For our 2nd episode of Season 5, we interviewed (one of my cohort colleagues :)! and) first-year PhD student in the English Department, Theater Colloquium–– Kay Kemp. Together, we chatted about the beauty & challenges of studying Caribbean playwriting

Kay (they/them) explores postcolonial playwriting, and particularly research which encounters postcolonial play in diaspora, such as the writings of Africa and the Caribbean. Kay's research is colored both by their investment in the theoretical aspects of theater and their prior experience with postcoloniality in literature and political science courses, and by their practical experience in the field; Kay is a produced playwright, having written and staged work which has appeared in multiple festivals, including Off-Broadway. They are excited to be continuing their education at Columbia University, where they completed their undergraduate degree.

This season of MCN is funded by Columbia University’s Social Justice Mini Grant. Throughout this season, current graduate students at CU will speak to the complexity of identity through the lens of Black hair. My hope is that conversing about their graduate work rooted in International Relations, Playwriting, and various facets of Africana Studies can continue to expand the mission of MCN.

Overall, I’m interested in steering our creative research towards uncovering a clearer intersection between the Arts, Education & Development in a way that feels global, flexible, communal & accessible. I believe that it is possible and thank you Columbia University for the opportunity to expand this work 🙏🏾🤓.

For our first episode of Season 5, we interviewed current U.S. Diplomat and Columbia University graduate student in the School of International and Public Affairs–– Fareed Abdullah. Together, we chatted about the “art of being a diplomat.”

Fareed is a U.S. diplomat taking a sabbatical from diplomacy to think, write, and perfect the theory behind the art of being a diplomat. He comes to the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia with more than 14 years of experience at the U.S. Department of State. Fareed has worked and lived in several countries around the world like Senegal, China, and the United Arab Emirates, speaks several languages, and enjoys the process of learning new ways of addressing persistent challenges.

This season of MCN is funded by Columbia University’s Social Justice Mini Grant. Throughout this season, current graduate students at CU will speak to the complexity of identity through the lens of Black hair. My hope is that conversing about their graduate work rooted in International Relations, Playwriting, and various facets of Africana Studies can continue to expand the mission of MCN.

Overall, I’m interested in steering our creative research towards uncovering a clearer intersection between the Arts, Education & Development in a way that feels global, flexible, communal & accessible. I believe that it is possible and thank you Columbia University for the opportunity to expand this work 🙏🏾🤓.

This audio essay is a reflection of how my research is beginning to evolve. We will listen to a clip on Nina Simone, a brief reflection examining artistic depictions of Blackness, and a previously-shared segment of an interview with Professor Korka Sall (PhD). My hope is for this short episode to explore creative representations of freedom. This Audio Essay & Reflection was originally created as a Final Creative Project for Columbia University's Graduate Course (African and African American Studies): "Beyond Black is the Journey, Narrating the History, the Culture, and the Self," taught by Dr. Maboula Soumahoro (PhD).

In the fall of 2022, I started classes as a PhD student. My research is rooted in social advocacy, creativity, and theory. I focus on uncovering self-curated mediums of self expression like Black hair as the root of Pan-Africanism, and I hope to continue this research while sparking conversation in different contexts, cultures and classes while using poetry, podcasts, theatre, film and the arts as a tool to connect with a broader community.