Detailed Synopsis: In the podcast episode featuring Sir Jonathon Porritt, the discussion revolves around the pressing need for climate leadership in a rapidly changing global landscape characterised by a multipolar world order. Porritt emphasises the urgency of addressing climate change, highlighting that the time for action is not in the distant future but rather in the immediate decade ahead. This urgency is underscored by the recognition that governments and institutions often engage in what ...
Jun 09, 2025•41 min
Detailed Synopsis: In the podcast episode featuring Charlie Gladstone, a descendant of a prominent British family with ties to slavery, the discussion centres around the complex legacy of slavery and the ongoing consequences it has on society today. Gladstone's journey of understanding began with the shocking revelation that his ancestor, Sir John Gladstone, was a slave owner who profited significantly from the transatlantic slave trade. This realisation prompted a deep reflection on the privile...
Apr 14, 2025•52 min
Detailed Synopsis: In the podcast episode featuring Ms. Sally Percy, leadership is described as the ability to influence and motivate others, whether directly or indirectly. This definition encompasses a wide range of individuals, from line managers who oversee their teams to social media influencers who shape public opinion through their recommendations. A key insight from the discussion is that there is no universal blueprint for what a leader looks like. Leaders can emerge from diverse backgr...
Feb 10, 2025•42 min
Hello, I’m your host, Stephen Kamugasa. Conversations with Stephen Kamugasa is a bimonthly discussion podcast for people who think and thank: leaders, policy makers, academics, practitioners, and citizens. Our aim is to inspire you to turn challenges into coherent and meaningful solutions, focusing on humanity, leadership, and citizenship. I have no doubt that listening to this podcast may change your life and inspire you to start making a difference in the world. My question for you is this: “W...
Dec 09, 2024•1 min
Detailed Synopsis: The Role of Democracy in a Multipolar World. In the context of a multipolar world, the significance of democracy, particularly in Africa, is increasingly complex and multifaceted. Dr. Nic Cheeseman , a political scientist and expert on African politics, emphasises that while there are challenges to democracy on the continent, there are also signs of hope and resilience among the populace. Historical Context and Current Challenges: Dr. Cheeseman delves into the historical conte...
Oct 14, 2024•56 min
Detailed Synopsis Dr. Helen Epstein discusses the pervasive issue of corruption in Uganda's health sector in her enlightening podcast episode. She highlights how corruption significantly impacts maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. Despite substantial donor investments in the health sector, Uganda's maternal and infant mortality rates have not decreased as expected due to widespread corruption within the system. Mismanagement of funds, embezzlement, and lack of accountability have...
Aug 12, 2024•30 min
Detailed Synopsis Dr. Jochen Lingelbach's research on Polish refugees in British colonial Africa offers valuable insights into the complexities of identity politics and colonial hierarchies. His study delves into how the influx of nearly 20,000 Polish refugees in East and Central Africa during World War II disrupted the existing racial hierarchies of colonial societies. These refugees, hailing from diverse backgrounds, did not neatly fit into the established categories of colonisers or colonised...
Jun 10, 2024•38 min
Detailed Synopsis Understanding Genocide: A Global Responsibility In a thought-provoking podcast episode, Dr. Omar McDoom stresses the global responsibility of recognising genocide. He delves into the complexities of genocide, with a specific focus on the Rwandan genocide, emphasising the importance of understanding its causes and contexts to prevent future atrocities and foster reconciliation. Importance of Understanding Genocide Prevention: Dr. McDoom highlights the significance of comprehendi...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Podcast summary: In this inaugural episode of our six-part series on genocide, we delve into the silence that often surrounds this grave issue. Our esteemed guest, Dr. Maria Chamberlain , an honorary fellow at the University of Edinburgh and a Holocaust survivor's daughter, shares her poignant personal history and insights. Born in Krakow, Poland, and having emigrated to the UK in 1958, Dr. Chamberlain discusses her childhood experiences, including the influence of her caretaker Nela, which late...
Feb 12, 2024•41 min
Podcast summary: Summary: In this podcast, Stephen Kamugasa interviews Mr. Robert Pacilio, a retired school teacher and writer. Robert, who grew up in a tough part of Brooklyn, shares his experiences of being the only child in an Italian-American family. He also discusses his journey as a teacher and his latest memoir, " It Was Never About the Books ," which explores the influence of teachers on their students. Finally, the podcast explores the butterfly effect of great teachers and the impact t...
