From the curated chaos of the digital age to the quiet rooms of self-reflection, Tshiamo Modisane has learned that the real work of becoming is not about being seen; it’s about being known.
In this intimate and reflective episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with Tshiamo, a South African stylist, writer, and creative storyteller, to unpack the balance between visibility and authenticity. Known for her articulate voice across fashion, media, and social storytelling, Tshiamo has become a guiding presence for many navigating the tension between self-expression and self-preservation.
She speaks with emotional clarity about what it means to grow publicly while protecting your peace privately, how to practise softness as strength, and why letting your work speak first remains the most radical act of self-trust in a performative world.
Together, Kojo and Tshiamo explore:
This conversation is not about perfection or performance; it’s about presence. Tshiamo reminds us that true influence has nothing to do with attention and everything to do with intention.
Whether you know her from I Am Tshiamo or meet her here for the first time, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and redefine what strength and visibility mean for you.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Wandile on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram or visit tshiamomodisane.com
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From the streets of Soweto to the boardrooms of global creative collaboration, Wandile Zondo has walked, run, and cycled a long road toward sovereignty. As co-founder of Thesis Lifestyle, he’s spent two decades turning streetwear into a system; building not just a brand, but a movement that fuses fashion, community, sport, and social consciousness.
In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Wandile reflects on the journey that has shaped him as a creator, a father, and a builder of culture:
Zondo speaks with the same clarity and humility that has guided his work; grounded in Soweto, but globally fluent. He shows that sovereignty isn’t about solitude; it’s about community, continuity, and the courage to define yourself on your own terms.
Whether you’ve followed Thesis Lifestyle since its early jam sessions or are meeting Wandile Zondo for the first time, this conversation is a masterclass in what it means to build something that outlives the hype.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Wandile on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From the township of Alexandra to the grandest stages in the world, Kitty Phetla has redefined what it means to be a South African ballerina. Trained under the legendary Martin Schönberg, and now a celebrated choreographer, educator, and creative collaborator, Phetla has built her life around the belief that discipline is grace made visible.
In this milestone 100th episode of Listen To Your Footsteps,she sits down with Kojo Baffoe to reflect on the mental, physical, and spiritual architecture of her art. It’s a conversation about power disguised as poise, and the unseen work behind effortless beauty.
Together, they explore:
This is not a story about fame or success; it’s about becoming non-human in pursuit of mastery, where pain turns to rhythm, and the mind moves long before the body does.
Whether you know Kitty Phetla from the stage, the studio, or the airwaves, this episode reveals the woman behind the grace: focused, disciplined, and forever in motion.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Kitty Phetla on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
For over three decades, Pabi Moloi has been one of South Africa’s most trusted and recognisable voices. From her early days as a child performer to her years behind the microphone, she has grown up in the public eye, learning, unlearning, and finding her balance between light and loud.
In this introspective episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Pabi opens up about what it truly means to be a lightworker in a media space that often rewards spectacle over substance. She reflects on leaving radio, rediscovering her imagination, and creating a new rhythm for her life, one rooted in mindfulness, motherhood, and meaning.
Through humour, candour, and gentle wisdom, she explores:
This conversation is a reminder that power doesn’t always come from being seen or heard; it can also come from choosing presence, peace, and purpose.
Whether you know Pabi Moloi from television, radio, or her new journey into podcasting, this episode invites you to meet her differently: as a woman stepping fully into her light, on her own terms.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Pabi Moloi on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From her beginnings as a quiet observer to leading Hayani Africa, a Pan-African creative talent agency, Tumelo Moema has built her career on the belief that “home” is not just a place but a system. With roots in broadcast and licensing at Primedia, Getty Images, and Shutterstock, she brings a rare depth of expertise to shaping the future of creative careers across the continent.
In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Moema reflects on:
• Why “home” is a foundation for safety, growth, and belonging.
• The distinction between influence and being an influencer, and why it matters.
• How systems, contracts, and compliance future-proof creative careers.
• The philosophy behind building tables rather than waiting for an invitation.
