Sonido 33 launchings: Western Sydney & Inner West
The
project investigated and recorded stories of asylum, migration, and solidarity,
set against the backdrop and the sounds of the key political and social events
that shaped them. Ten one-hour episodes (plus extended versions) illuminate the
modern history of Latin America, focusing on the crucial period from the 1970s
to the 1990s. This was a time when the continent changed radically, becoming a
political laboratory for the world. It was also during these decades that Latin
American migration to Australia peaked, in what was arguably the last refugee
wave to be fully welcomed by a broad political spectrum. A powerful solidarity
movement helped Australians learn about Latin America, creating a widespread
popular awareness of the continent for the first time in the nation's history.
Eight
episodes in Spanish feature Chilean, Argentine, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and
Venezuelan-Italian refugees and migrants. Two episodes in English display
in-depth interviews with Australian solidarity activists. Young members of the
Latin American and Australian communities introduce ten compelling stories of
political militancy and imprisonment, underground activism, musicianship,
internationalism, and plain heroism.
The
program was produced and edited by Pablo Nadki Leighton, independent researcher and media educator, and it
was supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation and Radio Skid Row, 88.9FM, Marrickville, NSW. The project also
includes written transcripts of four oral histories, made possible by the Royal
Australian Historical Society.
The project has been presented at the Liverpool Regional Museum (Liverpool, NSW) on Saturday 4 October 2025, 12PM, and at the Addison Road Centre, in Marrickville, NSW, on 16, October 2025, 6PM. The launchings acknowledged the generosity
of the participants and volunteers who helped to prepare, support, and complete
the project.