Kubhula
The floor to Márcio Luiz, co-founder
Kubhula is a word in the Changana language that means to converse. We do not say that a good conversation is a panacea for every possible difficulty and challenge, but we firmly believe that it helps point in the right direction, at the very least! In naming the podcast thus, our intention was for the name to represent this interactive communication, but sprinkled with our Mozambican identity. Nowadays, for a thousand and one reasons, we have more virtual conversations than face-to-face ones, and the conversation from which the idea of creating a podcast emerged is no exception to that rule.
It was in 2018, in a small WhatsApp group of close friends, but separated by distance, exposed to a multiplicity of environments, which often prompts a greater variety – and quality – of ideas, that we began toying with the possibility of creating a podcast. It is not always easy to interweave the professional side of our lives with non-professional activities, but Kubhula is a project that holds and will forever hold a special place in our hearts, because there is a very strongly marked relationship of reciprocity between us and, with each episode, it grows stronger and more rewarding. This perspective makes all the stages of the creative process (producing, scheduling, recording, editing, publishing, etc.) a little less complex. As the old saying goes, he who runs for pleasure does not tire!
Podcast is the combination of two words: iPod and broadcasting – the latter originating from the world of radio. Although there are considerable differences between these two “media”, combining the influence and culture of radio – which is significant at grassroots level across our whole African continent, with an unrivalled reach – with the ubiquitous mobile phone and the access to modern technologies that it facilitates creates a sweet spot where Kubhula and its content live. Now, “made in Moz” stories create connections between our personal identity and that of our country, and they have the capacity to influence and reinforce the sense of individuality of each one of us. Each of these narratives gives us a better context, a context that helps us better understand the society in which we live and, at the same time, gives us different kinds of resources that we can use to build our own stories. By sharing stories, we open up space to find and focus on similarities rather than differences, to forge connections between people and ideas and, at the same time, to create conditions and solutions so that, together, we can help our young country get to where we know it can get.
We have always been fans of this format, as well as listeners of various podcasts, but unfortunately a large part of what is available online, although interesting and of very good quality, is content from outside our country, with which we have no emotional involvement that makes us feel it is us they are talking to and about. It was this intrinsic need to feel connected with the people and stories of our homeland, and to think that there must surely be more people feeling the same, that was and continues to be our motivation. In West Africa there is the term “griot”, an individual responsible for absorbing and passing on history, culture and ancestral memories from generation to generation. We look for “contemporary griots”, and in our society it is incredibly easy to find them. It is these people of various ages, genders, races and social strata, with the unusual ability to inspire, entertain and enlighten with their stories, who meet our invitation criteria.
“Our positioning is to create a platform and a space, to create deep conversations without limits of time and space, giving a voice to stories that must be told”
Kubhula has three founders and, although we share the same vision, we have totally different tastes and personalities, which naturally reflects in our interests. But we have in common the desire to learn. Every conversation we have with different guests is a moment of learning, and the less we know about the topic of the conversation, the more interested we are and the more we enjoy exploring it. Mozambique is a country with many stories that deserve to be heard and shared.
We believe our positioning is to create a platform and a space, to create deep conversations without limits of time and space, giving a voice to stories that must be told, developing in the process a digital archive that can be accessed, anywhere and at any time, by anyone. The guests who have appeared on the podcast are all unique in their own right, but there is something they all have in common. We like to call them “contemporary griots”. They are people, regardless of age, race, gender and social stratum, with the unusual ability to inspire, entertain and enlighten with their stories, who meet our invitation criteria. Most of our audience is based in Mozambique and aged between 25 and 35, and is predominantly female. Many of our participants arrive at our studio with some fear or apprehension, perhaps because they are in front of the microphone, surrounded by people they had never seen and never spoken to, waiting to be questioned. But as soon as they realise what it is about and feel the ease and the essence of Kubhula, it all passes, and the conversation flows. It is at that moment that we manage to extract the greatest value from this experience.
There was a time when radio was omnipresent in people's lives. But the emergence of television changed family habits, and listening to the radio became practically something confined to cars. The reign of television, in turn, still persists. In the last decade, however, smartphones have begun to steal the attention that used to be given to television screens. Many people like to compare podcasts with radio, but podcasts are not radio; it is not that linear. Whereas radio content is short-lived and happens live, the podcast is what is called cold media: pre-recorded, designed to be consumed today or over the years from now.
We believe that our growth has to be a consequence of our work, and that is exactly what has been happening. Our target audience is a niche market. If we try to be everything to everyone, to please both Greeks and Trojans, we run the risk of becoming generic and irrelevant. Kubhula will get as far as it has to get and for as long as it has to. As long as it makes sense and adds value. Within Kubhula itself there are several segments, such as Kubhula Online, which features guests in the diaspora, and also Kubhula RAW, which is, more recently, a segment where there is no filter and where we react and comment on various current affairs, local and international, and give our opinion raw and unvarnished. We are also developing projects with some radio stations and other institutions.
