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Builders of the Broken Bazaar

Builders of the Broken Bazaar

by Dr. Tabish Zaman

Entrepreneurship Non-Profit

Season 1

The man & the method behind that suit!

Formal politics is failing to resonate. With the lowest voter turnout in decades and a majority of citizens feeling abandoned by their representatives, the "story of Britain" is fracturing. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by filmmaker and presenter Adam Brichto. Adam has become a viral sensation for his "man in the suit" street interviews, entering highly charged political spaces—from Brexit rallies to Reform UK heartlands—to uncover the tensions beneath the surface of political certainty. Together, they discuss the psychology of the suit as a tool for rapport, the systematic misinformation fed to the working class by billionaire-owned media, and why satire is a vital form of democratic expression. Adam challenges the "intellectual left" to leave their city bubbles and have real, empathetic conversations with those the system has left behind. This is a conversation about connection over contradiction. It’s about finding the humanity in the "other" and realizing that before we can fix our politics, we have to start listening to the people the politicians have ignored. Because when the system is broken, the most radical act is to stand on a street corner and ask: "How many people pay your wages?" 🎙 “The stars of the show are the people I’m talking to... they are not in their comfort zone. I’m always in my comfort zone on the street.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Adam Brichto (Film Producer, Director & Presenter) Editor: Liam Gadsby Research & Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman

The system locks the door, then blames you for standing outside!

We are told that capital is more "sustainable" and "inclusive" than ever before, with tens of billions committed to social impact. Yet, the lived experience of the displaced tells a different story—one of blocked pathways, unrecognised credentials, and a system that rewards those who fit the pattern while punishing those who stand out. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Bradford Turner and Waseem Jawad from Jumpstart Refugee Talent. Bradford brings two decades of experience in investment strategy and a personal history of overcoming homelessness, while Waseem shares the reality of building innovation from the ground up as a newcomer to Canada. Together, they dismantle the "unconventional entrepreneur" label and introduce Refugee Lens Investing—not as a charity, but as vital market infrastructure. This is a conversation about the brave shift from providing "support" to demanding "recognition" and "investment." It’s a challenge to institutional investors to look past their "data rigid" due diligence and see the unlocked capacity of a population that refuses to be ignored. This is about building the bridge from exclusion to equity. Because when the system locks the door, the only way forward is to build a new one. 🎙 “Exclusivity does not discriminate. As soon as you no longer fit an archetype of value to the system, you are quickly disenfranchised.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman. Guests: Bradford Turner (Canadian Social Entrepreneur & Investment Strategist) & Waseem Jawad (Senior Manager of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Jumpstart Refugee Talent). Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman

Capitalism forgot ordinary people and called it progress!

We treat economic growth as an automatic win for society, yet trust in our institutions is collapsing while wealth is buried in opaque offshore accounts. For too long, ordinary people have been told that their role is to work, consume, and stay out of the way. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, to dismantle the myth that "bigger automatically means better". Rose shares her journey from the music business in Manchester to leading a movement of 7,000 cooperative businesses that prioritize people over profit margins. Together, they discuss why the cooperative model is suddenly so relevant in an age of burnout and inequality, the radical regeneration experiment happening in Middleton, and why ownership is the ultimate tool for agency. This is a conversation about economic design—refusing to be managed by tools and instead building the tools that work for us. Because when communities own the systems they depend on, they don't just survive; they thrive 🎙 “We made shiny buildings, but where was the fishing rod?” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Rose Marley (CEO, Co-operatives UK) Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman.

Why Nobody Talks About Rohingya? I Lost My Country at 12!

We treat displacement as a physical act of crossing a border. But for Yasin Arafat and the one million Rohingya displaced from Myanmar, displacement is archival, psychological, and generational. It is a system that attempts to steal a people's continuity and their ability to imagine a future. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Yasin Arafat, a human rights advocate who spent five years in the refugee camps of Bangladesh after fleeing the 2017 crackdown in Myanmar. Yasin dismantles the "victim" label, reframing the Rohingya experience not just through the lens of suffering, but through the lens of enormous resilience and leadership. Together, they discuss the emotional weight of being defined as a "number," the profound impact of education on reclaiming human rights, and why the international community often practices a "selective empathy" that leaves millions in permanent limbo. This is a conversation about memory as resistance. Because when a system tries to erase a community, remaining visible is the most radical act of all. 🎙 “Refugees shouldn't only be seen by what they escape from, but also for what they are capable of becoming.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Yasin Arafat (Human Rights Activist & NGO Expert) Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research & Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman

Palestine bleeds for you. Why it changes everything?

We are told that the conflict in Palestine is "complicated," a series of religious debates and territorial claims. But for Ramsey Hanhan, the reality is far more direct: it is a system engineered to make an entire people feel disposable, and forgettable In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Ramsey Hanhan, a former physics professor who walked away from the ivory tower of science to become a witness. Written from the front lines of Ramallah, Ramsey’s work serves as an archive for a people whose future is being systemically obstructed by military checkpoints, digital algorithms, and the weaponization of faith. Together, they dismantle the fiction that the conflict began on October 7th, exploring instead the long continuity of the Nakba and the "poison pill" questions used by media to silence the Palestinian voice. This is a conversation about the moral necessity of speaking out and the endurance required to insist on life, history, and the right to remain human in a world organized around selective empathy. Because in a broken system, neutrality always belongs to those least affected by injustice. It’s time to find our voices. 🎙 “Witnessing creates responsibility... the people who are silent, who are looking away, are hurting themselves more than they know.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Ramsey Hanhan (Author & Public Speaker) Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman

Why small businesses matter? The migrant business myth.

