The Royal Institute of British Architects’ Inclusion Festival (the second of its kind, running 18 – 26 November 2021) is back this week with a special twist; get ready to tune into RIBA Radio, a new, live broadcast dedicated entirely to exploring issues around inclusion and diversity across the architecture field. Spearheaded and hosted by RIBA’s director of inclusion and diversity Marsha Ramroop, the radio show will span seven days, with four hours of live broadcasts each day, promising compelling discussion and a wealth of useful information around one of the most important issues of our times.
‘With 30 years of experience in broadcast journalism and expertise in inclusion and cultural intelligence (CQ), creating a radio station felt like a fantastic opportunity to provide far-reaching support and resources for members to help them fulfil their Inclusion Charter commitments and, indeed, encourage more to pledge their support,’ says Ramroop. ‘I am hopeful it will be a platform that will broaden the reach of these important conversations, allowing us to share not only the work we’re doing, but to hear how we and the profession can do more.’
RIBA Radio: debates, interviews and music
Ramroop will not hit the airwaves on her own. A wide selection of guests have been called to join the conversation. The idea is to create a valuable, accessible resource for all to listen to, learn from and be inspired by. Guests will include, among many others, author on diversity, inclusion, race, feminism and bias Dr Pragya Agarwal; science journalist Angela Saini; Baroness Doreen Lawrence; architect Sumita Singha OBE; architect Annette Fisher; and architect, activist and Archiboo Award winner Amy Francis-Smith.
Launching on 18 November 2021 and including rich, informative segments on everything from race to disability, gender, menopause and the value of data and statistics, RIBA Radio aims to push the agenda on inclusion with its exciting new programme. The mix will include debates, pre-recorded interviews and music, all of which will live beyond 26 November, when the live broadcast ends.
‘The speech content of the radio station will be saved and made available for continuous access beyond the end of the live broadcast. It will also be repeated from 1pm – 5pm each day after the live broadcast,’ says Ramroop. ‘We are looking into developing a podcast to ensure we can supplement and update the content that will be shared across the seven days.’ §