It’s A Continent: A creative outlet to learn about African history

Have You Heard? is where the Pod Bible team meet the people behind the podcasts you may not have heard of yet…

Today we’re profiling a history podcast that has been educating and entertaining listeners about the history of Africa for more than two years. It’s A Continent challenges the common misconception that Africa is a country, whilst appreciating the identity of each nation. Hosts Chinny and Astrid explore key historical moments that have shaped the continent, in an easily digestible, satirical (and shady) format.

We recommended the show as one of our favourite podcasts for women’s history, but since then Chinny and Astrid have been continuing to unearth lost stories from Africa – and even written a book based on the show! We caught up with them to find out a bit more…

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

AM: Serial season 1-3, the disappearance and murder of Hae Min Lee.

CU: I used to listen to Radio 4 Comedy on my iPod nano.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

BOTH: We’ve always wanted a creative outlet, and podcasting provides the freedom to be creative and also learn alongside our listeners. Forming our listening community is really important to us.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

BOTH: We like the way Redhanded toe the line with serious issues, and this is a similar approach we take when we are dealing with tough topics. Swindled is another podcast that takes in depth research and shares sometimes shocking stories with their audience.

How much research do you do for your episodes?

BOTH: We like entering research wormholes, there are some topics that are easier to research than others. The British Library, JSTOR and online libraries are valuable resources that we use to form the basis of our stories. In some instances, a documentary or two, or even an autobiography provides valuable insight.

What’s the most interesting historical fact you have learnt from making the podcast?

AM: Being able to recognise people that haven’t been called out in history, for example Albert Luthuli being the first African to win a Nobel Peace Prize, yet he’s not part of the conventional narrative. Wangari Maathai a Kenyan activist and environmentalist, whose story remains little told.

CU: Agreed, also understanding the way the world works, especially when it comes to instability and conflict because of the way African borders have been drawn up. This is the reason we continue seeing issues in Cameroon, Sudan and Somalia.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

AM: There’s no specific place to start, each episode is self-contained. Start with a country, theme or person that piques your interest.

CU: If I had to choose I’d probably go for Thomas Sankara, or the CFA Franc.

Tell us how the It’s A Continent book came about!

BOTH: We’d been podcasting for about eight months or so, then out of the blue, a publisher reached out to us about turning the podcast into a book. We jumped at the opportunity as it meant we’d be able to share African history to a much wider audience.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

BOTH: You can check out our socials and website to see what we’re up to! @itsacontinent on Twitter, @itsacontinentpod on Instagram and www.itsacontinent.com. Also, our paperback will be out this year, so watch this space for more details.

Listen to It’s A Continent now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>