Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

“Whose streets? Our streets!"

If you're in the U.K., you may have heard this chant a lot recently.

Used by the far right. And used by anti-racist counter-protesters.

But it didn’t start there.

The phrase has roots in the 1970s feminist movement - specifically, the Leeds-based Reclaim the Night marches - where women protested the idea that public space wasn’t theirs to move through freely after a series of murders of local sex workers.

Since then, it’s travelled. Across Pride marches, anti-racist movements, and other progressive global protests. Before ultimately being co-opted by Tommy Robinson, Britain First and the far right.

Different politics. Same claim: "We belong here!"

But here’s the question we’re starting this season with:

What does it mean to claim space… in a country where 50% of the land is owned by just 1% of the population?

Where 92% of land - and 97% of rivers - aren’t legally accessible to the public?

Because beneath the chants, there’s a deeper system shaping all of it: Who owns land? Who gets to build wealth? Whose claims to land are seen as legitimate in the first place? And who gets to feel secure in space?

Season 5 of Rigour & Flow starts tomorrow!

We open with an episode on British land ownership - and how it shapes belonging, identity, and future security, especially for working class and Black and racially minoritised communities.

We hope you're still here! And we hope you'll join us through another season of exploration.

#RigourAndFlow #LandOwnership #Belonging #SystemsChange #CommunityWealthBuilding

Image 1: Aiwan and Tamanda at Botswana’s Independence Day/Boipuso Celebrations in Leeds in 2025.

Image 2: Aiwan and Tamanda with Michael Hamilton at Wolves Lane Centre, home of The Ubele Initiative. Michael was featured in our last feedwarmer episode discussing the impact of covid-19 on Black and racially minoritised communities - and laying the foundation for many of the themes we’ll be exploring in the season ahead.

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 10

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

Hey Everyone!

Quick update: We have finally made it to a full year of the show! Which has involved recording and sharing over 52 episodes! While delivering a bunch of other client work. 🤯

Our aim was always to hit this one year milestone - just put ourselves out there, start some conversations, and see what would happen.

We never expected that so many people would show up, join in, expand our thinking, challenge us when we needed it, and cheerlead us in some of the harder moments.

If you are still here, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your support honestly means more than you know.

Now that we have hit this milestone, we’re making a few changes informed by the data we have, and what we’ve learned along the way.

In year two, we’ll be moving into a seasonal approach to the show.

Season 5 launches in the first week of May. So not long to wait!

And then we’ll be taking a chunk of time off for the summer before heading into season 6 and 7 (life permitting!).

We’ll then take a winter break over Christmas and new year.

This approach will allow us to keep our sanity. But also ensure we have time to rest, rejuvenate, and develop the kinds of episodes we can be proud of in the process.

Please don’t forget to drop us a comment if you’re enjoying the show or have feedback.

To share our channel with someone you know who might like it.

And if you’re feeling especially generous and have the means, you can also buy us a coffee to thank us for our work. ☕️

buymeacoffee.com/rigourandflow

Longer update including reflections on the long weekend just gone in today’s video.

Images: 1) Selfie from Season 5 recording session. 2) Dream Count - discussed in yesterday’s update video. 3) Us in a van ready to film on set earlier this year - an exciting project you will hear about next season. 4 & 5) BTS photos from said shoot day - we can’t wait to share the film!

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2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 8

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

Happy New Year Good People!

We hope you are very well. And that 2025 has started with joy, ease, or at least some of the same hope we are holding for those things.

The world is pretty wild right now… so if you are feeling that too… we see you. And we hope you are hanging in there.

We’ve had a much needed break since the end of Season 3, and taken some time off to reset and rethink.

In that time, we’ve not only celebrated, hung out with friends, been on a palette and pour date (visual evidence included with our very impressive works of art!)… but we’ve also recorded all of Season 4… which officially drops this week! 🤩

We can’t wait to share it with you, and we’re even more excited to hear what you think!

What kinds of topics, themes and issues are you hoping we’ve covered?

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5 months ago | [YT] | 10

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

December has been joyful… and a lot.