• Her role in Women in Film & Television South Africa, and how mentorship can shift the industry.
With honesty and clarity, Tumelo unpacks how dignity, structure, and Pan-African collaboration can secure a sustainable creative future. Whether you’re a creative, a strategist, or someone seeking to turn vision into structure, this episode offers both inspiration and a blueprint.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Tumelo Moema on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram or visit hayaniafrica.com
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From a tent on the side of the roads to the Ubuntu Art Residency Village in Zanzibar, Reggie “The Nomad” Khumalo has lived a story where freedom, art, and Ubuntu are inseparable. Known for riding his motorbike across the continent with little more than his brushes and a belief in spirit, he has turned a life of motion into a movement of meaning.
In this moving episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Reggie reflects on:
• How a collapse in his early career humbled him and re-ignited his purpose.
• The spiritual turning point on the Wild Coast that made him choose the road.
• Why Ubuntu is more than an idea, it is the strangers who fed, funded, and sheltered him.
• How selling his art now funds school fees, food programmes, and community projects across Africa.
• Building the Ubuntu Art Residency Village in Zanzibar as a living archive of his journey.
• Why he believes “the God you’re looking for is within” and how listening to nature shapes his art.
With raw honesty, humour, and vision, Khumalo reveals what it means to bet on yourself, to trust the road, and to turn painting into service. Whether you know him as an artist, a traveller, or a World Food Programme High-Level Supporter, this is a conversation about finding freedom wherever the canvas meets the journey.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Reggie V Khumalo on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From the turbulence of a disrupted childhood to the global stage of the Venice Film Festival and the Emmy Awards, Joel Kachi Benson has lived a journey shaped by resilience, storytelling, and vision. Known for his groundbreaking VR documentary Daughters of Chibok, which brought the voices of mothers of abducted schoolgirls to the world, and Disney’s Madu, Benson has turned the camera into a compass for empathy and change.
In this episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Benson reflects on:
• How literature became a refuge after his early dreams collapsed, and why curiosity became his lifelong tool.
• The leap from music videos and corporate work to purpose-driven documentaries that give dignity to the vulnerable.
• The moment he emptied his bank account to train in VR, and how it transformed his storytelling.
• Why empathy is never enough unless it leads to action, and how he designs impact into every project.
• Fatherhood, presence, and teaching his children contentment and curiosity as the foundation for their future.
Benson speaks with honesty, conviction, and creativity, showing how African filmmakers are pushing beyond borders while staying rooted in purpose. This is a conversation about taking risks, telling truths, and turning stories into action.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Kachi Benson on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram or visit his website kachibenson.com
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From hip hop cassettes in Hammanskraal to founding one of South Africa’s most influential spoken word movements, Thabiso “Afurakan” Mohare has always treated poetry as more than performance; it has been a compass for life. As co-founder of Word N Sound, he has helped shape stages, archives, and voices that have defined a generation of poets. But his truest pivot has been personal: declaring himself “a parent first” and restructuring his life and work around family, time, and legacy.
In this episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Afurakan reflects on:
• How poetry offered survival, direction, and a lifelong foundation.
• The making of Word N Sound and the challenge of archiving 15 years of formats, festivals, and voices.
• Why he believes income belongs to the household, not the individual.
• The shift from chasing gigs to building a consultancy that safeguards time with his daughters.
• Lessons on creative freedom, parenting with intention, and redefining manhood beyond breadwinning.
Spoken with honesty and vision, this conversation captures Afurakan’s journey as both artist and father, revealing why poetry is not only his craft, but his compass.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Thabiso Mohare on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram | X [formerly Twitter]
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
Chef Coco Reinarhz’s story is written in flavour. Born into a family of restauranteurs and chefs - his grandfather and his mother - he tried to escape the kitchen for construction engineering, only to discover that cooking was not just passion, but destiny.
In this episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Chef Coco reflects on his journey from Eurocentric training in Belgium to building restaurants in Johannesburg and finally founding Epicure, a pan-African dining space designed to make African flavours part of everyday dining. He shares why “food is a love language,” why “you eat first with your eyes,” and how elevating presentation is key to reshaping global perceptions of African cuisine.
