Hadithi Hadithi

Do you remember how you felt the day you finished your last KCSE / CSE exam? That feeling of officially being done with high school? 

In recent years, whenever Kenyans finish secondary school, there are multiple jokes about how hard the Kenyan education system is. It all jokes, but a closer look actually shows that some 8-4-4 high school experiences leave Kenyans traumatized.  

Hadithi/Hadithi podcast decided to revive these high school memories, but with a positive twist. “We wanted to create a connection between those of us who graduated and those who are presently in school,” says Yasmin, the founder of the Hadithi/Hadithi podcast.  

This nostalgic podcast takes on an interview style format and centres on the narration of real compositions and inshas written by Kenyan students, while host Mariam Bishar and a guest discuss their memories of school. The premier episode was launched in January 2021 and the Hadithi/Hadithi team has since completed the first season, consisting of 12 episodes.  

Speaking of the team, Hadithi/Hadithi started as an idea. Yasmin, an entrepreneur and finance consultant created the podcast and has since been in charge of planning, budgeting and organizing. She works closely with Joash, an award-winning filmmaker who is the audio engineer and music composer for the podcast. Behind the mic as the host of the episodes is Mariam, an experienced journalist, writer and radio and TV host. 

Hadithi/Hadithi — Season one’s most memorable episode that resonated with most listeners was “Never Judge a Book by Its Cover” featuring Kenyan rugby sevens player Dennis Ombachi. However, all 12 episodes have a touch of humour and are worth listening to. Joash adds to this: “We are grateful for all the guests who have come on to the podcast.”

So, what’s next in the Hadithi world? “We are currently recording the second season. There are a few setbacks and delays due to the pandemic’s effect on school attendance, but we hope to get more compositions and inshas so that we can finish recording,” says Mariam. The team further plans to turn these audio stories into animations to add that visual appeal, and help the young people who write these stories see how valuable their creativity is. 

And on that note, do you know a high schooler who may want their composition or insha featured on this podcast? The Hadithi/Hadithi team is open to submissions. Please send any compositions or inshas to hadithipod@gmail.com or via WhatsApp to 0725 361 021. 

Listen to Hadithi/Hadithi on Apple Podcasts and on Spotify.