I spend a lot of time thinking about where African immigrants to the West are in our collective story.

The earlier migrants of the 80s and 90s built lives quietly, often in pockets, often in the “safe” professions. Now their children are everywhere: boardrooms, sports arenas, writers’ rooms, film credits, fashion, tech. Dual-identity millennials and Gen Zs are taking up space. Jollof is mainstream. Our accents are familiar. Our names roll off tongues a little more… easy-ish.

And still — with a new wave migrating in recent years, amid renewed anti-Black, anti-immigrant sentiment — we’re collectively negotiating what comes next. What does belonging look like now? Where is home? What do we keep, what do we let go of, who do we become?

I don’t have neat answers. I’m mostly curious, watching this unfold, and committed to bearing witness with care. This curiosity is what the Zero Generation podcast is about. If you’re thinking about these things too, you’re welcome here.

Zero Generation explores themes I have written about in essays published in Catapult, The Bangalore Review, and The Republic, and I am at work on new essays exploring the same themes. The podcast is produced by JSB Video, and the theme music is by Akinoluwa Oyedele.

In Season 2, episodes drop every Thursday, starting January 8. Watch on YouTube and listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, and everywhere else podcasts are streamed.

OTHER PODCAST APPEARANCES

As a guest on the award-winning The Stoop podcast, I share my thoughts on the new, glitzy reality shows popping up all over the continent of Africa. On one hand, it’s great to see a deviation from depictions of Africans drenched in poverty and war, but on the other hand, something about the shows doesn’t feel quite right. I had a great time talking with the host Hana, and this show made it to The Stoop’s Top 5 episodes!

Listen here: The Glamorous Life | The Stoop Podcast, Episode 66