Africanist Press Podcast Service

Epizodes

• Publishing for Liberation and National Development: From TPH to Mkuki na Nyota in Tanzania 01.06.2026 1h 19min

  When Tanzania gained independence in 1961, Julius Nyerere saw publishing as a key part of decolonization and nation-building. In 1966, he founded the Tanzania Publishing House (TPH), putting state publishing at the center of building national identity and culture, and of bringing people together through language.Tanzania’s influence grew throughout the 1970s and 1980s. During this period, Dar es Salaam served as the headquarters for several Southern African liberation movements, such as FRELIMO, SWAPO, and the ANC. TPH was central in this era, publishing and distributing anti-imperialist works like Walter Rodney's How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Agostinho Neto's Sacred Hope, Samora Machel's Establishing People's Power to Serve the Masses, and Issa Shivji's Class Struggle in Tanzania.Integral to TPH’s influence during these years was Walter Bgoya, who served as managing director from 1972 to 1990 and played a major role in making TPH and Dar es Salaam a center for progressive intellectuals from around the world. His leadership was instrumental in shaping the publishing landscape.For publishers like TPH, state-led publishing ended in the 1990s. when the IMF's Structural Adjustment Program brought austerity and privatization, which hurt state-owned companies. This directly impacted TPH and changed the country's publishing landscape.When the government stopped supporting state publishing, Walter Bgoya decided to leave TPH in 1991. He went on to start Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, carving out a new path in independent publishing. Since then, Mkuki na Nyota has continued this legacy as a key force in East African publishing, producing critical academic, historical, and literary works. In this episode, we interview Walter Bgoya. We focus on his leadership at TPH and his founding of Mkuki na Nyota. The conversation explores African publishing as a tool for decolonization, culture, and independence. This episode is part of the Africanist Press's New Democracy Series.
• Building a Literary Community: The Work of the Writers Association of the Gambia 25.05.2026 42min

  In this episode, we spotlight the Writers Association of the Gambia and its efforts to build a vibrant literary community, featuring Dr. Cherno Omar Barry, the Association's President, who shares inspiring insights into how Gambian writers are boldly shaping the nation's literary and intellectual landscape.Osman Kargo conducted this interview in Banjul, Gambia.This episode is part of the Africanist Press New Democracy Series.
• The Role of Libraries in African Development: A Look at the Gambia National Library Service Authority 18.05.2026 38min

  In this episode, we explore how national libraries drive African development. Drawing on insights from Bakary Sanyang, Director General of the Gambia National Library Service Authority, we examine the real challenges facing Africa's national libraries and highlight how Artificial Intelligence and innovative digital tools can transform their management and operations. Osman Kargbo conducted this interview in Banjul, Gambia.
• Bookstores in Africa's Nation-Building: The Story of Timbooktoo in The Gambia 10.05.2026 38min

  In this podcast episode, we talk with Ousainou and Kathy Jagne, founders of Timbooktoo Bookstore in Banjul, Gambia. With 28 years of experience running an independent bookstore, they explain how bookstores shape communities and discuss ways to strengthen Africa’s reading culture.This episode of the Africanist Press New Democracy series uses Timbooktoo Bookstore as a case study to explore how bookstores and libraries support Africa’s nation-building.This interview was conducted by Osman Kargbo in Banjul, The Gambia.
• Reimagining New Technology in African Classrooms: A Conversation with Laetitia Musheche 05.05.2026 48min

  In this episode,  we feature a conversation with Laetitia Musheche, founder of BauHouse Arts Academy, on reimagining new technology in African classrooms and the need to build an all-African-centered curriculum for primary and secondary education across the continent. This episode is part of the Africanist Press's New Democracy Series.
• Sierra Leone's Tripartite Agreement: A Triangle of Illegality 27.04.2026 41min

  In this episode, we focus on the Tripartite Agreement’s creation of a triangle of illegality, examining how it violated Sierra Leone’s Constitution and public election laws, and its ongoing threat to democracy and future elections.This episode is part of the Africanist Press's New Democracy Project series.
• Democracy is not a Tripartite Agreement: The APC and SLPP's Undemocratic Politics of Rotating Power 20.04.2026 48min

  In this episode, we focus on why the Tripartite Agreement is regarded as illegal, specifically highlighting its legal and political implications. We also analyze how foreign organizations are actively working to uphold and strengthen the APC and SLPP’s ongoing practice of undemocratic power rotation in Sierra Leone.This episode is part of the Africanist Press New Democracy Project series.
• The 3 D's of a Failed Nation: An Analysis of Sierra Leone's Crisis of Democracy 13.04.2026 43min

  In this episode, we expose how both the Maada Bio regime and its opposition allies undermine democracy in Sierra Leone by using deception, disinformation, and distraction to avoid accountability for social service failures. We show that these 3D tactics are not just tactics, but the driving force behind failed governance and a hallmark of illegitimate regimes.This episode is part of the Africanist Press's new democracy project.
• Foreign Debts, Corruption, and Sierra Leone's Electricity Crisis 23.09.2025 50min

