The transnational microphone: exploring the role and practices of African diaspora podcasters in shaping cross-border identity formation and engagement

Abstract Purpose This study investigates how five African diaspora-led podcasts – “Ckiza,” “Not Your African Cliché,” “Afrolit,” “Afro Pop Worldwide,” and “The Hip-Hop African Podcast,” – facilitate transnational flows of identity, and culture. The research also considers how these US-based creators use digital spaces to shape community engagement, amplify marginalized voices, and encourage social change both in their host nation and countries of origin. Their motivations, content production strategies, hosting and distribution networks are also examined. Methodology Semi-structured interviews were conducted to capture podcasters’ personal insights and lived experiences. This was supplemented by an analysis of their digital content, providing an in-depth understanding of their creative and technical practices. Finally, thematic analysis was applied to identify common patterns and recurring core themes across the data. Findings Beyond facilitating multidirectional information flows, these creatives leverage the platform to preserve cultural history and ignite social movements, notably women’s empowerment. By weaving together themes such as Pan-Africanism, feminism, music culture, and African indigenous languages, the podcasters aim to forge a collective identity among their transnational audiences. Yet, despite strategic multi-platform promotion, they struggle to reach a significant audience accessibility due to Africa’s ever-widening digital divide. Ultimately, these productions transcend geographical borders, weaving together a sense of identity and purpose for their listeners while solidifying the medium’s status as a critical instrument for global diasporic discourse. Practical implications This study offers vital insights for content creators on storytelling synthesis, cultural heritage, and technology to empower listeners, foster global engagement, and cultivate a robust diasporic consciousness. By exploring how non-corporate creators utilize alternative digital spaces, this work provides a blueprint for resource-constrained podcasters to achieve global reach while extending Black American media narratives across the wider diaspora. Social implications Integrating native languages enables these podcasters to reclaim their African roots and challenge the narrow depictions of Western media. As custodians of a digital heritage, they leverage podcasting as a ‘transnational microphone’ to record and amplify a shared global identity. By tackling sensitive topics such as women’s representation, they demonstrate the potential to advance a progressive social agenda and ignite legislative change within African conservative circles. Originality/value Podcasting’s role as a transnational facilitator remains remarkably underexplored. This study, therefore, contributes to transnational media theory by offering a framework that moves beyond the digital inequity narrative; rather, it theorizes a virtual sphere where lived experiences and other identities intersect with digital platforms, providing a model for understanding how marginalized voices, such as those of the African diaspora, leverage digital infrastructure to exert influence in their host nations and countries of origin.