Africa Podcast Day 2022: Podcasting is Freedom
The bumper Newsy newsletter about the biggest day of our year!
Friends of Africa Podfest,
The time has come. Africa Podcast Day 2022 is happening this year. Every time we think of how much this day means to our team, we are thrilled to no end. Podcasting, particularly across Africa, represents what the Merriam-Webster defines as ‘the state of being free from the control or power of another’
The poet Langston Hughes’ Freedom’s Plow speaks to that journey:
In Part:
Freedom’s Plow by Langston Hughes
When a man starts out with nothing,
When a man starts out with his hands
Empty, but clean,
When a man starts to build a world,
He starts first with himself
And the faith that is in his heart-
The strength there,
The will there to build.
First in the heart is the dream-
Then the mind starts seeking a way.
His eyes look out on the world,
On the great wooded world,
On the rich soil of the world,
On the rivers of the world.
The eyes see there materials for building,
See the difficulties, too, and the obstacles.
The mind seeks a way to overcome these obstacles.
The hand seeks tools to cut the wood,
To till the soil, and harness the power of the waters.
Then the hand seeks other hands to help,
A community of hands to help-
Thus the dream becomes not one man's dream alone,
But a community dream.
Not my dream alone, but our dream.
Not my world alone,
But your world and my world,
Belonging to all the hands who build.
The ways that podcasting has allowed us to join hands across Africa and the world reminds us of that freedom. Thank you for joining us on the road to Africa Podcast Day, a day when we celebrate African podcasters and how they are using audio to rewrite the single story of Africa. Join us on February 12th!
Best,
Josephine Karianjahi
Africa Podfest - Co Director
Africa Podcast Day - Sign Up Details
#AfricaPodcastDay will be held on Saturday, 12 February 2022 virtually. Join Africa's podcasting pioneers, listeners and supporters in a celebration of storytelling, learning and community around this year's theme: Podcasting is Freedom!
What does freedom mean to you? How are podcasts creating space for expression, connection and fresh voices in Africa? What do you imagine for the future of African podcasting?
The road to #AfricaPodcastDay 2022 has already begun with a Discovery Tour of Zambia, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, some of the countries which are putting African podcasting on the global podcasting map.
Why Africa Podcast Day?
The 2022 #AfricaPodcastDay by Africa Podfest aims to celebrate and appreciate the best of the continent’s podcasting industry. Directed by Josephine Karianjahi and Melissa Mbugua, Africa Podfest was created as a space for the region's podcasting pioneers to gather, share knowledge and connect with African and international partners.
From listeners, to podcasters and the greater audio community, we recognize the growth of podcasting on the continent, which is historically a strong audio continent, with radio being the most widely-consumed media.
Sign Up Today via Hopin
Hopin is an online platform for virtual events like Africa Podcast Day. Through the partnership support of Africa No Filter, Afripods, Baraza Media Lab, SemaBOX and Tinzwe Media tickets to the 12 hour extravaganza are available for free for African podcast enthusiasts. All participants have a chance to win a one year Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription as part of the registration process.
On Hopin, which is where we can gather a large group of participants from across the globe:
As Africa Podcast Day participants you can easily register for the event and stay logged in all day ensuring you do not miss a session.
Africa Podfest host all Africa Podcast Day event content, including where speakers present - this is content curated by us and Africa focused podcast producers
Learning about podcasting
Engaging chats and discussions
Connecting with other African podcast enthusiasts
Sponsors and partners set up virtual booths
You consume and engage with African podcasting content
This is not a conference - it will be a fun Saturday gathering!
Together with phenomenal African creatives, our people have put together a fantastic creative production. Do your registration today, and ensure that you do not miss this one-of-a-kind event. No matter your level of exposure to podcasting, from amateur to advanced, you too can enjoy the workshops and panel discussions to build your podcasting expertise from the lens of Africa focused podcasts.
Scroll down below for podcast reviews featuring our session presenters - showcasing their audio and podcast projects and why cannot miss them.
Sema Nasi Podcast by Africa Podfest is Back!
Listen to the latest episode of the Sema Nasi podcast which premieres Tuesday February 8, which brings reliable takes on African podcasting. It is brought to you by Africa Podfest, in partnership with Afripods, SemaBOX and Podcast Laundry.
Leave us a comment when you do, LET’S GO!
Stop #4- Nigeria: The Naija Podhub Experience
January Discovery Tour jumpstarted our 2022 with the Naija Podhub Experience where Africa Podfest in partnership with Africa No Filter and Naija Podhub introduced Naija Podhub podcasters to Africa. This virtual event brought together partners to connect about their podcasts, experiences with podcast production; to learn about becoming better podcasters and also to connect as we celebrate being African podcasters. The event was held online via the Africa Podfest Youtube Channel
Watch The Naija Podhub Experience
The Naija Podhub Experience event was about celebrating the milestones Nigerian and indeed all African podcasters have made in the past year. It was about coming together to showcase the variety of content that podcast creators are putting out for audiences to enjoy. The event was also about encouraging African podcasters to collaborate and enhance the quality of their podcasts, while building a sustainable community of supporters. Above all, the event was about helping podcasters connect with each other and to grow their audience.
