Life Seen Through A Sista's Eye: Recent Episodes
Sista Zai Zanda
After years of people-pleasing and playing small while buying into the colonial idea of "success" and "status", I finally listened to my soul and I took "that leap" into the uncertain. Ten years later, I can say that I am unfolding into an "Afrofuturistic storyteller." Join me as I share stories from my journey with you, including deep and meaningful conversations with folks who sat with me as I've wrestled with my choices and debated which road to take as well as voice notes from kindred souls who are also seekers on the path of liberation.
I create this podcast on stolen and unceded Kulin Nations.
BIOGRAPHIES
Host - Sista Zai, Afrofuturistic Storyteller
Featured Letter Writer - Natalya Moosa, The Organic Afro
Featured Guest - Tiffanie Anderson, Away To Africa
About Today's Episode
Founder of Away to Africa, Tiffanie Anderson, is a licensed Attorney and Professor who spends the majority of her time on the continent of Africa and in Jamaica.
Within the past few years, Tiffanie travelled and explored 15 African countries and her goal is to travel to all 55 African nations. The idea behind Away to Africa was born after Tiffanie was given the wonderful opportunity of studying abroad at the University Of Western Cape Law School in Cape Town, South Africa. Upon her return to the states, Tiffanie could not stop talking about her engaging experiences in the Motherland; encouraging her friends to also take part in discovering the true beauty that wasn’t being highlighted elsewhere. She had several friends who decided to go and see for themselves and who also fell in love, found jobs and relocated. Ten years after her first trip to Africa, Tiffanie launched Away to Africa, a platform dedicated to providing an affordable, safe way for individuals to visit Africa and experience the many different countries that make up the rich land that many of us consider home.
Away to Africa is a destination management company dedicated to providing safe travel experiences and tours throughout selected countries in Africa.
Away to Africa offers personalised small group travel packages for a flat fee which includes lodging, gourmet traditional food, cultural tours and an Away to Africa representative who travels on the road with the group 24/7 to ensure a safe, enjoyable experience for all of our travellers.
Additionally, Away to Africa teams with non-profit organisations and SME’s on the continent to offer unique Community Outreach experiences for each client.
Away to Africa embraces three primary pillars of services,
Leisure,
Entertainment and
Business;
and it is currently the only Black, woman owned business providing experiences throughout 14 countries on the continent including;
- Ghana,
- Togo,
- Benin,
- Morocco,
- Ethiopia,
- South Africa,
- Tanzania,
- Zanzibar,
- Kenya,
- Zimbabwe,
- Zambia,
- Swaziland and
- expanding to Nigeria, Madagascar and Lesotho in 2021.
At Away to Africa, we guarantee an unparalleled experience highlighting the 'insiders' route to discover the beauty, culture, people and natural spirit of Africa.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
This is part two of a two part conversation. You can listen to part one here.
Got questions? Want to leave a comment? You can contact me here.
What's the role of African spirituality in decolonising and decolonisation? Join Sista Zai in conversation with the team from Ancestral Voices as we as discuss the meaning of "Success" and "What Does It Mean To Be Afrikan In The 21st Century?"
About Ancestral Voices
Dalian Adofo is a freelance creative artist who works across a range of media; from graphic design to film and video. He has also been in the teaching profession for over 10 years and also works on a range of youth work initiatives, both locally in the UK and abroad. He has also written and directed personal shorts and exhibited his artwork.
Culture is a fundamental element which bonds communities together, without it we lose identity and self awareness. The importance of preserving such knowledge is key to retelling the story of Africa and its contribution to world history, in a manner that is free from colonial imposition.
Verona Spence-Adofo has 10 years experience working in a variety of media roles including on-air promotions, corporate productions and TV distribution amongst others. She has also written, produced and directed personal shorts and documentaries. Her work has also been exhibited in international film festivals.
The denigration of African spiritual teachings has been prevalent for centuries. Once I came into knowledge that contradicted the negativity that I had previously been taught, I was compelled to share this insight with others. My aim for the work of Ancestral Voices is for African spiritual teachings to be given the same acknowledgement and respect as any other spiritual philosophy.
Ancestral Voices is an Educational Initiative documenting and disseminating research-based knowledge about African cosmologies & spiritual philosophies for over a decade, producing a wide range of educational materials including documentaries, books and courses. The primary purpose is to redress the negative depictions and inaccurate historical representations of it due to religious and colonial propaganda.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
What's the role of African spirituality in decolonising? Join Sista Zai in conversation with the team from Ancestral Voices as we as discuss the meaning of "Success" and "What Does It Mean To Be Afrikan In The 21st Century?"
About Ancestral Voices
Dalian Adofo is a freelance creative artist who works across a range of media; from graphic design to film and video. He has also been in the teaching profession for over 10 years and also works on a range of youth work initiatives, both locally in the UK and abroad. He has also written and directed personal shorts and exhibited his artwork.