The conversation moves through triumphs and trials:
• The generational legacy that shaped his culinary DNA.
• The rebellion of his youth and the return to his true calling.
• Training in Belgium and realising how absent Africa was in the syllabus.
• Building Johannesburg’s restaurants by word of mouth, before creating Epicure as a continental food journey.
• The shock of COVID, which he reframed as a blessing that opened new markets in Dubai and beyond.
• Why mentoring chefs, embracing copycats, and documenting recipes are central to his legacy.
• Life beyond the kitchen: raising a family in South Africa, the joy of being a grandfather, and finding calm in golf and cigar appreciation.
Whether you know him from Expo 2020 Dubai’s Alkebulan African Dining Hall or encounter him here as a restaurateur, father, and cultural storyteller, this is a conversation about food as identity, connection, and everyday experience.
Chef Coco Reinarhz is not just cooking meals; he is reimagining how the world tastes Africa.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Chef Coco on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram, or visit the Epicure Website
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From her village roots in the Northwest to leading one of South Africa’s most creative production houses, Letitia Masina has built a life and career that embodies resilience, authenticity, and legacy. Having once walked the path of modelling, acting, and presenting, she made the conscious choice to step away from the spotlight and focus on what she truly loved: shaping stories, nurturing talent, and building spaces where creativity could thrive.
In this compelling episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Letitia reflects on:
Masina speaks with warmth, honesty, and conviction about creativity as a legacy that outlives us, family as a foundation, and the importance of crafting stories that empower. Her journey offers not just inspiration but a model for how to build with integrity while nurturing both personal and professional growth.
Whether you know her as a producer, director, mother, or creative leader, this episode reveals why Letitia Masina’s work continues to shape South African storytelling and why her legacies reach far beyond the spotlight.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can find the latest from Letitia Masina on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Vodcast TV
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
From the dusty fields of Alexandra to the stadiums of Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Bafana Bafana, Brian Baloyi has lived the highs and lows of South African football. Known as Spider-Man between the posts, he now uses his voice and vision to teach lessons that go far beyond the game.
In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Baloyi reflects on:
Why football is life’s greatest teacher, shaping resilience, discipline, and teamwork.
The importance of planning for retirement early, and how he chose to leave on his own terms.
His belief that true legacy lies in systems, not just money, and how generational wealth is secured through structure.
The personal journey of navigating his wife’s cancer battle and choosing happiness as survival.
How his Goalkeeping Academy aims to inspire the next generation to dream beyond borders.
Baloyi speaks with honesty, humour, and authority, sharing how criticism, failure, and pressure built the man he became, and why he now dreams, not just for himself, but for his children, grandchildren, and society at large.
Whether you know him as a legendary goalkeeper or meet him here as a mentor, father, and community builder, this is a conversation that shows why Brian Baloyi’s legacy stretches far beyond football.
You can find the latest from Brian Baloyi on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram | X [formerly Twitter]
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
For over two decades, Kurt Schoonraad has been a defining voice in South African comedy, a storyteller whose career thrived on sharp wit, keen observation, and an intuitive understanding of people. In this episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, host Kojo Baffoe sits down with the Cape Town-born comedian, actor, and founder of the Cape Town Comedy Club to explore the unexpected twists and defining moments that have shaped his remarkable journey.
Growing up in Mitchell’s Plain, Kurt found humour not just a refuge but a calling. He reflects on the contrasting influences of his music-loving, free-spirited father and his mother’s strict discipline. Open and candid, Kurt shares his experience breaking generational cycles of abuse, approaching parenting with mindfulness, and the values he’s now passing on to his son. These insights reveal a man deeply rooted in community, yet unafraid to challenge norms, whether diving into the goth scene as a teen, confronting coloured identity stereotypes, or embracing stand-up comedy when the opportunity arose.
