AfroQueer

On this episode, AfroQueer Podcast rebroadcasts an episode of Podcasting Smarter featuring Selly Thiam. Selly is the founder of AfroQueer podcast and AQ Studios. She is a Senegalese-American journalist who has worked with NPR, the New York Times, and StoryCorps, and is passionate about documenting and sharing the stories and training others on documenting the stories of African LGBTQIA++ people. "Podcasting really allows people to connect on that personal level. And when someone is telling you their story or they're explaining a part of who they are or what they've done, it really allows for that deep further connection." In this episode, you will learn: 1. What it's like starting your own production company 2. What podcasting and the culture of podcasters is like within Kenya and on the African continent 3. How to create stories with a strong character-driven narrative Podcasting Smarter is a production of Podbean. For more on audio storytelling you can find all the episodes of Podcasting Smarter on Podbean or wherever you find your podcasts. AfroQueer is Executive Produced by Selly Thiam and is a production of AQ Studios. Sound editing by Tevin Sudi .  Our theme song is Pawa by Maia and the big sky. AfroQueer is supported by The Wellspring Philanthropic fund and Luminate. You can follow us on all social media platforms @AfroQueer Podcast and you can listen to all our episodes on our website aqstudis.fm or anywhere you get your podcasts.  

Get ready for an exciting new season of AfroQueer! Season 5 is just around the corner, and we're thrilled to invite you to be a part of it. We're on the lookout for compelling, thought-provoking pitches that celebrate the diversity of the queer African experience. Whether you're a storyteller, a journalist, an artist, or simply an everyday hero with a powerful narrative to share, AfroQueer Podcast wants to amplify your voice. We believe in the power of storytelling to inspire change and promote understanding. If you have a story to tell or an idea that deserves the spotlight, visit our website at www.aqstudios.fm to submit your pitch.  Stay connected with us and be the first to catch all the latest updates by following us on all social media platforms. Find us @afroqueerpodcast and join us on this incredible journey as we dive into Season 5. Let's make this season an unforgettable celebration of the vibrant and diverse voices within the queer African community! AfroQueer is a production of AQ Studios. Our theme song is Pawa by Maia and the big sky.

About 20 years ago, Marshall Ngwa moved from Cameroon to the US. He followed his instincts and became one of the country’s hottest drag artists, BeBe Zahara Benet.  BeBe’s first-ever performance was with Cyndi Lauper and in 2009 he won the first-ever RuPaul’s Drag Race. His extraordinary journey to that point and beyond has been captured in a documentary called ‘Being BeBe’. It was made by Emily Branham and filmed over 15 years.  In this episode, AfroQueer host Selly Thiam sits down in conversation with BeBe, to explore his childhood in Cameroon, becoming the first RuPaul’s Drag Race champion, and the film Being BeBe.  You can watch Being BeBe on Apple and Amazon Prime - broadcast premiere June 21st on Fuse. Also go to the film website beingbebemovie.com/ to find out where else you can watch it wherever you are in the world. This episode was written and produced by Penny Dale. Sound editing by Tevin Sudi.  AfroQueer is executive produced by me, Selly Thiam. AfroQueer is a production of AQ Studios. Our theme song is Pawa by Maia and the big sky. AfroQueer is supported by The Wellspring Philanthropic fund and The Ford Foundation. You can follow us on all social media platforms @AfroQueer Podcast and listen to all our episodes on our website,.afroqueerpodcast.com or anywhere you get your podcasts.  

In this episode, we’ve collaborated with Logan February and turned their essay into an audio short story. We first heard the Nigerian non-binary poet and songwriter Logan February read this essay during AfroQueer’s online festival in 2020. It's a beautiful, intriguing and very personal piece of writing that explores one of their queer experiences in Nigeria. And explores the experience of being ghosted. This excerpt is called My Ghost, adapted from their work - THE MANIA OF QUEER DESIRE: IN PRAISE OF FEVER RAY’S PLUNGE - and it’s read by Kenzy Nna-Udosen. The music in this episode is Fever Ray's album Plunge. This episode was produced by Penny Dale and Selly Thiam. Written by Penny Dale and narrated by Kenny Nna-Udoosen. Sound editing by Mercy Barno and Tevin Sudi. AfroQueer is executive produced by Selly Thiam and is a production of AQ Studios. Our theme song is Pawa by Maia and the big sky. AfroQueer is supported by The Wellspring Philanthropic fund and The Ford Foundation.  

In this episode, we feature a feed drop trade with a podcast we really love, S***hole Country, an audio memoir set in Ghana during the 2017 holiday season. It's produced Radiotopia presents, a podcast feed debuting limited-run, artist-owned series from new and original voices. The narrator Afia, a middle-aged woman living in California, has spent the past few weeks visiting her family in Ghana. She’s wrestling with a major life decision: should she leave America and accept her parents’ offer of a home in Accra? Something big is keeping her from saying yes. And in this episode, she finally shares what it is. You can listen to S***hole Country episodes in podcast directories or at radiotopiapresents.fm and follow @radiotopia on all social media platforms to discover more shows from their network. S***hole Country is written, narrated, and sound designed by Afia Kaakyire, and produced by Afia and Mark Pagán. Julie Shapiro and Audrey Mardavich are executive producers. Cover art by Sindiso Nyoni, and the theme song, “Home,” is by Ria Boss. Follow them on Instagram @radiotopia and Twitter @radiotopia  AfroQueer is a production of AQ Studios, executive produced by Selly Thiam, and produced by Penny Dale. Tevin Sudi and Mercy Barno are our sound editors and Rachel Wamoto is our social media manager. Our theme song is Pawa by Maia and the big sky. AfroQueer is supported by The Wellspring Philanthropic fund and The Ford Foundation.