The Mirror in My Cell

In this episode, I chat with Vika, a human rights defender exiled from Belarus and now based in Lithuania. This was my first conversation with someone who hasn’t been incarcerated, and I was unexpectedly moved by her wisdom. Vika shares how to stay kind in the face of darkness, how to find peace in fighting injustice, and how to be compassionate with ourselves when we feel we haven’t achieved enough.Her advice on finding our "point of maximum tension"—the moment when life will never be the same, is such incredible guidance for how to fulfil your utmost potential.The Mirror in My Cell will be on a short break for the next month as we refresh the format. If you have any feedback or thoughts, feel free to reach out!Learn more about Vika’s work with Viasna, advocating for political prisoners in Belarus, at Viasna’s website.Reach me at:Email: [email protected]: @thomaszarand

Jisu started the day by collecting the forbidden apples of her neighbours’ garden. By evening time she was imprisoned.How do you process and accept a situation where it feels like the universe is against you, but the system treats you with compassion and care? How can you nurture a narrative about why this is happening, why you?Jisu and I had a funny conversation, and reflected on what was similar and different between our experiences.Reach me at:⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠⁠

Lisa is a Russian music artist based in Armenia, where she fled after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ‘Based’ is a nice way of putting it because she’s currently under arrest, pending trial for a drugs charge that arose when she was found in possession at a Yerevan nightclub. This saga has dragged on for years now, with her spending multiple months imprisoned in a jail amongst murderers and prostitutes. How she has assembled a humble but robust story of what the time and its consequences have meant, plus the person she’s been able to become is powerful. She’s released her album on Spotify, produced while under house arrest, entitled Raspad, as the artist wjerstean. She continues to fight the charges, while looking squarely into the eyes of that in her power. Support her and follow her developing story here: https://www.instagram.com/wjerstean/. Reach me at:⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠⁠

Simon Bright is a filmmaker and documentary producer. Born in Rhodesia, he was optimistic about the country's future, about Robert Mugabe's plan to build a better, more equal country.That all unravelled, and the nation building project turned into one of spite and greed, of racism stoked and fanned. Simon's unblinking lenses were not welcome in Mugabe's Zimbabwe.He was symbolically arrested for the production of a documentary he didn't even produce, and found himself sat in a jail cell, contemplating all the things that had brought his country here, all the things this episode revealed about humanity.-----------------------------------Find Simon's work here:https://zimmedia.com/(Brilliant documentaries often fusing politics with African music)-------------------------Reach me at:⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

When you think of student protestors you might think of philosophy students at UCL smoking cigarettes and finger painting. In Belarus they get in trouble for less, and Kseniya was one of them back in 2020. She was arrested and spent two years in prison. The very sad thing about Kseniya is how innocent she makes the whole thing sound, there was no scheming or machinations, just some kids who understood they were the future. She worked for Viasna, helping parents understand where there kids ended up when they were arrested. And then got imprisoned. We spoke about family, milkshakes, and prison conditions, then how she swam to freedom across a river into Lithuania. Brave girl. She left me thinking about all the struggles and sacrifice it took in history to get me my rights. How it was done in the name of family, friends and freedom. Reach me at: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

Professor Paul Dieppe, was, as he puts it, conventionally satisfied. A blossoming medical career, producing great research and raising a happy family. One day he was invited to a conference. He got on a plane to fly to Malaysia. By the end of the day he was hostage, courtesy of Saddam Hussein. On my return from Belarus, I felt people deserved the gory details and drama of a story that had sparked their compassion. I fumbled to reproduce some of the drama. But what it was really like, staring into the darkness, into myself, alone, was something quite different than that. I think Paul feels the same, and above all it was a time of self examination. And an examination of higher things. We discussed how his time in Iraq unravelled his faith in science. How Paul began to prod at deeper truths about our universe. He wrote an astounding book, in small part mentioning Iraq, but ultimately outlining his quest to reconcile metaphysical truth with the material, in pursuit of healing. How do we become whole? It's a brilliant book and we shared a powerful conversation. --------------------------------------------- Pauls book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healing-Medicine-Doctors-Journey-Integration/dp/103261059X Reach me at: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand

