Binoy Kampmark, senior lecturer at RMIT University, Melbourne is emphatic on the crucial importance of press freedom. He has been at the forefront of the Wikileaks-Julian Assange story reporting with much-needed insights. With every new twist or turn of the Assange incarceration, Binoy has the details. On June 24th at 9pm ET, Binoy was scheduled to join us on Zoom for a conversation about the upcoming UK General Election; the high risk of famine in Gaza; a lawsuit challenging a new Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools; the upcoming US presidential debate; the Russia and North Korea meeting; Princess Anne hospitalized after an incident with a horse – then as we were about to record, Dr. Kampmark announced that news was coming in at 11am local time in Melbourne that Julian Assange was about to be released from Belmarsh prison in the UK and fly to Northern Mariana Islands, an American territory in the Pacific. There he was expected to plead guilty to a single charge, in return, be sentenced to time already served and released to fly to his native Australia and be reunited with his family. Back here in the US, this breaking news did not reach the news feeds for another hour or so. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Kampmark cautioned that anything could go wrong and the outcome was not certain. Of course, we now know Assange was released and is back with his family in Australia.
With his usual scrupulous caution Dr. Binoy Kampmark reported on the Assange story as it unfolded. His thoughts on the possible outcome of this and the other topics we presented are intriguing to hear in hindsight. Exploring alternate views on diverse topics is always an essential componant of Life Elsewhere. We welcome your suggestions for topics or guests and feedback.
Dr. Binoy Kampamark’s essays are up at CounterPunch
The music we selected for the last ten minutes of this show was prompted by a quote from Ahmad Pejman – “What comes from the heart, goes to the heart. Aftab’s music enraptures. She is an Iranian composer who is inspired, with her innate instinct, by Iranian music and employs it deftly in her works. This music is so emotional and far from the common shenanigans and ostentations in European contemporary music”. A Thousand Butterflies from the album of the same name by Iranian artist Aftab Darvishi. This is a portrait album that looks back on Darvishi’s 11-year journey as a composer. A Thousand Butterflies a piece for clarinet and piano was inspired by experiences of immigration. Each of its three movements looks at immigration from a different perspective, charting the diversity of the immigrant experience and the range of emotions that immigrants feel. “I have a passion for composing music that transcends boundaries and encompasses a range of mediums and contexts, including concert music, film music, theater music, and more.” Says Aftab, “For the last few years, I have focused on the fusion of diverse musical cultures and experienced various combinations of vocals, which have been a constant source of inspiration throughout my musical journey.” You are encouraged to search out Aftab Darvishi’s recording and the videos for her beautiful music.
