06: DEVOTED CREATORSHIP with Naima Penniman and Olka Baldeh

This episode, DEVOTED CREATORSHIP, invites us into a rich exploration of the universal languages that connect us all. We center the essential roles of storytellers, creators, and cultural weavers—those who thread vision into form—as we journey toward land sovereignty and collective liberation. Together, we’ll muse on art as sacred strategy: a vital force that not only stirs the soul, but propels our movements forward—calling us into greater devotion, expansive dreaming, and purposeful action.

Naima Penniman is a devotee of seeds, myco-messenger,  multidimensional artist, soulful story teller, movement builder, medicine grower, healer, and educator. Life-long lover and defender of the Earth, Naima dedicates her creativity and community-building skills to regenerate practices towards planetary interdependence.

Olka Baldeh is a Fulani storyteller, poet, farmer, bee-tender, herbalist and justice advocate. Olka has spent over a decade fighting against state brutality and advocating for liberatory social change. As a strategist for freedom, Olka uses her skills to uplift communities targeted by state violence, including Black, queer, and non-conforming people. Olka is the co-founder of Birdsong, an emergent radical land project in the south and she is also the founder of the Black Moon Podcast, a powerful platform that explores and interrogates Black death, aiming to transform how Black communities engage with and heal from the trauma of loss.

Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is a series, rich in storytelling, history, and ritual, in which we explore what it means to be sovereign. With Black land at the center, this podcast brings together prominent activists, artists, and weavers with the rising generation of Black land stewards for inspiring conversations that honor the past and create blueprints for the future.

This podcast is hosted by Crysta Bloom and Clara AgborTabi, and co-produced by Crysta Bloom and Zera Bloom. Our theme music is created by Naima Penniman and Zera Bloom. Our artwork and graphics is created by Crysta Bloom. Sovereign: Reclaiming Black Land is presented by Soul Fire Farm.

Find out more about Naima's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com/ and on social media at @naimainfinity

Follow Olka's work at @hakkillo. Find out more and support Birdsong here. 

Find Soul Fire Farm at https://www.soulfirefarm.org/ and on social media @soulfirefarm

Follow Crysta Bloom's work at https://www.embodiedbloom.com/ and on social media @crystaembodiedbloom

Follow zera bloom on social media at @zera.bloom

Learn more about Naima Penniman's work at https://www.naimainfinity.com and on social media at @naimainfinity