Welcome to the podcast series of the UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration through Education, Languages, and Arts (RIELA) at the University of Glasgow.
We bring you sounds to make you think about integration, languages, culture, society and identity. A collection of academic musings, poetry, lesser heard voices and personal stories for you to enjoy and expand you horizons with. In short: a podcast for everyone with stories from the world, about the world, released fortnightly.
We work in collaboration with Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network (GRAMNet) and its partners. Together, our aim is to promote creative, practical multilingual action for change at all levels of society to build capacity in research and action focused on fostering cultural expressions of heritage and diversity with displaced peoples, and academic freedom for those at risk.
Please subscribe to get notified of new episodes coming out! Full show notes can be found on the University of Glasgow's UNESCO RIELA pages: www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/podcast/
In this episode, Esa Aldegheri interviews Predencia Dixon about her book A Guide to Jamaican Death Rituals. The guide came our of Predencia's PhD research and presents a practical guide to Jamaicans both in Jamaica and in the Diaspora, as well as to others interested in rituals more broadly.
The book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guide-Jamaican-Death-Rituals/dp/B0FS7BXW8W
Predencia Dixon is a writer, poet, playwright, dancer and actor. She was born in Jamaica, moved to the UK at the age of ten, attended school in Manchester, moved to Birmingham for higher education and, despite several attempts to leave, still lives there. More information about Predencia can be found on her website http://predencia.co.uk.
In April 2023, she completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham, researching the changing approaches to death rituals in Jamaica, and in the Jamaican diaspora in the UK. She has a passion for metaphysics; most of her musings can be found on her blog Writing Creatively With Spirit (https://writingcreativelywithspirit.com/).
Predencia is an Affiliate Artist of the UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration through Education, Languages, and Arts at the University of Glasgow.
For more information about the UNESCO Chair project, our activities and the Affiliate Artist Network, please visit www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/
14 Oct 2026
E99 - Playing Peace: Exploring Relational Approaches to Peacebuilding Through Music in Rwanda
This episode was recorded at the online Spring School 2025: The Arts of Integrating.
Abstract:
This presentation explores how music-making can open spaces for reconciliation, dialogue, and relationship-building in post-conflict contexts. Based on qualitative research in Rwanda that took place earlier this year, it shows how music creates encounters – with others and with oneself – that nurture healing and reconciliation. Music’s unique ability to touch both individuals and communities enables a context-specific, holistic approach to peacebuilding that reflects complex local realities and individual experiences of conflict.
This presentation is also an invitation to reflect on your own experiences: Have you experienced a musical moment that left a deep impression on you to this day?
Biography of the speaker:
Sophie Spickenbom recently completed the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s in Education Policies for Global Development (GLOBED), studying at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the University of Glasgow. Her work centres on peace education, peacebuilding, and non-formal education, with a regional focus on East Africa. Inspired by an internship at the Goethe-Institut in Rwanda, she returned to Kigali to conduct her Master’s research with local music initiatives. Her study explored how music contributes to peace and reconciliation in the country, reflecting her broader interest in creative, context-sensitive approaches to education and social change.
For more information about the UNESCO RIELA project and our Spring Schools, please visit www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/unesco/.
8 Oct 2026
Bonus: Deborah Olivier performs Neil Gow's Lament for the Death of his Second Wife
Bonus: Deborah Olivier performs Neil Gow's Lament for the Death of his Second Wife by UNESCO RIELA
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
12,139,568
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
40
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
30
Contact UNESCO RILA: The sounds of integration
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of UNESCO RILA: The sounds of integration?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