Podcast Learning Session: Afripods and Podroom hosted a training session aimed at assisting podcasters with technical production tools.
We appreciate the Naija Podhub team and all Nigerian podcasters who made this event so memorable!
Opportunities (February Deadlines)
Journalists and filmmakers whose work focuses on stories in the global south are invited to enter the One World Media Awards 2022. Applicants can be based anywhere in the world. Entries this year are open in 15 non-fiction categories. Submissions are accepted in print, digital, audio and broadcast media. Of interest, African podcasters can submit entries in the Podcast & Radio Award category. The deadline for entries is 10 February 2022. Winners will be announced at the ceremony on 16 June 2022. To find out more about the One World Media Awards please visit the One World Media Awards website for more information
SPECIAL FEATURE: Africa Podcast Day 2022 Speakers Podcast Reviews
In celebration of Africa Podcast Day, we are sharing six podcast reviews of podcasts created by some of our amazing Africa focused podcasters.
Our guest reviewer is Maryanne Emomeri. A Kenyan by birth, and Nairobi resident, Maryanne is working as a Web and Editorial consultant with the Africa Podfest. She is a graduate of Multimedia University in Kenya. Her experiences with her disability inspire her to write a lot. Author of "The Punching Bag" (Amazon) which is her first published book, she also writes about issues that affect the society in a creative and engaging way.
The Six Podcast and Audio Projects are: Mindful (health and wellness) | Africa Daily (news) | Bring Your Own Chair (personal development) | Sound of Nairobi Sound Archive (audio project) | The Great Tit Is A Bird (speculative fiction) | The Comb (news deep-dive)
Listen to Your Mind: A Review of the Mindful Podcast
The mind is often forgotten when it comes to taking care of our health, yet mental health is just as important as any other. So many people suffer from different mental disorders and ailments without realizing it and this could be damaging in so many different ways.
Mindful, a mental health podcast by Julian Yeates, is the podcast that listens to your mind. It is based in South Africa and in each episode, a specific mental disorder or disability is looked into. Different professionals who deal with the issue at hand offer their insights and guests who have the said conditions come to share their experiences. What's more, is that there are fictional audio dramas played out to give you a better understanding of the condition that is under discussion.
Did you know that you are not supposed to push people with mental health issues to seek help? Through the podcast, we get to know the misconceptions and stigmas associated with mental health, the signs and symptoms, the triggers, the coping mechanisms and how to deal with people with such conditions.
The mental health ailments that have been covered in the six episodes include.
Anxiety, specifically general anxiety
ADHD
Depression
Bipolar disorder and
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Even though the episodes are 50 minutes or so long, so much happens in between to keep you absorbed. The drama and the conversations all draw you in making you more empathetic towards people with various disorders while being mindful of your own mental health and you can relate to some of the issues being mentioned.
The first episode of season one was released on 12th October 2021 and so far there are 6 episodes and episode six is a compilation of all the audio dramas of season one which is complete. For those of us who rarely take care of the mind, listening to this podcast may be a good way of being mindful of our mental health.
For Africa by Africans: A Review of the Africa Daily Podcast
News is something we hear everyday, it’s everywhere, but what makes a news item stand out is the research behind it and how well it is told. Some news items can be long and boring but not news from the Africa Daily podcast.
The Africa Daily podcast by the BBC World service is a daily news podcast. It is hosted by one Alan Kasujja who always insists on the double j in his name and as the podcast’s name suggests, the podcast episodes are released every single day from Monday to Friday.
The podcast begins with African beats and then Alan Kasujja’s clout-filled voice certainly compels you to stop what you are doing or thinking just to listen to what he has to say. Of course news concerns people and so it’s not only Kasujja’s voice that is heard as different people come on board give their commentaries on the issues at hand.
The podcast has intriguing topics such as, can Africa solve its problem with fistula? How is African music taking on the world? Can the Earth’s core be used to power Africa? Why does South Africa keep banning alcohol? Is sexual harassment in universities being tackled? These among other great news topics are explored.
If the news item affects all or some of the countries on the continent, Kasujja gives the comparisons. It is hard to go through the podcast episodes and lack something that draws your attention or that which you can relate to.
The first episode was released on 18th January 2021 and so far there are 243 news episodes. The episodes are short, 12 to 18 minutes long. The podcast occasionally takes time to have a break.
If you want to learn more about what is happening on the African continent, the African Daily podcast might just be the place for you. You’ll get so much insight from it in just a few minutes.
Claim Your Space Boldly: A Review of the Bring Your Own Chair Podcast
In this world, you have to earn your space. No one will let you take her seat, so bring your own chair and unapologetically set it where you see fit and be seen and be heard.
Through Bring Your Own Chair, the podcast by Khayriyyah Mohammad Smith, we explore the journeys of different African American women. It is a podcast for millennial women of colour. A space where they share their voices, stories and ideas while at the same time bring out their struggles and accomplishments.
