In January 2010, The Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and The Vegan Police Radio, located in St. Catharines, Canada developed a partnership rooted in the tradition of Paulo Freire’s philosophy of dialoguing for liberation and freedom.
“[T]he more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he or she can transform it. This individual is not afraid to confront, to listen, to see the world unveiled. This person is not afraid to meet the people or to enter into a dialogue with them. This person does not consider himself or herself the proprietor of history or of all people, or the liberator of the oppressed; but he or she does commit himself or herself, within history, to fight at their side.”
— Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
“Leaders who do not act dialogically, but insist on imposing their decisions, do not organize the people–they manipulate them. They do not liberate, nor are they liberated: they oppress.”
— Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
The Vegan Police, facilitated by Dylan Powell and supported by Ryan Sexton and Crista Murphy directing the tech work, engage in radio dialogues that are organic and politically grounded with particular socio-political values. Their approach is unlike that of a typical interview, which may be useful to disseminate information (such as for an event, campaign or news) but lacks a critical pedagogy for all participants. The Vegan Police are based in critical theory and pedagogy rather than a detached apolitical process for production purposes.
Vegan Police Radio is a socio-political project grounded in radical politics and critical animal studies, i.e., for the liberation and freedom for animals and abolition of animal oppression and domination. They are not concerned with their rates or sponsors, but a mission for total liberation. Therefore, they reach out to a specific community who shares these goals.
In this collaboration, ICAS hopes to aid in the legitimizing of radio dialogues as a theoretical and methodological process.
