This interview with Amita Handa on June 4th, 2015 is largely dedicated to a careful critique of the benefits and dangers of identity politics and intersectional theory, as well as a summary of the arts and culture she and her colleagues were involved…
In this interview Anthony Mohamed, and HIV/AIDS activist and attendee of the Desh Pardesh festival discusses several social movements that took place for the LGBTQ community from the 1940s till the 1990s. He discusses the impact of racism within the…
Arif Noorani, in this oral history, active in Desh Pardesh in the 90’s, discusses his involvement with other activist groups, notably Queer Nation and CKLN. He talks about the influence Mike Harris had on the numerous arts collectives who lost…
In this oral history, Cameron Bailey focuses on the uniqueness of Toronto’s art scene; he says that artists in Toronto can work together despite difference. He is only vaguely aware of the politics within Desh Pardesh. He also speaks about…
In this oral history Dunstan Egbert describes how he started volunteering with the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP), and Desh Pardesh. He also worked with Khush, but explains why he identifies more as a ASAAP and Desi participant than…
Heidi McKenzie was the co-coordinator of the Desh Pardesh festival alongside Steve Pereira for a year and a half, beginning in 1994. She discusses in this oral history interview the notion of multiculturalism in Desh discourse, representation in the…
Ian Iqbal Rashid is a poet and writer, and one of the co-founders of Desh Pardesh. In this interview he discusses the conception of Desh, its original visions and its its manifestation into an internationally recognized event. Rashid was not involved…
Acharya was an activist that was involved in the progressive feminist scene in Toronto prior to hearing about Desh Pardesh. She later went on to work in the programming committee for Desh Pardesh. In this interview, Acharya discusses how the…