We are often told that the backbone of the British economy is its small businesses, yet we systematically ignore the one-fifth of those firms owned by migrants. We label them as "unconventional" or treat them as economic "peccadillos," failing to see the sophisticated networks of care and innovation that keep our neighborhoods alive. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Prof. Monder Ram, Founder-Director of CREME at Aston University. Drawing on over 30 years of research and his own lived experience in a family business in Wolverhampton, Monder dismantles the "migrant business myth." Together, they discuss the power of "mixed embeddedness," the strategic value of informal management, and why the "everyday economy" of our high streets is often far more resilient than the polished models of Silicon Valley. This is a conversation about respecting the lived reality of builders who don't just build for profit, but for dignity, identity, and the communities they serve. 🎙 “Entrepreneurship isn't just about high-growth startups; it’s about people building stability for their families and a foothold in an economy that didn’t always make space for them.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Prof. Monder Ram, (Founder-Director of CREME at Aston University). Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman.

Why People Have Stopped Trusting Politics? The Story that Broke Britain

Episode 27: Why people have stopped trusting politics? The story that broke Britain. We treat politics as a rational exercise, a matter of choosing between competing policy lists and economic models. But while the "leadership elite" reads from autoprompters, millions of people are living in a "fog of despair," feeling the weight of a system that has fundamentally abandoned them. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Jeremy Clancy, a filmmaker and narrative strategist whose work has been at the center of Britain's most viral political movements. Jeremy shares his journey from the deindustrialized ruins of Bolsover to the inner circles of political campaigning, offering a raw look at why the standard "startup fairy tales" of progress have left a bitter taste in the mouths of the majority. Together, they discuss the importance of "emotional resonance," the systematic erasure of working-class identity, and why the most radical act for a storyteller today is to stop manipulating and start listening. This is a conversation about making hope normal again—not through empty slogans, but by providing a mirror for people to see themselves and their power once more. Because before a system collapses, the story we tell about how the world works usually fractures first. It’s time to tell a better story. 🎙 “We are the clay and the world is the kiln. It takes a long time to recognize how you've been baked by your experiences.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Jeremy Clancy, (Narrative Strategist, Writer & Filmmaker). Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman.

Refugees are not a burden. Broken systems are.

We treat integration as a policy problem to be solved with checklists and funding lines. But for the 82,000 people currently waiting for asylum decisions in the UK, integration isn't a government program, it’s a daily struggle for survival and dignity. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Severine Kipili, the founder of Bora Shabaa. Severine shares her profound journey from fleeing war and spending seven years in a Zambian refugee camp to becoming a pillar of support in her UK community. She challenges the narrative that refugees are a "burden," reframing them instead as highly skilled individuals, teachers, doctors, and innovators, who are often silenced by the systems meant to protect them. Together, they discuss the power of informal community spaces, the "healing" found in sewing circles and ESOL classes, and why the most vital part of rebuilding a life isn't just finding a house, it's finding a place to belong. This is a conversation about the bravery required to start over and the collective strength found when we choose solidarity over statistics. Because in a broken system, the most radical act is refusing to let a neighbor rebuild their life alone 🎙 “Dignity means beyond charity. We don’t just provide services; we empower people to lead, volunteer, and contribute.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Severine Kipili, (Founder of Bora Shabaa). Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officer: Mohammad Alauthman.

Some People Are Measured. Others Are Filtered

Episode 25: Some people are measured, others are filtered! Description: We treat the global digital economy as a level playing field, yet geography still dictates who is allowed to participate. What happens when world-class talent is trapped behind concrete walls and arbitrary blockades? In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Kathrine Tinggaard Nicolaisen, the founder of Olives & Heather, a Palestinian marketing agency connecting local talent to global impact businesses. Kathrine challenges the standard "charity" narrative, arguing that Palestinians don't need more pity-based training—they need the same access to clients and trust as any other founder in the West. Together, they discuss the reality of leading a team where personal lives are defined by war and checkpoints, why professional rigor is a vital form of resistance, and how digital work has become the ultimate bridge into a world that often tries to filter Palestinians out. This is a conversation about work as dignity and building infrastructure that refuses to accept exclusion as inevitable. Because in a broken bazaar, some people are indeed measured, while others are simply filtered out—it’s time to change who gets to do the measuring. 🎙 “Solidarity opens doors, but it doesn't close deals. At the end of the day, work must be measured by excellence, not just sympathy.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman Guest: Kathrine Tinggaard Nicolaisen (Founder, Olives & Heather) Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officers: Mohammad Alauthman & Sanskriti Sharma.

Gaza Bridge: The Logic of Survival!

What does it mean to be a "winner" in a situation where you have lost everything? For Mohammad Helles, it means turning systemic frustration into a roadmap for community survival. In this episode of Builders of the Broken Bazaar, Dr. Tabish Zaman is joined by Mohammad Helles, a software engineer in Gaza who transitioned from construction labor to global tech with nothing but a basic laptop and an iron will. Mohammad exposes the harsh reality of the digital economy in Gaza—a place where payment gateways like PayPal are blocked, and remote workers are forced to pay exorbitant fees just to access their own salaries. Together, they discuss Mohammad’s latest venture, Gaza Bridge, a platform designed to provide a dignified, direct link between global support and the families in Gaza who remain unreachable by traditional aid. This is not just a story about surviving a war; it is a conversation about the bravery required to build a new infrastructure of hope when the old one is in ruins. 🎙 “If I just drop my dreams, no one will come and achieve them for me. I have to keep trying until I make an impact.” 👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@buildersofthebrokenbazaar Host: Dr. Tabish Zaman. Guest: Mohammad Helles (Founder of Gaza Bridge & Software Engineer) Editor: Liam Gadsby. Research and Impact Officers: Mohammad Alauthman & Sanskriti Sharma.

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