Kurt takes us behind the scenes of founding the Cape Town Comedy Club, a cornerstone of the local comedy scene. He reveals that owning the stage is very different from running it, and he openly discusses the toll this took on his energy, family, and career. When COVID-19 forced the club’s closure, Kurt faced not only the loss of a business but a creative identity crisis, one that ultimately drew him back to his original passion.
Rediscovering his spark meant shedding protective layers and infusing his comedy with more personal truths. This shift from “inside-looking-out” observational comedy to “outside-looking-in” vulnerability led to his most authentic work yet.
The conversation flows seamlessly between personal and professional realms, from restoring a cherished 1957 Chevy, which was sold to fund his comedy club, to raising an adventurous teenage son, to navigating cultural contrasts between Cape Town and Germany. Kurt also opens up about his adult ADHD diagnosis, how hyperfocus fuels his passions, and why he identifies chiefly as a communicator.
Listeners will appreciate behind-the-scenes tales from his cult-favourite unscripted travel TV series Going Nowhere Slowly, a precursor to modern reality travel shows. Throughout, Kurt’s reflections emphasize what truly connects people: listening as much as speaking, finding humour in life’s gaps, and never underestimating the power of timing, on stage and off.
In this episode, you’ll uncover:
How a loving yet boundary-setting household shaped Kurt’s core values
The influence of music and subculture on his worldview
The highs and lows of building, and losing, a top-tier comedy club
The profound impact COVID-19 had on his career and creativity
The creative freedom gained by embracing vulnerability in performance
Fatherhood lessons about presence, patience, and letting go
The craft of storytelling through callbacks, pacing, and genuine connection
If you’re drawn to stories of resilience, reinvention, and authenticity, this episode offers both inspiration and craft-level insight. Kurt’s journey proves that setbacks often clear the way for more genuine expression and that navigating crashes can lead to even greater comebacks.
Whether you’re a comedy fan, a creative facing your own pivots, or simply someone who appreciates a heartfelt story, Kurt Schoonraad: Steering Comedy Through Crashes and Comebacks delivers a compelling blend of laughter, reflection, and wisdom.
Listen now and join us for a ride through the miles, mishaps, and moments that have made Kurt who he is, on stage and off.
You can find the latest from Kurt on the following platforms: Instagram | kurt.co.za
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
What happens when you lose your father just four months after becoming one? How do you continue to show up, day after day, in an industry that demands your image but rarely sees your soul? And how do you transmute decades of pain into presence, craft, and a deeper way of being?
In this profoundly introspective episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, host Kojo Baffoe sits down with actor, producer, and creative multi-hyphenate Clint Brink for a conversation that peels back the public persona and gets to the raw truth beneath. From the emotional intensity of growing up in a politically active home during the tail end of apartheid, to his early defiance of expectations and entry into the world of television, Clint shares the story behind the story, a journey shaped as much by grief and sacrifice as it is by discipline and conviction.
Clint opens up about the personal costs of performance and the tension between celebrity culture and authentic living. He speaks candidly about the moment he realised acting wasn’t just a career, it was a calling. A spiritual discipline. A method of undoing ego and stepping into truth.
“Acting is not about fame and fortune. It’s about inspiring humanity. And that’s a weighty calling.”
This is not a typical actor interview. There’s no red carpet gloss here. Instead, Clint discusses what it means to be a Black and Coloured South African actor in a fragmented, still-young media industry, one that continues to sideline creators, deny royalties, and divide audiences by language and race. He recounts how, even after decades of consistent work, his return to the screen in Kings of Joburg was framed as a comeback by those unaware of his nine-year presence on Afrikaans television.
It’s in the intimate reflections on fatherhood and grief, however, where this episode reaches emotional depth. Clint speaks about his father’s passing, which happened exactly two years prior to the day of recording, and how he barely made it in time to say goodbye. That experience, layered with the responsibility of raising his own daughter, gave him new perspective:
“I want her to have a good nervous system. Peace. I’m building that, day by day.”
