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Christopher Farai Charamba The Reader
The Internet age is a fascinating time to live in. Not only has it made the world smaller by allowing us to connect to people all over the globe, but it has also created different media with which people can engage.

Sometime last year, I got into the habit of listening to podcasts.

A podcast is a digital audio file found online that contains a series of episodes on various subjects. Curated talk radio for lack of a better term.

One can find a whole host of topics on podcasts presented in different styles, some serious and others comedic.

Some podcasts deal with modern issues and others with history. There are podcasts on sports, music, film, politics, religion and one of my favourite topics literature.

This past week, I stumbled upon a literature podcast that I have come to thoroughly enjoy and have been hooked on.

The podcast titled “Mostly Lit”, is hosted by three young black British readers — Alex Reads, Derek Wiltshire and Reckless Rai.

These three use literary themes and discourse to deconstruct issues taking place in their society. Their subject matter constantly varies and includes topics on black love in popular culture, Beyoncé’ new album and respectability politics.

While discussions included a number of themes and incidents taking place today, books do remain a central part of the podcast, and the three find clever ways to link what they have read with what is taking place today and vice versa.

Part of their mission seems to be to create a reading culture particularly among black youths, and I certainly believe they have the capacity to do so.

The issues they tackle are familiar to a global youth though they are premised on their experiences as young black people living in England. The manner in which they have their discussions is relatable and free flowing and doesn’t leave a listener feeling side-lined or intellectually inferior.

The cast of the podcast is widely read in different forms of literature, from the classics like “The Great Gatsby” and books by Jane Austen, to essays by Franz Kafka and poems by Robert Frost. They have also read a lot of my favourite reads, the Harry Potter series, “His Dark Materials”, “The Fishermen”, “Purple Hibiscus” and “Nervous Conditions”.

On “Nervous Conditions”, which they discussed in one of their earlier episodes they touched on the differences in how Western education is viewed and valued juxtaposed with one’s cultural heritage and worth.

They have a great grasp on literary concepts and philosophies, aided by Rai who has a degree in literature but balance these perspectives from a non-academic and somewhat new reader aspect, with Derek who said in an interview he hadn’t read a book until he was 23.

One of the more interesting subjects covered in an episode of “Mostly Lit” was separating the artistes from their art and whether one can write the experiences of a people or person they have not lived.

I found this quite an interesting topic particularly where literature is taken as the voice of a people.

Can a man write and speak accurately on women’s issues or can a white woman accurately depict the life of a black man?

While my answer to these questions is no, one’s stance is that it still remains important for people to write what they feel and share their creativity. What should not happen is for such work to be taken authoritatively particularly where the author has no direct connection to the experiences they are writing about.

The work should just be seen and judged for what it is, that is art.

Podcasts are a fairly new media and while they are growing in popularity overseas, they remain under-appreciated in the African space. Podcasts like “Mostly Lit” are however a great entry into such mediums particularly for those that love literature and intelligent conversation.

When asked what the intentions were behind creating the podcast, Rai in an interview with Ayiba Magazine responded, “I’ve always been under the impression that the more you read the better you are at critical thinking, reasoning, and understanding. Moreover, reading encourages empathy. It allows you to understand the lives of others. We just become better when we read.”