Spotify has announced a $100,000 investment in African Podcatsers through its new Sounds of Africa campaign. The initiative will highlight young African musicians and podcasters.
According to Spotify, the continent is home to a remarkable diversity of brilliant people who are sharing their distinct creativity, storytelling, and sounds with the rest of the world.
“African creators are doing amazing things in the music and audio content creation space. Moreover, the stories of this crop of creatives are helping others find their passions and their voices,” said Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa.
“They’re teachers, friends, and companions on people’s daily commute. They’re ambassadors for the continent, sharing the sounds of Africa. And, at Spotify, we are committed to helping them do just that,” Jocelyne added.
The introduction of Spotify’s Africa Podcast Grant is meant to help showcase African voices. The $100,000 fund is to be offered to ten creators, who can be new or established. This fund aims to increase the visibility of underrepresented stories and viewpoints in podcasting.
Spotify is spotlighting six African artists and six African podcasters as part of Sounds of Africa through a digital-first campaign to push consumers to their respective Spotify pages.
Among the creators include Kenyan artists Nikita Kering and Chris Kaiga, podacsters Joan, Kibz, Nyamita, and Owen of The Sandwich Podcast and Mantalk.ke podcast hosts Eli Mwenda and Oscar Koome.
Others are Feyikemi Abudu and Jola Ayeye of the I Said What I Said podcast, Taymesan: Tea With Tay podcast, Nicole Engelbrecht: True Crime South Africa podcast, Gugulethu Nyatsumba: After School Is After School with Sis G.U podcast, Ladipoe, Preyé, Nomfundo Moh and Zoë Modiga.