Talofa Lava sister Rasela in the belly kitchen today bringing you flavoursome radio for the next two hours on this magnificent Monday.

I hope you had a lovely weekend full of delicious food and company. I certainly did … I took to the streets with my mic and met loads of new people and gathered a bunch of new voices from all kinds of folk wandering up and down Jonson Street yesterday from all corners of the world. From as far away as Sudan to as close as Byron itself we are going to hear an afternoon live on the streets of the Shire when I basically ask anyone who’ll talk to me about their favourite foods from their country of origin. You might be in there too so keep listening and if you are then thanks for letting me stick my microphone in your beautiful face and for being a part of the Belly show today.

I also have to say a bit thanks to Ashgirl who presents Random Rhythms, the show on Saturday nights from 6-8 for allowing me to base myself on her hairbraiding stall just outside Fundies there, where together we managed to pull in a huge variety of people to offer a vocal contribution and some interesting stories to bring to air today. It’s so great to be able to gather audio pieces from you guys out there wandering amongst us that we may otherwise  walk straight past, and I’m forever grateful to BayFM for giving us all the opportunity to share in this crucially creative community radio station that allows us to bring the diversity of our Shire to air each day.

Here are those recordings captured amongst some fine lunchtime tunes that are easy to digest while we wait to greet a Brazilian young lady I met yesterday currently making her way in to share her personal food stories and life adventures from Sth America. Live music from her partner and member of Rapskallion pictured below will accompany this interview as belly turns Brazilian in the kitchen’s second hour.

But before all that … I want to share a part of myself with you if you’ll let me because we all have a story don’t we ?. The name sister Rasela comes from my Samoan heritage and I’m proud to be connected to the pacific islands that are so much a part of me now … but it wasn’t always that way and I didn’t always have the courage or confidence to approach total strangers and ask them questions … let alone bring those questions to air on radio so here’s a little introduction to who I am, your Samoan Chopsuey tutti fruitti belly sister who’s been up here presenting this show in some way shape or form for the past 4 or 5 years. The piece is taken from the Wirritjin show I covered for DJ Terra Nullis last year but I’ve never played it on my own show so I thought hey, why not I’m asking everyone else to share their stories so it’s only fair that I do too.

Here is my story –

Siva Siva reading or https://soundcloud.com/chopsuey-roaming-radio/cultural-awareness-bayfm-siva

Here are your stories –

Part One – Live in the Shire Belly

Part Two – Live in the Shire Belly

Part Three – Live in the Shire belly 3

I hope you find something in any one of these stories today that encourages or inspires you to share your own one day, with us here, on YOUR community radio station, the beautiful BayFM.

GIVEWAY TODAY … You don’t have to be a subscriber, this giveaway is for everyone. It’s FREE LOVE and you don’t even have to call us up, just turn the volume up if you want some more and stay tuned to BayFM where we positively pump out the love 24 hours a day 7 days a week for YOU our luscious listener!!!

Time to sway away. Here’s a Hawaiian hula goddess to help us with that.

Fai fai lemu (take it easy) til we meet again.

Alofa atu,

xoRasela