“BUR’YAN” is a podcast made in collaboration between decolonial researchers and activists from the collectives of Feminist Translocalities and Beda. Each episode can have not only new guests but also new hosts.
The name of the podcast — “BUR’YAN” — in the Ukrainian language means wild grass, weeds. These undesirable plants, which can belong to different genera, are marginal in the agricultural hierarchy. They are mowed, uprooted, and sometimes even burned, but every year they sprout again. They are an integral part of local ecosystems and are essential for the preservation of soils and riverbanks. They are diverse and numerous, and they are also stubborn and recalcitrant. That is why for us wild grass is a metaphor for the diversity and multiplicity of decolonial movements that resist russian colonialism. This will become the subject of our podcast — an attempt to reveal various dimensions of coloniality in the hope that “BUR’YAN” will become a space for the voices of people affected by these politics.
In each episode, together with guest speakers, we try to understand the contexts of specific regions, discuss different aspects of the colonial situation, and collectively search for ways to overcome the constraints that result from historical trauma.
The podcast episodes will be recorded in different languages because first of all, we consider the wishes of our guests and moderators. For example, the first episode with Ukrainian researcher Svitlana Matviyenko is available only in English, as not all the moderators of this episode speak Ukrainian, and for Svitlana English is not related to her personal experience of coloniality. Taking into account the diversity of languages of our interlocutors and the role of russian as an instrument of colonization, we leave the choice of the language of communication to the guests and moderators of each issue. In the future, we will offer our guests to translate and record the introductory episode of the podcast in their native languages. We also plan to publish transcripts of the conversation in russian, English, and/or the language of the podcast participants.
This project is our attempt to find answers to complex questions. If you would like to share your thoughts, feelings, or experiences with us, or even suggest a topic for an episode, you can reach us at: bedamedia@proton.me
In each episode, together with guest speakers, we try to understand the contexts of specific regions, discuss different aspects of the colonial situation, and collectively search for ways to overcome the constraints that result from historical trauma.
The podcast episodes will be recorded in different languages because first of all, we consider the wishes of our guests and moderators. For example, the first episode with Ukrainian researcher Svitlana Matviyenko is available only in English, as not all the moderators of this episode speak Ukrainian, and for Svitlana English is not related to her personal experience of coloniality. Taking into account the diversity of languages of our interlocutors and the role of russian as an instrument of colonization, we leave the choice of the language of communication to the guests and moderators of each issue. In the future, we will offer our guests to translate and record the introductory episode of the podcast in their native languages. We also plan to publish transcripts of the conversation in russian, English, and/or the language of the podcast participants.
This project is our attempt to find answers to complex questions. If you would like to share your thoughts, feelings, or experiences with us, or even suggest a topic for an episode, you can reach us at: bedamedia@proton.me
0. Meet “BUR’YAN” !
A short introduction to “BUR’YAN” — a podcast about russian colonialism and decolonial resistances by Beda and Feminist Translocalities. In this episode, you can find out who came up with this podcast, why, and what its name means.
1. “May the atom (never) be a worker, but a soldier”: Discussion with Svitlana Matviyenko on russian nuclear colonialism
* Back in the seventies, a popular slogan expressing Soviet nuclear enthusiasm, “May the atom be a worker, not a soldier” (Хай буде атом робітником, а не солдатом), was installed on the roof of #6 Sergeant Lazarev Street, one of the tallest apartment buildings in the city center of Pripyat, Ukraine. (...) Before the Russia-Ukraine war, a visitor to the Zone of Exclusion might occasionally spot a playful subversion of the ideological slogan: Хуй буде атом робітником, а не солдатом, which can be translated as “There is no way the atom is a worker, but a soldier.”
(“Nuclear Cyberwar: From Energy Colonialism to Energy Terrorism”, Svitlana Matviyenko, e-flux journal #126)
(“Nuclear Cyberwar: From Energy Colonialism to Energy Terrorism”, Svitlana Matviyenko, e-flux journal #126)
Yivha Zban’, a Ukrainian-born decolonial activist and artist, and Lilia Yuldasheva, a decolonial researcher and cultural worker talk to Svitlana Matviyenko, a scholar, whose research and teaching are focused on information and cyberwar; media and environment; infrastructure studies; digital militarism, practices of resistance, and nuclear cultures, including the Chornobyl Zone of Exclusion.
