The Black British English Podcast

Эпизоды

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  A Yoruba Museum Without Yoruba: Language, Erasure & My Trip to Lagos 🇳🇬🖼️ 10.06.2026 14мин

  In this episode, I reflect on my recent trip to Lagos and my visit to the John Randle Yoruba Museum, a space dedicated to Yoruba history and heritage, yet one that left me with a pressing linguistic question:Where is the Yoruba language?As a Lawyer who loves African languages , I went in expecting to see Yoruba not only represented culturally and spiritually, but also recognised as a living, complex linguistic system, one that carries history, identity, memory, and its global influence, including its role in shaping Afro-Creole languages across the Caribbean and Latin America.Instead, I was struck by what felt like a quiet absence.From the tonal richness of Yoruba, to its deep connection with musical speech and the Dùndún (talking drum) where language is encoded into sound and rhythm and the linguistic dimension of Yoruba felt under-centred in the storytelling of the museum.I also reflect on another moment that stayed with me: the framing of Nigerian Pidgin as “broken English.” For many speakers and linguists, this raises deeper questions about how language is classified, valued, and represented in institutional spaces.This episode is not just about critique but it’s also about asking broader questions:How do we curate African heritage without excluding African languages?And what gets lost when language is treated as secondary to culture?Join me as I unpack language, representation, and what I noticed in Lagos.
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  Silencing Patwa? My Thoughts on Jamaica’s Parliament Language Ban 🇯🇲 24.05.2026 10мин

  In this episode, I share my honest thoughts on the controversy surrounding Jamaican Patwa being restricted in Jamaica’s Parliament. From culture and identity to classism, colonial influence, and accessibility.This isn’t just about language preference, it raises deeper questions about power, identity, class, and whose voice is considered “legitimate” in formal spaces.
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  Africa Stayed Multilingual… The Diaspora Needs to Catch Up 03.05.2026 8мин

  In this episode, we’re talking about the power of language and why Black people across the diaspora should embrace becoming more multilingual. Across Africa, it’s normal for many people to speak 3, 4, 5 languages and some even 9 or more. That ability creates connection, opportunity, cultural pride, and unity.Meanwhile, many of us in the diaspora were disconnected from our ancestral languages through history. But now it’s time to rebuild.Imagine Black people worldwide connecting through Yoruba, Igbo, Swahili, Haitian Creole, Patois, St Lucian Creole and more.Language is power. Language is culture. Language is identity.The more languages we learn, the more doors we open together and the closer we become globally.Start learning today:Learn St Lucian Creole online free: https://www.twossaints.com/Learn Yoruba and Igbo: https://lingawa.com/#BlackDiaspora #AfricanLanguages #Multilingual #Yoruba #Igbo #Creole #PanAfrican #BlackUnity
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  Babylon Can’t Name Wi - why all Black Languages are Creoles 🇯🇲🇳🇬🇱🇷🇧🇧🇬🇭 26.04.2026 9мин

  This podcast episode is rooted in a Pan African understanding that language lives through people, memory, and relationship rather than through external classification. It moves away from the idea that speech must be measured, ranked, or validated by inherited Western frameworks. The word creole and similar labels are examined not as neutral descriptions but as products of particular histories that do not hold authority over how African and diasporic communities understand themselves.Across the African world and its many diasporas, ways of speaking carry philosophy, rhythm, ancestral knowledge, and community logic. These are not fragments of another language nor deviations from a standard. They are complete systems shaped by movement, survival, creativity, and continuity. This podcast centers those realities by listening to how people name their own speech and how meaning is created in lived context.
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  A Black Man was Recalled to a UK Prison for saying “My Nigga” ! Linguistic Injustice ⚖️🇬🇧 (PART 1) 19.03.2026 6мин

  In this powerful and timely episode, I take you inside one of the many legal cases I have acted on where Black languages practices have been criminalised. In this case a Black man was recalled to prison simply for saying “my nigga” to a Black police officer while on licence. What followed was a wrongful prosecution rooted not in a fundamental misunderstanding of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Black British English (BBE). Drawing on my own experience as the lawyer who acted in this case, we unpack how linguistic context, cultural expression, and systemic bias collided with UK law and how the Crown ultimately offered no evidence and dropped the prosecution.We explore what this case reveals about freedom of expression, racialised policing, and the legal system’s struggle (or failure) to grapple with language diversity. Expect candid discussion about how everyday speech can be criminalised, why this matters far beyond one individual, and what this means for language justice and racial equity in the law.📍 Read more about the case here: https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2026/02/03/black-man-has-criminal-prosecution-dropped-after-he-called-black-police-officer-my-n-word/
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  Why Gatekeeping the AAVE Term “Fed” Is Counter-Revolutionary 18.01.2026 14мин

