De-Graft Mensah brings you the black voices, stories and biggest laughs that you don't always hear in mainstream news.
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From Amazing Sport Stories, this is The Black 14.
In 1969 Wyoming, racism is rife and 14 young black American footballers decide to take a stand. But the repercussions will change their lives forever. BA Parker takes us back to America’s turbulent 1960s to explore the injustice suffered by the “Black 14”.
For the full four-part series, and other incredible tales, search for Amazing Sport Stories wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Special guests, goodbyes and the news that you still need to know.
In this final episode, De-Graft looks back on some of the podcast’s best guests and biggest stories. We also have a major update from Mary, a medical student from Nigeria who was studying in Ukraine when Russia invaded - and a VERY special guest drops in too.
For the very last time, this is… If You Don’t Know.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
Social media has been flooded with talk and questions about the Democratic Republic of Congo. So, for those of you wondering what’s going on in the country... What’s the history behind the conflict? And why has it led to calls to boycott tech companies? This is the episode for you.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been home to war and conflict for decades. This year there’s been an increase in violence in the east, with more than 100 armed groups fighting over territory and natural resources.
Anne Soy, the BBC senior Africa correspondent, kicks off the episode by dipping into the history of the long-running conflict. Anneke Van Woudenburg - from RAID, a human rights NGO - also fills us in on the country’s controversial mining industry. And De-Graft is joined by Junior Masandi - he was born in the DRC, but moved to the UK when he was ten-years-old.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
Despite his death 27 years ago, Tupac Shakur is still making headlines. He’s also widely considered to be one of the most successful rappers of all time. So, why is he so iconic? What was he like as a person, and why has it taken so long to arrest someone for his murder?
De-Graft gets a rare look into Tupac’s life from someone who was close to him, his godfather, Jamal Joseph. Jamal is also the audiobook narrator of the newly released ‘Tupac Shakur: The Authorised Biography’.
And if you don’t know that much about Tupac, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! De-Graft also sits down with culture and music journalist Nicolas-Tyrell Scott, who explains why the rapper was so influential and why a man by the name of Duane Davis has been charged with his murder.
If you have been impacted by any of the issues raised in this podcast, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
De-Graft is joined by the brother, sister and close friend of Gboyega Odubanjo for a special episode to remember his life. The award-winning poet was sadly found dead after going missing at a music festival in Northamptonshire. He was due to perform at Shambala in August.
Rose and Yomi Odubanjo and Tice Cin share their favourite moments and memories of Gboyega and look back on his life, achievements and legacy.
Feel free to get in touch and let us know what you think of the pod or what you want to hear on it. Our WhatsApp number is +44 0330 123 9480. Remember to start your message with IYDK, to make sure we see it.
If you've been affected by family bereavement or any of the issues in this episode, check out www.bbc.co.uk/actionline for advice and support.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
We’re celebrating Black History Month with a special collaboration with the one and only George the Poet!
De-Graft and George join forces for a bit of black history, a competitive quiz and some unapologetic realness. From rapping to poetry, rejecting MBEs and the tokenism of Black History Month… we get into all of this and more. You won’t want to miss this one!
Presenters: De-Graft Mensah and George the Poet
Producer: Kamilah Mclnnis
Sound: Kamilah McInnis and Dave O’Neill
Senior News Editor: Sam Bonham
In July 2020, Nicole Thea - a popular content creator and YouTuber - died, along with her unborn son, Reign, who she was eight months pregnant with. Her husband Global Boga joins us to share how he’s been coping three years on, and to tell us about the Nicole Thea Foundation.
After Nicole died, her inquest found she had an underlying heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. It’s also known as HCM… but, what is it? And how do you find out if you’ve got it? Doctor Khadija Owusu pays the pod a visit to tell us about the condition and also how we can all better look after ourselves.
For this special episode, De-Graft is joined by guest co-host Jonelle Awomoyi. You might recognise her as a BBC News Tik Tok presenter and co-host of the Reliable Sauce podcast!
De-Graft mentioned at the start of this episode that we wanted to hear from you. Please get in touch and let us know what you think of the pod or what you want to hear on it. Our WhatsApp number is +44 0330 123 9480. Remember to start your message with IYDK, to make sure we see it.
It’s our first episode back after our summer break, so we’re kicking off with some BBC News royalty. Following the release of his brand new memoir, presenter Clive Myrie joins De-Graft for a chat and some exciting revelations…
And it was around this time last year that our social media feeds were flooded with some of our favourite creatives donning flamboyant garms at the GUAP Gala. But what actually is the event? Who started it and why? And most importantly, how can you get invited? The founders of GUAP, Ibrahim Kamara and Jide Adetunji are in the building to spill the tea on all things GUAP.
We say this every episode, but we want to hear from you and we mean it! Drop us a line, say hello, or even let us know what you want to hear on the pod. Our WhatsApp number is +44 0330 123 9480. Remember to start your message with IYDK, to make sure we see it.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
Drill music… it’s topping the charts, on the radio and stuck in our heads. But despite its popularity, it remains a controversial genre. BBC Three has just released a documentary, which looks at the police’s response to Drill music. De-Graft sits down with Rianna Gayle, one of the documentary’s producers, as well as Kingsley Okyere - co-founder of Mixtape Madness - to discuss Drill, which is now even being played in courts.
And, you may have heard of Amani Simpson, the award-winning youth coach, speaker and filmmaker. He’s got a new film out called Save Me. Amani also shares his story with De-Graft of being stabbed seven times, and how this inspired him to help others.
We want to hear from you! Drop us a line, say hello, or even let us know what you want to hear on the pod. Our WhatsApp number is +44 0330 123 9480. Remember to start your message with IYDK, to make sure we see it.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
We’re celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Windrush’s arrival with a special episode and some very special guests!
Kicking off with music, 1Xtra Talks host Richie Brave - who is of Guyanese heritage - takes De-Graft on a timeline tour which explains how influential sounds from the Caribbean helped create modern music genres such as jungle, grime and drill.
Did you know that the words barbeque, hurricane and peng came from the Caribbean? You might have guessed that last one… but some common words became a part of our vocabulary via the Windrush generation. De-Graft gets into this with Kia Fullerton a journalist and producer, whose family is from Grenada and St Vincent. Kia curated an exhibition at the Museum of London on the history of Caribbean languages.
We want to hear from you! Message us with a hello, drop us a line and let us know what you want to hear on the podcast. Our WhatsApp number is +44 0330 123 9480. Remember to start your message with IYDK, to make sure we see it.
Presenter: De-Graft Mensah
The podcast currently has 92 episodes available.
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