Africa Straight Talk

We are re-posting some of our favourite past episodes!!!! The goal is to support, elevate and empower our fellow brothers and sisters from the continent to keep the momentum going. Stay tuned for more episodes. Kenyan-born artist, educator and entrepreneur, Kimani Muturi, tells us how he is turning the waste products of banana farming in … Continue reading ENCORE: Episode 91: Meet the fine artist turning banana fibers into quality Ugandan products

There are African immigrants who say they support MAGA and Trump. Are they genuine, naive, or just optimistic opportunists?

We were a little all over the place on this episode (in a good way of course) – what’s hot in America aka Kamala Harris, and how the diaspora can grow a spine.

Young people in Kenya have finally woken up and taken President Ruto and his government by the horns. It’s a bold and commendable and commendable in a continent where young people rarely question when old politicians tell them they are the leaders of tomorrow.Now the question is: what strategies do young people have to ensure … Continue reading Episode 132: Welcome back, and the Kenyan Protests

Did you know that Nado, my co-host, met Bob Marley in Oakland and he autographed his record? I must add that Nado spoke about it as if he was meeting a friend on a random weekend! I don’t know how to feel about that…but I KNOW Kwesi must be extremely jealous

Update: Kevin Kangethe, the man accused of murdering Maggie Mbitu in Boston has been re captured and is awaiting extradition to the US to face murder charges. Hopefully this time he won’t escape in a matatu!

I know… but some are still writing 2023 as their year or are still on holiday-mode. The truth is …it would feel weird not to post this very exciting episode! Did you know Dr. Kwame Nkruma’s plan for Africa unification was a blueprint for European Union?

Niger is the latest but definitely not the last African country to have a coup. The question is, are coups the answer to getting the change Africans are searching for?

Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, a former taxi driver in Kenya, managed to convince his followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus. At least 600 people are missing, and of the more than 200 bodies recovered appear to have be missing organs, according to authorities. Have religious organizations become too powerful to regulate?

After nearly 40 years in power, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has nothing to show for it. He's blaming #homosexuality. Yes, it's not the rampant corruption but adults having consensual same sex. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

“Until lions learn to tell their own stories, the tale of the lion hunt will always glorify the African hunter,” goes one African saying. We look at the lionesses who are bravely challenging the archaic Eurocentric tale of the hunt.

Pope Francis was in South Sudan recently, but unlike his 2019 visit, no pictures have emerged of the pontiff kneeling down to kiss the feet of President Salva Kiir Mayardit. We think it's because the Pope has probably seen the video showing Kiir peeing on himself, which the president somehow blamed on journalists.

We are back for the 2023 season! As always, we're talking straight. Two of us are complaining about working too hard, as one of us bitches about being fired. One thing we can all agree on, though, is that when you are an African, your job belongs to your relatives. But isn't it time to #reclaim our #freedoms and encourage personal #responsibility?

Happy New Year to you, our fellow Africa Straight Talk fans! We are thankful that you have supported us over the years! We are on a short break BUT lookout for our first episode in February. If you hear or know anyone making waves (small and big) in Africa, email us africastraighttalk@gmail.com. We want to … Continue reading A New Year!

In our last episode of the year, we wind up our coverage of the World Cup and get back to the business of talking about Africa. Are extravagant weddings necessary? ​Why do African leaders rush to Washington at the snap of President Joe Biden's fingers?

For true fans of the beautiful game, there are values we just have to set aside every four years to enjoy ​the World Cup. This is a candid discussion about how we become bigoted, vile, and even openly racist for those few weeks.

We begin the 2022 World Cup with a unique analysis of the tournament organized by FIFA, the only corrupt institution the world loves.

When it emerged that Rishi Sunak, the first non-white Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, traces part of his ancestry to East Africa, some people in the region became very excited. The excitement wasn't quite to the level it was when Barack Obama became President of the United States, but people were equally proud. Why?

President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, probably thinks banning free speech will allow him to stay in power for another 40 years. We think Ugandans should just send their seditious thoughts to their allies outside the country an we'll share them on social media.

We don't think so, but across Africa, leaders who are short of ideas are preying on the gullibility of the continent's staunchly religious people. From prayer breakfasts to government bans of anything that even remotely resembles homosexuality in the media, religious myths have taken precedence over common-sense

Hana Njau-Okolo, a Kenyan-Tanzanian writer and poet based in Atlanta, Georgia, talks about how a simple conversation with a friend converted her from being an admirer of Queen Elizabeth II to asking tough questions about the departed monarch's legacy.

Kwesi Wilson returns to the show to talk about the proliferation of evangelical churches in his country of birth, Ghana, and how their around-the-clock “speaking in tongues” ruined what was supposed to be his summer of recuperation and rejuvenation.