Through stories of struggle and self-reflection, he makes a powerful case for rethinking manhood, not as a posture of unemotional detachment, but as a practice of presence. He shares how martial arts, music, and mindfulness have helped him metabolise trauma and recalibrate his emotional compass.
The conversation also explores:
The discipline of showing up after loss, and what it meant to return to work a week after burying his father
Why he turned down a full scholarship after a national acting competition, and what that decision taught him about integrity
The quiet trauma of always being underestimated, and how it shaped his pursuit of excellence
His critique of the performance of masculinity, and why his greatest role is the one he plays at home
How grief, when embraced, can deepen us and give meaning to the time we still have
“Your talent gets you in the room. But your story, that’s what transforms people.”
For listeners navigating personal transition, creative burnout, loss, or reinvention, this episode is a powerful reminder: you are allowed to grow slowly. You are allowed to change. And sometimes, the very thing that breaks you open is the thing that leads you back to yourself.
This episode is an invitation to rethink what it means to create, to love, to endure, and to work in a way that ultimately transforms you.
You can find the latest from Clint on the following platforms: Instagram | Twitter [aka X]
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
In this soul-stirring episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with creative entrepreneur and cultural producer Theresho Selesho for a masterclass in navigating life at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community.
From his early days rolling cables in church to producing global music festivals and exhibitions, Theresho shares how a love for creativity evolved into a powerful career of building spaces, both physical and emotional, that connect people, ideas, and purpose. As the CEO of Matchbox Live and founder of Sho-Sho Communications, he opens up about what it truly means to build your own properties, create long-term value, and design a life that aligns with your spirit.
Listeners will discover the importance of structure in creative entrepreneurship, the emotional intelligence needed to manage high-profile talent and stakeholders, and how to navigate ego, purpose, and growth with intention. But this isn’t just a conversation about business. It’s also a raw, deeply personal look at fatherhood, partnership, and redefining success on your own terms.
Some key insights include:
Why every creative needs to start with their first 15 supporters
The difference between building for your children versus building in front of them
How to protect your energy and establish boundaries in a world of hypervisibility
The art of moving with or without external validation
Theresho’s philosophy is grounded, practical, and quietly revolutionary. He reminds us that the real work is not just building platforms, but engineering lives of meaning, for ourselves and the generations to come.
Whether you’re a young creative, a seasoned entrepreneur, a parent, or someone seeking clarity on your path, this episode offers a wealth of resonance and practical wisdom.
You can find the latest from Theresho on the following digital spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe to:
Episode Title: Theresho Selesho, Build It with or Without Them
Podcast: Listen To Your Footsteps
Host: Kojo Baffoe
Episode Number: 89
Guest: Theresho Selesho
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
What does it take to rebuild when your dreams come true, and still break you? In this profoundly moving episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, host Kojo Baffoe sits down with Caz Abrahams, a multi-hyphenate creative whose name lit up South African stages, magazines, television screens, and hearts, only to vanish at what looked like the peak.
But Caz didn’t disappear. He was descending into the valleys of grief, identity loss, and spiritual transformation. From child dance prodigy in Zimbabwe to Michael Jackson impersonator on South Africa’s biggest club stages, from model and presenter to father of six, Caz’s story spans industries and continents, but the thread that ties it all together is raw resilience.
He speaks openly about:
Growing up without a father and losing his brother to suicide
The heartbreak of losing a child during childbirth
Stepping back from fame to raise his family and find healing
Discovering faith and ancestral lineage as tools for transformation
Launching his wellness podcast Strength Outta Struggle as a spiritual calling
Throughout the episode, we are invited into Caz’s private pain and public pivots. We hear how he got legal residence in South Africa by writing from the heart. How he almost became the next Milli Vanilli, and why he’s glad he didn’t. How the loss of a child changed everything. And how, today, he approaches life as a vessel of service, healing, and truth.
This episode is a balm for anyone who’s ever had to start over. It speaks to fathers, creatives, seekers, and survivors. It challenges the notion of success and replaces it with something more sustainable: spiritual clarity and emotional truth.