  In this episode, we unpack why gatekeeping the AAVE term “fed” when used between Black people across the diaspora is not revolutionary, but counter-revolutionary.For many Black people outside the United States, Black Americanness is often the most visible, and sometimes the only, representation of Blackness we encounter on television, in music, and across global media. That visibility has shaped shared political language, cultural reference points, and ways of understanding power, surveillance, and state violence. The term “fed” emerges from those realities which are not uniquely American, but deeply familiar to Black communities in the UK and beyond.This episode argues that being on code should never mean excluding other Black people from language born of collective struggle. The conditions that produced these terms like over-policing, monitoring, infiltration, and criminalisation are experienced across borders. When we fragment our language along national lines, we weaken our ability to recognise threats, build trust, and organise effectively.Liberation requires a shared political language. Not one that erases local specificity, but one that allows Black people globally to communicate risk, strategy, and solidarity with clarity. Rather than gatekeeping each other, the revolutionary work is building diasporic fluency and learning together, correcting with care, and moving with collective intention.Our freedom depends on shared understanding. And shared understanding begins with shared language.
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  🎙️ Clock It 🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾: Black/Ballroom Expression in Sign Language 🖐🏾 14.12.2025 8мин

  From ballroom culture to Yoruba sign language, Black expression is all about movement, rhythm, and style. In this episode, we explore how Clock It and finger-tapping gestures from ballroom culture have influenced Black sign language, and how Black people naturally use gestures to communicate every day. We dive into the history, the cultural connections, and the creativity behind these movements, showing that Black communication is as expressive as it is powerful. Get ready to see how hands, rhythm, and culture come together in ways you’ve never noticed before.
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  Code-Switching Is Political 02.12.2025 14мин

  Code-switching isn’t just a habit; it’s a response to racial power. In this episode, we call out the denial of the “white voice,” explore how Black folks are pushed to alter their language for safety and survival, and argue that fighting for linguistic freedom is fighting for liberation itself.. This episode argues that language is not neutral—it’s a battleground. And choosing to speak in your own voice is a revolutionary stance.
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  White People Don’t Get to Police Our Languages! ✋🏾🗣️🔥 24.11.2025 12мин

  Black language, Black rules. 🖤🔥💬 In this episode, I call out white commentary policing our words, dismantle the idea that the academy gets to decide what counts as ‘proper’ language, and reclaim our voices on our own terms. From AAVE to Black British English, this is a bold reminder that our speech belongs to us and us alone. I’m encouraging every Black person to speak freely, unapologetically, and without seeking approval from those who have no claim to our culture, our history, or our tongues. It’s time to take back our words, our narratives, and our power.
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  What Makes Black British Words So Popular in South Africa? 🔥🇿🇦 11.11.2025 10мин

  What happens when South Africans start dropping “Mandem” and “calm” the moment they find out you’re from London? Join me as I recount my experiences navigating South African social scenes and how the rhythm, swagger, and vocabulary of Black British English have found a home far from the UK. More than just slang, BBE stands as a vibrant marker of Black Britishness, a language born of diaspora and now embraced, learned, and loved across the Black world. Through shared linguistic learning and deep cultural connection, we explore how BBE has become a powerful site of global production, shaping identity, belonging, and solidarity within the wider Black diaspora.
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  🎭📱 “Digital Blackface 2.0: Stop Sharing Those AI ‘Roadman in Parliament’ Videos” 09.10.2025 18мин

  Black British English is a language full of cultural rhythm shaped by generations of Caribbean and African influence. Yet on TikTok, it’s being copied, filtered and remixed into something hollow. White content creators are using AI, especially tools like Sora 2, to generate videos that mimic the sound and swagger of “roadman” speech, the same language they still mocked yet these audiences are eating it up. The humour of “roadman in Parliament” clips might feel harmless, but each share fuels an algorithm that rewards imitation while erasing the people who built the language in the first place.
As I record this from Abuja, the contrast is striking. The city hums with real multilingual energy: Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, English, Pidgin and dozens of other tongues intersect in everyday life. Here, language isn’t just a tool for clicks, it’s identity, connection and cultural memory. Watching how fluidly people code-switch reminds me how unnatural it feels to see AI flatten an entire linguistic tradition into an aesthetic trend.
This episode digs into how digital platforms are turning living languages into viral content, how AI amplifies appropriation at lightning speed, and why we need to stop sharing and engaging with these “roadman in Parliament” videos. If we don’t, the voices that gave Black British English its power risk being drowned out by the very systems built to mimic them.
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  Assata Shakur’s Rejection of Her European Name & Language Justice 01.10.2025 17мин

