Photo of Vivian Chandra standing on a stage in front of a red curtain wearing a colourful Star Wars dress

Feminist Rage!

In March 2020, just before the end times, the pop-up Globe right here in Tāmaki Makaurau, played a farewell season, and one of the plays was called Emilia. Who was Emilia? She was a published poet, a mother, a teacher and a feminist, from 1569 to 1645! Emilia was five years younger than a dude y’all might know, Willy Shakespeare. She did live longer than him tho, by about 30 years. If you *do* know Shakespeare, you might know that there was a ‘dark lady’ in his Sonnets, an unacknowledged inspiration for his plays, and Lloyd Malcolm, the playwright of Emilia, says it might just be Emilia. This is the closing monologue with some wee Viv changes.

Colouring in the white spaces

I have been working in the education sector for a couple of years now. Returning to it, after about a decade away in the charity sector. Earlier this year, Dr Ann Milne put her course, Identifying our White Spaces, online for a discount, and the amazing organisation I work with (The Pam Fergusson Charitable Trust) … Continue reading Colouring in the white spaces

PGP Encryption and why should you care?

This is a quick overview of PGP Encryption and how to use it yourself! Bulk surveillance violates everyone’s fundamental human rights, it makes free speech risky. This guide will explain what email encryption is (using a commonly known standard called PGP) and will teach you how to use a free tool called mailvelope. Remember, even … Continue reading PGP Encryption and why should you care?

#AtenaFarghadani Released!

You know when you do research on something and you suddenly take a personal interest in it. That happened to me with Atena's case. I've worked at Amnesty for 8 years now, and been involved as an activist for a few more than that... so I've seen a lot of cases come and go. In … Continue reading #AtenaFarghadani Released!