What you’ll take away from this conversation:
A deeper understanding of how grief and purpose coexist
The invisible cost of fame, and how to recover from it
The healing power of storytelling and creative honesty
A redefinition of masculinity, fatherhood, and spiritual leadership
Why stepping away from the spotlight might be the ultimate act of strength
Caz Abrahams, Every Break Was A Message is not just a conversation, it’s a revelation. Watch/Listen to it now and let this soulful storyteller remind you that healing is the real performance.
You can find the latest from Caz on the following digital spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram or check out the FitLife / Straight Outa Struggle Podcast
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe to:
Episode Title: Caz Abrahams, Every Break Was A Message
Podcast: Listen To Your Footsteps
Host: Kojo Baffoe
Episode Number: 88
Guest: Caz Abrahams
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
What happens when you refuse to fit into one box? When your life is not a single career path but a living, breathing ecosystem of music, fashion, media, and activism?
In this rich, wide-ranging episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with cultural entrepreneur, publicist, designer, and DJ Maria McCloy. Maria’s name has been synonymous with Johannesburg’s urban culture since the 1990s, whether as co-founder of Black Rage Productions, through her signature wax-print shoes and accessories, or as the PR engine behind icons like Thandiswa Mazwai, Sjava, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Born in the UK to a Mosotho mother and English father, and raised across Nigeria, Sudan, Mozambique, Lesotho, and South Africa, Maria’s journey is anything but conventional. Yet, as she shares in this candid conversation, each chapter, whether journalism, TV production, running a record label, or fashion design, has been guided by one consistent purpose: celebrating African creativity on its own terms.
Listeners will hear reflections on:
Maria speaks with the same wit and warmth that have defined her career, offering insights not only into her personal journey but also into broader conversations about media collapse, cultural preservation, and what it takes to keep creating when the rules keep changing.
Her story is proof that cultural impact isn’t built through trends or titles; it’s shaped by showing up, staying true, and evolving without permission.
Whether you’re a young creative wondering how to carve out a space or someone navigating the middle stages of a creative career, this episode will offer clarity, courage, and cultural context.
Listen now to hear why Maria McCloy is, and always has been, never just one thing ever.
You can find the latest from Maria McCloy on the following digital spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram or Facebook
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
Episode Title: Maria McCloy, Never Just One Thing Ever
Podcast: Listen To Your Footsteps
Host: Kojo Baffoe
Episode Number: 87
Guest: Maria McCloy
What does it mean to express yourself beyond the confines of job titles and creative labels? What happens when photography is no longer about the image, but about the connection it sparks?
In this powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with multidisciplinary artist and cultural entrepreneur Rhulani Anthony Bila, also known as The Expressionist. A commercial photographer, filmmaker, and founder of the creative consultancy Studio Bila, Anthony unpacks what it means to live, create, and collaborate with purpose.
Raised in Tembisa and shaped by books, music, and a relentlessly curious household, Anthony reflects on the evolution of identity, from being a kid who hated photographs to becoming someone who uses the camera as a bridge into the souls of others. As he tells it, “I’m strange and I’m odd. The camera is just an excuse. I’ve become a wandering nomad of human interaction.”
This episode explores:
The tension between creative freedom and commercial responsibility
How personal history, politics, and aesthetics intertwine in African storytelling
The struggle to balance art, business, legacy, and rest
Why COVID inspired his experimental film The Isolationist and a deeper commitment to family memory-making
The idea that “you are not your skillset, you are your adaptability”
You’ll hear reflections on creativity not as a profession but as a way of thinking, and why the future of African storytelling lies in community, accessibility, and reclamation. Whether through fashion, film, or family portraits, Anthony is deeply committed to documenting human stories that matter, even when no one is watching.
This isn’t a conversation about chasing fame or aesthetic perfection. It’s about coming home to yourself, expressing the unspoken, and using every tool available, from Tumblr blogs to 16-hour film shoots, to make meaning in a complex world.
If you’ve ever felt like your art was more than just output, or if you’re navigating how to live more truthfully in your work and in your skin—this episode will resonate.
