Dr Athambile Masola is a writer, poet, researcher and lecturer whose work centres Black women’s histories, reading and education in South Africa. In this episode she traces her journey from a childhood upended by her mother’s mental illness to finding anchors in school, church and the written word, reflecting on how journalling and poetry became a way to witness chaos and grief.​

We dive into South Africa’s reading crisis, overcrowded classrooms, mother‑tongue bilingual education and the “inequality of experience” between public and private schools, as well as the invisible emotional labour teachers carry as the “aunties and uncles of the world”. Athambile also grapples with phones, AI and attention, asking what is lost when we outsource thinking instead of doing the slow work of reading and writing for ourselves.

Dr Athambile Masola – links:

• UCT profile: https://humanities.uct.ac.za/department-historical-studies/people-academic-staff/dr-athambile-masola​

• Poetry collection Ilifa: http://uhlangapress.co.za/athambile-masola-ilifa​

• The Conversation articles: https://theconversation.com/profiles/athambile-masola-1289114

If this conversation with Dr Athambile Masola helped you read the world a little differently, take a moment to support the work: follow or subscribe to the show, leave a quick rating or review, and share this episode with someone who cares about books, teachers or Black women’s histories.

Recorded at Vodcast TV

#AthambileMasola #ReadingTheWorldAnew #SouthAfricaReadingCrisis #BlackWomenWriting #Teachers #AfricanPodcast #Educational #Literature

Born in Eswatini, raised in New York, and now shaping how the world hears Africa – Nkosiyati 'Yati' Khumalo's journey from third-culture kid to GQ South Africa's first Black editor-in-chief globally, Apple Music Africa editorial lead and founding Editor-in-Chief of Billboard Africa is a masterclass in curiosity, resilience and reinvention.

In this conversation, Yati opens up about growing up between worlds, losing his mother at eighteen, and rebuilding his life in South Africa with no safety net and no formal pipeline. He reflects on the chameleon work of adapting to every room, and asks the harder question underneath it all:

"How do I get back to being green?"

We move through the GQ years – Black dandyism, aspirational media and the tension of representing a complex, majority Black readership under an international franchise – before arriving at the music. From Apple Music playlists to Billboard Africa charts, Yati speaks about why African stories must be told by African voices:

"We don't have to wait for someone to come shine the light on us. We can do it."

This is a conversation about home, grief, masculinity, curiosity and the unbound potential of African creativity.

"It's a challenge and a privilege to be that bridge."

If you have ever felt in between cultures, careers or versions of yourself – this one is for you.

Connect with Nkosiyati 'Yati' Khumalo:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/yatikhumalo

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nkosiyatik

• Billboard Africa: www.africa.billboard.com

Enjoyed this episode? Here is what to do next:

Subscribe to Listen To Your Footsteps so you never miss a conversation that matters. Leave a comment or review and tell us what resonated with you – we read every single one. Share this episode with someone who is building bridges of their own.

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In this conversation, South African composer, singer, songwriter and visual artist Asanda “Msaki” Lusaseni opens up about what it really takes to catch songs between worlds while keeping your heart soft and your life intact. She traces her journey from an academic, sports driven Eastern Cape childhood and an unfinished fine art degree to leaving university, building her own label and learning the business side so she could protect the soul of her songs.​

Msaki speaks about independence as a spiritual and structural choice, why she now sees the music value chain as a circular diagram, and how Out Black Continuum and Similar Life retreats were born from her own needs as a burnt out artist searching for overflow again. She shares how motherhood, homeschooling and creative wellness forced her to redraw boundaries with touring, and why she refuses the idea that artists “owe” constant performances to anyone.​

We dive into songwriting camps in Los Angeles and Nashville, the mentorship of writers like Dan Wilson, and her dream of building a real songwriting infrastructure on the continent. Along the way she unpacks collaboration, genre fluid performance, the “jack of all trades” label, and what it means to sing the same essential song through music, poetry, diagrams and community spaces.​

If you are an independent creative, a parent in the arts or simply someone trying to make honest work without losing yourself, this episode offers language, tools and quiet courage for your own journey.

