The art of listening is heard at Roscoe Collective

By Len Baldassano | Manor Ink Mentor

Roscoe, NY – When Brett Davidson titled his presentation “Listening as a Political Act” at The Roscoe Collective last month, he wasn’t addressing partisan politics. Instead, the former South African challenged the audience to consider the art of listening as a civic duty.

“Listening is important in politics and especially democracy,” he said. But we often forget that. We tend to think about freedom of speech and emphasize speaking as a way of persuading others,” he explained at one of the collective’s weekly workshops.

Once a radio personality and producer at the South African Broadcasting Corp, Davidson combined personal history with storytelling and multimedia, creating a presentation focused on listening.

He recalled experiences that led the station to become more inclusive of political representation after apartheid, and open to dialogue in his broadcasting work.

He also recounted that radio was central to family life in South Africa.

In 1995, following the end of the legalized racial segregation of apartheid, Davidson worked to diversify radio by inviting guests with different African accents. While this drew some criticism, he recalled that including new voices also attracted new audiences who felt that representatives of their community were being heard.

“It wasn’t just me,” Davidson explained. “The whole station was opening itself up to different voices.” The result was not only controversy, but growth and a broader sense of representation, he noted.

Davidson’s presentation sparked a lively discussion afterward, with several of the audience members sharing personal experiences.

While not directly mentioning listening as a “political act,” their comments touched on it. One asked if silence toward opposing views is worse than debate, and another noted that phones and social media interrupt meaningful conversation, especially in younger generations.

“People were talking about how difficult it can be to listen to each other — whether because we have different political views or because we’re all on our phones,” he said, adding that view captured his larger point. “They’re noticing it. They’re feeling it.”

Davidson’s presentation happened at one of the weekly workshops at the newly opened Roscoe Collective. Currently, he leads Wingseed, a local organization that uses storytelling and listening to connect people and drive change.