Podcasts by Up Front - VOA Africa

Up Front: Zimbabwean Acapella group Nobuntu breaking barriers with their Music - November 22, 2023 from 2023-11-22T17:30:05

Zimbabwean all female acapella group Nobuntu, are breaking barriers in a mostly male dominated music genre known as Imbube. The group currently on their North American tour join me to talk about th...

Up Front: The number of people living in modern slavery is alarming-Activist - November 15, 2023 from 2023-11-15T17:30:05

UN agencies warn that the number of people living in modern slavery is growing, reaching 50 million--according to a 2021 report. Modern slavery victims are often entrapped and exploited to provid...

Up Front: Germany apologizes for colonial-era killings in Tanzania - November 08, 2023 from 2023-11-08T17:30:05

Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently apologized for killings under colonial rule in Tanzania. Thousands of Tanzanians were killed and others died from hunger after German troops tar...

Up Front Ghana Looks to Attract Investment and Tourism to Boost Economy - November 01, 2023 from 2023-11-01T17:30:05

Economist say that Ghana needs to boost investment and tourism in response to an economic crisis driven by high inflation and a decline in the value of the local currency. We talk to Akwasi Agyeman...

Up Front - October 25, 2023 from 2023-10-25T17:30:05

On this fresh, fast-paced show VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi talks to teens and young adults about politics, trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and other issues touching listeners’ lives. For m...

Up Front: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October 18, 2023 from 2023-10-18T17:30:05

Breast cancer is a significant health concern in Africa, and it presents several unique challenges in the region. Dr.William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer for the American Cancer Society join...

Up Front: Book Examines Influence of Pop Culture Figures on Young Fighters in Sierra Leone Civil War - October 11, 2023 from 2023-10-11T17:30:05

A new book by acclaimed author Marc Sommers—examines how pop culture figures like American rapper Tupac, Reggae icon Bob Marley, and the movie character Rambo, inadvertently radicalized young peopl...

Up Front- Liberians ready for Fourth Election since end of Civil War. - October 04, 2023 from 2023-10-04T17:30:05

On October 10th, Liberians will vote in their fourth presidential election since the end of the civil war in 2003. The incumbent President George Weah is seeking a second term in office. He will fa...

Up Front: Hanae Bezad on'Being Other'- September 27, 2023 from 2023-09-27T17:30:05

Moroccan tech entrepreneur and Change maker Hanae Bezad's new book'Being Other'offers insights and observations that highlight the qualities and capabilities of people who live and work outside of ...

Up Front: Moroccan Diaspora Takes Part in Rescue Efforts for Quake Victims - September 20, 2023 from 2023-09-20T17:30:05

Humanitarian and rescue efforts continue in Marrakesh and nearby communities as they grapple with the aftermath of the strongest earthquake to hit the country in the last 120 years. Yasmine El Bagg...

Up Front: African nations call for new taxes to fund climate change action on the continent. - September 13, 2023 from 2023-09-13T17:30:05

The Nairobi Declaration: African leaders and environmental activists called for new global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to help fund climate change action on the contin...

Up Front: What is Driving Coups in Some West, Central African Nations? - August 30, 2023 from 2023-08-30T17:30:05

Military officers in Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday and had put President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest. This follows a similar move in Niger where the Presidential guard, In ...

Up Front: Art As a Tool For Self Empowerment - August 16, 2023 from 2023-08-16T17:30:05

Chardelle Moore is a multidisciplinary artist and motivational speaker, her debut album,"Inward Awakening,"is a multi-genre poetic collection that explores self-knowledge. She spoke to about her de...

Up Front: Celebrating English to Africa's 60th Anniversary - August 09, 2023 from 2023-08-09T17:30:05

This month VOA's English to Africa Service celebrated 60 years of serving the continent. UpFront joined the E2A family in 2007, covering major events including the Arab Spring, the independence of ...

Up Front: CIVICUS's #StandAsMyWitness campaign seeks to stop persecution of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. - August 02, 2023 from 2023-08-02T17:30:05

Through their #StandAsMyWitness, CIVICUS-- a global alliance of civil society organization is calling on governments to free human rights activists and journalists in prison. Nigerian Singer Okw...

Up Front: How Can the International Community Help End the Crisis in Sudan - July 26, 2023 from 2023-07-26T17:30:05

On this fresh, fast-paced show VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi talks to teens and young adults about politics, trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and other issues touching listeners’ lives. For m...

Up Front: Africa and the Space Race - July 05, 2023 from 2023-07-05T17:30:05

Is Africa falling behind the space race? NASA Space Scientist, Dr Brook Lakew joins us in Studio. Cameroonian Afrobeats singer Gomez Oba wants to use music to unite his people.

Up Front: Reporting From Mekelle, A Journalist's Experience - June 28, 2023 from 2023-06-28T17:30:05

During the two-year conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, Mehret Okbay was one of the few journalists reporting from Mekelle, the region's capital. Okbay talks about the some of the challenges of r...

Up Front: World Refugee Day Special Podcast - June 21, 2023 from 2023-06-21T17:30:05

Jackson Mvunganyi and Nanythe Talani host two special guests: Olwak “Shufto” Jenaro, a young Sudanese American write, whose new memoir tells the story of his journey from Khartoum, Sudan, to living...

Up Front: Jonathan Butler Talks New Album'Ubuntu'- June 07, 2023 from 2023-06-07T17:30:05

Legendary South African musician and activist Jonathan Butler was the first black artist to be played by white radio stations during apartheid in South Africa. Butler joins VOA Up Front host Jackso...

Up Front: Report on Nigeria Needing $12 Billion to Clean up Bayelsa Oil Spills - May 17, 2023 from 2023-05-17T17:30:05

A new report by the Bayelsa State Oil and environmental commission says that Nigeria needs $12 billion to clean up decades-old oil spills in southern Bayelsa state over a 12-year period. Bayelsa is...

