Radio Silence

Radio Silence continues with the premiere of Michael Rakowitz's highly anticipated radio series. This special radio event will be broadcast on WPPM PhillyCAM radio and other community radio stations across the country, and distributed nationally by PRX (Public Radio Exchange). Radio Silence, produced by Mural Arts Philadelphia, first launched with a live performance on Independence Mall in Philadelphia on July 30, 2017 and a simulcast on PhillyCAM TV. The project can be seen as an alternative form of public art — trading the street corner for the public airwaves, and representation via images for evocation via voice and sound. Partners include Warrior Writers, Prometheus Radio project, and PhillyCAM. --- Major support for Radio Silence has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Hummingbird Foundation. Project collaborators and partners include a host of agencies and nonprofits that work on refugee and veteran issues, as well as independent community-driven media nonprofits.

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Episodes

Episode 7: Stillness, and Still Here. Resilience. Remaining. (broadcast version)

Our final episode: Listen to an American combat veteran recall Iraqi samoon bread, which he refers to as white gold. Hear the song of the Iraqi bulbul bird, the first sound ever broadcast on Radio Baghdad, reincarnated in Philadelphia. And listen to Bahjat’s legacy live on in the voice of his daughter Rawnak, broadcasting from Amman, also known as the ancient city of Philadelphia.

May 26, 2018•30 min

Episode 7: Stillness, and Still Here. Resilience. Remaining. (explicit version)

May 26, 2018•30 min

Promo — Episode 7: Stillness, and Still Here. Resilience. Remaining.

Coming May 27

May 20, 2018•30 sec

Episode 6: The Censored, the Forbidden, the Disappeared

We’ll hear about Iraqi monuments kept hostage by U.S. troops, denying access to the Iraqis to whom they belong. Listen as we trace the stories of artifacts looted from the Iraq Museum, and hear an Iraqi activist sing a song that was censored during Saddam Hussein’s rule.

May 20, 2018•30 min

Promo — Episode 6: The Censored, the Forbidden, the Disappeared

Coming May 20

May 13, 2018•30 sec

Episode 5: Silent Letters

An Iraqi tells us about the absence of certain sounds in the Arabic language, and a veteran reads letters from her former grade school teacher’s class, sent to her while in combat and never answered. A veteran and an Iraqi refugee meet for the first time at dinner in Philadelphia, only to realize they were once on the same bridge at the same time in Iraq.

May 13, 2018•30 min

Episode 4: Shyness and Withdrawal

We’ll hear about a soldier’s refusal of tea and how that led him to work toward rediscovering his and Iraq’s humanity, eventually leading him back to Iraq. We’ll also hear about the unlikely love story between our host Bahjat and his wife Hayfaa.

May 06, 2018•30 min

Episode 3: The Hushed and the Secret

On this episode, an Iraqi activist shares stories about silence as a form of protection in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. We’ll also hear a radio play about Dolphin Man, invented by an Iraqi as a savior of the environment and refugees.

Apr 29, 2018•30 min

Episode 2: The Mute

We’ll explore the sounds that have been evacuated from Iraq, musicians muted by their disappeared audiences and bygone origins. Listen to an instrument built from a tree that no longer grows in the Iraqi landscape, and thus creates a sound both alive and dead. Hear stories related to the popular songs “Boos El Wawa” (“Kiss the Boo-boo”) and “Fog el Nakhal” (“Above the Date Palm”).

Apr 22, 2018•30 min

Episode 1: Speechlessness

Our debut episode, devoted to the topic of speechlessness, introduces you to our host Bahjat Abdulwahed, the “Walter Cronkite of Iraq” living as a refugee in Philadelphia. Hear an Iraq War veteran’s story about war crimes witnessed and, until now, unspoken; learn about the Iraqi doctor who refuses to be recorded because he can’t speak directly enough about the atrocities he witnessed.

Apr 15, 2018•30 min

Radio Silence: Preview

In spring 2018, Radio Silence continues with the premiere of Michael Rakowitz's highly anticipated radio series. This special radio event will be broadcast on WPPM PhillyCAM radio and other community radio stations across the country, and distributed nationally by PRX (Public Radio Exchange). Episodes will also be available for streaming and download on this website and as a podcast on iTunes.

Mar 05, 2018•4 min

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