Culture is a fundamental element which bonds communities together, without it we lose identity and self awareness. The importance of preserving such knowledge is key to retelling the story of Africa and its contribution to world history, in a manner that is free from colonial imposition.
Verona Spence-Adofo has 10 years experience working in a variety of media roles including on-air promotions, corporate productions and TV distribution amongst others. She has also written, produced and directed personal shorts and documentaries. Her work has also been exhibited in international film festivals.
The denigration of African spiritual teachings has been prevalent for centuries. Once I came into knowledge that contradicted the negativity that I had previously been taught, I was compelled to share this insight with others. My aim for the work of Ancestral Voices is for African spiritual teachings to be given the same acknowledgement and respect as any other spiritual philosophy.
Ancestral Voices is an Educational Initiative documenting and disseminating research-based knowledge about African cosmologies & spiritual philosophies for over a decade, producing a wide range of educational materials including documentaries, books and courses. The primary purpose is to redress the negative depictions and inaccurate historical representations of it due to religious and colonial propaganda.
ABOUT SISTA ZAI
An Afrofuturistic Storyteller and Community Builder, Sista Zai loves big ideas. She has built literary platforms to celebrate the rich legacy and diversity of Africa's storytelling traditions, showcasing the traditional, the contemporary and the cutting edge. She's a Round 4 Recipient of the Neilma Sydney Literary Travel Fund and these interviews, #AfrikaSpeaksBack202 are an extension of the work she undertook during her 2019 self-directed residency in South Africa.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
For the next three episodes, we're diving deep into African design and its connection to our two questions - what it means to be African in the 21st century and our definitions of success.
Mwalimu Saki Mafundikwa is a visual communicator, Design educator, author, filmmaker, and farmer.
He dedicates his life to sharing Zimbabwean culture through design, film, and education. Afrika has to find Afrikan solutions to our problems otherwise we will always be colonized by others.
He graduated with an MFA in Graphic Design from Yale University in 1985. A TED2013 speaker, he currently leads workshops and lectures in universities throughout the world, helping designers create a new visual language by understanding their own culture. It’s his personal goal to transform global awareness of typography, symbolism, and design culture.
https://www.ted.com/speakers/saki_mafundikwa
Would you like to contact me to book in a paid 90 minute 1:1 session about your exploration into your definitions of "success" and what it means to be "African" in the 21st century?
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
Meet MediSun. We spoke in March 2020, over WhatsApp before ZOOM was a thing and just as the entire world was in lockdown. I reached out to him because he speaks openly about the role African spirituality plays in his creative process. As an award winning song writer, I was curious to learn more.Let’s talk about African spirituality and how this influences our ideas about what it means to be “successful” and “African” in the 21st century. Enjoy! It’s Storytime.Grab your special journal and let’s flip the script.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
It was March 2020. The world had just entered the global lockdown. I reached out to award winning songwriter, MediSun for an interview about the role African spirituality plays in his creative process. We agreed to use WhatsApp to communicate. This was before ZOOM took over. Over three days, we took our time listening and responding. It was one of the loveliest interview processes I've ever had. Let's hop into the time capsule and travel back in time to listen in to this timeless wisdom.
Instagram: @medisunmusic
YouTube: @medisunmusicofficial6285
Website: medisunmusic.online
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
In part two of our conversation with archivist, writer and publicist, Tinashe Mushakavanhu, we go deeper into the challenges of accessing the archive of books written by Zimbabweans, artist development in the wake of racialised exclusion under colonialism, creativity, the politics of refusal when engaging with power relationships in the publishing industry.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
Today's show is a very insightful chat with writer, publisher and archivist, Tinashe Mushakavanhu whose PhD thesis dealt with Zimbabwe's Dambudzo Marechera and England's Shelley. We continue the conversation about definitions of success and what it means to be African in the twenty-first century. Our focus is on Marechera whose refusal to conform to standard definitions of "a successful" writer conferred on him (without his asking) the role of a public intellectual. We also discuss who Marechera wrote to in his work; and the challenges around accessing his archives.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
In this second and last part of "Randy Valentine Reasons With Sista Zai", our thoughts and ideas wander from topic to topic, including responsibility and accountability, nation building, self-check as the revolution and the place of love in the revolution.
You can consent to receive monthly updates on Sista Zai's latest news, including fresh podcast episodes here.
Please click here for Randy Valentine's music and an earlier version of this interview.
