Foreword: Listening to Shadows

From apartheid to the front lines of global health, Listening to Shadows is the gripping true story of one man’s fight for freedom, truth, and survival.

At a moment when democracy and truth are under siege across the globe, Listening to Shadows tells the extraordinary story of South African Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Health Wilmot James, who rose from the power struggles in South Africa to the front lines of global health leadership. For the first time, he shares personal stories growing up as a child of apartheid, being imprisoned as a student activist, and about his work with leaders such as Nelson Mandela, among many others. Forged in social change movements and tested in public health crises, Wilmot speaks with rare global authority. He has witnessed democracy rise from the ashes of apartheid, lived through the devastations of health misinformation, questioned the case of South Africa’s missing biological and chemical weapons, and learned to spot the early signs of authoritarianism. Told by Wilmot, his prophetic story unfolds as an immersive 5-part audio documentary. It offers us both a warning and a guide to sustaining a healthy civic society, weaving themes of biography, leadership, history, and health. The audio essays are not just about one man’s past; they are about the living struggle to protect truth, rights, and the rule of law in a world still learning the same hard lessons.

REELBLUE AND COCOON AUDIO

IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PANDEMIC CENTER AND THE BROWN POLITICAL REVIEW

PRESENT LISTENING TO SHADOWS

PRODUCTION ASSISTANCE BENTLEY HOLT, ALICE IM AND CLARA BAISINGER-ROSEN

PRODUCTION SUPPORT JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER JR. LIBRARY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS JENNIFER GALVIN AND BART WARSHAW

ILLUSTRATION BY ROKIA WHITEHOUSE, LYDIA SMITHEY AND ORLA MAXWELL

SOUND DESIGN AND AUDIO MIXING BY BART WARSHAW

EDITED BY JENNIFER GALVIN AND BART WARSHAW

WRITTEN BY WILMOT JAMES AND JENNIFER GALVIN

NARRATED BY WILMOT JAMES

DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY JENNIFER GALVIN

SPECIAL THANKS TO JENNIFER NUZZO AND JESSIE GRAHAM

MUSIC BY BLUEDOT AUDIO