#SouthAfricanMusic #IndependentArtist #Songwriting #AfricanMusic #BusinessofMusic

Felicia Naiwa Sithebe is a producer, creative director and cultural worker whose life sits at the crossroads of theatre, television and radical care for African actors. In this conversation, she opens up about surviving a lupus scare and ICU, the gratitude alarms that now instruct her to dance in the middle of the day, and how those near‑loss moments reshaped her relationship with work, family and rest.​​

We trace her journey from community theatre in Soweto and an Indian neighbourhood in the south of Johannesburg, through acting on Soul Buddyz and other shows, to co‑founding Actor Spaces and helping drive festivals and industry platforms that archive, celebrate and develop performers. Felicia shares how she and her husband built a life and a business together, why they give away most of their time to growing other artists, and how they fund that generosity through casting, partnerships and teaching.​

Along the way we talk about theatre as spiritual technology, the slow erosion of live performance in the age of streaming and convenience, and what it will take to bring younger audiences back into rooms where stories can transform them in real time. Felicia also unpacks her current obsession with building “accountable actors” through financial literacy, wellness and industry literacy, so that artists are not just visible but able to sustain themselves and their families.​

If you are an actor, filmmaker, writer or cultural worker wrestling with burnout, money and meaning, this episode offers both a mirror and a roadmap.​

In this episode, we explore:

• Growing up between Soweto, Orlando West and an Indian community, and how that shaped her eye for story and belonging

• Discovering acting as a teenager and why theatre still feels like home and church to her

• Working with her husband, building Actor Spaces and keeping love intact while running a business together

• Surviving lupus, setting gratitude and rest alarms, and redesigning her life around healing

• The economics of giving back, casting, partnerships and why most of their work is intentional service

• Why representation, archiving and financial literacy matter for African actors and storytellers right now

  
  

  Recorded at Vodcast TV

Senior marketing and communications strategist Tumi Rabanye joins Listen To Your Footsteps to explore why the best brand and creative strategies start with endless questions, not quick answers. Growing up between law, music and broadcasting in Mafikeng, she learnt to look behind the mic and ask who decides how society speaks, thinks and sees itself.

In this conversation, Tumi reflects on the influence of her parents, the teachers who expanded her sense of possibility, and the early radio experiences that stripped away the glamour of fame and revealed the craft of storytelling. She tracks her zigzag journey through journalism, television and financial services into a life devoted to strategy, and explains why “the why” is the core skill that keeps her in demand.

We talk about South African schooling, representation and hair politics, how homelands shaped a surprisingly big thinking community, and what it means to raise children with access that removes the novelty from media and influence. Tumi shares a powerful “midwifery” metaphor for creative strategy, unpacks how to nourish ideas so they live in culture, and discusses why brands must choose between exclusionary declarations and inclusive invitations.

We also dive into how she uses artificial intelligence as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, why tools do not replace the work of curiosity, and how voice, writing and journaling help us hear ourselves more clearly. If you care about brand building, African creativity, or simply making braver decisions in a noisy world, this episode will shift how you think about strategy, power and possibility.

Recorded at Vodcast TV

What happens when your life refuses to fit into a single box? In this conversation, Kojo Baffoe sits down with Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Oxford-educated scholar, SMWX host, musician and former aspiring professional footballer, to explore what it means to live between worlds.​

From dreams of playing for Liverpool and recording hip-hop with Entity alongside AKA, to studying politics, philosophy and economics, lecturing at Wits and building one of South Africa’s most influential political podcasts, Sizwe’s journey is a masterclass in convergence.​

Together they unpack regret and alternative timelines, learning to trust that “life is long” and that scattered passions eventually come together in unexpected ways. They talk about journaling as a practice of self-rescue, running two different notebooks, and using writing to design a more honest relationship with work, creativity and rest.​

Sizwe opens up about being raised by a white mother while rooted in Xhosa traditions, spending a year in the rural Eastern Cape, and learning to accept a hybrid identity that never fully belongs yet can move with ease across worlds. He reflects on parenting, his relationship with his father, and how public life, politics and social media have reshaped his sense of self and responsibility.​

The episode stretches out into African architecture, cities and history, asking how our built environment and broken historical threads shape the confidence of future generations.​

If you are a multipotentialite, a writer, a creative or simply someone trying to harmonise many selves, this is a generous, grounding listen.

Actor, poet, musician and social activist Antonio David Lyons joins Listen To Your Footsteps to talk about grief, ancestors and what it means to keep stepping through every open door.

Raised between Jamaican, Bahamian and African American worlds, Antonio traces how dance, poetry and libraries became early places of healing and imagination, long before New York stages or South African screens.

He shares how a stalled career in Los Angeles led to depression, envy and a promise to protect his soul, eventually pushing him to leave Hollywood, move to South Africa and rebuild an authentic lane across acting, house music, racial justice workshops and foundation leadership.

From Hotel Rwanda and Generations to the Valerie J MaynardFoundation and Georgetown University, his story shows what a true portfolio life can look like when you stop waiting for permission.

