Radio Workshop

Radio Workshop

Forget the Africa you think you know. This is Radio Workshop. With real stories about young Africans. From Freetown to Cape Town, hear the world’s youngest population. One story at a time.

  1. My Whistle My Voice

    11/24/2025

    My Whistle My Voice

    Last Friday, South African women shut down the country a day before the G20 Summit - an initiative led by Women for Change. Across the country, thousands gathered at midday to bring the country to a standstill and honour those who have lost their lives to gender-based violence and femicide. With 16 Days of Activism approaching, it’s crucial that we keep this momentum going.  Today, we’re re-releasing an episode born from 16 Days of Activism in Ethiopia, where — like South Africa — women face alarming levels of harassment and violence. Lella Miskir walks through the streets of Addis Ababa, armed with a small, red whistle. Her online campaign, #MyWhistleMyVoice, encourages women to blow their whistle every time a man catcalls them, acts inappropriately towards them, or assaults them. The shrill of her whistle is a reminder that across the continent, our struggles are shared.         Last year, Lella faced death threats for her campaign, forcing her to flee to a remote island. Now, Lella has emerged from a transformative year, declaring herself "the monster that keeps respawning after they thought they killed it." In a powerful new act of resistance, she is hosting a workshop at a feminist festival and committing to a unique act of solidarity: screaming once a day for all 16 days, recording her cry for women worldwide.  ________ Support the work of Radio Workshop by donating today. Support the show We can only do this work because of your support. You can make a donation at radioworkshop.org.

    22 min
  2. Just Enough Light

    10/20/2025

    Just Enough Light

    For the past year, Siphesihle Magagula has been going door-to-door selling solar power. He convinced nearly all of his neighbours to buy a basic solar kit, bringing lights to about 400 homes for the first time. His neighborhood, Nomzamo, never had electricity before — despite being close to South Africa's biggest coal mines and power stations.  But some of his clients are disappointed. Their solar kits don’t have enough power to run fridges or TVs. Nomzamo is just one example of South Africa's attempt at a transition away from coal but will it bring justice to the 1.6 million homes that aren't connected to the power grid? Show Notes Access our free resources: To use our episodes on your radio show, refer to our toolkit.To host your own listening event, check out our guide.This episode is part of "Power to Change," a series of stories examining South Africa's transition from coal to renewable energy through the lives of young people living in coal communities. Listen to This Coal Life, an earlier episode in the series. We partnered with Context News, launched by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which published a companion piece, written by Kim Harrisberg. You can visit Peco Power’s website to read more about their solar power devices and their champion network. If you want to hear more of our award-winning climate storytelling, listen to Zambia’s Sacrifice Zone. Acknowledgements: This story was reported by Siya Mokoena and Dhashen Moodley. Production assistance from Mo Isu and Malvin Shabangu. Thanks to Khuthala Environmental Care Group, GreenCape, Peco Power, VOC FM in Ermelo, and the residents of Nomzamo for their support. This episode was edited by Lesedi Mogoatlhe, with help from Kerry Donahue. Original music by Qhamani Sambu at Edible Audio in Cape Town. Sound engineering by Jo Jackson and Mike Rahfaldt. Jo Jackson is our Managing Producer. Clémence Petit Perrot is our Impact Producer with support from impact strategist  Andy Jones. Mike Rahfaldt is our Executive Producer. Vuyo Lutseke is our Executive Director. This episode and the work of Radio Workshop would not be possible without support from the Doc Society, the UMI Fund, the African Climate Foundation, and the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. Special thanks to Rob Byers, and also thanks to Hindenburg for supporting our projects across Africa with audio editing software. Support the show We can only do this work because of your support. You can make a donation at radioworkshop.org.

    30 min
4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Forget the Africa you think you know. This is Radio Workshop. With real stories about young Africans. From Freetown to Cape Town, hear the world’s youngest population. One story at a time.

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