Kutlwano Masote, Conducting Life’s Imperfect Harmony

South African conductor, cellist, broadcaster and now author Kutlwano Masote joins this episode to trace a life lived between orchestra pits, radio studios and a Soweto home that doubled as a musical oasis. From grandparents who mixed political activism with choir rehearsals to his father Michael’s pioneering work with township orchestras, Masote shows how classical music was never far from Black South African life – even when it seemed unlikely.​We talk about his memoir Imperfect Harmony and what it means to conduct a life that holds family, faith, work and addiction recovery in the same score. He shares the story of homeschooling his son Pendo so he could pursue the violin all the way to the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music, and the equally brave decision to let his younger son Kago walk away from a music scholarship to chase cricket instead.​In a conversation that moves from Baroque favourites to TKZee, from church choirs to Classics on Turf, we explore how to de‑mystify classical music, how to turn creative skills into a portfolio career, and why each generation’s job is to raise the platform for the next. If you are a creative, a parent or anyone trying to balance passion with responsibility, this episode offers language, lessons and permission to embrace your own imperfect harmony.​Listen, follow and share this episode with someone who loves music, works in the arts, or is raising the next generation of creatives; and if it resonates, leave a rating and review so more listeners can find these stories.#KutlwanoMasote #ImperfectHarmony #SouthAfricanClassicalMusic #SowetoStories #AfricanCreatives #MusicAndFatherhood #PortfolioCareer #ClassicsOnTurf #ListenToYourFootstepsPodcast

Donovan Goliath has built a career out of saying “yes” to his curiosity – from comedy stages and Netflix campaigns to design studios, cameras and a 365‑day make‑and‑share project. In this deeply reflective conversation, we slow everything down and unpack what actually sits behind that restless output.​We talk about the multihyphenate struggle to find a stable “why”, how childhood rejection and art‑school doubt still shape his drive, and why he keeps gravitating towards ordinary moments with a quiet twist. Donovan opens up about beating procrastination with daily deadlines, using analog notebooks and Post‑it notes to simplify ideas, and resisting the pull of algorithms and metrics when they start to define his value.​Along the way, we explore journaling as a creative practice, the power of limiting your tools and inspirations, and the hard questions around legacy: what your kids will really remember, and how podcasts, photos and books become the archives our families inherit. If you’ve ever felt torn between too many creative lanes – or wondered whether any of it really matters – this episode will sit with you for a long time.​Listen, save and share this episode with a fellow relentlessly curious storyteller, and tag us with the one idea you’re taking into your own practice.#DonovanGoliath #ListenToYourFootsteps #CreativeProcess #Multihyphenate #Storytelling #SouthAfricanCreatives #365Project #CreativePractice #Journaling #Photography #Comedy #DesignThinking #Legacy #ContentCreation

Nomadic childhood. Eight schools in twelve years. Bucket baths in the village, champagne in the city. Kojo sits with African luxury strategist, Matte BLK co-founder and Africa on Luxury podcast host Buyi Mafoko to explore how a life built on movement, matriarchs and education shaped her ability to belong anywhere.​Buyi talks about money as a means to freedom, the pressure of being “the successful one” in a Black family, and redefining luxury as ease and the luxury of choice – the power to choose your work, pace and environments without betraying where you come from. They dive into parenting Black boys, reparenting themselves and how a new generation is forcing African luxury brands to centre ethics, sustainability and human dignity.​Listen, follow and leave a review to help more people discover African stories about work, culture and becoming – and go subscribe to Africa on Luxury wherever you get your podcasts.#africaluxury #africaonluxury #matteblk #africanbranding #luxurystrategy #southafricanpodcast #africanstorytelling #blackwomenentrepreneurs #africanleadership #workandparenting

Dr Athambile Masola is a writer, poet, researcher and lecturer whose work centres Black women’s histories, reading and education in South Africa. In this episode she traces her journey from a childhood upended by her mother’s mental illness to finding anchors in school, church and the written word, reflecting on how journalling and poetry became a way to witness chaos and grief.​We dive into South Africa’s reading crisis, overcrowded classrooms, mother‑tongue bilingual education and the “inequality of experience” between public and private schools, as well as the invisible emotional labour teachers carry as the “aunties and uncles of the world”. Athambile also grapples with phones, AI and attention, asking what is lost when we outsource thinking instead of doing the slow work of reading and writing for ourselves.Dr Athambile Masola – links:UCT profile: https://humanities.uct.ac.za/department-historical-studies/people-academic-staff/dr-athambile-masola​Poetry collection Ilifa: http://uhlangapress.co.za/athambile-masola-ilifa​The Conversation articles: https://theconversation.com/profiles/athambile-masola-1289114If this conversation with Dr Athambile Masola helped you read the world a little differently, take a moment to support the work: follow or subscribe to the show, leave a quick rating or review, and share this episode with someone who cares about books, teachers or Black women’s histories.Recorded at Vodcast TV#AthambileMasola #ReadingTheWorldAnew #SouthAfricaReadingCrisis #BlackWomenWriting #Teachers #AfricanPodcast #Educational #Literature