  By rejecting her Eurocentric name, Assata reclaimed the right to self-definition on her own terms and in ancestral languages. • “Assata” (Swahili: she who struggles), “Olugbala” (Yoruba: savior), and “Shakur” (Arabic: thankful) each root her in African and diasporic linguistic traditions. • This is language justice in action: choosing names that restore cultural dignity and affirm African linguistic heritage.This episode examines Assata Shakur’s life and writing through the lens of linguistic justice. We explore how her choice of names, her use of African and diasporic languages, and her embrace of AAVE challenge colonial Language superiority and reclaim linguistic power. By centering language in the Black liberation struggle, Shakur reminds us that words, names, and voices are not just communication — they are acts of defiance.
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  🇳🇬 Pidgin Na Full Language & Owambe vs Owanbe 🎉🍾” 22.09.2025 18мин

  🎙️ Episode Explainer (English):In this episode, we dive deep to show that Pidgin English isn’t “half a language” at all, it stands strong 💪🏽 as a complete language spoken by millions. Then we shift to Yoruba culture 🎶🥁, breaking down why both Owambe and Owanbe are correct when it comes to party talk 🍾💃. Expect laughter, good vibes, and some spicy debates on language and culture!🎙️ Episode Explainer: (Pidgin)Na full gist for this episode! We go show say Pidgin no be “half language” at all, e dey stand strong 💪🏽 as one complete language wey millions sabi. Then we waka go Yoruba culture side 🎶🥁, break down why Owambe AND Owanbe fit both correct when e reach party talk 🍾💃. Expect laughter, vibes, and small gbas-gbos on language and culture!
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  🚫 Stop Explaining Black Words Online 📱 London’s 6 Black Accents 🔊 14.09.2025 13мин

  Black British English, AAVE, Pidgin, Creoles and Patwa are not trends. Yet online, every word, phrase, and term gets packaged into a TikTok explainer video for the world to decode. 📱🚫 Enough.
In this episode, we take on:​ Why “MLE” is a lazy, erasing label for Black British language. ❌​ How over-explaining Black speech perpetuates cultural appropriation and erases our voices.​ The difference between appreciating Black language and policing it. 💬✊🏾​ Why ownership of our words matters and why the internet needs to stop subtitling us.​ And why London has far more accents and voices than BBC London acknowledges 🎤🌍 a linguistic map richer, louder, and more vibrant than the mainstream admits.
This isn’t about accents alone, it’s about power, respect, and boundaries. 🔥 Listen as we unpack why Black words belong to us and not the algorithms, not the TikTok explanations, and certainly not anyone outside our community.
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  Rolling Ray Changed the Way We Talk… and Why I’m Learning Haitian 🇭🇹Creole 07.09.2025 12мин

  In this episode I reflect on the cultural impact of Rolling Ray and the unique ways he influenced African American Vernacular English. Since his passing many people have been thinking about how language and identity evolve through voices like his and it is super important that his impact is written about and widely acknowledged.I also share my own journey of picking up Haitian Creole on Duolingo and what it means to connect with language, legacy, and history in the present day.
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  Our Languages, Our Legacy: International Day for People of African Descent 🇲🇶🇰🇳🇧🇫🇬🇭🇳🇬🇯🇲 31.08.2025 14мин

  🌍✨ Join us as we celebrate International Day for People of African Descent by diving into the incredible world of Creole languages and the cultures they carry across the diaspora. From Haitian Creole 🇭🇹 on Duolingo to BBC Pidgin 🇳🇬, and the vibrant braadkyaasjamiekan 🇯🇲 and TwoSaints 🇱🇨on instagram , we explore how language connects us to our African roots and the history of our people.Learn how words, stories, and rhythms traveled from West Africa 🌿 to the Caribbean 🌴, South America 🌎, and beyond. Discover online resources, tips for learning these languages, and the stories behind each Creole community. This episode is a celebration of identity, heritage, and the power of language to unite us across continents.Whether you are passionate about language learning, curious about African diaspora culture, or just love discovering new ways to connect with history, this episode will inspire and guide you on a journey through the languages that carry our ancestors’ legacy.✨ Speak, learn, celebrate, and honor the rich tapestry of Creole languages that remind us where we come from and the resilience of our people.
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  Carnival Is Resistance: Soca, Creole, and the Politics of Joy at Notting Hill 24.08.2025 11мин