Between the Audible Christmas Party last week, a 90s R&B Christmas Ball in Manchester this weekend - featuring Dru Hill, Joe, Toni Braxton and Boys II Men!!!! -we are feeling very celebratory! And also very ready for a rest!

A quick update on our Rigour & Flow end of year release schedule...

🎙️ This week’s episode (S3 Unfinished Business)
We recorded today, and are just now finishing up the edit and getting it ready! We should have it with you by the end of the day tomorrow if not sooner - so just a touch later than usual! We hope it will be the perfect bookend to a season - and even more so because it will be hot off the press!

🎧 A Holiday Feed-Warmer Series
After this week, we’re sharing four feedwarmer episodes featuring some of our favourite conversations, shows, and podcasters from across the year. These will carry us all through the festive season while we take a much-needed break.

✨ Thank you for listening, sharing, commenting, debating, crying, laughing, and learning with us this year.

The show has been really hard work, but without a doubt, the highlight of 2025 for both of us.

Wishing everyone a joyful, restful, and gentle end to the year.

We’ll be back in full flow from 20th January - recharged and ready for Season 4.

And since it’s the season, we’re also sharing a few festive favourites from last year’s ACast celebration - just a few snaps we never got around to posting at the time.

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6 months ago | [YT] | 11

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

🥳 We’ve got news…

Over the weekend we found out we were officially named Best International Podcast at the 2025 Black Podcasting Awards!!! 🏆💜

We can’t even begin to say how much this means to us.

To be seen, celebrated, and uplifted by our own community - by our brothers and sisters across the diaspora, and especially our family in the States - is the greatest honour we could have asked for. Not least because it’s Black History Month here in the U.K. - and it means a lot to feel the love from across the Atlantic in this season.

We’ve spent the last few days soaking it in, learning more about the incredible nominees and all the brilliant shows being made by Black podcasters around the world. And hearing all the speeches of those who were able to attend the awards in person. What a line-up! 🙌🏾

Huge love and thanks to @blackpodawards ,the judges, and everyone who makes this community and recognition possible.

We’ve already started dreaming up plans to join in person in the near future because we’d love to connect face to face!! Fingers crossed we can make that happen.🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾

Here’s to more rigour. More flow. And more connection across the diaspora!

#RigourAndFlow #BlackPodcastingAwards #BestInternationalPodcast #PodcastingWhileBlack #QueerPodcasts #IndiePodcasts #BlackJoy #GlobalDiaspora

8 months ago | [YT] | 12

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

An even better Apple Feature! Right alongside The Receipts podcast!! 🤯🤯🤯

Actually blushing! 🤭🤭🤭

8 months ago | [YT] | 8

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

Our little pod turned 6 months old today!!!

And we also woke up to find we’ve been featured by Apple - both as a ‘New Show’, and in the ‘We’re Loving’ section!!!

Which means… Apple are literally backing us!

Wilddddd!!! But we are so happy!!

Who would have thunk it just six months in?!

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8 months ago | [YT] | 8

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

So we may have accidentally scheduled this weeks’s feedwarmer a day early!! 🤷🏽‍♀️🤣

We hope you watch and enjoy anyways….!!!

8 months ago | [YT] | 3

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

It’s a wrap!!

Our final episode of Season 2 is officially out today! See pure relief on our faces!! 😅

As you know, Season 3 is already recorded and in the bag. So over the next few weeks we will be editing, refining and pulling all our episodes together ready for the next round of weekly drops.

In the meantime, we won’t be leaving you high and dry. We’ve got two spotlight episodes coming your way from next week, with the second of them leading us nicely into Black History Month - which happens in October here in the U.K. - before we drop the first episode of Season 3.

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Please leave us comments or send us a voicenote on Telbee or Instagram any time you like.

9 months ago | [YT] | 9

Rigour & Flow with Aiwan and Tamanda

Thank you to every single person who sent us a voicenote for today’s episode!

If we didn’t get to yours this time round, fear not…

We are keeping the voicenote channel open and looking forward to sharing more of your thoughts in future episodes throughout Season 3.

Please leave us a comment under today’s episode if you heard your voicenote. Or if you have follow on reflections based on what other listeners have shared.

We still want to hear from you..!

9 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 5