Our podcast is recognized across the globe
Sharing the stories of African youth from eMalahleni to London.
You may remember that back in March 2023, our podcast series I Will Not Grow Old Here was nominated for an Ambies Award for Best Documentary Podcast. Adding to the accolades, in June, we won Best Documentary at the One World Media Awards in London, this week we found out we’re finalists at the Third Coast International Audio Festival, and we are also in the running for Podcast of the Year at the African Podcasters and Voiceover Artists Awards.
These awards highlight one thing in particular - the world wants to hear African youth telling their own stories.
Our latest podcast episode, This Coal Life, takes us to Kriel, a small coal mining town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. With support from local community radio station partner eMalahleni FM, youth reporter Siya Mokoena worked alongside senior producer Dhashen Moodley for six months to report on how the government’s plans to close the mines by 2030 will impact the community.
For many of the people Dhashen and Siya interviewed, it was the first time they had heard about South Africa’s energy sector transition from a fossil-fuel based economy to one reliant on renewables, often referred to as the Just Transition.
This Coal Life pulls back the curtain on the challenges brought on by the move to renewables. What does the transition to cleaner energy mean for a father who’s only ever worked in the mining industry, and for a family whose livelihood is entirely dependent on coal?
The episode was broadcast by our youth reporters as part of their weekly show on eMalahleni FM and received feedback from more than 700 community listeners.
“I hope community members find out that we all have a role to play. They should find out what this Just Transition is because if the mine worker speaking in the podcast doesn't know about it, then what are the chances that the community does?” - 16-year-old listener
Our youth reporters used the podcast episode to get community members talking about the Just Transition and what the future holds for the so-called “children of coal.”
For more on our programs and our impact, read our newly released 2022 annual report here.
Your continued support helps ensure that our youth reporters and podcasters across the continent reach listeners with personal stories that resonate locally and globally.
With gratitude,
Yumna Martin, Radio Workshop Board Chair
Linda Barnett, US Radio Workshop Friends Chair
Emmanuelle Parr, UK Radio Workshop Friends Chair