I knew it was going to be living overseas, and even whilst living overseas, I had a whole list of countries that I want to.
Go to and so on and so forth, and so I am a traveler.
And my argument is we went to boarding school. It was stuglife might as well have been a hostel. But my gosh, that's the most racist place that I grow and the way that I was treated.
You really have honed in that idea that Africa is not one country.
I'm always always be careful those.
Hi. I'm Amanda and I'm Roumbi. Welcome to Slayered Podcasts.
We're under the Blackcast network, powered by iHeart and recording in studio in Melbourne today.
He been a.
Sweet studio which is really really lovely for us. And this lovely setup done by pink Lady Picnic.
And if you're wondering who this beautiful lady here who's giving us Bridgerton, you know soft girl era vibes.
Is she understood the assignment. She overstood. She was like a bit.
If you're listening to this, you might want to watch the video because it's just so Gordon, that so wonderful to have you here, Charmaine a man.
Can you tell us a bit about Charmi.
Charmaine's an inclusion advocate, focusing on youth empowerment through mentoring and coaching for both professional and personal development. She's a skilled communicator, which we'll get into immedia Powis, who's further demonstrated as being a host of a multi award nominated Can We Talk About It podcast where she tackles pressing issues affecting the Australian Black diaspora, which is why we had to bring you on the pod because we know
you get it to get all the things. So Chamaine, welcome to a podcast.
Thank you, Thank you exciting. It's so so thrilled to have you on here.
And before we delve deeper into a really fun topic, we actually had started talking and then we actually christ yeah because.
Exactly.
But before we do that, we'd love for you to share with us with our audience how you would describe your podcast and how you got into podcasting and what led you to starting this podcast. Okay, yeah, So my podcast essentially, it focuses on psychosocial issues that affect the African Flian community and so it's aiming to sort of shed light on some of the traumal topics that we typically don't like to talk about because it's either we're embarrassed about it or we actually don't even have a
safe space for us to talk about it. And this was influenced through my work within the community because I was having psyche conversations with a lot of people and they all have similar grievances. And then we're like, well, if you're having this problem and this other person who's had the problem but then they found a solution to it, why can't we talk to each other? And then so I then created the platform talking about the different topics and it's like very varied, like we have child brides
who talk about the experience, well, transracial adoptees. We have also a mixed race experience as well, Like you know, what does that look like growing up in a multiculture of sohold in Australia Because for me, I came as an expat right and economic migrants, so my finishy or experience in Australia will be vastly different to someone who grew up here.
Yes, but then there are a lot of people.
Who like the African Austrian community is so varied and so people have different experiences. So it's bringing all those people to talk about their journeys and their experiences and how they relate to Australia and even to the term African Australia because I know we are still an emerging community where we don't exactly have like a set I did. I think we're still developing that. And then so I'm
just testing out with the audience. So you know, what what do they yeah, what do they resonate when someone tells them that, oh, African Australian or would they consider themselves Afganist?
You know, it's so funny because every time I listen to your podcast, I'm like, you really have honed in that idea that Africa is not one country, you know, and I love that you have guests from everywhere, you know what I mean. And I think people always seem to forget that we're so accepting of Europe and Asia to a large extent of being different or distinctly different, you know, same thing but different.
But then with Africa, Oh yeah, Africa, yes exactly.
We're all just want you know, yes, yes, it's amazing.
Can I ask from the because we're Zimbabwean. I think all three ladies here Zimbabwean.
I don't think.
I know.
We're all Zimbabwean. And I think that economic migrants is a big for us. A lot of us can relate to that.
What are some of the traumas you would see think show up for us that.
Maybe we don't think we are.
Traumas or like we don't really think about it because your life is quote unquote better here, you shouldn't really have any issues, if that makes sense. I'm just curious, you know, and for our audience to like know, and then of course they need to listen to your podcast.
But I would love we need to share that well.
I would say our proximity, our proximity to whiteness. It's something that we don't exactly unpack because even if I think about it back home, you're feeling it right even back home, the way that we sort of elevate whiteness and then when we then come here, how we also interact with this predominantly white environment, the way that we
conduct ourselves. It's uh yeah, it's something that it's an interesting dynamic and you can even see it as well with again, the African communities here came in different forms, right, there are different avenues and pathways that they came here. And so when you then hear their stories and their experiences and then I reflect on my own, I was like.
Oh it's different. Yes, it's very very different, very varied.
And then so what I have identified is or even like something that I didn't realize was important to me but only when I came here, is when I saw other African communities how connected they are to their Tinians.
