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16 On Now

The Mic Drop

2nd Sep 2019

The Mic Drop is a collaborative podcast which creates a space ‘for migrants by migrants’ exercising agency and exchange through collective thinking, storytelling and debate. Since 2019, the project has evolved to offer participants further opportunities to express themselves including producing Merseyside’s IDAHoBIT events in 2021 and 2022, and bringing a live version of the podcast to Pride celebrations across the Liverpool City Region.

Project Details
Categories
  • Podcast,
  • Collectivity
Creative Team
  • Creator & Collaborator: Adrian
  • Creator & Collaborator: Ali
  • Creator & Collaborator: Ariane
  • Creator & Collaborator: Bella
  • Creator & Collaborator: Jansie
  • Creator & Collaborator: Kevin
  • Creator & Collaborator: Manono
  • Creator & Collaborator: Margarita
  • Creator & Collaborator: Sam
  • Lead Artist: Larry Achiampong
  • Project Assistant: Arthur Britney Joestar
  • Support from Sahir House: Shereen Cowley
  • Support from Mersey Care (Liverpool Community Development Services): Mohammed Taher

Over three seasons, the podcast has covered a range of subjects from personal experiences of seeking asylum whilst being LGBTQ+, to critical conversations on arts and culture.

Created by Many Hands One Heart, Heart of Glass, lead artist Larry Achiampong and Sahir House, the project brings together participants from across the Liverpool City Region. The project began in response to the needs of a marginalised group of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers who found themselves shunned by their own communities and experiencing fear and isolation in addition to other barriers faced by migrants.

Many Hands One Heart is a support and wellbeing project for people from the LGBTQ+ community who are seeking asylum in Liverpool. The group have been working with Larry Achiampong since 2019.

Since the project began, The Mic Drop has evolved from a podcast, branching out into a series of live, public events.

Legacy

The project has become a safe space for people who seek asylum across LCR to share their stories, providing a learning opportunity for listeners and a support network for participants.

Those that have shared their stories include Arthur Britney Joestar - the first person to be granted asylum in the UK on the basis of being non-binary. They have since been working full time at Heart of Glass thanks to their involvement with the project.

The Mic Drop participants have also been invited to speak and perform at national events, including:

  • Rainbow Migration Panel Discussion, National Student Pride, February 2022

Find out more about Many Hands One Heart from Sahir House's Shereen Cowley

Larry Achiampong

Heart of Glass have collaborated with Larry before as part of Take Over 2018, when Larry’s contemplative film on faith and colonial histories, Sunday’s Best, was shown as part of the festival.