🔥 In this episode of Power, People and Planet Podcast, Kumi Naidoo sits down with Thiago Mundano — the Brazilian street artist and activist turning waste, ashes, and struggle into art that speaks for the planet.

From the streets of São Paulo to the heart of the Amazon, Mundano’s work bridges the worlds of waste pickers, Indigenous defenders, and environmental justice — transforming discarded materials into powerful symbols of resistance and renewal.

This conversation dives deep into:
🌍 How art can challenge systems of extraction and inequality
♻️ The dignity and power of waste pickers as environmental frontliners
🔥 Mundano’s project “Ashes of the Forest”, created from the remains of Amazon wildfires
🎨 The role of artivism in reclaiming hope and humanity amid climate chaos

Kumi and Mundano explore what happens when artists dare to confront power — and when creativity becomes both a weapon and a lifeline.

💬 “When art comes from the ashes, it carries truth. And when truth moves people, change begins.”

Join us in this journey through art, courage, and the fight for the Earth’s lungs.

📍References
Thiago Mundano: https://www.instagram.com/mundano_sp/
Pimp My Carroca: https://www.instagram.com/pimpmycarroca/


#PowerPeoplePlanetPodcast
#KumiNaidoo
#GlobalArtivism
#ClimateJustice

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

“Laudato Si’ reframed climate change as an issue of justice, shifting the conversation into the moral and spiritual realm.”

In this episode, Kumi Naidoo speaks with Joe Moeono-Kolio, Pacific Regional Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, about the spiritual and cultural dimensions of the climate struggle. Joe leads the Initiative’s diplomatic and campaign efforts across the Pacific.
They explore how Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ reframed climate change as a moral and ethical crisis, connecting “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” Joe reflects on how faith traditions, indigenous wisdom, and Pacific spirituality continue to inspire action and resilience.

🎶 The conversation also highlights the vital role of arts and music as living archives of Pacific resistance. From colonial struggles to today’s climate fight, songs and cultural expression carry memory, healing, and power—reaching hearts where reports and policies cannot.

🔥 Key themes in this episode:
Faith leadership and the impact of Laudato Si’
How spirituality and culture deepen the fight for justice
Arts and music as tools for healing, resistance, and movement building
Pacific traditions and their role in global climate activism


🎶 Featuring: This Is Our Home – Pacific Artists for Climate Justice

________
🔗REFERENCES

Personal: @joe.moeonokolio
Organizational: @project.thisisourhome
https://www.fossilfreepacific.org/

#LaudatoSi #FaithAndJustice #ClimateJustice #Artivism #PacificWarriors #KumiNaidoo

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🔥 What can young leaders, indigenous wisdom, and the arts teach us about saving our future?

In this episode of Power, People, Planet Podcast, Kumi Naidoo sits down with Alopi Latukefu — Director of The Global Centre for Social Justice and Advocacy Leadership — to talk about his remarkable journey from Papua New Guinea to global advocacy and to explore stories of resilience, leadership, and justice from the Pacific to the world.
Together, they explore the Pacific’s leadership on climate justice—from law students in Vanuatu bringing the climate crisis before the International Court of Justice, to the region’s push for a Fossil Fuel Treaty that challenges global dependency on extraction. They highlight the urgent need to uplift indigenous knowledge, center cultural wisdom in climate solutions, and harness the power of art and music as tools for mobilization. The episode closes with the song “Don’t Mess It All Up” by Alope’s daughter Meena Siali, reminding us that protecting our planet is both a responsibility and a legacy.

🔑Episode Highlights:
How young Pacific law students brought the fight for climate justice to the International Court of Justice


Why indigenous knowledge and wisdom are essential for humanity’s survival


The Pacific’s leadership in pushing for a Fossil Fuel Treaty and the global transition away from extraction


The rising role of art and culture (“artivism”) in communicating the urgency of climate action


👉 Watch, listen, and be inspired to act: the fight for climate justice needs all of us.

🔗RESOURCES

A Just(ER) Generation Podcast (Episode with Kumi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYnGjL0xWvs

Alopi Latukefu Linkein:

Mina-Siale Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6cgRFKW05DZQz6XJPkLgSR

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

Can small, hidden acts of resistance change the world?

Kumi Naidoo talks to Dr. Ivetta Sergeeva, postdoctoral scholar at Stanford’s Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, to explore the concept of stealth activism— the covert resistance necessary to navigate life in authoritarian regimes. As co-founder of the OutRush Project, Ivetta studies and supports Russian migrants who fled after the invasion of Ukraine, documenting their displacement and their ongoing covert defiance.

In this episode, we’ll learn:

• What “15 minutes a day to fight the regime” can mean for anyone, anywhere
• Why supporting small, individualized acts of resistance is vital to long-term social change
• The distinction between visible protest and subtle dissent
• How activism takes on different shapes in repressive societies—and why that matters (4th)
• Why everyday acts like writing letters to political prisoners can be revolutionary
• How activism takes on different shapes in repressive societies—and why that matters

With warmth, humility, and analytical clarity, Ivetta reminds us that power lies not just in marches and megaphones, but in maps, data, and silent courage.

