🔥 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

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

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

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

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

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

Feeling at all freaked out by the state of the world at the moment?

Wondering what you can do about it?

Join Kumi Naidoo, the veteran social and environmental justice campaigner, to tackle some of the biggest issues of our time.

In each episode Kumi is joined by activists, artists and community leaders who are dismantling our broken system - and building something better in its place.

Hear their stories.

Learn what has kept them fighting.

Find out how we all can make a difference.

Learn more about the podcast by visiting: powerpeopleplanet.org

In this special episode, which concludes Season 2 of the podcast, Kumi speaks with Indian activist Harsh Mander.

This episode was recorded in August 2022 at a time when Harsh was under intense scrutiny for his activities by the Indian government. At the time of recording, he was on the point of returning home to India despite great risks to his personal liberty and pressure from family and friends not to do so. Still, he returned, committed to standing with those in need and fighting hate, Islamophobia, homelessness and violence.

Learn more about Power, People & Planet on the website:
https://powerpeopleplanet.org

To watch full episodes of the podcast follow Kumi's YouTube channel

Follow Kumi on social media:

• LinkedIn
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• Twitter
• Facebook

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Power, People and Planet is produced in association with the Green Economy Coalition, the world’s largest movement for a green and fair economy:
https://greeneconomycoalition.org

Additional support for the podcast was provided by the Robert Bosch Stiftung:
https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/en