Why do so many Black creatives and researchers walk away from the industries they once fought to be part of? In this second episode of Rigour & Flow, we examine the silencing, sanitising, and sidelining of Black thought within white-dominated systems - from academia to media.

Drawing from Tamanda’s experiences in research and Aiwan’s in TV production, we unpack the emotional and professional toll of being “the only one in the room.” We explore what happens when your work is deemed “too much,” your language policed, or your presence tolerated while your truth is erased. From cultural gatekeeping and due diligence dramas, to Serena Williams’ Crip Walk, and the power of the pen - we ask: who gets to decide what’s acceptable, respectable, or worthy of being heard?

Whether you're a Black academic, a creative producer, or simply someone tired of performative inclusion, we invite you to reflect, rethink, and maybe even reclaim your voice. This episode is a call to honour Black brilliance in all its forms - uncensored, unfiltered, and unapologetically loud.

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©AiAi Studios 2025

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Can you be queer, African, and Christian - all at once?

In the first ever episode of Rigour & Flow, Aiwan reflects on the five-year anniversary of her documentary Kenyan, Christian, Queer - a powerful film about LGBTQ+ life, faith, and resistance in Africa. She and Tamanda dive deep into the complexities of reconciling Africanness, Christianity, and queerness - both in their own lives and through the communities that shaped them.

From Black Pentecostal fire and brimstone to silent Quaker pews, from passing privilege to bisexual indecision, from heartbreak to deep affirmation - this episode is a reckoning with religion, identity, and the power of seeing all of yourself.

We ask: Can faith and queerness truly coexist - or are they always at odds?

💬 Featuring reflections on:

– The making of Kenyan, Christian, Queer

– Black queer Pentecostalism in Kenya

– Internalised homophobia and healing

– House of Rainbow and Reverend Jide

– The Faith & Belief Forum’s work at the intersection of sexuality and religion

🎙 Rigour & Flow is a podcast where we make space to do the work, feel the feels, and stay in our flow.

Please leave a review and subscribe for weekly episodes.

Connect with us on:

• Substack
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• AiAi Studios
• Roots & Rigour

This is an AiAi Studios Production

©AiAi Studios 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re Aiwan and Tamanda, two Black women with 20 years each in entertainment, research, and social justice. We’re also a married couple figuring out what it means to build a life and two businesses together.

We'll talk about the realities of business, making creative work that matters, and navigating research with integrity.

If you’re navigating business, love, and the messiness of life while trying to do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

Welcome to Rigour and Flow!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.