Sipho Sibanda

Sipho Sibanda is a Zimbabwean refugee activist who has made Belfast home for her and her son. Sipho fled her native country in 2015 amid ongoing political unrest and didn’t even get to hug her family goodbye. She works for PPR, a community organisation here that helps marginalised people know their rights and lobby for more equitable communities. Sipho has been involved in Black Lives Matter protests here and is passionate about raising her voice to support those without status or a home. As someone who grew up in a contested space she has much to say about the post conflict features of life she encounters in Belfast. In this conversation Sipho shares her vision for a home city where reconciliation overrides the worn narrative of two communities and where diverse voices get to contribute in the healing of divisions. *Show Notes* /Gukurahundi - a series of massacres of Ndebele civilians carried out by the Zimbabwean National Army in the 1980s.