Entertaining South African podcasts for your summer holiday - because local is lekker!
If you're looking for local, entertaining audio content to keep your spirits up this holiday, these proudly South African podcasts will be music to your ears.
Storytelling: First Person
The First Person podcast aims to tell the story of ordinary South Africans who are living extraordinary lives. Journalist and author Marianne Thamm discovers the hidden stories of our countrymen and women who may seem as if they're just like us - until you dig a little deeper, and realise that they're doing remarkable things. Thamm takes us behind closed doors to get to the nuggets of truth in every story, and interviews these everyday heroes wherever they may be found.
Hear about the policeman who decided to use his police van to change the lives of the desperate children he encountered on his beat every day in Kayamandi; about the 'corporate princess' who turned into the White Sangoma; the amateur detective who went to great lengths to investigate two of our country's most high-profile murder cases; and the 71-year-old who preaches the wonder of psychedelics. There are currently six episodes in Season 1, and they're ripe for the listening.
Go to www.firstpersonpod.com to listen and to sign up for notifications of new episodes.
Hip-hop: The Sobering
The Sobering, arguably the most authentically South African hip-hop podcast, is a ride that will instantly put you at ease and get you in the mood for some hard chilling. Hosted by rapper Kitso Moremi (from the rap duo Fratpack) and smooth-talking producer Javas Skolo, The Sobering features a line-up of 100% South African hip-hop artists, plus interviews with the heavyweights and the newcomers on the scene. There's a new episode launched on the first Monday of every month, and currently there are 15 episodes live, if you want to catch up before January's episode is released.
Go to https://soundcloud.com/the-sobering to listen.
Bookish: Amabookabooka
If you're a fan of local fiction, the light and literary podcast that is Amabookabooka will hit the spot. Journalist Jonathan Ancer interviews South African authors in bite-sized episodes every week. It's a quick and easy listen, with all episodes coming in under 30 minutes.
There are currently 12 episodes live, and you can hear from voices as diverse as Pamela Power, Anastacia Tomson and Louis Wild. To hear more about local books and the people who write them, go to http://iono.fm/c/2658 to listen, or find them on Facebook.
Comedy: Lesser-Known Somebodies
This is your sneak peak behind the scenes of the local comedy scene, hosted by SA comedian Simmi Areff. There are 36 episodes of Lesser-Known Somebodies on iTunes currently, and feature Areff interviewing both local and international stand-ups, including Schalk Bezuidenhout, Jason Goliath and American comedian Orlando Jones. His questions are incisive and they elicit the kinds of answers you'd never hear in a magazine or TV interview. If oddball humour is your thing, get listening on iTunes immediately.
Sci-fi: Space Life and Other Dumb Ideas
Ever wondered about where Artificial Intelligence could really take us in future? Or what life on Mars would be like if it were possible? Or how anthropologists would view zombies and cyborgs? Then Space Life is your perfect choice of earcandy. It's for nerds with a sense of humour, anyone who's ever loved comic books or sci-fi fantasies, those interested in recent scientific advances, and Black Mirror fans.
There are 20 eye-opening, hilarious episodes to listen to on Soundcloud at the moment, so get cracking!
For more on spot-on South African podcasts, check out OkayAfrica, 10 and 5, and the M&G.
Podcast apps
Our favourite podcast apps include Pocket Casts ($6, so about R80 at time of writing), Player FM (free for Android) and Overcast (free for iOS).
Make sure you've got enough data on your phone or tablet to stream or download the podcasts of your choice. You can buy data bundles quickly and affordably on the VodaPayApp »
