Meet African Podcast Innovators in 2023

Explore perspectives from podcasters, Early Bird tickets for Africa Podcast Day and more

In This Newsy newsletter:

• Africa Podfest Community: Twitter Space and Instagram Live

• What you can do to take part in Africa Podcast Day - buy a ticket for yourself or someone else.

• Meet the African podcasters : We continue our feature of African podcaster opinions

• Sema Nasi Podcast: Episode 9 Highlights and a sneak peek of our guest for Episode 10

---

Community Conversations: Twitter Spaces and Instagram Live

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Instagram Live last week - it was hosted by cofounder Melissa Mbugua to connect with you about Africa Podcast Day. We also got an update from Podcast Angola founder Vicente Paxtomas on developments in podcasting from the country. Catch the recording below:

Join us tomorrow: Wednesday 19th October 2022 for our next community Twitter Space to learn more about Africa Podcast Day and in particular what it means to connect Africa’s podcast innovators. Come, engage and meet some terrific voices!

---

Africa Podcast Day: Attendee Grant Program & Early Bird Tickets

Africa’s biggest global podcasting festival is back on Sunday 12th February 2023!

Early Bird Tickets. Africa Podfest invites you to secure your seat or buy a ticket for someone else today. Here is our commitment to making sure everyone who would like to join us can join us in person or virtually.

Get excited for an unforgettable day

3 expert podcasting masterclasses

2 cutting edge podcasting keynote talks

1 powerful podcasting pitch competition

Secure Your Spot Now:

How to Get A Ticket

Step 1: Registration on the website - We would like to tailor the Africa Podcast Day with you in mind. As such, we have created a registration experience which allows us to get to know you better.

Step 2: Purchasing Your Tickets - Africa Podcast Day virtual and in-person passes are available through a secure e-commerce payment platform managed by our ticketing partner, Mookh Africa.

Step 3: Confirmation Email - Every ticket purchased will yield a confirmation email sent to the email used during the purchase.

Attendee Grant: Africa Podfest is committed to making our rooms more inclusive. We have a limited number of passes available as an attendee grant to make this possible.

Pay it forward: Africa Podfest community members have always extended their resources to each other. If you would like to support others to attend through the Attendee grant, you can purchase as many grant tickets as you like via the registration form.

EARLY BIRD TICKETS (available only until November 15, 2023):

In-Person US$ 150 | Virtual US $50

REGULAR TICKETS (available from November 16, 2023)

In-Person US $300 | VIRTUAL US $75

---

Podcaster Opinion

In this newsletter we feature Rumbidzayi Dube of the podcast It’s Layered and Gideon Nwani of the podcast, The Madhouse Adult Entertainment Podcast.  

The Question

Is African Podcasting heading in the right direction? Yes? What are we doing right? No? What can we do differently? 

Rumbidzayi Dube, Czech Republic - Its Layered Podcast:

Yes. As Africans, we are finally realizing that we CAN and should share our own stories. We have the opportunity to own and share our narrative without waiting for anyone's permission. Using social media - from Tik Tok to Twitter - we can publish our content and share our stories. This is very crucial in a world which still has skewed views of what it means to be African. 

African podcasters are showing the world that we have so much creativity; possess immense intelligence and potential; and deserve a seat at the global table. We get to share how nuanced the African experience is whilst also showing that we share similar concerns on issues that affect society as a whole. This helps to build understanding and connection on a global scale. 

Whilst headed in the right direction, I believe we can take a page or two from other podcasting societies to support one another - featuring each other and also sharing best practices with others. Podcasting can be a win-win for all parties and so we grow by creating a community with each other; cooperating with each other and supporting one another.

We also need to learn to value our content creation and not undermine its worth just because of the continent we call home.

Gideon Nwani, Nigeria - The Madhouse Adult Entertainment Podcast.  

The Question

Is African Podcasting heading in the right direction? Yes? What are we doing right? No? What can we do differently? 

Yes of course African Podcasting is heading in the right direction. African Podcasters have been doing the right thing by staying consistent with their original content creation process, publication and distribution.  We have also built strong communities that have been helpful.

While podcasters in Africa face many challenges, including data consumption costs and the digital divide,  they create podcasts that offer the amplification of regional perspectives and audience expansion in return.

The biggest podcasting markets in Africa include Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. And when it comes to content, as African podcasters we do whatever we want using a variety of techniques and formats with a thumbprint that showcases our music, heritage, place, language, and style.

While more Africans are getting into the podcasting industry, it remains more of a passion project that takes many years to become a profit-making venture. Podcasting often starts as a passion project that’s later monetised or a medium to build brand equity. Right now, African podcasters are exploring innovative ways to distribute & monetize their podcasts, from YouTube visuals to listening parties and live events. Skilled Africans with content creation experience can make money through donations and crowdfunding with minimal investments.

African Podcasters have also been growing through collaboration with each other on social media by appearing on each other's podcast as a guest, or cross promoting new episodes on each other's social media feed.

African podcasters have also joined podcasting communities to network, share ideas, and grow better. Which is a good thing and a helpful society for Podcasters.

Sema Nasi Podcast

Sema Nasi is a podcast from Africa Podfest that informs, connects, and helps you take action in joining the Africa podcast movement. In it, hosts Melissa Mbugua and Josephine Karianjahi will be sharing perspectives from pioneers in African podcasting about where the young industry is at now and where it is headed. Sema Nasi is brought to you by Afripods and produced by Podcast Laundry and SemaBOX Africa New episodes on the second Tuesday every month.

Episode 9 Highlights: African Podcasting on the Global Stage

“As  you grow, there is no substitute for investment, especially in equipment, “ Dan Aceda. True to this statement, as you grow, your quality of production must also grow.

 Dan Aceda is the founder of SemaBOX, a podcast incubator based in Kenya and serving Africa. He speaks to Jo from a recording booth at Podcast Movement 2022, the world's largest podcast conference. In this episode, Dan gives insights into what goes into his hiring process, how can podcasters monetize their content, SemaBOX’s vision and affiliate programs, and how podcasters can take their content to the next level. Catch more of this episode below

Episode 10 Preview

In the next episode,  we will learn what it takes to build and brand  a successful audio business in Africa and how self-validation as a continent can go a long way in achieving this from the platform building perspective. Ike Orizu is a software and audio engineer and entrepreneur who is dedicated to progressing Africa’s audio infrastructure through technology. He was the founder of Jamit, a social audio/podcast platform  that amplifies African voices.  Having founded Truspot, Africa’s first music streaming platform, at the age of 17, Ike shares his life lessons from his entrepreneurial experiences and his views on how to build a game-changing business that stands the test of time.