The name of the podcast — “BUR’YAN” — in the Ukrainian language means wild grass, weeds. These undesirable plants, which can belong to different genera, are marginal in the agricultural hierarchy. They are mowed, uprooted, and sometimes even burned, but every year they sprout again. They are an integral part of local ecosystems and are essential for the preservation of soils and riverbanks. They are diverse and numerous, and they are also stubborn and recalcitrant. That is why for us wild grass is a metaphor for the diversity and multiplicity of decolonial movements that resist russian colonialism. This will become the subject of our podcast — an attempt to reveal various dimensions of coloniality in the hope that “BUR’YAN” will become a space for the voices of people affected by these politics.

In each episode, together with guest speakers, we try to understand the contexts of specific regions, discuss different aspects of the colonial situation, and collectively search for ways to overcome the constraints that result from historical trauma. 

The podcast episodes will be recorded in different languages because first of all, we consider the wishes of our guests and moderators. For example, the first episode with Ukrainian researcher Svitlana Matviyenko is available only in English, as not all the moderators of this episode speak Ukrainian, and for Svitlana English is not related to her personal experience of coloniality. Taking into account the diversity of languages of our interlocutors and the role of russian as an instrument of colonization, we leave the choice of the language of communication to the guests and moderators of each issue. In the future, we will offer our guests to translate and record the introductory episode of the podcast in their native languages. We also plan to publish transcripts of the conversation in russian, English, and/or the language of the podcast participants.

This project is our attempt to find answers to complex questions. If you would like to share your thoughts, feelings, or experiences with us, or even suggest a topic for an episode, you can reach us at: bedamedia@proton.me

Episode 0. Meet “BUR’YAN”!

A short introduction to “BUR’YAN” — a podcast about russian colonialism and decolonial resistances by Beda and Feminist Translocalities. In this episode, you can find out who came up with this podcast, why, and what its name means.