More Than A Story

Moxi Nicols
  • 5.0 (1)
  • History

More Than A Story is a podcast that brings Africa’s hidden histories to life through powerful, narrative storytelling. Each season, we dive deep into real events that shaped the continent — stories of survival, resilience, betrayal, belonging, and becoming. Season One follows the gripping true account of the 1782 Grosvenor shipwreck and the survivors' epic journey along South Africa’s Wild Coast. Told with cinematic detail, rich character insight, and historical context, this is not just a history lesson — it’s a lived experience, retold with empathy and imagination. Whether you're a history lover, a curious traveler, or someone drawn to the untold, this podcast invites you to walk the forgotten paths of the past and hear the echoes still carried by the land. New episodes every week. www.morethanastory.co.za

  1. Aug 25

    The Great De Wet Hunt: Part Two

    He'd already beaten every trap the British could build. This time they came with concentration camps, scorched earth, and a plan to squeeze him between two rivers with nowhere left to run. Part 2 follows Christiaan de Wet through Bothaville and Dewetsdorp, into the burning of the Free State and the camps his own resistance helped fill, through a breakout at Springhaansnek and a night raid at Groenkop that briefly looked like it might turn the war again, and on to Vereeniging, where the man who never lost a fight had to sign the peace that lost the war. A story about how long a war can be won, one battle at a time, by the side that's already losing it. A big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  2. Jun 30

    The Great De Wet Hunt: Part One

    The British Empire put fifty thousand men, armoured trains, and a chain of blockhouses into catching one farmer on a horse. They never managed it. This episode follows Christiaan de Wet through the run of victories that made him the most wanted man in South Africa — Sanna's Post, Roodewal, the breakout from the Brandwater Basin — and the night he slipped a closing trap by climbing a bare-rock baboon track. A story about a man who could not lose, in a war that was already lost. Part 2 picks up the chase in a month. A big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  3. May 4

    Lane One: John Akii-Bua and the Weight of Gold

    In 1972, a 22-year-old policeman from northern Uganda ran 47.82 seconds around a track in Munich and broke the world record in the 400 metre hurdles. His name was John Akii-Bua, and that race gave Uganda its first Olympic gold medal. But this isn't just a story about athletic greatness. It's about what happens when a regime needs a symbol, and an ordinary man becomes one. Akii-Bua trained under British coach Malcolm Arnold, refined his stride on dirt tracks and police compounds, and mastered one of the most technically demanding events in athletics. He did it with discipline and quiet precision, not spectacle. But he did it inside Idi Amin's Uganda. And the country that cheered him in 1972 would eventually force him into exile. This episode traces John Akii-Bua's life from the plains of Lango to a podium in Munich, and asks what it really means to win when the nation pinning its pride to your chest is already coming apart. A big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured I also featured music from Ebo Krdum. Please check out his awesome library on the various streaming platforms.  To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  4. Feb 11

    187 Years: The Journey to Bring Saartjie Baartman Home

    For nearly two centuries after her death, Saartjie Baartman did not rest. Taken from South Africa in 1810 and exhibited in Europe as a spectacle, she died in Paris at just twenty-five. But death did not end her captivity. Her body was dissected, preserved, displayed in a museum, and legally claimed by the French state. For 187 years, she remained far from home - not as a person, but as an object. This episode traces the long and often uncomfortable journey to bring her back to South Africa. It explores the science that justified her dissection, the laws that kept her in Paris, the poetry that stirred political will, and the deeper question that lingers even after her burial: What does it really mean to bring someone home? This is not just a story about colonial spectacle. It’s a story about memory, power, and the unfinished work of dignity. A big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  5. Jan 15

    Wild Legacy: The Making of Kruger National Park

    Kruger National Park didn’t begin as a sanctuary. It began as a warning. In the late 1800s, South Africa’s wildlife was collapsing under relentless hunting, war, and the belief that nature was limitless. From the first, fragile proclamation of the Sabi Game Reserve in 1898 to the lonely patrols of its first warden, James Stevenson-Hamilton, this story traces how a wounded landscape slowly began to recover. Elephants returned where none had walked for decades. Lions reclaimed silent valleys. And against poaching, politics, and deep public scepticism, the idea of protecting wilderness took hold. But Kruger’s story is not one of simple triumph. It is shaped by contradiction, by communities removed in the name of preservation, by changing ideas about predators as “vermin,” by scientific control and hard lessons learned through fire, flood, and loss. From colonial conquest to apartheid, from poaching wars to land restitution and transfrontier conservation, Kruger reflects South Africa’s own turbulent history. This episode explores how the park was made, what it cost, and why its greatest legacy is not perfection, but resilience - the ongoing choice to protect something wild, complicated, and deeply human. A big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  6. 11/14/2025