The conversation moves deep into grief, as Antonio reflects on losing his mother, stepmother and mentor, and learning that “you must hold yourself” while staying rooted in Yoruba spirituality and the belief that he is his ancestors and his ancestors are him.

Together with host Kojo Baffoe, he explores therapy, ocean rituals, responsibility to family and why some people are drawn to chaos while others discipline themselves towards peace.

If you are wrestling with loss, thinking about leaving an industry to save your soul, or wondering how to build a creative portfolio life that actually feels like yours, this episode offers language, companionship and a gentle push towards your next open door.

Recorded at Vodcast TV

Chartered marketer, brand strategist and podcast host Mpeo Nkosi joins Listen To Your Footsteps to talk about burnout, career change and choosing an intentional life beyond corporate comfort.

In this honest conversation, she shares how staying too long in the wrong role made her physically ill, why she now works three days a week and what it really takes to design the next 23 years of your working life on purpose.

We explore the psychology of consumers, the difference between skills and job titles, and how storytelling can help youbuild brands, businesses and careers that actually fit who you are.

Mpeo opens up about parenting a 23-year-old, letting go of control, navigating a blended family and getting married at 36 after deciding she might never meet her person.

If you are a mid-career professional, creative or entrepreneur questioning success, this episode offers practical reflection prompts and language you can use to renegotiate your relationship with work, time and validation.

Listen in for grounded wisdom on owning your choices, redefining stability and giving yourself permission to live an unscripted, more deliberate life.

Before he became one of the most respected voices shaping South Africa’s music ecosystem, Refiloe Ramogase was a boy in a Catholic school uniform learning discipline, structure and the emotional silence that often comes with it.

His path moved through political science dreams, economic pressure, call centre shifts, artist management battles and industry boardrooms. Along the way, he learned that leadership is not defined by title or visibility, but by the willingness to disrupt yourself repeatedly and consciously.

In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Refiloe reflects on:

• How Catholic school discipline formed his worldview, ambition and emotional habits.
• The economic realities that pushed him from political dreams into the corporate world.
• The moment he stepped into the music industry and saw the structural gaps hurting artists.
• Why the industry needs better systems, policies and protection rather than more stars.
• The emotional weight of grief and how loss reshaped his identity, presence and priorities.
• How therapy helped him unlearn inherited patterns and build healthier ways of being.
• The transformative role of fatherhood and raising daughters with emotional intelligence.
• Why leadership rooted in self-disruption creates better teams, systems and legacies. 

Refiloe speaks with clarity, humour and emotional honesty, offering a rare look into the internal and external work required to lead in creative industries. His story is not about chasing power.

It is about becoming the kind of person who can hold power responsibly.

Whether you work in music, lead people, raise children or are navigating your own evolution, this episode will shift how you think about leadership, identity and the systems we build.

Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Afripods⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find the latest from Refiloe on the following platforms:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkTree⁠, or get the latest from Refiloe Ramogase Productions by visiting LinkedIn | Instagram⁠

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• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH | LISTEN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zebra Culture Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Recorded at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vodcast TV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Show Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ayob Vania

Siphiwe Mhlambi’s story begins with rupture. Abandoned as a child, raised without answers, and left to assemble a sense of belonging from fragments, he discovered a camera at thirteen and found more than a hobby. He found a lifeline. A discipline. A language. And eventually, a world that would let him build himself, frame by frame.

Today, Siphiwe stands as one of South Africa’s most respected documentary and jazz photographers, a quiet custodian of history whose images have travelled far beyond the stages and streets where they were born. His archive does more than capture musicians or moments. It preserves a culture, honours overlooked lives, and restores dignity to stories that might otherwise vanish.

In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Siphiwe reflects on:

• How childhood abandonment shaped his relationship with silence, searching and storytelling
• The moment a camera became both structure and salvation
• Why jazz is not just a genre but a philosophy that shaped his way of seeing
• His role as an archivist of South African culture and why documentation is a form of justice
• The mentors, communities and chosen family who gave him roots
• The emotional labour of photographing other people’s truths while confronting his own

Siphiwe speaks with humility, precision and emotional clarity, offering a rare look into a life shaped by creative resilience. His reflections remind us that healing is slow work, artistry takes courage, and legacy is built through consistent, deliberate witnessing.

Whether you know his photographs or meet him here for the first time, this episode reveals the human story behind the lens: a boy becoming a man, a seeker becoming an archivist,and an artist learning to belong.

Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Afripods⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find the latest from Siphiwe on the following platforms:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , or visit ⁠siphiwemhlambi.com⁠

Subscribe to:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH | LISTEN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zebra Culture Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Recorded at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vodcast TV⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Show Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe⁠⁠⁠⁠

Produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ayob Vania