Ye yeah, r so how do you do this?
Or like where you and do you know we actually wear it as a badge of honor. Sometimes you're like no, no, no, actually, and that's the myth.
That thing maturing is realizing that the joke was on a fact literally fact.
Wow, thank you.
So I just think it's really good because I think sometimes it's all our but your life is a better thing. It's kind of punted and said over and over. But it's like what at what costs? There's always a cost benefit as soon as you are uprooted from where you come from, where, whether it's a safe space or not, there's something you lose.
Yeah, even if you're definitely there's a pay off, right because yeah, people will be like, ah, you're Zimbabwean. You're not like and people try to make it sound like oh you're the you know, the good black.
Or you're like, yes, oh my god, unpacked that I.
Just don't make you feel uncomfortable.
So you know, yeah, we could go on, but let me know, I just thought you did departos departos there.
You know, like obviously we talk now we're in a soft girl era. We're trying to like because I think we we when we leave zim you come here with the survival kind of mindset where you're like, I have to make it work. I have to maybe, as we said, assimilate and get a job, do all those things. But now I think as you live here for longer and longer, you start to let go of some of that those I guess hardships that you felt in the beginning of
your journey. And now we're going to talk about traveling, and obviously all of us here I love to travel, we want to see the world. Fun fact, we're all going to meet again in Thailand.
You know, so people you're gonna be saying us gets of us.
You know, this is a solf launch being, you know, but you know, obviously celebrating love, we're selling birthdays, but at the core of it, we're also doing something that maybe even our own mothers and now the generations before us didn't get to do. How do you best describe traveling, especially as a black woman.
So for me, travel has always been within my family because my grandmother actually lived in the UK for eight years when she was young, and she's one of the first nurses to be trained through the British the British system, and so they got a cohort of young women to go and train in the UK, and so she did that. And so for me have always wanted to travel. And I knew that I was never going to like settle
in Zimbabwe. I knew it was going to be living overseas, and even whilst living overseas, I had a whole list of countries that I want to go to and so on and so forth, and so I'm a traveler. I've traveled to thirty six countries so far, and talent is actually that's going to be my first time being entirely.
For that.
But what I found so liberating about traveling is seeing different cultures and then also reflecting on my own culture. As well, and then even understanding the narratives that they have about Africa and how we view them as well,
the voyeurism of it all as well. So it's equally interesting, fascinating and also frustrating because like, I see how they have preserved a lot of their cultures and a lot of their traditions, especially in the Western cultures, and even the way that they have a lot of the artifacts our own artifacts.
Looking at you when you go British that a bit. Can we talk about that please?
And someone nicely say that the British Museum they have stuff in storage, the stuff you see, they even because then they can do seasonal work. They can do so I think they got stuff on, stuff on.
Stuff, like literally you go into it.
I never get. We're in Vienna with friends of mine and we went to some museum and the Egyptian collection was so massive. We were like, what did the Egyptians have?
Bro like, what have you?
Like?
Insane? Insane, insane. And that's why they said, when rip Queen e but give us back our dynasms, because that's absolutely first of all, the shade of having Africa underground. Yeah, at the British Museum, and then you're seeing all the different artifacts, like you know, the Benin bronze, and they're like like there, and I'm like, well, why why do you so hold on to this and everything? And I think also that's probably why you know, we kill.
Monger when in black that's not the villain.
You get to really understand and appreciate, or rather we understood it on a deeper level because we've lived that, and we see how our cultures are portrayed and you know, adapted to other cultures without our own consent or even our own narratives, and sometimes our narratives are erased.
So true and scary.
So now if we've established thirty six countries, that's a whole lot of count okay. And I think you know, if you are on socials, we see there's like travel noir black girls who travel all these platforms and really they are a resource tool for other black women to see where they feel safe traveling, where they feel safe traveling alone, so on and so forth. So but we also know like being American or British is different to being of Zimbabwe heritage and traveling or do you understand?
So I think it's great that you've traveled so extensively, and we'd love to hear from you. Which are the countries you felt the safest when you traveled and also the most unsafe and why, Like, can you tell us a bit about that, Like if you're a.
Friend, was like, Okay, I'm trying to go somewhere. Where should I go?
Where will I be safirst?
What's the best experience for a black women?
Yeah?
So for me with the travel advice, you know that it is often seen on the I always do the opposite because I realized that the way that they're portraying or viewing the be it warning or concerns in that country,
I have a completely different experience. So, for example, there's no travel advice for Italy, but my gosh, it's the most racist place that I've grow and the way that I was treated was just I remember, I mean youautiful you know, beautiful culture, beautiful food, you know, beautiful scenery, but the people. Yeah, I always have second thoughts, Like I've revisited other places Italy, I have not gone back simply because I actually don't feel safe in Italy.
