So, you’ve decided to start a podcast- now WHAT??!!

Rumbi and I decided to turn some of our hour-long long-distance friendship chats into a podcast. Surely there are people out there that were also grappling with the same issues and concerns that we had as Zimbabwean women living far from home? But after we had made the decision to go for it- I found myself absolutely stuck. I mean- I had heard of podcasts of course but had instantly dismissed them as not for me (oh, the irony!)! Rumbi certainly listened to more podcasts than I did so I had to play “catch-up”, familiarise myself with this whole new world of podcasting AND to top it all off, also figure out how to start one.

Not surprised that soon after we decided to leap forward, you guessed it, I got a major case of analysis paralysis. According to Investopedia, “Analysis paralysis is an inability to make a decision due to over-thinking a problem. An individual or a group can have too much data. The result is endless wrangling over the upsides and downsides of each option, and an inability to pick one.”

Always having been a creative since I was young, I enjoy the free expression and release that comes with creating. From coming up with a concept (sometimes it does feel like they come to you in dreams), to seeing if I can bring the actual vision to life, to seeing a creative project through- I know I enjoy the creative journey. Most times, with no pressure about where or what the actual destination is. I mean it’s no wonder that Rumbi and I solidified our friendship during Art classes when we were young high schoolers! You’d think after all this- creating a podcast would be a breeze but apart from the hard work that comes with podcasting, to quote Erykah Badu, “I am an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit.”

So how did I push past getting stuck in a rut of over-analysing and seeking perfectionism when launching our podcast? Push past the endless options and directions that something creative can lead to?

I simply told myself- START.

START deciding what the intention of the podcast is.

START listening to podcasts that I could relate to.

START curating topics that resonated.

START, START, START…. just START.

And by no means was this a cure for my analysis paralysis but it certainly laid out a plan on how I could push past it. Is it scary having the world (potentially) listen to your voice, thoughts and opinions? Is it scary knowing that some of the things that you say intentionally, or not, can be taken out of context? Is it scary having a part of my beautiful friendship scrutinised? HELL YES- but I did it anyway. And no matter what it is that you want to do and embark on- you can either sit there for years and years with nagging thoughts on what you want to do and how you’d do it, or like me, you can…. just START.

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by Amanda Mudege-Fleischer

Why A Podcast? Why ‘It’s Layered’?

Amanda and I have been friends since high school. We met in 2001 as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed teenagers dropped in the middle of the Mashonaland East bushes to figure out life as boarders at Peterhouse Girls’ School in Zimbabwe. OK, I may be exaggerating but, basically we were facing the big-bad world of boarding school and the complexities of high school on our own.

Over the years, our friendship developed into a strong bond. As life would have it for many of us, we went our different ways to university - Amanda to Australia and I to South Africa. Thankfully, Facebook became a thing and our friendship stayed in tact through social media and the internet. Our conversations and catch-ups would often last for hours as we unpacked all we were experiencing, thinking and navigating through.

When COVID hit in 2020, our DMC’s continued and we found ourselves constantly saying “It’s so layered” because nothing is every really just black and white. The conversations evolved into “we should start a podcast” and with a crash course in podcasting thanks to Dr. Google, we jumped in head first.

Why Podcasting?

Being two Zimbabwean girls in the diaspora, we were acutely aware of the black narrative being heavily westernised with Africans viewed through Eurocentric lenses. Blackness when it came to the black narrative were mostly associated with the Northern America and UK experiences. The black African narrative was very limited when it was spoken of. We couldn’t see our people’s stories - in their complexities - being discussed. We realised we had something to say, especially pertaining to taboo topics like ‘mental health’, ‘classism’, ‘colourism’, ‘black tax’ and the effects of ‘colonialism’.

We realise it is important to tell our stories in all their nuances and speak to others from our country to share their stories. This podcast is an outlet and a community for those of us who have experienced a myriad of things and felt like “surely, it can’t only be me!” A catalogue of our stories that we hope - one day - our children and our children’s children can refer to as they seek to understand what life was like for us.

If we don’t tell our stories in their truth, who will?

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by Rumbidzayi Zezula Dube