The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp

Reclaiming Roots: Rhythm and Decolonization in the Diaspora with Rafa Sarria Bustamante

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra sits down with musician, activist, and La Gente SF frontman Rafa Sarria Bustamante for a wide-ranging conversation on identity, decolonization, Palestine, diaspora, anti-fascism, and political awakening. Rafa reflects on growing up Colombian-Nicaraguan in San Francisco’s Mission District, navigating mixed cultural identity, confronting racism and colorism, and how those experiences shaped his activism. The conversation explores connections between Indigenous struggles across the Americas, Palestinian liberation, Zionism, diaspora identity, and the ongoing work of decolonizing inherited narratives. They also discuss activism, music as resistance, solidarity movements, electoral politics, direct action, and what it means to find your place in liberation work. The Thin Veil / Ezra Lipp’s Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp The Thin Veil on all Podcast Platforms [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] The Thin Veil on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] Ezra Lipp’s Sites https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] https://www.ezralipp.com [https://www.ezralipp.com] https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] Thin Veil Theme Music by Magic In The Other  https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] https://www.magicintheother.com [https://www.magicintheother.com] https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother] * (00:00) - Intro * (02:45) - Meet Rafa * (03:20) - Growing Up Colombian-Nicaraguan in San Francisco * (05:35) - Colorism, Colonialism & Identity * (09:35) - Palestine, Arab Diaspora & Political Awakening * (13:35) - Ashkenazi Jewish Identity & Decolonization * (16:45) - Music as Activism * (20:10) - Cultural Tokenism & Political Pushback * (22:45) - Grief, Gaza & Radicalization * (24:40) - Speaking Across Communities * (27:45) - Land Back & Indigenous Liberation * (29:45) - Armed Resistance vs Pacifism * (32:20) - How to Start Organizing * (34:10) - Outro

Resisting Erasure: Tarik Kazaleh on Diaspora Grief, Revolutionary Music and Generational Change

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra Lipp speaks with Palestinian artist, musician, producer, and organizer MC Tarik "Excentrik" Kazaleh about diaspora grief, sumud, burnout, and what solidarity asks of people in the West. Tarik reflects on his family’s roots in Palestine, the emotional toll of watching the genocide in Gaza from the diaspora, and why performative empathy is not enough. He also shares the story of co-founding Prosthetics for Palestine with his wife, a project focused on building long-term care infrastructure for Palestinian amputees. The conversation moves through Tarik’s life in revolutionary music, from Arab Summit and Palestinian hip-hop to his new album Watani 77, a 77-minute improvised album on 77 years of Nakba, memory, culture, and resistance. Ezra and Tarik discuss Palestinian cultural continuity, the often forgotten history of Palestine’s Moroccan Quarter, October 7th, anti-Zionist Jewish responsibility, and Tarik’s complicated but deeply felt hope for a free Palestine — one rooted in liberation, memory, and resistance to erasure. Tarik’s Music [https://www.badpalestinian.com/] Prosthetics for Palestine [https://pfpal.org/our-programs/prosthetics-for-palestine/] The Thin Veil / Ezra Lipp’s Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp The Thin Veil on all Podcast Platforms [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] The Thin Veil on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] Ezra Lipp’s Sites https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] https://www.ezralipp.com [https://www.ezralipp.com] https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] Thin Veil Theme Music by Magic In The Other https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] https://www.magicintheother.com [https://www.magicintheother.com] https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother]

Repairing The Soul: Dottie Lux on Palestinian Solidarity and Protective Presence

In this episode of The Thin Veil, Ezra sits down with artist and organizer Dottie Lux [https://www.instagram.com/dottielux/?hl=en]. Dottie shares her journey from a Zionist upbringing to anti-Zionist activism, and how that shift reshaped her identity, her relationships, and her work. She speaks about her time in Palestine doing protective presence in the West Bank with the International Solidarity Movement, and her involvement founding Artists Unite for Palestine [https://www.instagram.com/artistsunitepalestine/], a collective of Bay Area artists doing work to provide mutual aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Dottie is a deep and soulful person and this conversation is dynamic and passionate. We think you'll like it. Check out Dottie's Podcast A Woman for Watermelons [https://www.patreon.com/c/AWomanForWatermelons/home] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United For Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp The Thin Veil on all Podcast Platforms [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] The Thin Veil on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] Ezra Lipp Sites https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] https://www.ezralipp.com [https://www.ezralipp.com] https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] Magic In The Other Sites https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] https://www.magicintheother.com [https://www.magicintheother.com] https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother]