Can you share a little bit of like what that experience was like or what you felt like if you if you're comfortable if not, so like the rudeness even within the streets, even when you go into stores, you actually get monitors.
I remember we were checking into a hotel and then you know, they didn't.
Believe that we could afford to be insaid hotel.
Like are you lost?
Exactly, I'm not, like, Wow.
What are you talking about?
Literally, and so incidence is like that, or even like when you're in the street and then you know, people just feel like they can just shove you simply because like or get out of my way kind of thing, and I'm just like, I'm a tourist. Yeah, you know,
is this how you treat visitors in the country. So yeah, it was really and it was predominantly within the city eras when I went to like remote villages or remote towns like I went to see it was beautiful and people were very accommodating and there were you know, it was it was.
Very exciting in that sense.
But I guess, yeah, in the main cities it was just yeah, I wouldn't be in a rush to go back.
To Okay, okay making notes making.
And which one which kindry did you feel the most safe in?
Honestly, when I was in South America, I felt like I was at home. Regardless of where I was. I loved Columbia. Oh my gosh. I really felt like I.
Was at home.
And I hate that I didn't end up going to Katna because the travel advice to Kata Henah is don't go, but then.
That's all the black people are.
And I'm like, Henah made in.
I wish i'd gone there, but because I then followed the trouble advice and I'm like, no, I actually would have been much safer.
Very we don't one of us.
That actually is what was happening.
And I when I went to Brazil, I felt like they're like speaking Portuguese, are like sorry, sorry.
I have a colabor friends and she was like yeah, and a lot of people don't realize how many like black columbis such a and she's like yeah, I get all the time. Yeah, so yeah, some America I felt at home, where whether I was in Peru and Bolivia, Argentina was an interesting experience, like it wasn't racist, but because they're like the most European but it wasn't racist, but also at the same time, I felt a little bit uncomfortable because.
I couldn't see another black people.
So it was just like I'm pretty sure, like I've been everywhere else I see people, how come here is so European And I mean they pride themselves in that right, in being very centric.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I have a friend from Mexico and she's like, you know, we see Mexicans on TV and we're like, that's not how we look. Most of them have very eurocentric white features. They're the ones i'd get on like the TV, the shows and all that. But if you see an average person, they don't look like that. And it's crazy how you know, only they are put in the lights so media guys.
Yeah, that's what you say about Australia too, that when you came.
Like so many Asians, so many like literally because like I guess I just.
Assumed Amanda is like one of the very few.
But it's so diverse and it keeps like hitting me and I think you guys maybe getting more used to it, and obviously it's not like the UK diverse or something, but I was just like, oh my gosh, why do we not see this? Like I remember walking through Chinatown and I was like, oh my gosh, it's such and the food, the cuisine. For me, that was a tell sign like you have such range of cuisine as well.
So you guys are I mean, you're like media does, but.
The media doesn't match up to it.
It does, but do you come here and expect to see the Chris Himsworth type?
Right?
So then Maggie, Margot, Robbie like that Bobby you know, and it's like that's not the.
But it's actually a blessing.
I take it as like such a refreshing thing because I was telling Amanda we went to the mall and I was like seeing just people, different groups, young people, friendship groups, mixed and all that. I was like, that is what we want to see more of because the world is really moving in that direction.
So kudos to you for doing the work because I know a show.
What do you enjoy the most about traveling?
Do you think I'm a curious person? So I really enjoy just being around different people. And even when I when I travel, yes, I go to the tourist places, but also go to where the locals are, yeah, because I feel like I have a better experience. Then get to get to know, like what what is what's a day in the life be it's a local Parisian because Paris is all another but you see what, like, for example, France, that I realized is if you go regional like.
Other places, it's actually really really nice.
So like I went to Leon and I absolutely loved it, and I'm like, Okay, next time I come to France, I'm not going to.
Do Paris places.
So I enjoy yeah, eating like a local, going to shop with a local shop, and just seeing what life would look like, you know, in that sense, and through that experience, I actually absolutely fell in love with Portugal. Listen, I love it. We went and then we spend a few days. After this, I was like, I just it's amazing.
The way my skins when I was.
Yes, I know I can tend, but I've never hand like this is I was golden and I was just like, oh my gosh, I love this. And the people are great and they're not overbearingly like we're so nice, but they kind of just like we'll respect you, will give you good.