Listen now and hear Rhulani Anthony Bila reflect on becoming, belonging, and building a creative life that leaves space for uncertainty, wonder, and remembering.
You can find the latest from Rhulani Anthony Bila on the following digital spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram or anthonybila.com/
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
In this profound and quietly powerful episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with Dr Sizakele Marutlulle, a creative strategist, leadership guide, brand thinker, educator, and diversity scholar, for a conversation that transcends labels and dives deep into the essence of human growth. What begins as a gentle reflection on bios, branding, and the evolution of personal tone slowly unfolds into an expertly guided walk in curiosity, courage, and self-definition.
Sizakele’s journey defies neat categorisation. She's led advertising agencies, lectured at Africa’s top business schools, mentored future female leaders, launched her own strategy firm, and earned a PhD in Critical Diversity. Yet, as this episode reveals, her greatest pursuit is not professional, it’s personal. She speaks of learning for the sake of humility, of returning to fear as a teacher, and of becoming “a reformed cow” with laughter, honesty, and grace. With each insight, she invites listeners to reimagine leadership not as dominance, but as deep listening.
Together, Kojo and Sizakele explore:
What it means to live a multi-dimensional life, without apology.
How personal branding has been distorted by social media, and why integrity matters more than performance.
The idea of being “mentally obese but spiritually anorexic”, and the daily work of restoring balance.
The influence of boarding schools, migration, under-fathering, and parental sacrifice on our sense of identity and belonging.
Curiosity as a spiritual compass, and creativity as a way of thinking, not just producing.
There is something disarming about this conversation, its refusal to rush, its permission to wander. As Sizakele reflects on how her Dominican nun teachers shaped her worldview, how she navigated South Africa's cultural codes after studying in Eswatini, and how she continues to challenge herself to swim in new waters (both literal and metaphorical), the listener is offered a rare portrait of someone who has embraced contradiction as clarity.
She speaks candidly about burnout, bruising in corporate life, and stepping away to reassemble herself piece by piece. Her honesty about failure, fear, and her deliberate return to vulnerability, will resonate with anyone feeling trapped in performance and yearning for transformation.
This is a dialogue of mutual recognition. Kojo, in his signature style, offers his own stories of fatherhood, migration, literature, and spiritual reparenting. The result is an emotionally textured conversation that speaks to the parts of us that are still becoming, still breaking, and still learning to soften.
Whether you are a strategist, parent, teacher, artist, or simply a seeker, this episode offers language for the journey, questions for the silence, and a reminder that being curious enough to be afraid is often the first step toward something extraordinary.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to reframe fear as a gateway to growth.
Why embracing multiplicity is more powerful than pursuing polish.
What it means to show up as a whole human, at work, at home, and in the world.
How curiosity, compassion, and creativity form the triad for conscious leadership.
This is not an episode to rush through. It is one to return to, on quiet walks, during moments of doubt, or when the path ahead feels uncertain. Because what Sizakele teaches us is not how to be right, but how to be real. And in a world obsessed with noise, her clarity cuts through like still water.
You can find the latest from Sizakele on the following digital spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram or sizakelemarutlulle.com
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe to:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
In this stirring episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with iconic South African singer, songwriter, and activist Simphiwe Dana, as she reflects on two decades of music, motherhood, loss, identity, and resilience. With trademark grace and searing honesty, Simphiwe offers insight into the making of a celebrated artist and a deeply personal reflection on womanhood, purpose, and the spiritual nature of creation.
Born in the Transkei and raised in Lusikisiki, Simphiwe’s childhood was shaped by movement, responsibility, and the discipline of being the firstborn. She shares vivid memories of growing up surrounded by nature—fetching water, hunting birds, and playing in rivers—which grounded her in a spiritual relationship with the world. This, combined with her father’s role as a preacher and the harmonies of church choirs, formed the foundation for her work: political, poetic, and rooted.
