Radio Workshop Episodes

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To Vote or Not to Vote in Zimbabwe

Young people in Zimbabwe are torn. Not just about who to vote for, but whether or not they’ll vote at all. Zimbabweans head to the polls on August 23rd 2023. It may be the first or second time young people can participate in the election of a president since the end of Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule in 2017. The coup that toppled him sparked new hope. But election violence, an unstable economy and lack of reforms in the years since have jaded Zimbabwe’s youth.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Sam Broun, Jo Jackson, Naomi Grewan, Kudzayi Zvinavashe, Lynette Manzini, Martha O'Donovan, Mike Rahfaldt , Qhamani Sambu

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Level Up

We held an audio storytelling workshop in Cape Town, South Africa in early 2023, where nine producers from five different countries learnt how to produce a story from beginning to end in just 10 days. This episode features two stories made by new producers, Naomi Grewan from South Africa and Munirah Kaoneka from Tanzania. ‘I’m Just a Wes’ is a story that explores trans joy, and 'Embracing Your Scars’ - a thoughtful and empathetic story about surviving trauma.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Sam Broun, Naomi Grewan, Munirah Kaoneka, Jo Jackson, Mike Rahfaldt , Qhamani Sambu

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This Coal Life

The Skhosanas live a modest yet comfortable life in Kriel, South Africa. And they owe it all to coal. In fact, their family has worked in this industry for generations. But, now, the entire energy sector in South Africa is set to be rewired. Renewable energy will replace coal in a transition intended to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, while also making it a “Just Transition,” as the government calls it, with better jobs and cheaper energy - and maybe even healing past wounds. But what happens to the people who built their lives on coal? The world is watching to see how Kriel - and families like the Skhosanas - are going to do it.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Siya Mokoena, Jo Jackson , Mike Rahfaldt

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Listen to Me

Sibongile is trying to be a better friend to her colleague, who is living with bipolar disorder. Abigail desperately wants to improve her relationship with her father, but not at the cost of her mental health. And two sisters, pushed apart by a traumatic incident, find their way back to each other. These three intimate stories were produced by Radio Workshop youth reporters from across South Africa for the SNF Nostos Mental Health conference, which will be held in Athens, Greece from the 21st to the 23rd of June 2023. More information here.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley , Naomi Grewan

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A Crisis of Biblical Proportions

Climate change is already impacting billions of people worldwide. Floods. Droughts. Climate migration… The enormity of the crisis at hand can make it easy to lose sight of the individuals who are impacted. Like Grace Chileshe Chanda, a 21 year old Zambian climate activist, who's agreed to show us what climate change and the damage from increasingly heavy rains and floods looks like up close in Mtendere - the largest and oldest township in the country’s capital, Lusaka.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Chanda Chabala, Jo Jackson , Mike Rahfaldt

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Room for Tears

Smangele Mathebula was raised to be a strong black woman. Her mother, Irene, taught her to be tough in order to survive the difficult challenges of Apartheid. Smangele never learned to be vulnerable. Now she has her own daughter who's seventeen, and Smangele doesn't want her to hold in her emotions like she learned to. So the two sat down to talk about their mother and grandmother, Irene, sharing feelings, and not grabbing a knife by the blade.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Jo Jackson, Naomi Grewan , Mike Rahfaldt

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Congo en panne: Des promesses tombées à l’eau

Ce dernier épisode de notre série nous entraîne sur le site du barrage d’Inga. Ce projet hydroélectrique monumental est présenté comme pouvant apporter de l’électricité à tous les Congolais. Mais aucun progrès n’est fait depuis 20 ans pour cause de corruption et de mauvaise gestion. Fin 2022, les négociations semblent reprendre entre le gouvernement et un nouvel investisseur, la compagnie australienne Fortescue. Mais une annonce officielle se fait toujours attendre. Avec Prince, un jeune reporter vivant sur place, nous allons à la rencontre de ceux qui ont le plus à perdre dans ce processus : les habitants d’Inga.

Bob Yala, Martine Chaussard, Clémence Petit-Perrot , Jo Jackson

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Can We Just Remove Africa from the Planet?