This is the second half of my conversation with Robin, a French citizen and masseuse who ended up in prison in China for drugs offences. In this part we discussed much more of how we made sense of our sentences, finding acceptance, unity and humour. We rambled onto what one can understand about national politics and patriotism from within the confines of a prison cell. Lost in Music / Радио Город FM (Брест) Playlist Soul Rebel Chinese Exercise Video The Prophet (book by Kahlil Gibran) Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming Reach Robin at: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/a_balancedcorre/⁠ And check his blogs on his time in China: ⁠https://bridonsnous.eklablog.com/⁠ ⁠https://desbrides.blogspot.com/⁠ ⁠https://robinlecorre130.wixsite.com/abalancingcore⁠ Reach me at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

I spoke with Robin this week. His story involved adventurism, cannabis, an authoritarian government and a 3-7 year prison sentence. Sound familiar? Singing jazz while cleaning out shit trenches, Robin is a example of how mindset absolutely defines your experience of life, the constant ability to live your best life, and also of the self-love needed to navigate any of life's situations, small or.. Chinese prison. --------------------------------------------- Here's the video of the Chinese exercises Robin was forced to do: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AH7YejzR0CQ&pp=ygUY5Lit5Zu95bm_5pKt5L2T5pON56ys5YWr Reach Robin at: https://www.instagram.com/a_balancedcorre/ And check his blogs on his time in China: https://bridonsnous.eklablog.com/ https://desbrides.blogspot.com/ https://robinlecorre130.wixsite.com/abalancingcore Reach me at: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

Portia and I spoke a lot about freedom. That didn't happen because we'd experienced it being taken away, but our shared search for internal, personal freedom. Portia was sentenced to seven years in prison, but the outlook, love and conviction she meditated on there, the resolution of pain, the accountability she embraced, were the lessons of a lifetime. --------------------------------------------- Reach Portia at: https://www.instagram.com/portialouder/ Portia's book, Living Louder Reach me at: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

He strayed from the path. About as far as robbery and a police chase can take you . In prison Islam returned to him, and showed him a better way forwards. --------------------------------------------- Reach Loui at: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJS1kpqQ3GE&t=50s Reach me at: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand

From the time he understood his sexuality, he knew he was an outsider. Ryan told me he could barely feel anything, let alone regret. Sitting in his cell, incapable of even absorbing that he was going to be tried for murder. Society didn't care about him - why should he care? Now I spoke to a Ryan who is charming, funny, wise and full of love. We talked about his journey through prison, how society treated him, how the state treated him, and the small tinkling of light that started pulling him in the other direction. --------------------------------------------- Reach me at: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand

She got a phone call at around midnight. I had been arrested in Belarus. What for? Drugs trafficking, caught with a gram of marijuana on the border. Over the course of months she was masterminding how to rescue me, channeling the love and willpower of our family, friends, and connections to find a way - any way - to unstuck me from spending the next 3-7 years of my life in Belarus. That was the story. But what did it mean for her? --------------------------------------------- Reach me at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand

Qasim is the CEO of Rizq, an organisation fighting food insecurity and redistribution across South Asia, partnering with huge multinationals in the process. Qasim was mistakenly arrested after wide scale unrest in Pakistan. His charge sheet promised life imprisonment. Over five and a half months, he navigated the journey of prison life, reflecting on knowing oneself, where freedom lies, and the richness of connection. Qasim’s work: https://rizq.org/ Reach me at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

Hanna Komar is a Belarusian poet, translator and writer. She is brave, tender and honest. In 2020 she participated in demonstrations against the rigged Belarusian election and was arrested. After her release she left the country and has released a series of publications as testament to that time and her broader experience of growing up under patriarchal authoritarianism, winning a Freedom of Speech Prize Laureate from the Norwegian Authors’ Union in the process. The translation of her book, 'When I'm Out of Here', is forthcoming. Reach her here: Website: https://www.hannakomar.com/en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kvetachka_paetachka/ Reach me at: [email protected] https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand

I was arrested in late 2023, crossing the Belarusian border with 1.3 grams of marijuana in my raincoat. Part II of Article 328 prescribed I would spend the next 3 - 7 years in prison. From living a free and normal life in the West, to being crushed into a Belarusian cell, I was brought to a new mental plane. In this episode I try to outline what the time looked like for me, and how I ended up meeting a truth and a way of looking at myself that I hope I can always remember. Reach me at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠

This is the Mirror in My Cell - a conversation series borne from those who have confronted incarceration. When facing darkness head on, they saw a portal into identity, society and spirit. Join Thomas for stories of strength, transformation and wisdom that may inspire you to reflect on your own life and choices. Reach me at: [email protected]⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thomaszarand⁠