Listeners are taken back to a defining moment at Johannesburg’s 206 bar, where Simphiwe nervously took the stage at a poetry night, closed her eyes, and sang Jill Scott’s “A Long Walk.” The standing ovation led to her first televised performance and her acclaimed debut album Zandisile. Behind the success was a deliberate choice: to leave a career in IT and leap into the unknown, trusting only her instincts and her voice.
Dana speaks passionately about her creative process. For her, music is spiritual, a sacred act requiring silence, solitude, and surrender. “Something takes over,” she says. “It’s like standing on holy ground.” Her albums are milestones—emotional and political responses to moments that shift her understanding of the world.
The conversation also explores grief, especially after the loss of her mother. Dana shares how it made her stop talking, stop eating, and retreat inward. She relied on wine as a means of escape and still cannot bring herself to open her mother’s final messages. “I feel like if I do, I will fall apart, and I cannot afford to fall apart.”
Her identity as a mother and provider is a central thread. She raises two children as a single parent—both now university students. She reflects on performing with a baby on her hip, breastfeeding between studio takes, and relying on chosen family. Her parenting style is open to critique and deeply invested in emotional growth.
This episode also critiques the South African music industry and the country’s relationship with its cultural identity. Dana speaks about the lack of support for local artists, the devaluation of home-grown creativity, and the post-apartheid failure to rebuild cultural patriotism. “Play the music,” she says. “We’re not asking for charity. We’ve done the work. We just want to be heard.”
Now, marking 20 years in the industry, Simphiwe stands at what she calls “a precipice.” While working on a new album, she senses an internal shift. She is expanding her creative expression with a collaborative exhibition, a coffee-table book of unpublished writing, and signature aromatic oils.
If you’ve ever struggled with creative doubt, carried too much for too many, or wondered how to sustain your spirit, this conversation is for you. It’s about survival—but also softness. Rebellion, but also surrender. Holding on to wonder, even when life gives you every reason to let it go.
Simphiwe Dana is more than a voice. She is a vessel. And this episode is not just a story; it is an offering. Listen now.
You can find the latest from Simphiwe on the following social spaces: X | Instagram or listen to her music on Spotify
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe NOW:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
In this soul-stirring episode of Listen To Your Footsteps, Kojo Baffoe sits down with creative polymath and cultural architect, Nandi Dlepu. Best known as the founder of Mamakashaka and the curator behind experiential cultural brands such as Feel Good Series, Pantone Sundays, and Bloom, Nandi opens up about the stories behind her purpose-driven path. From her early explorations of Rastafarianism to her current relationship with stoicism and ancestral practice, Nandi shares the inner frameworks that guide her creative and personal life.
The conversation dives deep into what it means to live intentionally, build platforms with purpose, and honour both ritual and rest. Nandi reflects on the influence of her childhood, the emotional labour of entrepreneurship, and how motherhood intensified her drive to inspire and empower others, especially the next generation. She also touches on pain as a form of initiation, explaining how recent challenges have inspired her to reconfigure her routines and realign with her deeper purpose.
Listeners will gain insight into the complexities of spiritual and cultural identity, the rhythms that structure a meaningful life, and how to create work that reflects who you are becoming. If you’ve ever grappled with belonging, transitions, or the weight of responsibility, this episode offers powerful resonance and reassurance.
Highlights include:
Building community from a place of awkwardness
The evolution of faith, identity, and meaning
Behind-the-scenes of Mamakashaka’s creative DNA
Parenting as a catalyst for purpose
How morning routines can transform your world
Why entrepreneurship often feels like answering a spiritual call
Whether you're an aspiring creative, an entrepreneur at a crossroads, or someone searching for ways to live more intentionally, this episode offers profound insights into crafting a life with depth and direction.
You can find the latest from Nandi on the following social spaces: LinkedIn | Instagram and for more on Mamakashaka check out mamakashaka.co.za
For more on my book Listen To Your Footsteps, go to https://kojobaffoe.com/book/
Subscribe NOW:
Recorded at Spotify Africa Joburg Studio
Show Music by Kweku 'Taygo' Baffoe
Produced by Ayob Vania