While planning this episode, the authors thought that the topics of nuclear colonialism, in particular, soviet nuclear politics and russian nuclear terrorism would be at the center of the conversation. But eventually, it went further and included other trajectories, catching the diversity of the scales and dimensions of colonialism. So, they also speak about how it affects matter (land, air, water, plants, bodies) and various aspects of human and non-human lives such as temporalities, imaginations, emotions, and futures.
While planning this episode, the authors thought that the topics of nuclear colonialism, in particular, soviet nuclear politics and russian nuclear terrorism would be at the center of the conversation. But eventually, it went further and included other trajectories, catching the diversity of the scales and dimensions of colonialism. So, they also speak about how it affects matter (land, air, water, plants, bodies) and various aspects of human and non-human lives such as temporalities, imaginations, emotions, and futures.
Svitlana Matviyenko with Yivha Zban’ and Lilia Yuldasheva
0:00 — introduction, terms, and concepts of cyberwar
1:55 — interconnectedness, “Savage Ecologies”, life-supporting assemblages/martial assemblages, wars out of nowhere
7:45 — peaceful atom, the distinction between peace and war technologies, “Хуй буде атом робiтником, а не солдатом”
13:23 — instrumentalization of nuclear infrastructure by russia
15:50 — terror; unknown as an instrument of terrorism, (un)logical logic of russian colonialism
24:26 — the labor of witnessing, the Kakhovka dam explosion
33:05 — past/childhood landscapes, future, solidarity and agency
36:45 — external subjectivity, the return of the stolen steppe – ecocide happened much earlier (Vira Aheeva)
49:20 — how to understand colonialism and its actors, (un)importance of languages and heritage/culture, 400 years of resistance in Ichkeria
1:55 — interconnectedness, “Savage Ecologies”, life-supporting assemblages/martial assemblages, wars out of nowhere
7:45 — peaceful atom, the distinction between peace and war technologies, “Хуй буде атом робiтником, а не солдатом”
13:23 — instrumentalization of nuclear infrastructure by russia
15:50 — terror; unknown as an instrument of terrorism, (un)logical logic of russian colonialism
24:26 — the labor of witnessing, the Kakhovka dam explosion
33:05 — past/childhood landscapes, future, solidarity and agency
36:45 — external subjectivity, the return of the stolen steppe – ecocide happened much earlier (Vira Aheeva)
49:20 — how to understand colonialism and its actors, (un)importance of languages and heritage/culture, 400 years of resistance in Ichkeria
Timecode
2. Crimean Tatars: history and culture, identity and struggle
Discussion with Elmaz Alimova and Martin-Oleksandr Kisly on the history, ethnogenesis and anti-colonial struggle of Crimean Tatars
Moderated by Elnara Nuriieva-Letova
Elnara Nuriieva-Letova, Crimean Tatar cross-media activist, author and publicist, project manager of UA:SOUTH and CEMAAT of Crimea Media Platform, talks to Elmaz Alimova, Chevening Scholar, MSc student of Human Rights and Politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Martin-Oleksandr Kisly, a Ukrainian historian of Crimea and Crimean Tatars with a focus on Soviet and post-Soviet periods.
In this episode of the Bur’yan podcast, we will talk about Crimean Tatars, who, along with Crimean Karaites and Krymchaks, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. We are going to discuss the history, culture and identity of Qirimli to understand the nature of repressions against Crimean Tatars that have been carried out on the occupied peninsula since 2014. After all, these repressions are not something new; they are a part of russia's violent colonization of Crimea, which has been going on for over 250 years.
Moderated by Elnara Nuriieva-Letova
Elnara Nuriieva-Letova, Crimean Tatar cross-media activist, author and publicist, project manager of UA:SOUTH and CEMAAT of Crimea Media Platform, talks to Elmaz Alimova, Chevening Scholar, MSc student of Human Rights and Politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Martin-Oleksandr Kisly, a Ukrainian historian of Crimea and Crimean Tatars with a focus on Soviet and post-Soviet periods.
