Higher Ground

•

Channel • 8 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Series
Self-Improvement

Self-Improvement

Updated 4 days ago
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly
Music

Music

Series
Medicine

Medicine

Updated Weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly

15/10/2025

To Hell and Back

Fela’s music had the power to move hearts, change minds, and in the case of one man, heal the deepest wounds. Audio clip of Ayo Edebiri courtesy of Sundance Institute. Used by Permission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15/10/2025

•

38 min
4 DAYS AGO

Tell Your Story with Jonathan Capehart

Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and MS NOW host Jonathan Capehart joins the show to discuss his memoir, Yet Here I Am. Michelle and Craig turn the tables and learn more about how Jonathan ended up in journalism— from his childhood shuttling between New Jersey and North Carolina, to his early career in the New York, and his experience as a gay Black man in media. Have a question you want answered? Write to us at imopod.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

4 days ago

•

1h 1m
15/10/2025

Becoming Fela

Every superhero – and superstar – has an origin story. For Fela, it happened in 1969 Los Angeles, where a potent mix of music and politics turned a “missionary boy” into a Pan-Africanist freedom fighter and ignited a musical firestorm. Voice of America audio clips courtesy of voanews.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

15/10/2025

•

56 min
22/10/2025

Vengeance of the Vagina Head

Origin story part 2. The “ideological genealogy” of Fela’s revolution actually extends back farther than 1969. Fela’s began twenty years earlier, when he was an 8 year old boy watching his mom make history. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22/10/2025

•

55 min
22/10/2025

Enter the Shrine

Fela’s club, The Shrine, was an oasis of freedom amidst a brutal dictatorship. Once inside – and on the dancefloor – the music intoxicated, enraptured and, ultimately, inspired resistance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

22/10/2025

•

28 min
29/10/2025

Trickster Makes the World

Fela was known almost as much for his hijinx as he was for his music. He took aim at the powers-that-be and, over and over, paid for it in blood. And yet, every provocation served as creative inspiration. Audio clip of Konkombe courtesy Harcourt Films Ltd. Lijadu Sisters appear courtesy of Secretly Publishing and Numero Group. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

29/10/2025

•

40 min
05/11/2025

The Queens

According to some, the key to Afrobeat was its women. And one of the keys to understanding this “very complicated” man is how Fela both liberated and oppressed the women closest to him, depending on who you ask. Audio clip of Ayo Edebiri courtesy of Sundance Institute. Used by Permission. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

05/11/2025

•

46 min
12/11/2025

Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense

As Fela’s campaign against the state begins to take form, three young lieutenants rise up to lead his political charge. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

12/11/2025

•

42 min
19/11/2025

Things Will Collide

After "Zombie," the military can no longer abide by Fela and his followers. A global celebration of Nigeria’s Pan-African ambitions turns into a brutal raid, torture and death, with thousands of people watching. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

19/11/2025

•

43 min
03/12/2025

Death in His Pouch

Fela told his followers that he could never die. So what happens when the unthinkable finally happens? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

03/12/2025

•

44 min

Founded by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama with a mission to elevate stories and voices that bend the arc.

Website

Higher Ground

Top Shows

Top Episodes

About