Saturday Morning for Saturday 27 August 2022

8.10 Maggie O’Farrell: evoking the beauty and brutality of Renaissance Italy

Set in Renaissance Italy, Maggie O’Farrell’s ninth novel The Marriage Portrait imagines the lost story of Lucrezia de’ Medici, who was betrothed to the Duke of Ferrara at age 13. Her marriage was short and unhappy, and when she died at age 16 it was rumoured she was poisoned by orders of her husband.

The new book follows on the heels of Hamnet, a work of historical fiction inspired by Shakespeare's son that won the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020.

O’Farrell is also author of I am, I am, I am, a memoir which chronicles 17 brushes with death including childhood encephalitis, amoebic dysentery and an ill-advised leap off a harbour wall into the sea as a teen.

9.04 Trevor Mallard: our Speaker of the House off to Ireland

The Right Honourable Trevor Mallard resigned as Speaker of the House this week after 35 years as a Member of Parliament. He will soon take up a three-year posting in Dublin as our second resident Ambassador to Ireland.

Mallard has been elected as a presiding officer of the Parliament three times unopposed. This said he has had a colourful political career, and no more so than recently: making false rape allegations and criticism over his management of February’s parliamentary grounds protests, which saw him turn the sprinklers on the occupiers. 

Mallard was Speaker from 2017 until 2022, and before that was a Cabinet minister in the fifth Labour Government 1999 to 2008.

9.40 Josephine Cachemaille: bringing back the 90s rave

What has 90s rave culture got to offer the anxious 2020s? Back in the mid-90s Nelson-based artist Josephine Cachemaille was cofounder and general manager of The Gathering, described as “New Zealand’s most transformative, influential and downright legendary music festival”.
 
Cachemaille has reunited with two artist friends, Eve Armstrong and Gabby O’Connor to bring back the dance party as an art project at Wellington’s Enjoy Gallery. 

On top of regular DJ sets, the gallery space is filled with 90s dayglo and soft props, exploring the rave’s messages of optimism and sharing through a sensory and visual language.

Everybody SoundSystem finishes with an all-age all-day party on September 10.

 

10.04 Zarifa Gharafi: the mayor who faced the Taliban

In November 2019, Zarifa Ghafari became the mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital city of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. She is one of the only female mayors in Afghan history and the youngest – appointed at age 26.

However, her appointment was delayed for nine months due to protests and threats by local politicians about her age and gender. And, after assuming her duties she faced death threats from the Taliban and ISIL.

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan’s Government last August, Zarifa fled with her husband, mother, and five sisters. She now resides in Germany, where she was granted asylum.

10.35 Dr Deidre Brown: early Christian missions and taonga Māori 

Dr Deidre Brown has a life-long interest in the relationship between Māori and early Christian missionaries. Her whakapapa traces to tribal leader Te Pahi, who inspired Samuel Marsden to set up the first Christian mission in Aotearoa in 1814. A Methodist minister, her great-grandfather Hāpeta Rēnata was one of the first āpotoro —or apostles— in the Rātana church. 

Dr Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) is a Māori art and architectural historian at the School of Architecture and Planning, University of Auckland. She is presenting the Julie King Memorial Lecture on September 4 at Christchurch Art Gallery about the role these missions played in collecting and distributing taonga Māori in Europe. Brown is also speaking with curator Nigel Borell about his book Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art at the Auckland Writers Festival 2pm today, Saturday 27 August.

11.05 Playing Favourites with screenwriter and actress Sophie Henderson

After a five-year hiatus, Sophie Henderson is making a return to the theatre for the lead role in the ferociously feminist and gloriously meta play, The Writer. The play centres around a young writer who challenges the status quo but discovers creative gain comes at a personal cost.

The story spoke volumes to Henderson, who has had her head down writing for television and film over the last few years, as well as raising two young children.

Her recent screenwriting credits include The Justice of Bunny King (2021) and Baby Done (2020). She is currently writing Charles Upham’s biopic Mark of The Lion for film.

The Writer opens at Auckland’s Q Theatre on September 1. Head over here for more information.

Books mentioned on this show:

The Marriage Portrait
By Maggie O’Farrell
Published by Hachette
ISBN: 9781472223845

I am, I am, I am
By Maggie O’Farrell
Published by Knopf
ISBN: 0525520228

Hamnet
By Maggie O’Farrell
Published by Knopf
ISBN: 0525657606

Zarifa
By Zarifa Ghafari and Hannah Lucinda Smith
Published by Hachette
ISBN: 9780349017006

Music featured on this show:

Cold + Liquid
Motte
Played at 8.54am

Little Fluffy Clouds
The Orb
Played at 9.41am

That Funny Feeling
Bo Burnham
Played at 11.15am

Little Death
The Beths
Played at 11.34am

Boys Wanna Be Her
Peaches
Played at 11.45am

White Wine in the Sun
Tim Minchin
Played at 11.55am