Shows
The Liminal SpaceWhat grounds us and reflections on stories changing systems with Rashid and TristanWe started season 2 with a question, "Can stories change systems?" We weren't sure that we would land on an answer but we thought of it as a thread we could explore throughout the season. In some episodes we had beautiful answers to that question, and even more beautiful questions. We end this season reflecting on the season. And rather than trying to summarise each conversation, which we may do in future in some format, we rather offer some brief reflections.Our starting point for this episode was self-analysis. We asked the question “where were we at” in term...2025-06-2719 min
The Liminal SpaceRehumanising stories from the screen, stage and dreamspace with Abduragman AdamsAbduragman Adams (also known as Abdu Adams) is an award-winning South African actor, director and drama lecturer. He has appeared in several television shows including Heartlines, Known Gods, Rugby Motors and Die Boland Moorde. In 2015 he landed a starring role in the kykNET soap opera, Suidooster, set in Cape Town in the fictional suburb of Ruiterbosch. He also worked on 7de Laan, where he played the character of David Abrahams. He also starred in award-winning films such as Four Corners (2013) directed by Ian Gabriel and won a SAFTA award for best Supporting Actor in Daryne Joshua’s feature film No...2025-05-3057 min
The Liminal SpaceReorienting ourselves toward community and building new capabilities with Leila KidsonLeila Kidson is a social systems researcher, facilitator, and designer focused on better integrating grassroots voices into systems design, advocacy and action. As co-founder of social design studio OCTOPI, she blends storytelling, co-creation, strategy, and intersectional feminist praxis to drive radical transformation in civic freedoms, solidarity economics, and social justice. She appreciates sitting around a lunch table with interesting people and free diving in kelp forests.OCTOPI is a South African-based social design studio that partners with organisations aiming to create positive social impact, particularly in marginalised communities within developing nations. Their approach combines strategic design processes...2025-04-2553 min
The Liminal SpaceRe-membering the fragments of our heritage and identity in the colonial city with Ra-eesha and TaahirahRa-eesha Smith is an undergraduate Psychology student with a strong interest in understanding human behaviour and promoting mental well-being. Outside of academics, she is passionate about creating awareness about and addressing social injustices and inequalities. With this aim in mind, she is a youth mobiliser at BottomUp where she assists in facilitating social justice oriented events and workshops. Ra-eesha also uses her social platforms, especially TikTok, to create content that creates awareness on critical social issues, advocating for justice and equality. She is also a freelance photographer and aspiring writer, especially poetry. She enjoys singing, learning languages and exploring...2025-03-271h 00
The Liminal SpaceWhat happens when we reclaim our stories and find home in our bodies? With Bongeka and AphiweOriginally from the Eastern Cape, Bongeka Qhanga moved to Khayelitsha, Cape Town as a child. She trained at the Shala Cape Town School of yoga and obtained her RYT200 in Yoga teaching in 2021 and is currently obtaining her RYT300 yoga teaching certificate. She is a part-time Yoga instructor at the Bridges for Music in Langa. Recently she partnered with Ikeja Wireless to bring yoga to the most vulnerable children in the townships and Cape Flats. This initiative is called #yogafridays which aims to provide a safe space for children to learn mindfulness-based tools. Bongeka also has a small business...2025-02-271h 01
The Liminal SpaceSystems Thinking and rehumanising narratives with Ncedisa NkonyeniNcedisa is an Africa-centered Systems Change and Field Learning Partner . That is to say she teaches systems change , she helps organisations apply systems change to their strategies and she partners with any collectives that are committed to discovering organisational wellbeing. She was the inaugural Director of Bertha House, where she founded 2s and 4s: a video music series that draws on African musical production to foster post-activism in SA’s social justice sector. In her spare time she rollerblades, cycles and plays music. Always guided by Dr Toni Morrison’s words: “The function of freedom is to free someone else.”...2025-01-301h 01
The Liminal SpaceCan Fantasy, Deep Hope, and the Sacred Feminine create a new world? With Nicole JoshuaThis episode contains descriptions of gratuitous violence. Listener discretion is advised.
Nicole Joshua is a wife to one husband and a mother to one child. She is a theologian, a home executive, and is currently on a journey of discernment towards ordination in the Christian tradition. She has a deep thirst for learning, evidenced by her formal studies in accounting, theology, particularly Biblical studies, and her voracious appetite for reading, and loves sharing what she is learning with others. Nicole is also a teacher at heart, having taught biblical studies at Cornerstone Institute, through involvement in Christian...2024-12-2656 min
The Liminal SpaceCan stories change systems? with Tristan and RashidThis episode marks the start of a new season on the Liminal Space Podcast. This time we are starting the season with a framing question as a theme; Can stories change systems? Tristan and Rashid explore this, and other questions, through conversation, anecdote, wondering regarding the power of storytelling to shape culture, values, and possibilities.