Up Front: #Bringbackourgirls Co-Founder Reflects On 9 Years After Chibok Kidnapping - May 10, 2023 from 2023-05-10T17:30:05

This April 14th marked 9 years since the Boko Haram Militant group kidnapped 270 girls from a school in Chibok. Aisha Muhamed Oyobode, one of the founders of the #BringBackOurGirls social media cam...

Up Front: World Press Freedom Day - May 03, 2023 from 2023-05-03T17:30:05

On World Press Freedom Day we talk about the importance of a free media and some of the threats journalists face in their line of work. We talk to Ahmed Sahid Nasrallah, President of the Sierra Leo...

Up Front: Murder of Cameroonian Journalist Raises Questions on Press Freedom - April 26, 2023 from 2023-04-26T17:30:05

Media watchdogs warn about the state of Press freedom in Cameroon after the brutal murder of a independent journalist Martinez Zogo. This week we chat with Cameroonian journalist and Publisher Ham...

Up Front: Rwandan Genocide Survivor Speaks on the Power of Forgiveness and Living with the Physical Scars. - April 12, 2023 from 2023-04-12T17:30:05

This year marks 29 years since the genocide against the Tutsi. Kizito Kalima a genocide survivor says that forgiving his family's killers was a way to cope with their loss. Music Time in Africa's ...

Up Front; Sierra Leonean author Kadijatu Grace on overcoming adversity to inspiring the next generation of young leaders - April 05, 2023 from 2023-04-05T17:30:05

Sierra Leonean author, community activist and fashion designer Kadijatu Grace survived the civil war in her country and now works to inspire youth leaders. Rwandan leadership coach Anette Bayigana ...

Entrepreneur Goes From Lot Attendant to Business Mogul; Report Finds Flaws in Kenya Carbon Credit Scheme - March 29, 2023 from 2023-03-29T17:30:05

Ethiopian American entrepreneur Henok Tesfaye worked many odd jobs including as a parking attendant. With the help of a 50-dollar loan, he started his own business, transforming his company to a pa...

Up Front: Nairobi Design Week, Young Ghanaian American Publishers - March 15, 2023 from 2023-03-15T17:30:05

Nairobi Design week is an annual festival that takes place in Kenya’s Capital Nairobi. The festival highlights the works of local and international designers Young Ghanaian entrepreneurs on a missi...

UpFront: Celebrating Black Women in Food, Ghana Agriculture Crowdfunding - March 08, 2023 from 2023-03-08T19:47:07

A local women-led organization Dine Diaspora's initiative to celebrate Black women in the food industry. In Ghana, a crowdfunding initiative to invest in small-to-medium holder farmers.

Up Front: The Power and Influence of Radio - March 01, 2023 from 2023-03-01T17:30:05

On this fresh, fast-paced show VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi talks to teens and young adults about politics, trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and other issues touching listeners’ lives. For m...

Up Front: Nigeria Readies for Polls, How Critical is the Youth Vote? - February 23, 2023 from 2023-02-23T20:39:38

Even though digital and visual media has proliferated, radio remains popular. We talk to two radio broadcasters about the power and influence of radio in their communities. Plus, Nigerians are gett...

Up Front: Ethiopian American Artist and Industrial Designer Talks Black Panther - February 08, 2023 from 2023-02-08T17:30:05

This week, Ethiopian American artist and Industrial designer Jomo Tariku joins us to talk about his Afrofuturistic furniture featured on Marvel's Black Panther-Wakanda Forever. Tanzanian filmmake...

The Rise of African Art&Spotlighting Ghanaian Dance - January 11, 2023 from 2023-01-11T18:36:15

We chat with Artsplit co-founder on the value of African art and visit Dancing with a Purpose, a dance group based in Accra, Ghana.

US-Africa Summit and Atlantic Basin Dialogue - December 28, 2022 from 2022-12-28T17:30:05

On this fresh, fast-paced show VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi talks to teens and young adults about politics, trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and other issues touching listeners’ lives. For m...

Up Front: Vaccine Coverage in Africa - December 14, 2022 from 2022-12-14T17:30:05

On this fresh, fast-paced show VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi talks to teens and young adults about politics, trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and other issues touching listeners’ lives. For m...

Up Front: Vaccine Coverage in Africa - December 14, 2022 from 2022-12-14T17:30:05

On this fresh, fast-paced show VOA's Jackson Mvunganyi talks to teens and young adults about politics, trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and other issues touching listeners’ lives. For m...

A conversation on the dynamics of the youth employment challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2020-01-29T12:30

Tackling Mental Health Challenges in Africa from 2019-11-06T13:30

Health experts say that millions of Africans across the continent suffer from all kinds of mental diseases ranging from depression to severe anxiety. However the health systems in ma...

What does 'Independence Day' Mean to Africa's Youth? from 2019-10-23T13:30

October is a very important month for millions of Africans across the continent.  From Nigeria to Uganda, to Guinea to Zambia, October is the month in which these countries gained their hard f...

Female Entrepreneurs narrowing the Gender gap in Africa's tech sector from 2019-10-16T13:30

Female Entrepreneurs narrowing the Gender gap in Africa's tech sector

World Refugee day-Up Front from 2017-06-21T13:30

On today's show, we talk about the plight and experience of millions of Africa's refugees who flee their homes to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

Up Front from 2016-04-27T13:30

On this fresh, fast-paced show, co-hosts Jackson Mvunganyi, in the U.S., and Nadia Samie, in Africa, talk to teens and young adults about Politics,trends, lifestyles, health, entertainment, and oth...