Born in Eswatini, raised in New York, and now shaping how the world hears Africa – Nkosiyati 'Yati' Khumalo's journey from third-culture kid to GQ South Africa's first Black editor-in-chief globally, Apple Music Africa editorial lead and founding Editor-in-Chief of Billboard Africa is a masterclass in curiosity, resilience and reinvention.In this conversation, Yati opens up about growing up between worlds, losing his mother at eighteen, and rebuilding his life in South Africa with no safety net and no formal pipeline. He reflects on the chameleon work of adapting to every room, and asks the harder question underneath it all:"How do I get back to being green?"We move through the GQ years – Black dandyism, aspirational media and the tension of representing a complex, majority Black readership under an international franchise – before arriving at the music. From Apple Music playlists to Billboard Africa charts, Yati speaks about why African stories must be told by African voices:"We don't have to wait for someone to come shine the light on us. We can do it."This is a conversation about home, grief, masculinity, curiosity and the unbound potential of African creativity."It's a challenge and a privilege to be that bridge."If you have ever felt in between cultures, careers or versions of yourself – this one is for you.Connect with Nkosiyati 'Yati' Khumalo:Instagram: www.instagram.com/yatikhumaloLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nkosiyatikBillboard Africa: www.africa.billboard.comEnjoyed this episode? Here is what to do next:Subscribe to Listen To Your Footsteps so you never miss a conversation that matters. Leave a comment or review and tell us what resonated with you – we read every single one. Share this episode with someone who is building bridges of their own.Recorded at Vodcasttv

In this conversation, South African composer, singer, songwriter and visual artist Asanda “Msaki” Lusaseni opens up about what it really takes to catch songs between worlds while keeping your heart soft and your life intact. She traces her journey from an academic, sports driven Eastern Cape childhood and an unfinished fine art degree to leaving university, building her own label and learning the business side so she could protect the soul of her songs.​Msaki speaks about independence as a spiritual and structural choice, why she now sees the music value chain as a circular diagram, and how Out Black Continuum and Similar Life retreats were born from her own needs as a burnt out artist searching for overflow again. She shares how motherhood, homeschooling and creative wellness forced her to redraw boundaries with touring, and why she refuses the idea that artists “owe” constant performances to anyone.​We dive into songwriting camps in Los Angeles and Nashville, the mentorship of writers like Dan Wilson, and her dream of building a real songwriting infrastructure on the continent. Along the way she unpacks collaboration, genre fluid performance, the “jack of all trades” label, and what it means to sing the same essential song through music, poetry, diagrams and community spaces.​If you are an independent creative, a parent in the arts or simply someone trying to make honest work without losing yourself, this episode offers language, tools and quiet courage for your own journey.#SouthAfricanMusic #IndependentArtist #Songwriting #AfricanMusic #BusinessofMusic

Felicia Naiwa Sithebe is a producer, creative director and cultural worker whose life sits at the crossroads of theatre, television and radical care for African actors. In this conversation, she opens up about surviving a lupus scare and ICU, the gratitude alarms that now instruct her to dance in the middle of the day, and how those near‑loss moments reshaped her relationship with work, family and rest.​​We trace her journey from community theatre in Soweto and an Indian neighbourhood in the south of Johannesburg, through acting on Soul Buddyz and other shows, to co‑founding Actor Spaces and helping drive festivals and industry platforms that archive, celebrate and develop performers. Felicia shares how she and her husband built a life and a business together, why they give away most of their time to growing other artists, and how they fund that generosity through casting, partnerships and teaching.​Along the way we talk about theatre as spiritual technology, the slow erosion of live performance in the age of streaming and convenience, and what it will take to bring younger audiences back into rooms where stories can transform them in real time. Felicia also unpacks her current obsession with building “accountable actors” through financial literacy, wellness and industry literacy, so that artists are not just visible but able to sustain themselves and their families.​If you are an actor, filmmaker, writer or cultural worker wrestling with burnout, money and meaning, this episode offers both a mirror and a roadmap.​In this episode, we explore:Growing up between Soweto, Orlando West and an Indian community, and how that shaped her eye for story and belongingDiscovering acting as a teenager and why theatre still feels like home and church to herWorking with her husband, building Actor Spaces and keeping love intact while running a business togetherSurviving lupus, setting gratitude and rest alarms, and redesigning her life around healingThe economics of giving back, casting, partnerships and why most of their work is intentional serviceWhy representation, archiving and financial literacy matter for African actors and storytellers right nowRecorded at Vodcast TV