Service you need to do, and you get on with your life.
Yeah.
Very And I think there is a bit more of a mounting pot than there is in other places in Europe. So it's not like when they look at you like as a black girl, like yeah, so true.
Yeah. I remember I was asking myself, why does this place feel so homey? And then I remembered the you know, the history of you know that peninsula, the moors, you know that were coming across going to Europe, they traveled through. That was the gateway, and so that's why it's so malticultural and people are still commodating. And then so it just felt I felt really even though I don't speak the language, but still I was like, I think I can you know, I think I can live here.
And there's actually a lot of expensive a.
Lot, and I think they incentivize digital nomads. I know my sister has a friend who the digital nomad. There incentivize people to go live there and work for there, so I think they're really trying to encourage that.
Yeah, maybe is anything that you dislike when you're traveling that you're like, rather not have I.
Have a list, but please go first. Oh well let's see inas. Much as I enjoy solo travel, I also appreciate the benefits of traveling with someone, but always travel with everyone has to be right someone and sometimes that's that's hard to try and find someone who has like a similar travel style team.
I was gonna ask, what's your style of travel?
So me, I do like a little luxury, but also the same time like I'm not going to be like five style nothing else.
Yeah, I really love BOUTI Hotels.
I am you Okay.
I think I introduced my husband to.
Cotels because he's like, like, I'm used to backpacking or whatever.
I was like, I'm no.
Story on tv BTV Festival Live podcasting.
So one of the questions we asked the crowd was like, are you guys backpackers or like nah, like yes or no backpacking? Everyone was like green light, like yes, yes, yes, and then not me going and mad. She was like, look, and my argument is we went to boarding school.
It was stug life.
Might as well have been a hostel, you know, so we've done that.
If we've done that, I was in quiet and just go on quiet tour and at university and you'd like stay in hostels, backpackers, I've done all that.
I'm good.
And then I'm like I don't want to be impractical and say like I want to know you finding gold up my ass or something like that. No, but I just wanted to feel really good, unique and like home, but not exactly like I like my comforts. I do take the public transport though, when I can, when I I just like again trying to sort of live like a local. So I do take a lot of public transport when I'm when I'm around certain places.
You know.
The saddest thing for me is more accessibility of traveling around Africa. Fact like I'm so keen to see more. But then like I remember, we went from Harad to Mauritius and like it took us like almost a whole day.
And then you look at the It's Burg, Johannesburg.
Why did this take Like you know, they're not that far from each other, but it's just the logistics. And then of course it's privilege associated with traveling, undeniably so, but that's where Europe is just so like you can see so many countries in such a short amount of time, easily easier, and it's just I can't wait to get that day where Africa could be on that same.
My conspiracy theory is they do not want us to be so easily connected, because if we are easily connected, we are more united. If we're more united, we will protest a lot of things and stand up against a lot of things like them jewels they kept taking and whatnot, and who would want that? Because we need to suffer
so others can thrive. But that's not the conversation. I agree, that's why there's a lot of underfunding or there hasn't been any investment with the infrastructure, because if we had better infrastructure, then we'll be able to self sustain, self determination and self subtitlance. Why would we need the World Bank?
Exactly?
Lit?
Can we talk about it?
But I did hear that Ghana is opening up where you don't need Some African countries no longer need visas to go if it's all. But I know they opened up. I haven't fully investigated that, which is a move.
Listen.
I think there's there's some positive improvements that are happening in certain regions, especially in Western enough. Yes, I think about what's happening in the Friends.
Yeah that okay.
Naming, yeah absolutely, And you know, my my hope is that and again they've got young leadership, and my hope is that you know, the wider population actually take that to their strides and actually supports the regime even though yes it's military and you know, there's been a whole historical issue with that, but we also know why it was like that, and so we're hoping that that has you know, created some sort of winds of change, not like how there was the Arab Spring, you know, African spring,
just getting rid of all these other you know, people in power who are basically puppets, absolutely, and so that we can have a bit more self determination and self empowerment able to travel, like I would love to do a tour across Africa, but it's very difficult and challenging. And ah, there's an influencer that I absolutely love because she literally does it like on a shoestring budget and taking like you know be its like the be to the Combies or you know, or you know, relying on
other people to live in other people's homes. And it's so poppy. So the Puppy Show her name is Poppy Sea. Oh oh yes, yes, yes, impressed. She really enlightened me. Again, it's not going to be your bout yeah yeah, but if you want to, she's basically saying you can, yeah, but just showing how she's going about. Oh, the book you got me Amanda, I forget her name. The trap I started going through that I was just I was getting so sad. I was like, with my ziom passport, this.
