JOHANNESBURG — A dozen professional and aspiring podcasters from Malawi, Lesotho and South Africa gathered in Johannesburg in July for the inaugural week-long podcast training program aimed at equipping participants with skills to turn their storytelling ambitions into powerful digital content. The Sound Waves Lab, which took place from July 7 to 11, was co-hosted by the Goethe-Institut, a nonprofit German cultural organization, and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), with support from the French-German Cultural Fund.
Throughout the week, participants received intensive, hands-on training that covered concept development, narrative design, audio editing, distribution and audience engagement.
The participants also toured the studios of Solid Gold Podcasts, a South African company specializing in podcast and audiobook production, and Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD), the consortium of Germany’s regional public broadcasters, to familiarize themselves with professional audio-visual production environments.
Seasoned audio producers and journalists from France, Germany and South Africa led the sessions, which primarily focused on telling authentic African stories on African terms.
I’ve learned so much from hearing how others in the region are podcasting and how they build community around audio.
South African filmmaker Tendayi Nyeke
An overwhelming interest
Nesa Fröhlich, head of information services for Sub-Saharan Africa at the Goethe-Institut, told RedTech that the training was designed to go beyond South Africa’s borders. “Podcasting is such an important medium today. We wanted to open a door for more stories from African countries to be told, especially from those underrepresented in mainstream media,” she said.
Lauren Fletcher, audio-visual project manager at IFAS, said the training was a result of a long-standing collaboration between IFAS and the Goethe-Institut.
“We assessed the need for podcasting training across these countries. What surprised us was the overwhelming interest in our project. We had more applicants than we could accommodate,” she said.
Participants described the training as more than a learning opportunity, saying it was a creative awakening for their digital storytelling journeys.
Denis Imaan, a video podcaster from Malawi, said the experience was eye-opening. “Before this, I thought podcasting was mostly about visuals or video content. Now I understand the power of audio alone. I’ve learned how to script stories, conduct compelling interviews and use editing tools I never had access to before,” he said.
Bongiwe Zihlangu, a veteran print journalist from Lesotho, said the training marked a turning point in her career. “This gave me the confidence and skills to finally start my own podcast. I’ve always had stories to tell, and now I know how to bring them to life.”
For Tendayi Nyeke, a South African filmmaker and musician now based in the U.S., the lab bridged her artistic instincts with new storytelling techniques. “I’ve learned so much from hearing how others in the region are podcasting and how they build community around audio. It’s inspired me to merge my film production skills with podcasting in a way that’s meaningful to me and my audience.”
Shaping an African podcast identity
Industry experts believe the training could help shape a distinctively African podcast identity. Paulo Dias, head of industry relations at the South Africa Podcast Guild, said the sessions encouraged participants to move away from Western formats and instead embrace local languages, cultures and storytelling styles. “If we just copy the U.K. or U.S., we risk losing the essence of our own stories,” Dias said. “Africa’s challenges and opportunities are unique. We need African solutions to podcasting formats, themes and even soundscapes that reflect who we are and how we live.”
He emphasized that local languages are one of the most powerful tools African podcasters have. “When you podcast in your own language, you create something distinctive. The internet is growing, our youth population is booming and people are consuming more content. This is Africa’s moment to be discovered on our terms,” said Dias.
The Sound Waves Lab also served as a diplomatic success story, showcasing how shared values between nations can foster creative collaboration. France and Germany, long-time partners in European cooperation, are extending this philosophy to Africa through cultural initiatives like this. “The French-German Cultural Fund supports joint cultural projects every year,” said Fröhlich. “We wanted to create a model that others can replicate and evaluate for impact as we go.”
All 12 participants, including this reporter, received certificates of attendance. The Sound Waves team is already looking ahead. “We didn’t know how it would go, especially with experts from three different countries,” said Fletcher. “But it’s been a success. There’s real hunger for this kind of training. If we can secure more funding, we’d love to expand it across more African countries.”
The Sound Waves Lab marked the beginning of a movement of podcasters that could soon reshape how the world listens to Africa.
Finding their voice
Lead trainers Claire Richard from France and Philip Artelt from Germany were at the heart of the training initiative. They brought international experience to a local context. Beyond teaching technical skills and ethics, they mentored participants in one-on-one sessions, helping them find their voice in an increasingly crowded global podcast market.
Those voices are already beginning to resonate. During the wrap-up sessions, participants began developing new podcast concepts, from environmental storytelling and urban culture in Johannesburg to politics in Lilongwe and women’s empowerment in Maseru. Each idea reflected the lived experiences of the creators and their communities.
“This is just the beginning,” said Nantal Hopley, founder of Cape Conscious Media, a nonprofit podcast and digital media studio based in Cape Town. “We came to learn, but we’re leaving with something much bigger: the confidence to start telling our own stories.”
The training concluded with a panel discussion at IFAS headquarters in Johannesburg, where panelists agreed that the Sound Waves Lab marked the beginning of a movement of podcasters that could soon reshape how the world listens to Africa.
The author reports on the industry from Blantyre, Malawi.
This story originally appeared in the September/October 2025 edition of RedTech Magazine.
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