In this episode of the Bur’yan podcast, we will talk about Crimean Tatars, who, along with Crimean Karaites and Krymchaks, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. We are going to discuss the history, culture and identity of Qirimli to understand the nature of repressions against Crimean Tatars that have been carried out on the occupied peninsula since 2014. After all, these repressions are not something new; they are a part of russia's violent colonization of Crimea, which has been going on for over 250 years.
00:00 — intro
02:11 — formation of Crimean Tatar people
04:15 — why is it wrong to consider Qirimli as a subgroup of Tatars?
07:01 — history of Crimean Tatar literature, language and script
16:03 — Crimean Tatar language initiatives in contemporary Ukraine
18:32 — Crimean Tatar identity: formation and challenges, Elnara’s and Elmaz’s personal experiences
29:57 — the emergence of the Crimean Khanate as a state
32:24 — the Crimean Khanate's political governance and relations with other states
34:21 — the first annexation of Crimea by the russian empire: military suppressions of Crimean Tatar uprisings, forced migration, similarities with current russian colonial politics
43:45 — Crimean Democratic Republic: a short but bright history of Crimean Tatar national state
47:42 — Crimea after the soviet occupation
50:53 — the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944
56:13 — outro
02:11 — formation of Crimean Tatar people
04:15 — why is it wrong to consider Qirimli as a subgroup of Tatars?
07:01 — history of Crimean Tatar literature, language and script
16:03 — Crimean Tatar language initiatives in contemporary Ukraine
18:32 — Crimean Tatar identity: formation and challenges, Elnara’s and Elmaz’s personal experiences
29:57 — the emergence of the Crimean Khanate as a state
32:24 — the Crimean Khanate's political governance and relations with other states
34:21 — the first annexation of Crimea by the russian empire: military suppressions of Crimean Tatar uprisings, forced migration, similarities with current russian colonial politics
43:45 — Crimean Democratic Republic: a short but bright history of Crimean Tatar national state
47:42 — Crimea after the soviet occupation
50:53 — the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944
56:13 — outro
Timecode
3. Traditions of anti-nuclear struggle in Qazaqstan
A conversation between Liliya Yuldasheva, Gulsum Kakimzhanova, Maira Abenova and Alisher Khasengaliyev
The anti-nuclear movement in Qazaqstan is inextricably linked to the history of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the largest nuclear weapons testing site in the Soviet Union, operational from 1949 to 1989. The Soviet authorities did not inform residents about the threat of radioactive contamination and the health hazards of the tests conducted at the site.
The closure of the landfill was secured by the Nevada-Semey movement, one of the most prominent and influential environmental and political movements of the late USSR. For more than 30 years, activists, scientists, and public figures in Qazaqstan have been fighting for nuclear disarmament, justice, and support for victims, while also working to prevent the resumption of nuclear testing and radioactive waste dumps.
We invited representatives of different generations of the anti-nuclear struggle in Qazaqstan to discuss the history of their activist and research work, the challenges and problems of today, and the value of intergenerational and trans-local solidarity.
In October 2024, Qazaqstan held a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. The announced results show that the majority of Qazaqstanis, more than 71 percent, voted in favor of building the plant. Independent journalists and civil society organizations have reported numerous violations both during public discussions and debates before the referendum and during the voting itself. ROSATOM is among the possible builders of the nuclear power plant, which means that the construction is in the interests of the Russian authorities. Therefore, the final part of our conversation was devoted to Russian influence on Qazaqstan's nuclear energy policy and the fight against this influence.
The anti-nuclear movement in Qazaqstan is inextricably linked to the history of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, the largest nuclear weapons testing site in the Soviet Union, operational from 1949 to 1989. The Soviet authorities did not inform residents about the threat of radioactive contamination and the health hazards of the tests conducted at the site.
The closure of the landfill was secured by the Nevada-Semey movement, one of the most prominent and influential environmental and political movements of the late USSR. For more than 30 years, activists, scientists, and public figures in Qazaqstan have been fighting for nuclear disarmament, justice, and support for victims, while also working to prevent the resumption of nuclear testing and radioactive waste dumps.