  In this episode, Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah, editor of Africanist Press, discusses the ongoing political crisis in Sierra Leone, focusing on issues of accountability, extrajudicial killings, and the recent resignation of U.S. Ambassador Bryan David Hunt, whose involvement in local politics has raised concerns amongSierra Leoneans.The conversation also delves into the implications of foreign debts, particularly from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and the lack of progress on a promised power plant project in Freetown, raising questions about the use of development funds and the need for transparency and justice in Sierra Leone.This episode is part of our "New Democracy Project," sponsored by Northwestern University's Program of African Studies, Write4Justice and SolidarityForAfrica campaigns.
• Debts, Disease, and Dilemma of the Maada Bio Regime 14.09.2025 42min

  In this episode, we explore Sierra Leone's political landscape, focusing on the crisis marked by corruption, extrajudicial killings, and ongoing debt and development challenges since Maada Bio took office in 2018. We highlight the implications of these human rights violations for the 2028 elections and the future of democracy in the country.
• The 2028 Agenda of the Maada Bio Regime 07.09.2025 38min

  In this episode, we discuss the increasing legitimacy crisis facing the Maada Bio regime in Sierra Leone. We examine the regime's agenda as it prepares for the upcoming 2028 elections. Additionally, we highlight why the 2028 elections pose a significant challenge to the political and elite alliances that have maintained power in Sierra Leone since 1961.This episode is part of the Voice from Exile series of the Africanist Press.
• USAID Cuts and the Need to Rethink Future US-Africa Relations 03.05.2025 26min

  In this exclusive interview, Africanist Press editor, Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah talks to journalists Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinsky of the Counter Point Show about "USAID Cuts and the Need to Rethink Future US-Africa Relations.”You can order the book, The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Corporate Gangsters, Multinationals, and Rogue Politicians, here: https://www.amazon.com/Ebola-Outbreak-West-Africa-Multinationals/dp/0996973923
• From Elections to Coups: Journalism in an Era of Instability in Africa 24.04.2025 1h 7min

  This episode presents RSF's Sadibou Marong's keynote address at the conference on “Media and Democracy in Africa” held from April 17-18, 2025 at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. The conference, which brought together journalists, academics, and press freedom advocates from Africa, Europe, and USA, was organized by Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah and sponsored by the Africa Initiative at Brown University. 
• Challenges to Investigative Journalism in Africa: The Africanist Press Experience in Sierra Leone 20.04.2025 51min

  This episode is a presentation by Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah during a two-day conference on "Media and Democracy in Africa" held from April 17-18, 2025 at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. The conference, which brought together journalists from Africa, Europe, and United States, was organized by Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah and sponsored by the Africa Initiative.
• Sierra Leone: Challenges to Free Speech and Academic Freedom in Sierra Leone 07.04.2025 30min

  In this episode, Africanist Press editor, Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah gives a report on free speech and academic freedom violations in Sierra Leone. The presentation, which highlighted the harassment and attacks on the Africanist Press by Sierra Leone politicians, is part of 2025 annual meeting of the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS). To watch the full video of the proceedings, click here.
• Cameroon: Cyrille Roland Bechon Speaks on Threats to Human Rights Defenders 31.03.2025 59min

  In mid-January, unidentified individuals broke into the offices of a human rights organization, Nouveaux Droits de l’Homme (NDH) in Yaoundé, Cameroon taking away essential documents and office equipment. The looted materials included laptops and desktop computers, hard drives, projectors, video cameras, and other data storage devices.In this exclusive interview, NDH's executive director, Cyrille Roland Bechon, highlights the dangers faced by human rights defenders in Cameroon.The interview is conducted by Africanist Press editor, Dr. Chernoh Alpha Bah.
• Community Voices: Civil Society and Youth Empowerment in Zimbabwe 01.02.2025 31min

  In this episode, Evidence Chipadza discusses civil society and youth empowerment in Zimbabwe with Tafadzwa Makore and Leniel Gava. This episode is part of the Africanist Press community voices series.
• Sierra Leone's New Anti-Terrorism Law Against Free Speech and Academic Freedom 27.01.2025 49min

  Sierra Leonean politicians have created a new anti-terrorism law that contains unconstitutional provisions designed to curtail citizens’ fundamental civil rights. In this episode, we examine the law's implication for free speech and multiparty democracy in Sierra Leone. This episode is part of the Voice from Exile series.
• Community Voices: Young Women and Politics in Zimbabwe 25.01.2025 32min

  In this episode, Evidence Chipadza and Hazel Dendere discuss young women and politics in Zimbabwe. This episode is part of our community voices series.
• Community Voices: IPB calls for Unity and Peace in Liberia's House of Representative 21.01.2025 31min

  The International Peace Bureau (IPB) has called on members of Liberia’s House of Representatives  to unite and end the ongoing parliamentary deadlock that has affected the country’s legislative activities since October 2024. In this episode, we talk to Tyson Smith Berry Jr. about the IPB’s petition and the need for unity and peace in the Liberian House of Representatives. To sign the IPB petition to the Liberian House of Representatives, click here.