Ahmed Sarsour on Poetry and Survival in Gaza

Ahmed Sarsour is a poet and artist currently living in Gaza, trying to survive through the ongoing effects of genocide and raise money for his extended family and community through Project Sarsour. [https://chuffed.org/project/144092-project-sarsour] After spending much of his life in Sudan as a telecommunications engineer and Palestinian exile, Ahmed fled violence there in 2023—only to return to Gaza just months before the genocide began. In this conversation, he shares what daily life looks like now—navigating grief, hunger, and uncertainty—and how he turned to poetry as a way to process, express, and ultimately survive. We encourage you to support Project Sarsour [https://chuffed.org/project/144092-project-sarsour] and follow along with all of Ahmed's projects. [https://linktr.ee/ahmedsarsour] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert benefiting United for Dignity Alliance [https://www.unitedfordignity.org/] Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp The Thin Veil on all Podcast Platforms [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] The Thin Veil on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] Ezra Lipp Sites https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] https://www.ezralipp.com [https://www.ezralipp.com] https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] Magic In The Other Sites https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] https://www.magicintheother.com [https://www.magicintheother.com] https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother]

Refusing Silence: Alexi Murdoch on Palestine and Responsibility

Ezra sits down with acclaimed musician/songwriter Alexi Murdoch [https://www.aleximurdoch.com/] for a wide-ranging conversation on art, activism, and what it means to speak up in a time of crisis. They discuss Alexi’s recent visit to Palestine and what he witnessed under Israeli occupation. The conversation moves between the personal and the political—exploring the tension between creative expression and direct advocacy, and the moral responsibility to break silence in the face of injustice. They also reflect on propaganda, dehumanization, and the challenge of reaching people across deeply entrenched narratives—while holding onto the belief that transformation is still possible. Please Consider Supporting Gaza Singing Birds [https://www.instagram.com/gazabirdssinging?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] Episode Resources One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - Omar El Akkad [https://bookshop.org/p/books/one-day-everyone-will-have-always-been-against-this-omar-el-akkad/4191784c40750b09?ean=9780593804148&next=t&next=t&affiliate=132&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dsa_nonbrand&utm_content=%7Badgroupname%7D&utm_term=dsa-19959388920&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12440232635&gbraid=0AAAAACfld40Q73L7_ZBjSgVzzFcKf2qbZ&gclid=CjwKCAjwwJzPBhBREiwAJfHRnScCLFQgBkj1j5QOGtpiHQo65SNHGA-Z8yWzdB1599z0eujb5woJiBoCFaMQAvD_BwE] The State of Israel Vs. The Jews - Sylvain Cypel [https://otherpress.com/product/the-state-of-israel-vs-the-jews-9781635420975/] Coexistence My Ass! [https://www.coexistencemyass.com/] The Mixtape for Palestine Concert Tickets on Sale now! [https://bit.ly/mixtape4palestine] Sunday 5/31/2026 Ivy Room, Albany CA The Thin Veil with Ezra Lipp The Thin Veil on all Podcast Platforms [https://www.ezralipp.com/the-thin-veil-links] The Thin Veil on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinVeilWithEzraLipp] Patreon Support Ezra’s Work and The Show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/EzraLipp] Ezra Lipp Sites https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp [https://www.instagram.com/ezralipp] https://www.ezralipp.com [https://www.ezralipp.com] https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp [https://www.youtube.com/@Ezralipp] Magic In The Other Sites https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother [https://www.instagram.com/magicintheother] https://www.magicintheother.com [https://www.magicintheother.com] https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother [https://www.youtube.com/@magicintheother]