We invited representatives of different generations of the anti-nuclear struggle in Qazaqstan to discuss the history of their activist and research work, the challenges and problems of today, and the value of intergenerational and trans-local solidarity.
In October 2024, Qazaqstan held a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. The announced results show that the majority of Qazaqstanis, more than 71 percent, voted in favor of building the plant. Independent journalists and civil society organizations have reported numerous violations both during public discussions and debates before the referendum and during the voting itself. ROSATOM is among the possible builders of the nuclear power plant, which means that the construction is in the interests of the Russian authorities. Therefore, the final part of our conversation was devoted to Russian influence on Qazaqstan's nuclear energy policy and the fight against this influence.
00:00 Intro
02:44 Alisher — the work of the Test Site
05:42 Maira — the impact on people's lives
08:25 Gulsum — on the Nevada-Semey movement and its contribution
12:19 Alisher — on access to information, inclusion and values of generations, the gap between foreign and domestic policy
19:38 Maira — on joining the anti-nuclear movement, the illness of her relatives
23:53 Gulsum — on joining the anti-nuclear movement and the impossibility of leaving it
29:32 Alisher — about NPPs and joining the movement
35:06 Maira, Alisher — about the connection between generations and people's diplomacy
38:21 Lilia, Gulsum, Alisher — about the referendum and the NPP, Russia's influence and responsibility
48:46 Outro
02:44 Alisher — the work of the Test Site
05:42 Maira — the impact on people's lives
08:25 Gulsum — on the Nevada-Semey movement and its contribution
12:19 Alisher — on access to information, inclusion and values of generations, the gap between foreign and domestic policy
19:38 Maira — on joining the anti-nuclear movement, the illness of her relatives
23:53 Gulsum — on joining the anti-nuclear movement and the impossibility of leaving it
29:32 Alisher — about NPPs and joining the movement
35:06 Maira, Alisher — about the connection between generations and people's diplomacy
38:21 Lilia, Gulsum, Alisher — about the referendum and the NPP, Russia's influence and responsibility
48:46 Outro
Timecodes
4. Crimean Tatars: 80 years of resilience
Discussion with Martin-Oleksandr Kisly, Elmaz Alimova, Alexandr Murtazyev, and an anonymous Crimean Solidarity activist on the return to Crimea, the history of the national movement, the current situation in the occupied peninsula, and perspectives on its decolonization
In this episode of the Bur’yan podcast, we want to focus on the events of the 2nd half of the XX century, such as the return of Crimean Tatars to Crimea, the emergence of the Crimean Tatar national movement, as well as the recent developments of the XXI century, such as the occupation of Crimea, and the repressions against Crimean Tatars in the occupied peninsula. We will also discuss the prospects for the decolonization of Crimea and possible actions by the international community that could affect the current situation of the Crimean Tatars.
Moderated by Elnara Nuriieva-Letova, a Crimean Tatar cross-media activist, author and publicist, project manager of UA:SOUTH and CEMAAT of Crimea Media Platform
Guests:
Martin-Oleksandr Kisly, a Ukrainian historian of Crimea and Crimean Tatars with a focus on Soviet and post-Soviet periods,
Alexandr Murtazayev, an independent Crimean Tatar history researcher and author, who frequently collaborates with the International Memorial Society and independent media projects centered around indigenous resistance,
Elmaz Alimova, Chevening Scholar, M.Sc. Human Rights and Politics student at the London School of Economics and Political Science,
An anonymous activist from the Crimean Solidarity human rights organization
In this episode of the Bur’yan podcast, we want to focus on the events of the 2nd half of the XX century, such as the return of Crimean Tatars to Crimea, the emergence of the Crimean Tatar national movement, as well as the recent developments of the XXI century, such as the occupation of Crimea, and the repressions against Crimean Tatars in the occupied peninsula. We will also discuss the prospects for the decolonization of Crimea and possible actions by the international community that could affect the current situation of the Crimean Tatars.