  Last week, I found myself dancing to soca from Antigua 🇦🇬and without even meaning to, I started picking up words and phrases in Antiguan Creole. In this episode, I unpack that moment: how soca isn’t just music to move your body, but a living archive of language, culture, and identity. We’ll talk about what makes Antiguan soca unique, how artists weave creole into their lyrics, and why Carnival music can be such a powerful tool for learning and remembering Caribbean languages. At Notting Hill Carnival, flags wave as loudly as the music — Antiguan red and black, Trinidadian red and white, Jamaican green and gold, and countless more from across the Caribbean. Each one is a claim to space, memory, and identity in the streets of London. It is the UK’s longest-running Black protest, born from resistance to racism and the fight for dignity. In this episode, we explore how Carnival became a space of liberation through music, dance, and community. We dive into the power of soca as protest music that carries Caribbean history into the present, and how singing along becomes a way of learning creole languages shaped by survival, creativity, and solidarity. From the chants that echo down London’s streets to the linguistic play inside every lyric, Carnival shows us how art and language can resist, remember, and rebuild.
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  ❤️🖤💚 Do For Self 2.0: Marcus Garvey’s Vision in Creole & Digital Spaces 17.08.2025 13мин

  Marcus Garvey told us: “One God, One Aim, One Destiny.”But what does that destiny look like in 2025 in the age of TikTok, Instagram, and global Creole culture?
On this special BBE Podcast episode marking Marcus Garvey’s 138th birthday, we explore how his Pan-African vision continues to live and breathe through the words we speak, the cultures we protect, and the digital tools we now hold in our hands.
🔥 In this episode, we break down:​ Why Garvey’s blueprint of “Do for Self” is still urgent today.​ How Creole languages like Jamaican Patois, Haitian Kreyòl, Nigerian Pidgin and others carry the heartbeat of Pan-African unity.​ The ways social media has become our new printing press allowing us to connect the diaspora in real-time.​ What you can do to carry Garvey’s fire forward in the digital age and in real life.
From Kingston to Lagos, Port-au-Prince to London, Harlem to the Gram — Garvey’s dream is still alive. This is not just history. It’s movement. It’s language. It’s culture. It’s power.
Tap in, share the vision, and claim your part in One Destiny online and beyond.
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  Asake, Yoruba, and the Lingering Legacy of Colonial Language Control 11.08.2025 10мин

  In this episode, I dive into the recent backlash against Nigerian artist Asake for using Yoruba on his Gunna feature and why the anger reveals something deeper: our communities are still wrestling with internalised anti-Black linguistic racism, a legacy of colonial language control that refuses to die quietly.I unpack the colonial history that positioned European languages like English as the “proper” or “respectable” choice while devaluing African and Caribbean languages as inferior or unprofessional. We explore how this thinking lingers today, even within Black spaces, when artists unapologetically use their native tongues.Fresh back from Antigua, I reflect on what it meant to be fully submerged in Blackness: walking through spaces where the majority looks like you, where Caribbean English Creole flows without side-eyes or corrections, where music is drenched in local expressions and history. And I ask why, in Britain and beyond, Black language still needs to fight for space when it is the heartbeat of our culture.From Yoruba in Afrobeats to patois in dancehall to Black British English in grime, this episode is about how music has always been a site of linguistic preservation and resistance and why every verse, every hook, every bassline that carries our words is a pushback against the colonial idea that only one kind of English is valid.Because when we lose a language, we do not just lose words. We lose ways of seeing the world. And we are not letting that happen.
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  Black Language, white systems: How schools police Black speech !! 28.07.2025 4мин

  What do a courtroom in 1979 Michigan and a government report in 1985 Britain have in common? The answer: Black language, and the systems that tried to silence it.This episode dives into why the way we speak is about so much more than grammar — it’s about race, power, and who gets to be heard. From the Ann Arbor AAVE case to the Swan Report in the UK, we’re looking at how schools, governments, and institutions have treated Black English as a problem instead of a culture.Language isn’t neutral. And in this episode, we’re saying it plainly: language justice is racial justice.