In celebration of the 2023 World Kiswahili Language Day, KaBrazen podcast presents the first bilingual children’s podcast in English and Kiswahili produced and developed in Nairobi, Keny featuring digital stories of brazen African women. Launching this upcoming series is the KaSpecial: Celebration of World Kiswahili Day 2023 which is a special bilingual episode of the KaBrazen podcast which is presented in English and Kiswahili. Directed and produced by Kenyan content house, The LAM Sisterhood (Laura Ekumbo, Aleya Kassam and Anne Moraa), this release is hailed as one of the continent’s most pioneering podcast innovations as it aims to celebrate and appreciate the Kiswahili language which is spoken by nearly 300 million users around the world by bringing engaging African female hero stories to children using the podcast digital format.
“I am happy to be a part of KaBrazen because it feels like breathing life into something that is uniquely ours as Africans. That through the stories we tell, little ones all over the world will hopefully draw inspiration to courageously be whoever they choose to be. And out of the endless why(s) that life throws at me, leaving a mark in their lives through KaBrazen counts for something” says Afrikan Nduta, a Kenyan creative and Kiswahili voice artist who voices Tata Nduta who is the Kiswahili narrator for the KaBrazen podcast.
World Kiswahili Language Day: The United Nations General Assembly, through its resolution 71/328 of 11 September 2017, on multilingualism, welcomed implementation of a day dedicated to each of its official languages in order to inform and raise awareness of their history, culture and use, and encouraged the Secretary-General and institutions such as UNESCO to consider extending this important initiative to other non-official languages spoken throughout the world. In that regard, the 41st session of the General Conference of UNESCO adopted resolution 41 C/61 that recognized the role the Kiswahili language plays in promoting cultural diversity, creating awareness and fostering dialogue among civilizations and noted the need to promote multilingualism as a core value of the United Nations and an essential factor in harmonious communication between peoples, which promotes unity in diversity and international understanding, tolerance and dialogue. The resolution proclaimed 7 July of each year as World Kiswahili Language Day. Kiswahili is the first African language to be recognized in such a manner by the UN.
KaSpecial: Celebration of World Kiswahili Day 2023: This incredibly interactive, educational and celebratory podcast episode will air on Friday 7th July 2023 on all podcast platforms in celebration of World Kiswahili Language Day.
“We celebrate all the languages and stories that exist in the world and we cannot wait to take you with us on this special, adventurous KaBrazen journey in Kiswahili!” says Laura Ekumbo of The LAM Sisterhood who co-developed KaBrazen podcast and voices Aunt Shishi, the English language storyteller.
Listeners can look forward to an engaging episode filled with inspiring and insightful words from the KaBrazen podcast hosts in English and Kiswahili. In addition, for audiences looking to learn more about multilingual children’s podcasting or attend a future live performance of the KaBrazen podcast, they will have an opportunity to sign up on the kabrazen.com website. Event slots are limited, thus interested parties are encouraged to sign up early.
“Storytelling is an intrinsic part of African Culture. Particularly for children, it is an important tool for learning, strengthening communal bonds, and honoring the people who made an impact in our societies. Kabrazen’s approach of bringing this honored tradition to today’s children using the exciting medium of podcasting not only seeks to make the stories of African women as visible as possible but also provides a digital archive, allowing them to return and interact with their favorite stories and heroes as many times as they would like. “ noted Mars Maasai who is a Project Officer at Ignite Culture, which has been supporting KaBrazen Consortium in Eastern Africa.
Learners and educators of the Kiswahili language can appreciate the multilingual episode for their classrooms and other learning settings. Presented by the world renowned The LAM Sisterhood, sound engineered in Nairobi at Za Kikwetu Production studios, the story of Mekatilili wa Menza, a fearless Kenyan woman leader will inspire, engage and entertain in a bite-size episode in honor of World Kiswahili Language Day.
Maasai added: “Providing Swahili versions of this critical work also broadens the audience it can reach, ensuring that more and more young children grow up with an appreciation for African stories and the art of storytelling. Further, the consortium’s dedication to equipping storytellers with the capacity to better use the medium of podcasting is a wonderful component of their project. Overall, this entire project is a brilliant re-imagination of the art, culture, and practice of storytelling and one the ACP-EU is happy to support through The Ignite Culture Fund as implemented by British Council and HEVA”
This much-awaited event has also brought about a major collaboration for both KaBrazen Consortium and ACP-EU Ignite Culture, as KaBrazen Consortium partnered with ACP-EU Ignite Culture grant makers. For them, supporting this podcast made for the perfect partnership. KaBrazen podcast has partnered with Za Kikwetu Productions and Africa Podfest to form the KaBrazen Consortium. KaBrazen Consortium was competitively selected for the ACP-EU Ignite Culture 2022-24 Grant.