Produced by Larj Media

🔗 Resources & Mentions

• OutRush Project (verify the final link with Ivetta)
• Stanford CDDRL
• Write to Russian Political Prisoners – OVD-Info Guide (Russian Human Rights Org)
• “Weapons of the Weak” by James C. Scott
• [Stealth Activism concept – Alinea Salnikova-Cook’s work]
• Kumi Naidoo at Amnesty International

Follow her work: @IvettaSergeeva
Full show notes and links: powerpeopleplanet.org

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

Kumi speaks with journalist and Coda Story co-founder Natalia Antelava about reinventing journalism in the age of authoritarianism, disinformation and algorithmic manipulation. From reporting in Yemen to pioneering context-driven coverage at Coda, Natalia shares how storytelling can resist authoritarian playbooks and (re)build public trust.

They explore the role of media as activism, the dangers of being slaves to the “breaking news” cycle, and how narratives around family values and identity have been co-opted to fuel global authoritarianism. Natalia also reflects on her work with the ZEG Festival, an experiment in imagination and cross-disciplinary resistance that brings artists, journalists, and philosophers together to shape the “day after tomorrow.”

This episode asks: Can arts and media help us move from information overload to deep understanding—and action? Can journalism reclaim its place as a bridge between divided realities?

Resources & Links

• Coda Story (co-founded by Natalia): www.codastory.com
• ZEG Festival (co-organized by Natalia): www.zegfest.org
• Coda's coverage on disinformation and authoritarianism:
  👉 Coda’s Authoritarian Tech Section
  👉 Coda’s Disinformation Section
• “Burning with Optimism” essay by Kumi Naidoo (on resistance, burnout & activism):
  openDemocracy Article

Produced by Larj Media

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

Is Culture our most powerful tool for making a just world?

Artist Favianna Rodriguez joins Kumi Naidoo to explore how art isn’t just a mirror to society—it’s a hammer to shape it. As a cultural strategist Favianna reframes activism as a creative, emotional, and embodied act. From growing up amid the drug war and police brutality in East Oakland to leading national protests and organizing artists globally, Favianna’s life is a testament to culture as a catalyst.

Together, they discuss:

• How culture shapes imagination and why imagination is essential for justice
• Why every movement needs art, music, and joy to thrive
• The systemic erasure of communities of color and why representation matters.
• Real-world examples of how culture preceded political victories—from LGBTQ+ rights to environmental protection.
• How right-wing politics have captured pop culture and what the resistance can learn from it.
• Her call to action: Make art. Make noise. Make joy irresistible.

🔗 Resources & Mentions

• Favianna Rodriguez’s website
• The Center for Cultural Power
• Sun City by Artists United Against Apartheid
• Bob Marley – Get Up, Stand Up
• “Migration is Beautiful” project
• [Global ARTivism Gathering, Nov 3–9, 2025 – details TBA]

Produced by Larj Media

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

Kumi speaks with decolonial thinker Dr. Vanessa Andreotti about what it means to create change in a collapsing world. Together they explore how art, activism, and even artificial intelligence can become tools for healing, resistance, and reimagining justice. From her upbringing in Brazil marked by colonial violence to now co-authoring a book with an AI named Aiden Cinnamon Tea, Vanessa dispels modern myths of what progress means and dares us to embrace complexity, humility, and relational intelligence. This is not your typical conversation about tech or protest—it's a call to transform how we live, relate, and build the future.

Featured Works & Resources

• Burnout From Humans (free book co-authored with AI “Aiden Cinnamon Tea”): burnoutfromhumans.nethomewardbound.org
• Hospicing Modernity (book): Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism climatewords.org
• Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures (collective): https://decolonialfutures.net/people/

Produced by Larj Media

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/

Kumi speaks with decolonial thinker Dr. Vanessa Andreotti about what it means to create change in a collapsing world. Together they explore how art, activism, and even artificial intelligence can become tools for healing, resistance, and reimagining justice. From her upbringing in Brazil marked by colonial violence to now co-authoring a book with an AI named Aiden Cinnamon Tea, Vanessa dispels modern myths of what progress means and dares us to embrace complexity, humility, and relational intelligence. This is not your typical conversation about tech or protest—it's a call to transform how we live, relate, and build the future.

Featured Works & Resources

• Burnout From Humans (free book co-authored with AI “Aiden Cinnamon Tea”): burnoutfromhumans.nethomewardbound.org
• Hospicing Modernity (book): Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism climatewords.org
• Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures (collective): https://decolonialfutures.net/people/

Produced by Larj Media

Subcribe to Kumi Naidoo's Power People and Project for more updates and episodes! https://www.powerpeopleplanet.org/