Jessica Lahdow - Podcasting

Assyrian Podcast
Interviews with influential Assyrians from around the globe.

In this episode you hear from four young people, who decided to return to the homeland and work as expats in Iraq. The Returnees’ Roundtable is an honest and raw discussion of what you can expect, if you decide to come back and unearth your roots. We talked about the ups and downs, the expectations and the challenges that they faced.

Sumer Homeh is the founder of the humanitarian aid organization “Local Aid” in Kenya. After working several years in the fashion industry in Australia, she decided to leave all that behind to dedicate her life for street children in Nairobi. Local Aid rehabilitates those children and provides them access to education and healthcare. Recently Sumer founded “Tribearth”, which is a socially conscious jewelry business that creates a community of empowered women and youth who produce handmade products in a sustainable and ethical environment. In this episode you will learn more about Sumer´s journey from Australia to Kenya and what led to this life changing decision, the world of humanitarian workers and the ups and downs Sumer went through in order to build a sustainable organization, and what it takes to truly follow your heart and not let doubts get into the way of you and your goals.

Babylonia Bhugwansing is an Assyrian intercultural coach and speaker for women from the Middle East and beyond. She was born and raised in Germany and now lives in Rotterdam, Netherlands with her husband and two kids. They are a mixed family of multicultural backgrounds, Assyrian and Surinamese. During the Covid Pandemic, she quit her corporate job in order to do what she felt she was always meant to do: to work with women, helping them overcome their fears and trauma that stand in their way of feeling confident in expressing their most authentic selves.

Akkad Saadi is a software engineer and lives in Qamishly, Syria. He is the president of BET KANU, an organization that aims to build a foundation to advance the endangered dialects of the Syriac language, by creating all types of media products. In this podcast Akkad talks about life in Syria and the difficulties our people face in the Syrian conflict. He also explains why he returned back to Syria from the US and how important the existence of an organization like BET KANU is for the people in the homeland.

Ninwa Yonan is the former chairwoman of the Assyrian Youth Federation in Central Europe (AJM). She currently works as a psychotherapist in training and resides in Berlin, the capital of Germany. In this episode she shares information about her case study in regards to the Sayfo (or Seyfo) Genocide and transgenerational Trauma, her upbringing, and her perspective on the “name issue” of our people. Tune in to learn more about her experiences in different movements, the work of AJM, and to find inspiration for youth work wherever you live.

Leona Ruben or "Rubi" is a twenty years old female assyrian rapper from Germany. She writes and produces her own rap songs and has gained thousands of followers on social media and more than two million views on her music videos. She recently released her newest single "Schachmatt,” which means "Checkmate,” where she not only performs in a music video but also created the vision behind it. In this episode you will hear more about Rubi's inspiration, thoughts as a female in a men-dominated rap world, and her connection to the Assyrian community.