Oct 09, 2023•56 min
Podcast Summary: In this episode 011 of Conversations with Stephen Kamugasa, Stephen welcomes Milton Alimadi, a Ugandan-American author, journalist, professor, and publisher of Black Star News. Milton discusses his background, including being the son of a former Prime Minister of Uganda and his education at Syracuse University and Columbia University. He shares his experiences working as a journalist for publications, among them the New York Times, where he exposed the trend of white reporters f...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 47 min
A crisis between town and country is as real as the day is long. It is a widening cleavage which manifests itself in everything we do: in our politics, in our education, in the way we work, in what we dream about, and yes, most crucially, in our attitude towards climate change. Look anywhere you please, and you will see a split between the town mindset and a country mindset, extending well beyond the western political discourse; spanning places as far-flung as Turkey, Brazil, Peru, the Philippin...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 9 min
This is the 2nd of three podcasts on Climate Change. Today’s guest is Ms Maria Diekmann, a scientist and conservationist. Maria was born in 1965 to Major William Carl Buerk, a US fighter pilot who saw active service in the Vietnam war. Major Buerk was among those listed as missing in action - presumed dead. Maria’s mother, Mrs Antoinette Mira Buerk, was subsequently folded into the legendary Earl Warren family, after remarrying Earl Warren Junior. Earl Warren senior, was an American lawyer, poli...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Detailed Synopsis: The Interconnection of Social Justice and Climate Justice. In the podcast episode featuring Sir Jonathan Porritt, a prominent environmentalist, the discussion highlights the critical relationship between social justice and climate justice. Porritt emphasises that these two concepts are intrinsically linked, stating, "Social justice and climate justice are two sides of the same coin, always have been and always will be." This assertion underscores the idea that addressing envir...
Feb 12, 2023•47 min
1. Practising hospitality to strangers and refugees is fraught with difficulty, it is not for the faint of heart. And as the number of the forcibly displaced people the world over surpasses a 100 million mark, it is becoming increasingly clear that troubles are the trials of friendship. For when a man is afflicted he will see who are his friends and who are but pretenders; a brother is born for adversity. Which is why it is fitting for us, in this age of geopolitical upheaval and climate change,...
Dec 11, 2022•27 min
1. The late Nelson Mandela, speaking at the British Red Cross Humanity lecture in 2003, said: “Those who conduct themselves with integrity and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty.” 2. In these vacillating times in which leaders, and even scholars, almost believe, that truth and integrity as they relate to civic life are but two values of many, and will have to stand their test, and in all probability, will fail as many human system of values and ethics have done. It is...
Aug 05, 2022•53 min
1. We cannot reckon upon the clouds, their laws are so variable, and their conditions so obscure. The same is true with life. This reality has become so manifest to us all lately - since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 - disrupting our lives both at home and abroad and upending the world in every sense of the word. It is therefore a great privilege to have with us a physician, a Taiwanese doctor, share his personal experience in a podcast: Why I Love Working As A Community Doctor In T...
Jun 10, 2022•54 min
1. It is well said that the longer the saw of contention is drawn the hotter it grows; and the beginning of strife is as the letting forth of water. Since the fateful Brexit referendum of 2016, the troubled seas of UK’s identity politics are accordingly raging most severely each time they dash against the rock of reality. It therefore begs a simple question: How does one challenge identity politics in a liberal democratic country such as the United Kingdom of Great Britain? 2. No one is better q...
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 2 min
1. In these strange and vacillating times of Brexit and identity politics, in which every tribe in England takes solace in the familiar, I think it is important for us to cut each other a little slack when speaking words of woe. We should be very slow to judge; for we may not know who it is that is actually speaking, as the voice of the seeming bigot may in fact be the voice carrying in its dark strains the emotions of great sorrow. Now I am not naïve as to imagine that every bigot screaming obs...
Feb 10, 2022•42 min
Detailed Synopsis Impact of the War on Terror on Muslims' Mental Health The War on Terror, particularly concerning Guantanamo Bay and other detention centres, has had profound and lasting effects on the mental health of Muslims. This episode sheds light on the traumatic events in American-run prisons, such as Abu Ghraib, where detainees, including innocent individuals like shepherds, bakers, farmers, journalists, and humanitarian aid workers, were subjected to torture, humiliation, and dehumanis...
Nov 27, 2021
According to the UN Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of refugees and forcibly displaced people increased to a staggering 82.4 million by the end of 2020; more than 26 million of whom are refugees, a number which is larger than the entire population of Taiwan. As recent tragic events in Afghanistan clearly show, the world is as a troubled sea, raging and dashing against a rock of growing global inequality; and the global Covid-19 pandemic is exacerbating things, making a bad situatio...
Sep 12, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 1
