Here Are All The African Events Happening On International Podcast Day
African podcasters will be showing up on Sept. 30.
Each week, I write a column about the growth of podcasting in Africa from my perch in Nairobi, Kenya.
International Podcast Day is just around the corner (Sept. 30) and there are a couple of Africa-specific events that I wanted to highlight.
Some quick background: International Podcast Day™ is an international celebration of the power of podcasts! The celebration is a great opportunity to connect with fellow podcasters, podcast listeners, podcast enthusiasts, and leaders in the podcasting industry.
The inspiration for Africa Podcast Day (February 12) actually came to me after participating in the International Podcast Day 2019 livestream (catch the replay here).
When I came up with the idea for a similar type of day celebrating African podcasters, International Podcast Day co-founder Dave Lee was kind enough to set aside time for myself and the Africa Podfest team to share his tips and insights. So I am always appreciative of him, his team and the work he is doing.
I put out a call asking for Africa-specific events some weeks ago, and below is a curation of everything I know coming up: (if you want to add your event to this list, please email me info@kali.media)
PODS 4 AFRICANS (postponed)
Of course, I have something for International Podcast Day. Over the last 4 months, I have surveyed over 50 African podcasters about their production habits. These podcasters are from all over the continent (mostly Anglophone Africa) and have podcasts as young as three months to over three years old.
Because of the glaring lack of data in African podcasting, my goal was to try pull some numbers together that we can all use. I will be dropping the analysis of the survey the week of International Podcast Day.
I’ll be previewing some of that info on my twitter page, so give me a follow while there :)
International Podcast Day
International Podcast Day has live-streaming from September 29-30, where different podcasters from all over the world will be jumping on to share their podcast experience.
We have two podcasters representing the continent:
Adelle Onyango – Kenya
Leaving Traditional Radio To Podcast & How Podcasts Have Given Kenyans Agency Over Their Stories & Content
Sept 30 7:00AM EAT (GMT +3)
During this presentation, Adelle Onyango will share her journey of being on traditional radio as a radio presenter for 10 years and making the transition to podcasting. She will share what podcasts can borrow from the traditional radio. She will also speak about how Kenyans have been given agency over their stories and have been able to regain control over the stories they want to tell and issues they want to address. A few Kenyan podcasters will share their thoughts on this during her presentation.
(SN: To learn more about Adelle and her epic podcasting journey, you can read my interview with her for Pods 4 Africans here).
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Mukuma Musenge & Cynthia Mulenga – Zambia
Starting a Podcast in Zambia: Experiences, Challenges, and Successes
SEPT 30: 7:00 PM EAT (GMT+3)
During this presentation, the CodeCase team will be sharing their’ journey in podcasting in a country like Zambia. They will share their experience starting a podcast on a budget with no previous experience in media or content creation of this nature. CodeCast will also be talking about current challenges with monetization which is a common problem around Africa as well as how they overcame hurdles with audio quality, distribution.
Follow Cynthia on Twitter, Follow Mukuma on Twitter
SPECIAL MENTION:
Definitely check out the full streaming schedule for other great podcasters that might interest you. But I wanted to also bring attention to this panel of Caribbean podcasters. It’ll be late for us here on the continent, but definitely support our brethren and sistren in the Caribbean if you have some time:
From Patois to Kreyol: The Power of Podcasting in the Caribbean Community
OCT. 1 12:00AM EAT (GMT +3)
In this session you will hear from five Caribbean podcasters from different countries discuss – 1) the impact of podcasting in their country/community, and 2) the challenges and opportunities that podcasting presents. Podcasters will also dive into the future of what podcasting looks like in the region.
Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown – USA, Kadia Francis – Jamaica, Dhano McNicol – Trinidad & Tobago, Soraya Louis – Haiti, Dalan Vanterpool – Virgin Islands
Africa Podfest & Podfest Cairo (Kenya/Egypt)
The continent’s two most established (but still very young) podcast festivals are joining forces to host a Africa Podcasters Roll Call.
This event will give you a chance to talk about your podcast and connect with other podcasters!
Although the deadline to participate is over, those who entered will have 2 minutes to show your audio/ video, talk about yourself, your podcast and why people should listen.
So support your fellow African podcasters who participated here
African Podcast Conference (Nigeria)
Sept 30 @ 4PM WAT (GMT +1)
Our podcasting friends in Nigeria have recently launched African Podcast Conference and they are hosting their first event. I’ll be one panelists.
From the website: “Join us on from 4PM on International Podcast Day (30 September) as we celebrate and discuss all the many ways podcasts, and the voices that host them, are moving the world.”
What to Expect:
A panel discussion featuring 10 professional podcasters
Text chat + Q&A session
Share and discuss fun potential podcast ideas to try with the audience
Network with other hosts
Find new shows to listen to
Inspiration for your next topic or guest!
Podcast presentations
Behind-the-scenes stories on how the best podcasters get it done.
Find out more here.
Read A Free Copy of “Podcast Sessions” Magazine (South Africa)
“The Podcast Sessions" Digital Podcast Magazine is the first of its kind on the African continent.
The magazine, produced by Tinzwe Media, was created to provide a platform for African podcasters to share insights on the podcast industry as well as their journey. As we were questioning why we as Africans kept looking towards international markets for stories on podcasting, we found it to be essential to start telling our own stories and profiling the talent on the continent and within the Diaspora.
The articles in the magazine cover a variety of topics including: the business of podcasting and how to make money, equipment and technology as well as advice. We also have a section called "what we're listening to" pointing listeners towards both African and international podcasts to listen to.
DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY OF THE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER: https://bit.ly/35WQlnC
We encourage podcasters from across the continent and in the African Diaspora to submit their articles and podcasts to us as we want to represent the entire continent as we grow.
Should you want to submit an article to the podcast sessions enquire at: submissions@thepodsessions.com or contact the editor at: rutendo@thepodsessions.com.
Baraza Media Lab & Sema Box Recording Giveaway (Kenya)
SemaBox, a Nairobi-based podcasting studio, is also celebrating international Podcast Day. They're giving away a 10-episode recording bundle giveaway to be done at their plug-and-play boutique recording studio. WOW!
Follow instructions to enter the competition.
(SN: To learn more about SemaBox, you can read my interview here).
HOW ELSE CAN I GET INVOLVED:
I wanted to share this screen grab from the International Podcast Day website for other ways you can celebrate global podcasts on Sept. 30.
I love this list. Want to get involved? Try do at least two things from this list and you should be good.
So be it. See to it.
-Paula, the Podcast Shuri
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