Episode 2 - Ubuntu and Parenting in Grad School with Lizah Makombore

In the second episode of Radio Ecozoic we’re joined by Lizah Makombore, a PhD fellow with the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative. Her life and work embody the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu, a value system that emphasizes community-centered action through the teaching, 'I am because we are.'  Lizah is from Zimbabwe and lived in South Africa for many years. She is the first in her family to pursue higher education, and as we will hear, Lizah honors the resilience of her ancestors by fostering community and shared purpose in everything she does. With over a decade of experience in the NGO sector, development organizations, and higher education, Lizah has contributed to climate change policy and efforts supporting water stewardship and small-scale farming across Sub-Saharan Africa. In this episode, Lizah shares how Ubuntu principles guide her research on sustainable agriculture at the University of Vermont, she also talks about her parenting style as a mother of twins, and shares her journey navigating the challenges of graduate school in a new country.  Together we explore how honoring our roots and finding strength in community can help us thrive as scholars, caregivers, and global citizens. Let’s begin!  Links:  L4E - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/  Critical Media Lab (CML) - https://criticalmedialabmcgill.com/  Lizah's bio - https://www.l4ecozoic.org/lizah-makombore Radio Ecozoic is created and hosted by Bobi Steel, Juliana Neira, Lindsay Ofrias, and Shaun Sellers. It is executive produced by Julian Flavin and Sean Cannon. Music is by Marxist Jargon. The show is a project of the Leadership for the Ecozoic Initiative, which is based at McGill University and the University of the Vermont, as well as the Critical Media Lab, which is housed in McGill University's Department of Anthropology.