As Xanthia mentioned in her wonderful post, this blog post today is something a little different.
I recently conducted two interviews with some incredible people around issues of communication for development and social change, but also specifically around digital activism, and how what’s happening in Palestine is connected to their work and activism.
However, I will not share precisely what was discussed in the interviews, but reflect more upon the interview process and my personal experience and learning outcomes. For those of you interested in conducting interviews like these yourself, I hope it can provide some valuable insight.
- Note: For privacy reasons I will use only a first letter when referring to the interviewee’s in the following text.
Interview 1
Participant: Photographer, filmmaker, and climate activist working with multiple climate and social justice movements within Sweden (E).
Theme: The role of photography and filmmaking in climate and social justice activism in Sweden as well as its broader implications.
Background & Contact:
I’d previously seen E at a few global climate activism events in Stockholm with his camera and subsequently followed his incredible work on social media. I thought he would be a great person to interview on these topics, so I reached out via instagram and we managed to set a time that we could get together in Stockholm.
Preparation & Consent:
I informed E that this was a University Masters Degree Assignment regarding blogging and themes of communication for development and social change, and that I was interested in his filmmaking work with climate activists, and he was more than happy to participate. I also let him know that he would remain anonymous, which he stated made him feel more comfortable. E also requested that the interview not be recorded as he was taking some time away from technology and online publicness, and he also wanted to discuss topics that were sensitive to him personally.
Interview Guiding Questions:
- What has your filmmaking journey for climate activists in Sweden been like so far?
- Have you encountered any problems from a communication and digital activism standpoint? Have you managed to overcome them? If so, how? If not, why? What has felt like your biggest success?
- What has been your experience with the climate movement in Sweden becoming more interconnected with other global solidarity movements across the world? Like the Pro-Palestinian movement? Has this changed your filmmaking?
- What is your experience in regards to Local vs. Glocal vs. Global communication for development and social change? Particularly regarding the topics we have discussed so far?
Reflection & Rapport:
I felt the rapport between us was instantly comfortable and felt natural, his presence and energy made me feel at ease and I think the feeling was mutual. It certainly helped that we had a lot in common in terms of our practice, values, and lifestyle.
The interview was conducted in a coffee shop that I had researched before hand, and I knew that it had enough space and hopefully wouldn’t be too busy in the middle of the afternoon when we met. It turned out to be a little busier than I hoped with some groups of people nearby making some noise, but overall it was good enough, and we could hear each well and found a corner table to have a little more privacy.
The interview with E provided rich insight into physical and digital activism within the context of Sweden from an experienced filmmaker’s perspective, it was also interesting to hear about the conflict and criticism that the movements have experienced since announcing solidarity with the people of Palestine and their liberation. Echoing that of other movements across the western world, like we have seen with the student protests.
Interview 2
Participants: Climate activists and founders of a youth climate and social justice movement in southern Brazil (R&B).
Theme: Climate and social justice activism in Brazil within local, glocal, and global communication contexts.
Background & Contact:
I heard of R&B when my partner and I were on an exchange in Brazil at the beginning of this year, and so I reached out via instagram (like with E) to see if they would be interested in a zoom interview sometime soon. Luckily they responded extremely enthusiastically and we set up a time to talk the following week.
Preparation & Consent:
Similarly with E, I informed R&B that this was a University Masters Degree Assignment regarding blogging and themes of communication for development and social change, and I was interested in their activistic endeavours, especially regarding creating a grassroots youth climate movement from the ground up in the south of Brazil. I also let them know that they would remain anonymous, which they didn’t mind at all. Although, as they weren’t familiar with the university system in Sweden and weren’t too familiar with me, they asked for the zoom to not be recorded, which I completely understood; they are a young movement and want to be cautious, especially within the polarised media landscape of today.
- Note: In hindsight I could’ve probably convinced them that the recording wouldn’t be used or shared freely or without further consent if needed, however since we had never met face-to-face I didn’t want to not make them feel uncomfortable from the outset, or worse that they might be exploited somehow by a privileged white male from the global north.
Interview Guiding Questions:
- What has your activism journey been like so far? What has it been like creating a grassroots movement from the ground up?
- What are the problems that you have encountered? Have you managed to overcome them? If so, how? If not, why? What has felt like your biggest success?
- What is your experience with communication from a global citizen perspective? Can the movement unite and bring together other climate and social justice groups? Eg. Is climate and social justice in Brazil connected to Palestinian liberation and justice?
- What is your experience in regards to Local vs. Glocal vs. Global communication for development and social change? Particularly regarding the topics we have discussed so far?
Reflection & Rapport:
Like with E I think the rapport felt genuine and relaxed, even a little magnetic, I feel we really clicked, and from the messages I received from them afterwards I think the feeling was reciprocated, which was really lovely and probably not too common amongst online interviews with people who’ve never met before.
I think what helped the situation again was our shared values and activism, but also our relationship with video calls, I could see we all had a lot of experience with calls of this manner and felt comfortable in that position. Personally I can feel more comfortable at home where I can control the environment around me, and that energy can be felt through the screen, I could sense the same energy coming from them also.
A bonus factor that boosted the interaction greatly was their English proficiency – it was impeccable, probably better than my own. If this weren’t the case the interview would be been completely different, as my Portuguese is muito ruim.
Final Thoughts:
I feel extremely grateful to have spoken to these incredible people that are working with issues that are close to their heart, as well as my own. Interestingly, and probably unusually, the video call proved to be a resource that provided a wonderful interview process, equally as qualitative as the in-person interview, if not more to some regard.
Of course, this is a small sample base and dependent on the people involved, but the interviewers energy certainly plays a key role, hopefully creating a warm, calm, and safe environment for the participant, serving as a foundation for active listening and open conversations.
This exercise also fits into my own professional practice around digital activism and artistic practice and research, in which I have needed to conduct similar interviews to these already; like for my masters thesis project around concepts of place, space, and site-specific performativity in Makhanda, South Africa.