We consider how the stories we tell—and those we privilege—frame our understanding of the world and define the norms we conform to. Together, we grapple with the implications of this: what happens when certain narratives dominate? And wher...2024-11-2824 min
The Liminal SpaceLearning from stories in The Liminal Space with Rashid and TristanIn this special bonus episode, we reflect on the journey of our inaugural season. As we revisit the precious conversations and themes we've explored, we share our personal insights, growth, and learnings which emerged over the past few months. This episode is a moment of introspection and reflection where we connect the dots between our experiences and the stories and wisdom of our incredible guests.
From the rehumanising power of music, to reflections on identity, justice, and belonging, we discuss how the stories we heard throughout season 1 of the podcast have revealed gaps in reality that can i...2024-08-3029 min
The Liminal SpaceKinship, assimilation and making home in the colonial city with Charlie Alexander and Barry LewisCharlton Alexander is a son of Cape Town. He loves his wife Lauren and his son Reth, and the rest of the world in its beautiful brokenness. He is a Tour Guide/Facilitator looking to move through the (liminal) spaces that tell us the stories of the people and the land. He invites guests to the city to connect with the people and land in experiences that are life altering. ‘Charlie’, as he is fondly known, has a deep desire to see local churches sing more local (contextual) music, rather than importing music from the globe. He encourages this thro...2024-07-261h 01
The Liminal SpaceThe sweet waters of heritage and identity with Nadia Agherdine and Waseela EversonNadia Agherdine is an active citizen deeply involved in the preservation of cultural heritage and the promotion of immersive travel experiences. She is a Tour Operator and qualified tour guide and serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Salt River Heritage Society. Through her role, Nadia passionately works to safeguard the cultural and historical legacy of Salt River, engaging both locals and visitors in the rich traditions and stories of the area. Her dedication to cultural preservation and education ensures that the heritage of Salt River is not only protected but also celebrated and shared with a wider audience.2024-06-281h 03
The Liminal SpaceBelonging in our bodies and the world with Thami James and Zach StewartThami is a singer-songwriter and musician, passionate about the transformative essence of musical alchemy. Her current artistic expression is rooted in creating immersive soundscapes that in some ways transcend traditional boundaries, with the potential to offer a narrative journey. She hopes to create auditory spaces that encourage restful resistance through self-reflection, while provoking forms of healing.
Zach is an artist and local food co-op host. Right now he cares about exorcism - be it queer hatred in the church, imperial imagination from the walls of the suburbs, or of the shame we hold in our bodies. Zach...2024-05-3155 min
The Liminal SpaceCritical hope and being human with Ashley Visagie and Helene RousseauAshley Visagie is a co-founder of Bottomup which promotes critical awareness among high school students. Ashley has a deep concern for youth in South Africa who suffer because of the unjust education system and seeks to contest deficit narratives. He is optimistic that a more fair and just world is possible but also believes that the kind of systemic changes required call for engagements that are not trivial or easily accomplished.
Helene Rousseau is a co-founder of Bottomup and strives to facilitate critical education with young people. She has an interest in dialogical learning and the implementation of culturally responsive...2024-04-261h 02
The Liminal SpaceBrown Jesus and the liberation of Moses with Thandi GamedzeThandi Gamedze is a writer, a poet, a facilitator and soon to be post doctorate fellow at The Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, at the University of the Western Cape. The glue connecting all the varied bits and pieces of Thandi’s work is a deep commitment to the work of critique and reimagining (as both action and reflection) towards a world that is just, nurturing and kind. Thandi is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and works for The Warehouse, an organisation which envisions a reality in which churches are living out the peace and justice of...2024-03-281h 02
The Liminal SpaceStart hereIn this first episode Rashid and Tristan share the vision and purpose of the podcast. This is an introduction to our thinking about why the podcast exists and what to expect from future episodes.
We introduce this podcast as a liminal space. We introduce Cape Town as a liminal space. And then we suggest that remaining in the liminal space could spur on an imagination for a better world. Storytelling in turn helps us access imagination.
The music in Episode 1 is composed, arranged and curated by Arkenstone (Rashid Epstein Adams), including the songs "Driftwood", "The...2024-02-1924 min