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Race Matters

#211 A Language We Learned / Basjia

Sep 26, 2026 · 35 min · 10 segments

*“What kind of space allows people like us to fully exist? To be a Black, queer creative is to return to this question again and again, and, sometimes, to become the answer yourself.”* Visionary…

*“What kind of space allows people like us to fully exist? To be a Black, queer creative is to return to this question again and again, and, sometimes, to become the answer yourself.”* Visionary performer, curator, founder of Pyramid, Basjia reflects on the language she discovered through movement, tracing the journey from a body shaped by expectation to one that became a site of freedom, pleasure and expression. Together, King and Basjia explore what it means to move through a world that celebrates Black creativity and how performance can transmute into a practice of resistance. A Language We Learned is a month-long Race Matters residency led by King Baba, centring Black Afro-diasporic creatives across so-called Australia through storytelling, conversation and music. The series is supported by technical producer and creative collaborator Prinitha Theverajah, with creative mentorship from Shareeka Helaluddin and Binta Yade, and artwork by Tim Worton. Content warning: this episode contains discussion of eating disorder and dysmorphia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*“What kind of space allows people like us to fully exist? To be a Black, queer creative is to return to this question again and again, and, sometimes, to become the answer yourself.”* Visionary…

Speakers: Maddy BarshaGuestKing BabaHost

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Top entities: Instagram×9 Elvis Presley Australia×3 YouTube×2 Facebook×2

Show signals: SuitabilitySensitiveBiasLeftAudience≈36k followers

Creating Havens for Black Creativity33:34 – 34:57

33:34

you sort of need without the pyramid and you fill the gap.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

33:37

Fill the gap.

33:38

And as a DJ, I sometimes think about the music that I want to play and how it's not palatable.

33:48

I think about creating spaces for myself and I would have these thoughts in passing before and not really think of it as a real possibility, but seeing the things that you're doing and the things that other black creators are doing, it makes it feel more possible for me to create a space where my art, my creativity can be celebrated too.

34:16

So yeah, I really appreciate what you do.

34:20

Thank

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:20

you.

34:21

Yeah.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:22

It is possible.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:24

No one told me how to do any of this.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:26

I think no one taught me.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:28

I'm figuring it out as I go.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:30

But yeah, when you have experiences in spaces and you're like, this is what I do like, this is what I definitely don't like.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:37

How do I make something where I do like it and I do feel good? You just learn from your experiences and create the space that, yeah, create your haven.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:48

And I think that that's what I'm trying to do.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:50

And it's possible.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:53

It's hard.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:55

But it's definitely possible.

InstagramSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
95%9 mentions
Elvis PresleyPersonAmerican singer and actor
85%1 mention
AustraliaCountryCountry in Oceania
75%3 mentions
YouTubeWebsiteVideo sharing company
65%2 mentions
FacebookSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
55%2 mentions
Black Panther PartyOrganizationPolitical party
45%1 mention
PatreonCompanyCompany
35%3 mentions
GadigalEntityAboriginal group
25%3 mentions
Aboriginal AustraliansEntityPeople
15%1 mention
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
5%1 mention

Social IssuesSociety
Society
Body ImageCulture > Identity > Race > Queer Identity
Queer PerformanceArts > Performance > Dance
Cultural ExpressionArts > Performance > Dance > Queer Performance
Artistic ExpressionSociety > Social Issues > Racial Inequality > Representation
Queer CultureEntertainment > Performance Art > Burlesque
Community SpacesEntertainment > Performance Art > Burlesque > Queer Culture
Social MediaPolitics > Censorship > Freedom of Expression > Digital Rights
PerformanceArts
CensorshipPolitics
BurlesqueEntertainment > Performance Art
RepresentationSociety > Social Issues > Racial Inequality
Digital RightsPolitics > Censorship > Freedom of Expression
Freedom of ExpressionPolitics > Censorship
Racial InequalitySociety > Social Issues
DanceArts > Performance
Queer IdentityCulture > Identity > Race
RaceCulture > Identity
Performance ArtEntertainment
IdentityCulture
Politics
Entertainment
Culture
Arts

Creating Havens for Black Creativity33:34 – 34:57

33:34

you sort of need without the pyramid and you fill the gap.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

33:37

Fill the gap.

33:38

And as a DJ, I sometimes think about the music that I want to play and how it's not palatable.

33:48

I think about creating spaces for myself and I would have these thoughts in passing before and not really think of it as a real possibility, but seeing the things that you're doing and the things that other black creators are doing, it makes it feel more possible for me to create a space where my art, my creativity can be celebrated too.

34:16

So yeah, I really appreciate what you do.

34:20

Thank

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:20

you.

34:21

Yeah.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:22

It is possible.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:24

No one told me how to do any of this.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:26

I think no one taught me.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:28

I'm figuring it out as I go.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:30

But yeah, when you have experiences in spaces and you're like, this is what I do like, this is what I definitely don't like.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:37

How do I make something where I do like it and I do feel good? You just learn from your experiences and create the space that, yeah, create your haven.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:48

And I think that that's what I'm trying to do.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:50

And it's possible.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:53

It's hard.

M

Maddy BarshaGuest

34:55

But it's definitely possible.

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