Moderated by Elnara Nuriieva-Letova, a Crimean Tatar cross-media activist, author and publicist, project manager of UA:SOUTH and CEMAAT of Crimea Media Platform
Guests:
Martin-Oleksandr Kisly, a Ukrainian historian of Crimea and Crimean Tatars with a focus on Soviet and post-Soviet periods,
Alexandr Murtazayev, an independent Crimean Tatar history researcher and author, who frequently collaborates with the International Memorial Society and independent media projects centered around indigenous resistance,
Elmaz Alimova, Chevening Scholar, M.Sc. Human Rights and Politics student at the London School of Economics and Political Science,
An anonymous activist from the Crimean Solidarity human rights organization
00:00:00 — Intro
00:01:30 — Martin-Oleksandr Kisly on the return of Crimean Tatars to Crimea, communities of memory, conditions in exile, Soviet laws, decrees, and bureaucracy that interfered with the return
00:12:00 — Alexandr Murtazayev on the archives of the International Memorial Society he works with, the formation of the Crimean Tatar national movement and its first generation (from 1944 to the beginning of 1960s)
00:20:11 — The radicalization of the movement, the second generation of Crimean Tatar activists, characteristics of the movement, attempts to return to Crimea and the violent measures the Soviet authorities took against it
00:35:56 — A conversation with an anonymous activist from Crimean Solidarity: the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, religious and political repressions in the occupied peninsula, about the human rights organization Crimean Solidarity and its work, statistics of repression under russian occupation. Also, our guest shared with us what gives them hope to continue their work and told us what the international community and our listeners can do to help Crimean political prisoners
00:48:02 — Alexandr Murtazayev on the methods and actions of the second generation of the Crimean Tatar movement: delegations to Moscow, self-census of Crimean Tatar people that helped reconceptualize the deportation as a genocide, student and youth organizations, collaboration with a Ukrainian dissident Petro Grygorenko, as well as other Soviet dissidents and the broader international community
00:55:08 — The stage of “decline” (1970s): numerous attempts to return to Crimea, repressions against Crimean Tatars who tried to return, new discriminatory decrees, the self-immolation of Musa Mamut
00:59:21 — The Perestroika: a new wave of radicalization, mass repatriation of Crimean Tatars, self-returns, the establishment of the second Kurultai
01:06:33 — Elmaz Alimova on the perspectives of the decolonization of Crimea, Ukrainian policies on the indigenous peoples, international legal instruments that can improve the situation in Crimea, decolonization of Crimean toponyms and cases of other countries in representation of indigenous people in the state policies and government agencies
01:21:00 — Outro
00:01:30 — Martin-Oleksandr Kisly on the return of Crimean Tatars to Crimea, communities of memory, conditions in exile, Soviet laws, decrees, and bureaucracy that interfered with the return
00:12:00 — Alexandr Murtazayev on the archives of the International Memorial Society he works with, the formation of the Crimean Tatar national movement and its first generation (from 1944 to the beginning of 1960s)
00:20:11 — The radicalization of the movement, the second generation of Crimean Tatar activists, characteristics of the movement, attempts to return to Crimea and the violent measures the Soviet authorities took against it
00:35:56 — A conversation with an anonymous activist from Crimean Solidarity: the Hizb ut-Tahrir case, religious and political repressions in the occupied peninsula, about the human rights organization Crimean Solidarity and its work, statistics of repression under russian occupation. Also, our guest shared with us what gives them hope to continue their work and told us what the international community and our listeners can do to help Crimean political prisoners
00:48:02 — Alexandr Murtazayev on the methods and actions of the second generation of the Crimean Tatar movement: delegations to Moscow, self-census of Crimean Tatar people that helped reconceptualize the deportation as a genocide, student and youth organizations, collaboration with a Ukrainian dissident Petro Grygorenko, as well as other Soviet dissidents and the broader international community
00:55:08 — The stage of “decline” (1970s): numerous attempts to return to Crimea, repressions against Crimean Tatars who tried to return, new discriminatory decrees, the self-immolation of Musa Mamut
00:59:21 — The Perestroika: a new wave of radicalization, mass repatriation of Crimean Tatars, self-returns, the establishment of the second Kurultai
01:06:33 — Elmaz Alimova on the perspectives of the decolonization of Crimea, Ukrainian policies on the indigenous peoples, international legal instruments that can improve the situation in Crimea, decolonization of Crimean toponyms and cases of other countries in representation of indigenous people in the state policies and government agencies
01:21:00 — Outro
Timecodes