart when love, morality, prejudice, and politics collide. We delve into her life and revisit her memories of growing up in Karachi, Pakistan.

Finally, we catch up with DJ and producer Kaytranada, who has worked with artists such as Gorillaz, Rihanna, and Solange. The Haitian-Canadian artist has gained a strong reputation as a collaborator and producer, and his critically acclaimed debut album, 99.9%, won him the prestigious Canadian Polaris Music Prize. We find out more about his life and his approach to making music.

RELATED TOPICS

Three women grouped together: an elderly woman smiling, a transwoman with her arms folded, and a woman holding her headscarf with a baby strapped to her back.

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Gender Equality

Gender Equality

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