Keeping Athena Company

It's the first lockdown edition of Keeping Athena Company! Put your phone down and refrain from snitching, no actual company was kept during the recording of this podcast. Recorded via our laptops, I catch up with my friend Shaherah to talk about working as a new mum, environmentalism and why people made too big a deal about panic buying. I also relive my ill fated attempt to start a hashtag. Enjoy.

Shaherah Jordan is a Communications professional currently studying for a PHD. Amongst other things she's an ex pro-volleyball player, body builder and nutritionist. She can be found on Twitter and Instagram @shaherahjordan 

Bilal came round and the child picked him as her favourite so far. He had her smiling throughout! We chat about feeling bitter as creatives, grandparents, dating rich people and the inescapable reality of identity politics. 

Bilal Zafar is a Stand up Comedian, Actor and Writer from and based in London. He was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016 and won the Hackney Empire New Act Award (NATYS) in the same year.

“Witty and absorbing…highly entertaining.  I look forward to whatever Zafar cooks up next”

Dominic Maxwell, The Times

“Delivers big laughs”  Brian Logan, The Guardian

Follow Bilal on Twitter: @ZafarCakes

Rahnak Patel has spent almost 20 years working in television and is now head of development in a big ol' television company, which means at some point in the past decade or so you would have watched a show that she invented! As well as that, she's my friend innit. She came down to talk about meal preps, diversity, dating whilst sober and our twin mothers. I also come up with a business idea which I beg you not to steal please. Find her on Instagram: @rahnakpate1. Enjoy!

Chris Enti and I go waaaay back. He knew me before the dreadlocks. We used to work together hatching up major life goals in local authority offices and now he's a businessman with an even bigger plan. He came round to chat about dating, entrepreneurship, sustainability and explains why I have a thing for big black horses. 

Chris is the inventor of a brilliant card game: What He Really Thinks. We talk about it, I play it and you can buy it here: www.whathereallythinks.co.uk

You can follow Chris on Instagram: @whrt100

You can find out more about Eden Textiles, his ethical used clothing company: http://www.edentextiles.co.uk/

The child is especially noisy and disuptive in this one but as always, poor quality recording is made up for with top quality conversation, I promise!

LIVE AND DIRECT FROM ACCRA!

Whilst in the capital of Ghana I had to connect with my sis Sylvia Arthur. Writer, journalist, communications guru and now librarian of Libreria, a small library that makes a big difference in the country we are both from. 

We talk about working in a different country, how being in Africa doesn't mean you are free from Euro-centric thinking and how to survive without saveloys.

Keep up with Sylvia by following her on Facebook and Instagram (@liberiagh) and find out more by checking out all her juicy press:

• The World Today magazine: Learning to Love Libraries

More about Sylvia:

Sylvia Arthur is a British-Ghanaian narrative nonfiction writer whose work explores identity, diaspora, politics, and place. Her work has been published in The Guardian, the BBC, and The British Journalism Review and her essay, Britain’s Invisible Black Middle Class appears in the anthology, Know Your Place: Essays by the Working Class for the Working Class.

She has been awarded fellowships to Hedgebrook and Santa Fe Art Institute and received a grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation via 516 Arts to produce a publication on immigration and art produced in and about the US-Mexico border region. Her short play, Haze, had a six-night run at The Vaults theatre in London and her one-woman show, Obama & Me, was performed in London, Brussels, and San Francisco to a sold-out audience. She holds an MA in Narrative Nonfiction Writing and has worked as a consultant to the European Commission on communicating Freedom of Movement. Much of this experience of living and working in mainland Europe informs her writing.

She's currently working on a collection of interconnected narrative essays called African, & Other Curse Words. She lives in Accra where she has turned her vast collection of books into Ghana's first private lending library.

In this episode I talk panto, history, improv and Great British comedy with the uber talent that is Ben Van Der Velde. This was an absolute pleasure to hear Ben share his vast knowledge, curiosity and his most favourite fact.

More about Ben:

In this episode I am joined by someone with a PHD in economics and if you you listen you will learn about the following:

Why anti capitalists are really just anti imperialists because capitalism as it is intended to be doesn't really exist

Why financiers want to leave the EU

Why left wing politics has up until this point been imperialist 

Why the City of London might note be as sinister as you think.

This was recorded on the Sunday after the Thursday before so this is also your last word on the 2019 General Election! I promise this has plenty of food for thought.

Susie reads all the books so you don't have to and it was a pleasure to get her intellect on wax, so to speak.

More about Susie:

Susie Steed is a writer and comedian who has written for publications such as The Guardian, HuffPost and appeared on the TEDx Talks, LSE Podcast and Institute of Ideas. She has appeared in several documentaries including The Spiders Web and In Transition 2.0. She has performed several times at the Edinburgh Festival, last year in a show called ‘Gold Diggers’ and the year before on a walking tour exploring the hidden history of Capitalism which was featured on Al Jazeera in this clip. She runs economics walking tours around the City of London. She also co-runs a comedy night in Brixton.

She writes excellent blogs at: http://susiesteed.com/

In this episode I am joined by the epically talented rapper and comedian Joe Jacobs. We chat about success, where Eminem is going wrong and the underground rappers you need to be listening to if you're bored of Ed Sheeran. Plus we have the definitive winner of the ultimate creative battle: comedy vs. rap. Enjoy!

Find Joe Jacobs on Twitter, Instagram and You Tube: @JesterJacobs

More about Joe:

Joe Jacobs is a London based comedian, rapper and writer. Since 2012, he has performed nationally and internationally, sharing bills with acts including Bill Burr, Stewart Lee and Mr. Motivator.

His live shows effortlessly flit between hip hop and comedy and he’s been seen/heard on Channel 4, BBC Radio 4, BBC 6 Music, Radio 1XTRA, plus gained millions of viral video views online. In addition to stand up, as solo artist Jester Jacobs, he has put out regular music since 2008. His latest EP State Of The Art was released in 2019.

In 2017, Joe took Ripe to the Edinburgh Fringe where it received critical acclaim. In 2019, he returned with Grimefulness. 

Joe has just appeared on Channel 4’s stand up show ClubNite.

We are back! After a brief hiatus caused by a house move and various conflicting work commitments I am finally able to release to you my chat with James Harris. We have a must listen chat about what being anti-racist is actually about, anti-semitism, non-league football and the hostile environment. 

I was joined by character comedian President Obonjo otherwise known as Benjamin Bankole Bello. We chat about spending formative years in Nigeria, starting comedy a little later in life and whether or not we'll see this mad dictator in Nollywood. Plus he has a hidden talent...press play and all will be revealed. Benjamin is a treat and this was a pleasure to record!

More about President Obonjo:

n the age of Trump, populism and Brexit, the world probably doesn’t need another bloated ego pretending to give easy solutions. Thankfully what we need is a comedy character who skewers them with precision, hilarity and who isn't afraid at showing vulnerability.

President Obonjo,  is an upcoming and increasingly successful stand-up comedian and who has been peforming Comedy for the past 10 years.. As the larger-than-life, uber-confident, self-appointed, side-splitting dictator of 'Lafta Republic', President Obonjo has quietly been leading a comedy revolution to become the first President to take over the comedy industry by storm. He has been creating rumblings by storming New Act competitions including winning Luton Comedian of the Year, Runner-Up at Great Yorkshire Fringe and was a finalist in the Naty New Act of the . His previous solo show President Obonjo Stole My Identity was performed in 2015 at Bath Comedy Festival, Brighton Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals in 2015  and 2017  to packed crowds and critical acclaim.

President Obonjo took his third Edinburgh Show titled Goodbye Mr President to the fringe in 2019