A new podcast to educate people about finances has been launched.
A first of its kind, Epokothweni is a digital platform that aims to create a space for conversations, learning and co-creation about personal financial stewardship presented in isiXhosa.
Founder, Babalwa Nonkenge, says she started to play with the idea in May this year after she sold the business she was running on behalf of a bank and the Covid-19 pandemic made her think deeply and hard about her life’s mission and purpose.
“People in my life started asking what I was going to do after selling my business and I’d tell them about the dream I’ve always had that I wanted to do when I turn 50 years of age and even though I’m nine years away from that, I thought why not do it now, because you don’t know what’s going to happen in future,” she said.
Ms Nonkenge said her friends advised her to write her ideas down and get equipment and just start. She says she realised that no one ever explains to black people how financial markets work. “No one explains to us clearly without the white lens on why we must use money responsibly, the terms like ‘black tax’ bothered me and I asked myself who came up with them,” she said.
She said because of her extensive experience having worked in asset management and having run a business, she realised that there was a need to educate people in the languages that they understand. “Whenever we hear about such topics even on the radio, it’s either they’re advertising a product or they don’t speak in a language that is clear and understood by the people,” she said.
She said she hopes that people will be inspired to start something in the industries they work and excel in and start educating people in languages that they speak and understand.
Touching on the response that she has received so far from the public including those who are not Xhosa speaking, she stated that people immediately resonated. “People are excited to have such a platform because we’re all Africans and we have the same questions regarding finances,” she said. She added that in the near future, she will start hiring people who will translate her work into other African languages.
She adds that she believes that it is not her work alone and her aim is to stir and inspire others to start doing the same with other African languages. “Many of us in the 1% and many people see us as a success but the people who raised us do not understand what we actually do. My aim is to ensure that we take this content to them,” she said.
Touching on the name of the podcast Epokothweni, Ms Nonkenge said people often avoid discussing topics relating to money, thus limiting access to information and education. “Now we’re getting into people’s pockets and discussing these issues openly. The time has come for people to not see these issues as taboo and discuss them openly,” she said.
She invites experts to cover topics related to money, debts, economy, stokvels and things that affect black communities and finances. “There’s a lot that I still need to do, I also still mix IsiXhosa and English now and again, but the aim is to use and preserve my language and one way to do that is being able to speak and explain things in my language from start to finish,” she said.
To learn more about Epokothweni visit: https://linktr.ee/epokothweni
