Kenyan podcasters behind Mantalk.ke make Spotify history again
By Winnie MabelEli Mwenda and Oscar Koome, the duo behind Mantalk.Ke, a podcast about love, sex, relationships, masculinity and self-development, are among the most renowned podcasters in Kenya.
The podcast was one of the inaugural winners of the Spotify Sounds of Africa grant in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was also the first recipient of the Africa Podcast and Voice Artist award for Podcast of the Year in 2022.
In May 2023, Eli and Oscar made Spotify history again when they became the first podcast in sub-Saharan Africa to produce a full season of their podcast in the UK.
According to a statement obtained by Nairobi News, Spotify Studios supported the production of Mantalk.ke, which featured several collaborations with personalities from across Africa, including Kenya’s Lydia Dinga, Nigeria’s Smade, Ghana’s Stepz and Nigeria’s A12Funny.
“Eli and Oscar, the hosts of Mantalk.ke, run the podcast with the intelligence, class and charisma that has characterised their brand and inspired the Mantalk.ke community.
Their talents have enabled them to weave tasteful conversations on love, sex and relationships, facilitate burgeoning debates on masculinity and self-development as young men, and critically discuss the vagaries of entrepreneurship in today’s challenging economy.
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Their eclectic approach has enabled them to attract global audiences across multiple demographics. The hosts’ conversational style exudes ease, comfort and cadence, encouraging guests on their platform to share their stories and life experiences with honesty and joy.
On their own, Eli and Oscar’s conversations are captivating and embody the perfect blend of banter and depth often characteristic of healthy male friendships,” Spotify said in its statement.
The podcasters said they owe their success to their “community of #Sweetboys and #Mantalkgirls”, who inspire them to keep going because they feel their work is unfinished.
In a previous Nation.Africa interview, Eli and Oscar said they started their podcast in 2020 after realising it was the most effective way to share positive masculinity stories as passive listeners no longer had enough time to consume content.
They founded their podcast on three pillars – social development, moral courage and emotional vulnerability – as a space for men to feel comfortable talking about emerging issues like mental health, gender-based violence and addiction.
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