New Ways of Publicly Engaging with Structural Justice and Settler-Colonialism

After completing a Ph.D. in History, I embarked on two unlikely but highly fun and rewarding projects. The first is RAP NEWS — a satirical news show that mixes hefty doses of comedy, rap and music to cover subjects ranging from settler-colonialism and Indigenous struggles to state surveillance, the war on whistle-blowers, climate-change and many more. The second is called CORANDERRK, a verbatim-theatre play which brings back to life the long-forgotten voices of Indigenous men and women who testified before a 19th-century Parliamentary Inquiry. Both of these projects are founded on collaborations between academics and creatives and/or Indigenous people, and both covered new and exciting grounds in terms of fostering public engagement with some of the most pressing issues we face today. Both were inspired by the realization that we academics have too much important knowledge to offer the world in times like these, to limit ourselves to sharing it exclusively in ways that are often inaccessible to the broader community.

Giordano Nanni is a historian, satirist and media activist whose work spans across various media, from online videos to the theatre. After completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne, and seeking to engage with audiences beyond the pay-walls of academic journals, he co-created RAP NEWS, an online satirical News show delivered via rap, music and comedy which has informed millions of international viewers on subjects ranging from settler-colonialism and Indigenous struggles to state surveillance, the war on whistle-blowers, climate-change and many more.

Another one of Giordano's projects is the verbatim-theatre play CORANDERRK which combines the worlds of history and theatre to bring back to life the long-forgotten voices of Indigenous men and women who testified before a 19th-century Parliamentary Inquiry. He has published two history books and currently writes and produces online satirical videos for THE JUICE MEDIA.

Event Sponsor
Center for Biographical Research, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Center for Biographical Research, (808) 956-3774, biograph@hawaii.edu, http://blog.hawaii.edu/cbrhawaii/

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