Is a whole other.
American.
Yeah, I think she hasn't American American. Can I ask you, Chanmayne, what are some of the misconceptions or prejudices you have found along the journey of traveling as a black woman on your I mean I have many and I can share, but I just think it's really good we talk about this because we've just mentioned passport. So there's password privilege, of course, but what other experiences do you have or prejudices or misconceptions do you find as traveling as a
black woman. I think, well, definitely, speaking English puts me at a great advantage in a lot of countries compared to like if someone is Francophone, yes, you know, speaks another language.
And yeah, password privilege. It's real.
Like, hey, I got my Australian citizenship and as soon as literally it's so funny, as soon as I got my passport, I got my citizenship. Immediately after the ceremony, I went to the passport office and then I went to collect my passport on my way to airport.
Wow.
Wow, that's incredible because like I got it.
Now the world.
Explore exactly.
It's a different ballgame, yu.
Yeah.
And then I think also, I mean something that you don't often talk about, but I am more desired when I'm oversea.
Let's talk about all that there.
I actually am desirable where you know, people actually attracted and you know, you forget that, right.
Especially when living in Australia.
Hey, you sometimes forget you know, you start doubting your own self worth and stuff and you think, oh, maybe there's something wrong with like no babes. There's nothing wrong with you, just in the wrong environment, you know.
You know, I got a fun story about this actually, Like a friend of mine and I were like, you know, old Cup is coming in Brazil, let's go, you know why not? So it went without two other male friends. But I'm on that journey that whole because it passed by zim sly when we were circling the whole journey, it.
Was like, what's in the water because that just like was that you I.
Like, literally when I came back met my husband three months later, but I think I kept that energy.
My head was held up when I left.
I wasn't even expect It was just more like, oh, let's just go what do this is going to have fun and experience it. We missed out on South Africa. That was our thinking we're applying for. We were like in the trenches of getting our lives together when South Africa happened, So let's go to the next one in Brazil and the way we were so desired.
It just lit up something able.
I walk with my head, yeah, and I just I'm just different.
I just feel so different, a lighter exactly.
Though. Yes, some of it is you know, objectification, you know that kind of thing, but it's still it's just it's just a different receipt.
Yeah, yeah, definitely, thank you.
Look, I think time is running with such a good chat.
Before we do wrap up and go, we wanted to ask you of any upcoming projects in twenty twenty five and tell us about where people can find your podcast you and follow you your journey.
Please let the people know.
Yes.
Well, so I've essentially what I've done during the holidays, I've consolidated everything that I've done into a brand. So my brand is Safe Space Media, okay, and what we do is we amplify diverse narratives. So when we do that through workshops, events, media productions like my podcast and
so yes, it's gonna be so much. It's going to be happening through my brand and one of the upcoming projects that are happening, we're gonna have a blackout event to the theater for TEENA the musical, So we're going to have an exclusive experience, Red Puppets, you know, everyone I want to address to their nights and then just celebrate Tina because what people don't realize or maybe not appreciate, is that to the musicals problem, the first musicals with
majority black cast and so it's such a big thing, but I think people are not fully aware the gravit task of exactly and even like Tina, we grew up with Tina.
So yes, I have that.
That's coming up on February fifteenth, sorry, the thirteenth, thirteenth, and then we've got the Amari Gala coming out dates to be announced real soon. Yeah, we're celebrating black excellence here in Australia.
So first off, it's a kind.
Event and you know, I'm really looking forward to that because again it's another opportunity for us to celebrate our blackness here in Australia and with all the diverse cultures that are there, and also celebrating young people because I think sometimes we're never you know, we're trying to strive to get our jobs done.
On and so forth.
Young people also have to realize, especially like young people grew up here, they don't exactly have like a visual representation of what that excellence looks like. And so I aim to do that amplifying BID through Incubate Foundation and all the other initiatives that I do. So yeah, I think those are the two main things in the first half of the year, and then there's going.
To be so much more this we don't.
Yes, absolutely stay tuned and where can we find you on socials if we want to keep up? So on social so my brand is on safe Placemedia dot au and then my personal Instagram is Harry Underscore and yeah, I think those and you can find me on LinkedIn, so I mean you can google my.
Name and put it all on the show notes, so you'll be able to follow.
My name and then you can see all the different things that I've been involved, other different projects that I've done.
So yeah, that's it is so fun.
Thank you.
I felt honored to being part of this. And that's another episode of Man.
Thank you so much for tuning in guys, and see you on the next one.
Bye.