    Boer War: Guerrillas in the Cape

    A small Boer commando led by Jan Smuts plunges into the Cape Colony, surviving ambush, starvation, and a brutal mountain storm before seizing a British camp in one of the war’s most daring raids. Through the eyes of Deneys Reitz, this episode reveals the grit, tragedy, and unexpected humanity that shaped the guerrilla war. Also a big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  7. 10/31/2025

    Congo's Ghost: The Betrayal of Patrice Lumumba

    In 1960, Patrice Lumumba rose to power as the first Prime Minister of Congo, a nation newly independent from brutal Belgian colonial rule. His impassioned speech defying the King of Belgium on independence day marked him as a fearless leader, but also made him a target. As Lumumba fought for a truly unified and independent Congo, he faced immediate challenges: a mutiny in the army, the secession of the resource-rich Katanga province backed by Belgian interests, and the looming shadow of the Cold War. His desperate appeal to the Soviet Union for aid solidified Western fears, leading to a calculated conspiracy involving foreign powers and domestic rivals to remove him. Dragged through the streets, isolated, and ultimately betrayed, Lumumba was brutally assassinated in January 1961, at just 35 years old. His death was a deliberate act to crush the dream of a truly free Africa and to ensure continued access to Congo's vast mineral wealth. Yet, the attempt to erase him failed. Lumumba's legacy grew louder in his absence, becoming a potent symbol of resilience, dignity, and the enduring struggle against imperial influence. This is more than a historical account; it's a gripping tale of power, betrayal, and a dream that refused to die.  Also a big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured To get in touch, see references and access additional media and content - visit: https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

  8. 07/10/2025

    Survival On The Wild Coast: Chapter Six

    Chapter Six: Resolutions & Reflections.  Approaching Christmas Day, 1782, a Xhosa chief encounters a strange, scurvy-ridden figure: William Habberley, a survivor of the Grosvenor shipwreck. Despite his ghastly appearance, Habberley is offered sustenance and shelter. However, an act of desperation leads to his banishment. Undeterred, Habberley encounters more benevolent tribes, and his body begins to mend. He eventually meets other castaways, including Tom Lewis, and learns of the varied fates of the Grosvenor's survivors. A rescue mission eventually locates Habberley, Lewis, and Bianco. Despite the ongoing Anglo-Dutch War, humanity prevails, and the survivors are offered safe passage to the Cape.  Tragedy strikes again for some on their journey home, highlighting the immense loss of the Grosvenor. Yet, the story also reveals remarkable instances of adaptation and survival, particularly John Bryan’s integration into the Pondo tribe. His journey, marked by hope, kindness, and ultimate tragedy, underscores the untold stories hidden within the oral traditions of Africa. This season is dedicated to two dear friends lost during the production of this season. Sharon and Sibo - thank you for shaping my life.  Thanks to our main sponsor Lambazi Lodge, as well as our partner Active Escapes. https://www.lambazilodge.com/ https://www.active-escapes.co.za/ Also a big thanks to SergePavkinMusic for providing the soundtrack. You can access his music library here: https://www.youtube.com/@SergePavkinMusic/featured See references and additional media and content at https://www.morethanastory.co.za Support the show

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About

More Than A Story is a podcast that brings Africa’s hidden histories to life through powerful, narrative storytelling. Each season, we dive deep into real events that shaped the continent — stories of survival, resilience, betrayal, belonging, and becoming. Season One follows the gripping true account of the 1782 Grosvenor shipwreck and the survivors' epic journey along South Africa’s Wild Coast. Told with cinematic detail, rich character insight, and historical context, this is not just a history lesson — it’s a lived experience, retold with empathy and imagination. Whether you're a history lover, a curious traveler, or someone drawn to the untold, this podcast invites you to walk the forgotten paths of the past and hear the echoes still carried by the land. New episodes every week. www.morethanastory.co.za

Information

  • Creator
    Moxi Nicols
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 More Than A Story
  • Show Website
    More Than A Story