The Laureate Conversation

The Africa Laureate Awards

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The Laureate Conversation is a podcast by The Africa Laureate Awards, where award-winning authors sit down for honest conversations about their books, their characters, and the stories behind the pages.

17 hr ago

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Alison Jessica Weihe

What does it actually mean to belong in a world that feels constantly divided? In this episode of The Laureate Conversation Podcast, Mariam Obaijoko sat down with The Africa Laureate Award-winning author Alison Jessica Weihe-a South African author, entrepreneur, and former anti-apartheid political activist. Alison joins us for a conversation about her powerful debut memoir, Belonging: Finding Tribes of Meaning. Growing up under the harsh realities of apartheid, Alison's personal search for identity quickly became inseparable from the collective fight for freedom. We talk about her journey as an accidental activist, the reality of standing up for justice, and how she eventually found her truest sense of purpose in spaces of resistance and solidarity.

1hr 12min
21 Jun

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Audrey Penn

If you’ve ever had to handle a crying child on their first day of school, or if you remember that terrifying pit in your stomach when leaving home for the first time, then you already know the magic of The Kissing Hand. In today's episode of The Laureate Conversation, we sat down with the legendary Audrey Penn. She’s the creator of Chester Raccoon and the author behind a #1 New York Times bestseller that has helped millions of families deal with separation anxiety, big life transitions, and scary changes. In today's episode of The Laureate Conversation, we spoke how Audrey uses gentle, comforting storytelling to create an entry point for parents and kids to talk about tough emotions. It’s a book meant for children, but to be honest, it offers just as much reassurance to the adults reading it aloud.

41 min
28 May

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Betty Nadine Thomas

What does a retired Disaster Emergency Management director do next? If you are Betty Nadine Thomas, you pack up your life, move to Portugal, and dedicate yourself to writing and illustrating poetry that heals the planet. In this episode of The Laureate Conversation Podcast, we are chatting with the wonderful Betty Nadine Thomas about her award-winning book, Peepers Peeping. It is a beautiful collection of poetry designed for kids of all ages and honestly, it's just as much of a treat for the adults reading it to them. We talk about how she uses simple, rhythmic verse and her own illustrations to teach acceptance, open narrow minds, and spread genuine compassion across cultures, religions, and backgrounds.

53 min
26 May

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Adesanya ‘Pelumi Ayomide

In today’s episode of The Laureate Conversation, we sat down with award-winning author Adesanya ‘Pelumi’ Ayomide, the brilliant mind behind the psychological thriller Saints Don’t Moan. If you've ever felt the pressure to keep up appearances while dealing with total chaos beneath the surface, this conversation is going to hit close to home. Pelumi’s debut novella takes us inside the private, chilling journal entries of Kiki Cole, someone who looks absolutely flawless to the public but is harboring a dark, complex inner world. We talk about the exhausting friction between public virtue and private reality, and why we try so hard to hide our true desires.

54 min
21 Apr

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Jessica Aike

What happens when we stop apologising for how we feel? In this deeply moving episode of The Laureate Conversation Podcast, we sit down with British-Nigerian author and advocate Jessica Aike to discuss her award-winning book, This Thing in My Head. Jessica’s journey is one of radical honesty. From her childhood in Lagos to her life in London, she has spent over a decade using her voice to dismantle the culture of silence that often surrounds trauma, child abuse, and cultural expectations. Her book is a stream-of-consciousness guide to reclaiming your power and navigating the messy, beautiful path to self-actualisation.

45 min
15 Apr

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Chizaram Ekeke

What happens when a photographer and a designer-model meets in the worst way possible only to end up in a love nest neither of them saw coming? In today’s episode of The Laureate Conversation Podcast, we are discussing the lush, affluent, and faith-filled world of Picture Us. Join our host, Mariam Obaijoko, as she sits down with the multi-talented author, Chizaram Ekeke. She’s a screenwriter, a movie director, a registered nurse, and the brilliant mind behind one of this year’s most charming Christian romances.

1hr 7min
31 Mar

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Alexander den Heijer

We spend our whole lives searching for peace, only to find out we’ve been sitting on it the entire time. In today’s episode of The Laureate Conversation, we sit down with Amsterdam-based author and philosopher Alexander den Heijer—the first Dutch author to be honored by The Africa Laureate Awards. Not only does Alexander write about spiritual goals, he writes about the quiet reality of who we already are. If you’ve ever felt like you’re constantly becoming someone else or searching for a version of yourself that’s just out of reach, this episode is for you.

55 min
20 Mar

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Abiose Falade

What happens when the people the world tries to hide become the only ones who can save it? In today’s episode, our host, Mariam Obaijoko sat down with the Africa Laureate award-winning author, Abiose Falade, a powerhouse disabilities advocate and the brain behind the haunting new epic, The Lost Souls: Chronicles of the Undesirables. Abiose didn’t just write about heroes, she redefined what a hero looks like. Her novel takes us deep into Omoke—a village filled with akudaya (the restless undead) and hidden by a malevolent force. To save the village, a group labeled as undesirables must step into a mission no one else can handle.

1hr 4min
2 Mar

Author Spotlight Interview With The Africa Laureate Award-Winning Author, Elliot Oluwatunmise

In today’s episode of The Laureate Conversation podcast, we sat down with The Africa Laureate Award-winning author and spoken word artist Oluwatunmise Elliot. We talked about her debut book, Who Am I?, and the story of Irawooluwa—a character who has to stumble, fall, and eventually fight her way out of conformity to find her true purpose.

1hr 2min

9 Episodes

The Laureate Conversation is a podcast by The Africa Laureate Awards, where award-winning authors sit down for honest conversations about their books, their characters, and the stories behind the pages.

Creator

The Africa Laureate Awards
Years Active

2k
Episodes

9
Rating

Clean
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© The Africa Laureate Awards
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The Laureate Conversation