Senior marketing and communications strategist Tumi Rabanye joins Listen To Your Footsteps to explore why the best brand and creative strategies start with endless questions, not quick answers. Growing up between law, music and broadcasting in Mafikeng, she learnt to look behind the mic and ask who decides how society speaks, thinks and sees itself.In this conversation, Tumi reflects on the influence of her parents, the teachers who expanded her sense of possibility, and the early radio experiences that stripped away the glamour of fame and revealed the craft of storytelling. She tracks her zigzag journey through journalism, television and financial services into a life devoted to strategy, and explains why “the why” is the core skill that keeps her in demand.We talk about South African schooling, representation and hair politics, how homelands shaped a surprisingly big thinking community, and what it means to raise children with access that removes the novelty from media and influence. Tumi shares a powerful “midwifery” metaphor for creative strategy, unpacks how to nourish ideas so they live in culture, and discusses why brands must choose between exclusionary declarations and inclusive invitations.We also dive into how she uses artificial intelligence as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, why tools do not replace the work of curiosity, and how voice, writing and journaling help us hear ourselves more clearly. If you care about brand building, African creativity, or simply making braver decisions in a noisy world, this episode will shift how you think about strategy, power and possibility.Recorded at Vodcast TV

What happens when your life refuses to fit into a single box? In this conversation, Kojo Baffoe sits down with Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Oxford-educated scholar, SMWX host, musician and former aspiring professional footballer, to explore what it means to live between worlds.​From dreams of playing for Liverpool and recording hip-hop with Entity alongside AKA, to studying politics, philosophy and economics, lecturing at Wits and building one of South Africa’s most influential political podcasts, Sizwe’s journey is a masterclass in convergence.​Together they unpack regret and alternative timelines, learning to trust that “life is long” and that scattered passions eventually come together in unexpected ways. They talk about journaling as a practice of self-rescue, running two different notebooks, and using writing to design a more honest relationship with work, creativity and rest.​Sizwe opens up about being raised by a white mother while rooted in Xhosa traditions, spending a year in the rural Eastern Cape, and learning to accept a hybrid identity that never fully belongs yet can move with ease across worlds. He reflects on parenting, his relationship with his father, and how public life, politics and social media have reshaped his sense of self and responsibility.​The episode stretches out into African architecture, cities and history, asking how our built environment and broken historical threads shape the confidence of future generations.​If you are a multipotentialite, a writer, a creative or simply someone trying to harmonise many selves, this is a generous, grounding listen.

Actor, poet, musician and social activist Antonio David Lyons joins Listen To Your Footsteps to talk about grief, ancestors and what it means to keep stepping through every open door.Raised between Jamaican, Bahamian and African American worlds, Antonio traces how dance, poetry and libraries became early places of healing and imagination, long before New York stages or South African screens.He shares how a stalled career in Los Angeles led to depression, envy and a promise to protect his soul, eventually pushing him to leave Hollywood, move to South Africa and rebuild an authentic lane across acting, house music, racial justice workshops and foundation leadership. From Hotel Rwanda and Generations to the Valerie J MaynardFoundation and Georgetown University, his story shows what a true portfolio life can look like when you stop waiting for permission.The conversation moves deep into grief, as Antonio reflects on losing his mother, stepmother and mentor, and learning that “you must hold yourself” while staying rooted in Yoruba spirituality and the belief that he is his ancestors and his ancestors are him. Together with host Kojo Baffoe, he explores therapy, ocean rituals, responsibility to family and why some people are drawn to chaos while others discipline themselves towards peace.If you are wrestling with loss, thinking about leaving an industry to save your soul, or wondering how to build a creative portfolio life that actually feels like yours, this episode offers language, companionship and a gentle push towards your next open door.Recorded at Vodcast TV