The podcast stands out as it only features women of colour who are making bold moves in whatever they do. Apart from the trailer, each episode is an interview of such a woman. The women are asked to go back to their seven year old selves and say what they wanted to be when they grow up. Then they fast forward to where they are now.
The young women are drawn from diverse career backgrounds. From models to make-up artists to communication specialists and more. The women understand their position in society and how they are uniquely positioned to contribute to the world.
The podcast has been in existence since October 2018 and so far, it has 18 episodes. On average, Khayriyyah uploads five episodes every year. The podcast episodes are 20 to 55 minutes long. The audio quality has improved over the years and you can easily enjoy the pleasant voices behind the mic.
As the podcast keeps on inviting more great women, we hope to see more and more podcast episodes because the podcast has a high potential for growth with its amazing and unique content.
Sounds of the City: A Review of the Sound of Nairobi Sound Archive
Ever felt nostalgic and wished you could go back in time just to catch the sounds or voices and feel whatever it is that you felt back then? Well, if you have ever been to Nairobi and you are craving for this experience, there’s a sound archive that offers you that chance.
Sounds of Nairobi, an award winning sound archive contains uploads of sounds of the ever bustling city of Nairobi. From the sounds and voices, you’ll definitely know that the sound is from the city of Safari Capital of the World. You’ll learn quite a lot about the culture and people of this great city.
The sounds are from a myriad of places within the city. The sounds are a mixture of cars hooting, bird sounds, matatu touts calling customers, footsteps, laughter, whistling, music from matatus, people talking, water flowing, camera clicking among other many sounds you can imagine.
The sounds are mainly from prime areas within the city like Railways bus stop, Luthuli Avenue, Kirinyaga road, Kibera, the CBD among other places. The exact time when the sound was captured is also indicated alongside the place.
Since anyone can upload the sounds on the site, the audio quality is not consistent and sound is also affected since sound is captured out in the open. A few sound items also have issues.
Up to now, the archive contains 114 sound items and they are short sounds ranging from a few seconds to twelve minutes long.
Listening to the sounds is such a wonderful and magical experience. I hope we will have more of the diverse sounds this year too.
The Great Tit Is A Bird? : A Review of The Great Tit is a Bird Podcast
The first time I came across this podcast title, I stopped to think what it really meant. I thought it was obvious the great tit is actually a bird. So why would a podcast be known as such?
The Great Tit is a Bird podcast is a new speculative fiction podcast that will be released on the 12th of February on the Africa Podcast Day virtual event. With the podcast yet to be launched and just one episode exclusively released, it will be hard to decipher the podcast’s title meaning.
The podcast follows the life of a young woman, Renelle, a high school senior who has recently been bereaved and is trying to come to terms with the loss. In the first and only episode, we listen to a recorded audio which is apparently a hacked phone heart-to-heart monologue by the young lady.
In between the recording a brief explainer from some Broadcasting Cooperation interrupts us and introduces us to another element in the story. Two skin conditions namely, Scars and Bird Bruise are brought in. Renelle suffers from one of them as her departed family member did too.
As the recording continues, we learn that Renelle has been presented by her trusted school counsellor with an internship in a place known as Mayaaka. She accepts it after much convincing from her dad and this is where the story is.
From the bereavement, the phone hack, the well intentioned school counsellor to the two skin conditions, how are they all fused? We have to wait and hear.
Is it because of the bird’s natural intelligence, or its sociable nature or what is it that makes the Great tit become the Great tit is a bird podcast? I cannot wait for more episodes to be unleashed to actually get it and enjoy the podcast.
Combing Africa For Stories: A Review of the Comb Podcast
African stories often go to the grave without being told or heard. And even when the stories are told, they are often not archived. Why should such stories be shared and stored? Because they matter.
With the podcast, The Comb, it is an all-African affair. Hosted by Kim Chakanetsa, the podcast is a product of the BBC World Service. Combing the African continent for stories, the podcast shares stories that are important and relevant to Africans and stories that are suggested, experienced and told by Africans.
Just like Africa is a collection of different experiences, the episodes are not centred on any particular issue. Each episode is unpredictable in its own way. Each guest owns his or her story and tells it with a sense of entitlement.
Some of the issues that have been addressed in the podcast are stories to do with the uncertainties of studying and graduating in the midst of a pandemic, the consequences that come with borrowing money on mobile money, the great struggles of people with sickle cell anaemia, crypto currency scams, unemployment, infertility among many other topics told by people who have experienced them.
What’s even more fascinating about The Comb is that in just less than 30 minutes, a good number of people get to share their experiences. The audio production is perfect and the host’s voice is in sync with that of the guest and the background music.
The podcast’s trailer was released at the height of the Corona Pandemic on 19th June 2020 and the first episode was released on 3rd July 2020. The episodes are 18 to 32 minutes long and so far there are 59 episodes including the trailer. The episodes are released every week.
The podcast took a break from 5th November and the next episode is supposed to be released on 28th of January 2022.
Listening to each of the stories, you will learn of the different cultures and realise that even though we are all unique, we are just the same people separated by distance.