You can access the award-winning documentary, "The Story Of Lovers Rock" by Menelik Shabazz here.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
What is your definition of success; and does that definition tie into what you think it means to be African in the 21st century? In this episode, a relaunch of season one following a two year sabbatical, Sista Zai presents the first of many guests whose thought partnership supported her inner journey as she worked out the answers to this season's burning questions about success and group identity.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sistazai/message
S1 :E8a is the first bonus episode in the series. Today, I provide some extra guidance through storytelling for everyone who is unpacking and documenting their own story with the help of this podcast. I'll share my stories, weaving in the personal with the collective experience, ancient African mythology and contemporary stories about land and human beings relationships to land.SHOW NOTES:Email: eyeofthesista@gmail.comMailing list: https://linktr.ee/sistazaiRecommended Reading:Sobonfu Somé "The Spirit Of Intimacy"Malidoma Somé "Of Water And The Spirit"Tinashe Mushakavanhu's collection/archive "Reading Zimbabwe"
In S 1 :E7, I start to unpack my definition of "success" as I continue telling the story of my unfolding decolonising journey. You might find the following links useful:TranscriptAnnotated TranscriptTo BeFelene Cayetanod’bi. young anita afrikasubmissions for letters to myselfBuki HannawayShakaraSpeaksGotKushTVPatreon Community (dive deeper)
Do you celebrate the festive season in December of the Gregorian Calendar? Here's what I get up to as a decolonising 21st Century African; and here's how I am adapting my creative flow (including this podcast) to fit my new way of being. That's what this short and sweet storytelling session is all about.
In terms of housekeeping, let's catch up again via podcast on Friday 8 January 2021. If that's too far away for you, we're on Patreon and social media with all the deeper insights and memes. All you need to do is follow this link: www.linktr.ee/sistazai
Thanks so much for coming along for this journey. I look forward to going deeper with you all and much further in 2021!
Fuelled by eclipse season insomnia and summer solstice excitement, the storytelling in episode five relays the experience of a search for self that meanders between individuality and the collective.For podcast deep dives, join the Patreon family at www.linktr.ee.com/sistazai
In Episode Four of Season One, your host and curator, Sista Zai Zanda delves deeper into the big question, "What Does It Mean To Be African In The 21st Century?" This time, we focus on the question "What Does Liberation Look Like, Taste Like, Feel Like?" She reads her response to the prompt and plays you a Hip Hop that came through from family in Kampala Uganda from Dimitri & The Scarecrow, who is also considering the questions in focus. We wrap up with the fourth creative writing prompt.Connect With Sista Zai (Patreon and Socials): www.linktr.ee/sistazaiConnect With Dimitri & The Scarecrow: instagram.com/scarecrow_zw
Hey my loves!It's time for a fresh episode. This third episode in our first series of "Life Seen Through A Sista's Eye Podcast" continues to as the critical question "What Does It Mean To Be African In The 21st Century?" In this episode, we look at what specific actions I take in order to make my vision of a 21st Century African a reality. As you listen to me wax lyrical and poetic, I hope you are inspired to journal along, using the weekly prompts to write your own story in your own words and on your own terms. What's my story about this week? Well, I'll share my own journal entry and give you a beautiful story about my grandfather's vision and how he took action to fulfil his purpose, leaving behind an incredible legacy.For all the sneak peeks and behind the scenes insights, become a member of the Patreon family, join the Instagram and listen to the podcast playlist. All links from linker.ee/sistazaiNext week's writing/collage/drawing prompt is one word: "liberation". Tune in to hear the first of an unfolding series of interviews with guests who join me in conversation about 21st Century African identity.
In this second episode of the first series, Sista Zai reads excerpts from her own Letter To Herself, her personal response to last week's letter writing prompt, "What Does It Mean To Be African In The 21st Century?". She then performs a poem,and gives you the next "Letter To Myself" writing prompt.For more guidance on the Letter To Myself writing activity, you can join the Instagram account @eyeofthesista.For more in-depth discussions about these podcasts, access to Sista Zai's letters in full and the live monthly podcast recording sessions where you can ask questions of Sista Zai and featured guests or watch the video replays, do join the Patreon community - patreon.com/sistazai.
My loves,In this first episode of season 1, I start with the critical question which lead me to a career as a storyteller after I graduated from law school. Namely, "what does it mean to be African in the 21st century?" I also give you an idea of how we can collectively make this podcast an interactive and visionary storytelling space. Note, I used the word, "collectively". If you're keen to do the work with me as the series unfolds, you'll love the mixtape I created for inspiration and you're also welcome to join the Patreon community. Here is the link for access to both (and some other treats): www.linktr.ee/sistazai. Catch you next week for episode 2 in this first series of Life Seen Through A Sista's Eye Podcast! Thanks for keeping me company.Much love,Sista Zai
Host and founder of Afro-literary performance platforms, Sista Zai calls up the legendary Mad Professor for some advice. He shares stories about his own experience of establishing and operating Ariwa Studios, London's longest running Black-owned recording studio. Ariwa just turned 40 years old and it has not always been the easiest journey but it has worked out. Listen in for some stellar insights. As a special treat for the listeners and fans, Mad Professor sent through pre-lease tracks from his upcoming annual Mad Professor/Ariwa Riddim Series, due for release on 31 January 2020. A special shout out to Sisters Akousmatica and Monah Arts Centre in Tasmania who commissioned this pilot episode as part of their pop up community radio station in Tasmania during December 2019.