The Oriire Podcast

The Mijikenda are nine distinct ethnic groups that migrated from inland East Africa to the Kenyan coast. Ari joins this episode to walk through the migration story, and what the nine groups still have in common.

From the kingdoms of Axum and the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela to today's headlines about the Horn of Africa. Tam joins this episode for a walk through Ethiopia's history.

The Dahomey Amazons were the all-female warrior regiment of pre-colonial West Africa, fighting alongside (and often outperforming) the men. Massoud joins this episode to tell their story.

In ancient Ethiopia, courtship was not always a matter of choice. Eden joins this episode to talk about how forced dating actually worked, and who could be subjected to it.

Africa is home to thousands of ethnic groups, and that diversity has shaped borders, alliances, and conflicts for centuries. This episode looks at where those groups came from and how they've sorted themselves over time.

Abigail takes this episode on a tour of Africa and the diaspora, stopping in different cities to look at what each community has carried over from home.

African proverbs say a lot in very few words. This episode runs through the most common ones, and the situations they get pulled out for.

African spices don't show up evenly across the continent. This episode goes country by country, naming the ones each region cooks with most, and the dishes they end up in.

Igue is the Benin Kingdom's annual thanksgiving festival, marking the close of one year and the start of the next. Augusta joins this episode to walk through how it's celebrated and what to expect if you ever attend.

In Delta State, there is a marital tradition that forbids a married woman from sleeping with anyone other than her husband, with severe spiritual consequences for breaking it. Anthonia joins this episode to talk about Ishi and how it continues to be practiced among the Aniomas, Isokos, and Urhobos.

Botswanan cooking has its own distinct character, and many of the dishes go unmentioned outside the country. Ann joins this episode to walk through the staples, one dish at a time.

Before colonisation, Africa was home to some of the most sophisticated cities of their time. Seyram and Bryan of @africasuntoldstories join this episode to travel through Great Zimbabwe, Timbuktu, Djenne-Djenno, and Benin City.

In Northern Nigeria, a person can be spiritually tied to an animal, usually as a settlement for a debt money won't cover. Maria joins this episode to talk about Mutu, and how the binding actually works.

Beninese cooking shows up at weddings and at the everyday table, and often in similar dishes. Ashake joins this episode to walk through the ones you're most likely to encounter.

Yoruba is spoken in West Africa, and shows up inside the religious vocabularies of Brazil and Cuba. Wale joins this episode to walk through the journey, and the dialects.

In Yoruba tradition, twins aren't just lucky. They're believed to carry special powers and a direct line to the divine. This episode looks at what that means in practice and how that belief still shapes Yoruba family life today.

From the suya stalls of Lagos to the boli sellers along the Ibadan roads. This episode is a tour of Nigerian street food, and where to find the best of it.

Long before formal banking arrived, Nigerian communities were saving and lending through the Ajo system. This episode walks through how it works, and why people still prefer it to the bank.

Some African superstitions just stick, even after the people repeating them stop quite believing. This episode runs through the ones that have lasted, from the unlucky animals to the taboos people still keep to.

UNESCO has officially named Senegal as the birthplace of Jollof rice. The war is far from over. Pamela, Adwoa, and Jen join this episode to argue for their regional version, and why theirs is the one to beat.

Kayanmata is the Hausa set of practices tied to femininity and to the way women hold power inside marriage. Mojisola joins this episode to talk about the practice and why it continues to provoke debate.

Nana Buluku is central to Fon mythology in Benin, and shows up in Yoruba tradition too. Florent joins this episode to tell her origin story and how she's worshipped today.

Nigerian food is the kind of subject Nigerians can argue about for hours. Aikido isn't Nigerian, which makes this episode the rare outside opinion on dishes the locals usually have the last word on.

Yam festivals show up across many African cultures, and each one looks slightly different. Anita joins this episode to talk about the Iri-iji yam festival of Mbaise in Imo State, drawing on her experience of attending it.

Anansa is the Efik goddess of the sea, and the patron deity of Calabar. Maryann joins this episode to talk about who she is and how she's still worshipped today.

Kenyan cooking is shaped by the coastline, the trade routes, and the many communities the country brings together. Lavigne joins this episode for a tour. Maybe have a snack nearby.

Bayajidda is the founding myth of the Hausa kingdoms. Or legend, depending on who you ask. Shamsudeen joins this episode to tell the story and weigh in.

Today, land is mostly talked about as wealth and an investment. That isn't how Africans always thought about it. Imisi joins this episode to talk about what land meant before money got involved.

Braai, Biltong, Bunny Chow and Bobotie. Mamokone joins this episode for the introduction of South African food.

Horror myths have always been a thing in Nigerian boarding schools. Renny and Muminah join this episode to talk through the scary stories they remember.

Voodoo and Hoodoo get used interchangeably, but they aren't the same thing. This episode draws the line between Voodoo, the religion, and Hoodoo, the magical practice that grew out of it.

From Ewa Agoyin and Oloyin to Moi Moi, Akara, and Gbegiri. This episode walks through how a single legume becomes so many distinct meals in Yorubaland.

Every African society has rituals it returns to, some of them centuries old. This episode is a tour of the ones witnessed firsthand and the ones we've grown up hearing about.

Kintu was the first man in Baganda mythology, wandering Uganda alone before everything started. Destiny joins this episode to tell his story and to compare it with other African origin myths.

Igbo cuisine is built around its soups, and there are more of them than people outside the region usually realise. This episode walks through the staples one by one.

Christianity and Islam shaped African religious practice. The reverse is also true, and less talked about. This episode looks at the borrowing in both directions.

Anansi is the West African spider-trickster who, depending on the story, is either the keeper of all knowledge or its most slippery thief. Cynthia joins this episode to tell some of his stories and unpack what he stands for.

Nigerian food is the kind of subject that turns family arguments into hour-long debates. This episode is a back-and-forth on favourites and least favourites, and what shapes those preferences in the first place.

Cultural preservation is usually framed as an unqualified good but should every tradition be preserved? This episode tries to identify where the line falls, and when honouring tradition starts to do harm.

Many African folktales repeat across the continent with small changes, and a surprising number of them turn up reshaped in modern films, books and cartoons. Imisi joins this episode to put a few side by side.

What does Kenyan food look like outside Kenya? Yvette joins this episode to walk through the dishes that have made it to the diaspora, and what's been changed in translation.

Queen Moremi is a name most Yoruba children know, even if the full story has been blurred by retellings. This episode goes back to who she was and why Ile-Ife still owes her.

Have you heard the stories about jinns in Northern Nigeria? Fatima joins this episode to talk about what they are and her experiences with them.