Lupita Nyong’o Explores African Diaspora Identity in New Storytelling Podcast “Mind Your Own”

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is set to launch a new storytelling podcast titled “Mind Your Own.” This ten-part series explores the lives of Africans in the diaspora, all centred around the thought-provoking question: Where is Home? Through narratives from Africans across the globe, the podcast navigates what it means to belong, offering insights into identity and connection from an African perspective.

Born in Mexico, raised in Kenya, and having spent the last 20 years in the U.S., Lupita explains that her homesickness inspired the creation of this podcast. She seeks to explore the experiences of fellow Africans who, like her, straddle multiple worlds they call home. “Mind Your Own” will feature personal stories from Lupita’s journey, alongside intimate conversations with others finding their way in cities like Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Toronto, and Kampala.

The podcast showcases a diverse representation of African cultures, featuring six African languages and music from 15 composers. Produced by KQED’s Snap Studios and distributed by Lemonada Media, “Mind Your Own” brings the richness of African diasporic experiences to listeners worldwide, capturing the joys, challenges, and nuances of home and belonging.

Lupita invites listeners to join her weekly, as she unearths wild, intimate, and joyous stories of Africans seeking love, family, and new beginnings. The first two episodes will premiere on September 19 across all podcast platforms, with new episodes released every week.

In her announcement, Lupita shared,

I have some GREAT NEWS to share : I made a podcast called MIND YOUR OWN, debuting globally on September 19th! Link in bio to subscribe today!

MIND YOUR OWN features stories from the African perspective: Forget about the hot button, newsworthy stories that you are used to hearing from the Continent! This show is about the personal, intimate, individual and quirky stories that give light to who we are as Africans today!!

I created MIND YOUR OWN because I was homesick and I wanted to hear stories from other Africans navigating more than one world that they consider home like me. It’s also for anybody who has ever felt alien in one way or another; for everyone considering what it really means to belong.