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Lesego Tlhabi and other podcasters to benefit from R1.8m Africa-wide Spotify Podcast Fund
From winning awards and dominating Mondays with her "group chat" to receiving support for her popular podcast, Lesego Tlhabi is winning.
Lesego Tlhabi, award-winning satirist and creator behind the Coconut Kelz persona | Picture: Instagram
Many Instagram users look forward to Mondays, despite officially being named the worst day of the week by Guinness World Records. The knack that Lesego Tlhabi has for curating conversations often helps bring Mondays to a hilarious close.
This is because Lesego Tlhabi has staked her claim as one of South Africa’s queens of conversation with a feature her followers affectionately refer to as ‘The Monday Group Chat.’
Lesego Tlhabi’s Group Chat
The social media content creator’s group chat doesn’t take the traditional format of a group chat on a messaging app. Instead, she curates a conversation tied to a popular talking point from the week gone by and invites her followers to anonymously share their experiences.
What sets her presentation apart is the way she reacts to each submission; often with a hilarious TikTok video used to illustrate her reaction to what we’re all reading.
From disastrous first dates to office romance and international flings and one-time dalliances with famous people, Lesego Tlhabi’s Group Chat is where it’s at on a Monday.
And radio stations seem to know this as many have been chided by Tlhabi for using her group chat topics as inspiration for topics on their own shows during the week.
Queen of convo
Her Monday group chat isn’t the only place where her skills reign supreme.
The former radio producer and satirist, best known for her character Coconut Kelz, also has her own podcast called Convos & Cocktails with Lesego Tlhabi.
She often plugs the podcast during her Monday group chat and according to Spotify, the focus of Lesego’s podcast is candid conversations that “we, as black women, want to have… but often don’t”.
She has been hailed for the podcast by fans who often discover it while browsing through her Instagram stories.
Hers will be one of many podcasts to benefit from a first-of-its-kind podcast initiative on the continent, called the Africa Podcast Fund by Spotify.
The initiative was launched with the goal of supporting podcasters and further amplifying their stories.
According to Spotify, the R1.8 million ($100,000) fund aims to bolster the careers of these podcast creators through financial grants, workshops and networking opportunities.
“The Africa Podcast Fund is offered to select creators from African countries with the biggest podcast listenerships, namely South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. The grant also includes a Cameroonian podcast with large listenerships both in France and in Francophone African countries, such as Cote d’Ivoire. Given the wide range of selected countries, the winning podcasts are recorded in a range of languages including Pidgin, English, French, Sheng, Ga and Twi.”
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Spotify also explained that the fund will be administered by Africa Podfest, a Kenyan-based company focused on inspiring and elevating African podcasters by building a sustainable and inclusive podcasting industry across Africa.
“Africa Podfest is excited about the development of podcasting in Africa particularly because the medium allows underrepresented African voices to tell the story of Africa,” said Melissa Mbugua, Co-Director, Africa Podfest.
Meet the podcasters
In addition to Convos & Cocktails with Lesego Tlhabi, here are the other 12 podcasts that will benefit from the fund.
Si Maman M’avait Dit from Cameroon. The podcast is hosted by entrepreneur, journalist and art collector Diane Audrey Ngako. The name of the podcast roughly translates to ‘If my mom had told me’. On her podcast, Diane Audrey gives the floor to guests, posing questions about what lessons they’ve learnt navigating their lives, careers, and relationships.
Sincerely Accra from Ghana. This popular Ghanaian podcast is based on urban life in the national capital Accra and episodes alternate between vox pops and in-studio interviews, predominantly in English with an occasional blend of Pidgin, Twi and Ga. Hosted by Joseph Nti and produced by Kwame Asante, the podcast is fast-paced and colourful, featuring a mix of personalities with exciting and varying discussions driven by current opinions and pop culture.
The Sandwich Podcast from Kenya. This podcast with the most listeners in Kenya, is hosted by four creatives: Joan, Kibz, Nyamita and Owen. Delivered in a mix of English, Swahili, and Sheng, topics on the podcast are inspired by the hosts’ life experiences and the guests they feature.
Kenya will also be represented by The Messy Inbetween, Mantalk.ke and Nipe Story.
I Said What I Said from Nigeria. This is one of the most popular podcasts in Nigeria and it is hosted by Feyikemi Abudu, an entrepreneur who is excited about helping small businesses to grow, and Jola Ayeye, a storyteller with a core interest in contemporary African culture.
Each week, they dive into the Lagos Millennial experience and share their take on current happenings in Nigerian society.
The country will also be represented by Tea With Tay a podcast that covers societal issues and personal experiences in a fun, light-hearted and entertaining way as well as F&S Uncensored which covers music, pop culture and personal experiences.
Joining Lesego Tlhabi to represent South Africa is After School Is After School with Sis G.U, hosted by Gugulethu Nyatsumba. This podcast aims to speak more openly and honestly about the battles that Gugulethu continues to face in her 20s. The Journey Kwantu also makes the list and this podcast is hosted by Vusumzi Ngxande as he explores and questions matters around African spirituality and identity.
Lastly, YouTube Black Voices creator Mpoomy Ledwaba’s Wisdom & Wellness with Mpoomy Ledwaba rounds out the list of independent emerging podcasters with growing audiences who were selected as recipients for the fund.
The recipients were selected with a focus on supporting podcasts that showcase a range of voices in terms of varying podcast formats, gender, language and content.
“It is through initiatives such as these that Spotify’s goal of further platforming African creators on a global scale can be realised – a goal central to shifting a historically restrictive view of storytelling out of and about the continent.”
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