Rebecca Mbaama knows grief. When she lost her mother suddenly, her world came crumbling down. But for the sake of her siblings (and herself) Rebecca had to keep going. Luckily, her mother left her with all the tools she needed to do just that. In this episode, Rebecca explains how she is facing her climate grief in much the same way - by taking action - not to mention her first flight ever to attend COP27, where she meets activists Emi Mahmoud and Maria Reyes. And just like Rebecca's mum, they inspire her to keep going.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Jo Jackson, Mike Rahfaldt , Rebecca Mbaama

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Congo en panne: Donner le jour dans le noir

Aimeriez-vous accoucher dans un hôpital sans électricité? Dans cet épisode, Bob dévoile les conséquences les plus graves de l’absence d'électricité sur la vie quotidienne des Congolais. Il nous entraîne dans une maternité de Kinshasa où chaque coupure de courant peut entraîner la mort des nouveaux-nés et des jeunes mamans.

Bob Yala, Martine Chaussard, Jo Jackson, Clémence Petit-Perrot , Mike Rahfaldt

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A Moment of Truth

Secrets. That’s what kept “Ras That Guy” safe in Zimbabwe. At his wedding, he wore a traditional white dress to protect a secret. He found hormone injections on the black market which he could take in secret. But Ras is done with secrets. They’ve been eating him up inside. In this episode, he peels back the layers to reveal who he really is. To his surprise, he found allies in people he least expected.

Rob Rosenthal, Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Ras That Guy, Jo Jackson , Mike Rahfaldt

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I Will Not Grow Old Here: The Lights of Sandton

In the third and final episode, Mary-Ann goes in search of “new songs” about her home. A chorus of young voices helps her to explore the contradictions of life in Alexandra. There are no easy answers, and not everyone will make it out of Alex, but there is something infectious about the energy and persistence of young Alexandrians - a spirit Mary-Ann embodies and hopes will take her out of Alex. Some day.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Jo Jackson, Mary-Ann Nobele, Mike Rahfaldt , Martha O'Donovan

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Congo en panne: Onde de choc

Dans le premier épisode de cette série en quatre parties, Bob Yala, notre correspondant en République Démocratique du Congo commence son enquête sur le manque d’accès à l’électricité en RDC en revisitant le drame de Matadi Kibala durant lequel 26 personnes sont mortes électrocutées - un événement qui a choqué les consciences et a inspiré une nouvelle vague d'activisme.

Bob Yala, Jo Jackson, Clémence Petit-Perrot , Mike Rahfaldt

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I Will Not Grow Old Here: The Air We Breathe

In episode two of three, Mary-Ann steps out of her comfort zone to explore parts of Alex she's been warned about her whole life. Her search for answers leads her to places where past and present overlap. How will she find her way out of Alex when the legacy of apartheid lingers, practically in the air she breathes? Meanwhile, things in Mary-Ann’s personal life take a turn for the worse.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Jo Jackson, Mary-Ann Nobele, Mike Rahfaldt , Martha O'Donovan

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I Will Not Grow Old Here: A Girl from Alex

This story starts with a number: 70%. That's how many young people in South Africa are unemployed. Youth hustle and hope to find success, but how do you make it in a place like Alexandra township in Johannesburg? And how do you get out? In this three-part series, 23-year-old Mary-Ann Nobele brings listeners into her life in Alex and shows us why she's made this promise to herself: I will not grow old here.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Jo Jackson, Mary-Ann Nobele, Mike Rahfaldt , Martha O'Donovan

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Coming soon: I Will Not Grow Old Here

This story starts with a number: 70%. That's how many young people in South Africa are unemployed. Youth hustle and hope to find success, but how do you make it in a place like Alexandra township in Johannesburg? And how do you get out? In this three-part series, 23-year-old Mary-Ann Nobele brings listeners into her life in Alex and shows us why she's made this promise to herself: I will not grow old here.

Lesedi Mogoatlhe, Rob Rosenthal, Dhashen Moodley, Mary-Ann Nobele, Jo Jackson, Mike Rahfaldt , Martha O'Donovan

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