On Aug. 9, two of the wealthy goons suspected of colluding to perpetrate the worst post-election violence Kenya has ever seen went against each other for the right to continue the economic molestation of the country. Which one will prevail?

Aurelio De Lourentiis, the president of Napoli, said recently that the Italian football club will no longer hire Africans who won't agree not to play in the African Cup of Nations. Although, prominent Africans have spoken against the Italian, none has responded with the anger this blatant racism warrants. Are we being too soft?

Kenya goes to the polls on Tuesday Aug. 9. From the presidential contenders all the way down, the pool (or cesspool) of candidates is filled with people with questionable morals. One of them, a Nairobi gubernatorial candidate named Johnson Sakaja, has been under fire for failing to prove that he has a university degree, as required by law. Does an African really need a university degree in western education to be a good leader?

When we started this podcast, it was difficult to imagine us coming this far--from 40 downloads of our first episode, to thousands. That's all thanks to our loyal listeners, who have shown that there is a need for African stories and perspectives in this podcasting space. Episode 100 is a look back the motivation behind the founding of Africa Straight Talk, our present challenges, and what we think the future holds.

We are about to celebrate a major milestone….our 100th episode!!! As we prepare, we encourage you to listen to some of our past episodes where we talked to some great guests and discussed interesting topics. We can’t wait to be back!!!!

We speak with Jori Lewis about her new book, Slaves for Peanuts, a story about the role the crop played in slavery and colonization of Africa. Lewis is an award–winning African American journalist who writes about agriculture and the environment.

What do the elections, and porta parties have in common? They can make people question their sanity. Hence our discussion on mental health. May is Mental Health Awareness month and our discussion was about the upcoming Kenyan elections and how some rules could easily lead to mistrust and unrest in an otherwise peaceful nation. We … Continue reading Episode 98: News from around Africa

Journalists in many parts of the world have changed policies and countries. Is it possible to have the same in Africa?

Kenyan lawyer, Cindano wa Gakuru, talks about the "different monkeys" who are fighting it out in the "same forest" that is the the Kenyan elections, which are scheduled for August 9.

Alpha Lewis, an educator and workforce development professional, talks about how important it is for African nations to trade and collaborate amongst themselves. Lewis is currently a professor at Skyline College in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Christian Obumseli, a 27-year-old Nigerian American, was killed in Miami by his white girlfriend, Courtney Clenney. Immediately, police and U.S. media started hinting at "self defense." That was expected. What was shocking was seeing so many Black women say that he deserved it for dating a white woman -- as if it's unheard of for a Black woman to kill a spouse.

California intends to give reparations to Black residents of the state, but only if they are descendants of African slaves. How do we feel about it? And of course, we can’t be the only ones not talking about Will Smith, Chris Rock, and the Oscars slap that ended Russia’s war on Ukraine (for a week … Continue reading Episode 93: Should Africans in California get reparations?

There is no shortage of Africans with ingenious ideas. Many have created prototypes of their inventions, but why do they continue to struggle to scale up? We talk about some of the geniuses we've interviewed on Africa Straight Talk.

Kenyan-born artist, educator and entrepreneur, Kimani Muturi, tells us how he is turning the waste products of banana farming in Uganda into beautiful, export-quality fabrics and rugs.

We discuss various topics, including Black people in positions of power who harass and sabotage other Black people because they don't want to be seen as engaging in the same cronyism white people practice in the workplace every damn day.

They say when the world sneezes, Africa catches the cold. Putin’s war on Ukraine is no exception, and we offer an unapologetic analysis. (WARNING: This one got heated. Some language might be offensive).

When Daniel Leinhardt and his family lost all their savings to an international cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, he decided to go after the Ugandan director of OneCoin scam. He speaks about the scheme that derailed his university education, and how he was pleasantly shocked when Ugandan authorities arrested John Mwangutsya. Mwangutsya was Uganda’s director of OneCoin, … Continue reading Episode 88: How a young Ugandan brought down the Ponzi schemer who stole from the poor

It used to be that the only way Africans stole from Americans was from far away by means like the infamous 419 e-mail scam. Nowadays we are doing in the United States, and a lot of us are getting bu

As part of our #BlackHistoryMonth coverage, Emmanuel Nado speaks with Samuel Pieh, the great-great-grandson of Joseph #Cinqué of the #Amistad fame.

Is the experiment of western-style democracy in Africa over?

South Africa has major problems ranging from failed post-Apartheid land reforms to racial inequality to rampant corruption. But none of them, it seems, is larger than having a near-naked indigenous king who grows and smoked dagga, as marijuana is know down there.