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Does AI know what githeri is? Ben and Lilly, both self-proclaimed ‘African optimists’ discuss why the answer to that question matters for the children who need AI most. Nearly four years after his first appearance (unless you caught his episode on parenting last month!), global education expert Dr. Ben Piper returns to Selam & Hello. What began as a revisit of their 2023 conversation, Power in the Culture, becomes an urgent conversation about artificial intelligence in African education: who it serves, who it leaves out, and what it will take for Africa not to miss this window. Ben explains why the worker of 2040 is a seven-year-old today, and why AI models tested almost entirely on rich-world data will miss the child in Kirinyaga or Samburu. He makes the case that AI's biggest promise right now isn't a device in every child's hand, which could widen the gap between rich and poor, but support for the teacher facing 60 learners (or 100 if you are a teacher in Malawi). He also explains why two decades of teacher training in sub-Saharan Africa had the right idea but the wrong methodology. There is real cause for hope. At FLEX 2026, the Africa Foundational Learning Exchange in Lilongwe, Malawi, 42 African governments committed to a shared plan to end learning poverty by 2035. Ben was struck by the 18 ministers and deputy ministers in the room, and points to Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Botswana, Zambia and Ethiopia, along with parts of Kenya, as countries already showing substantial learning gains, often at national level. Lilly presses him on the creative sector's suspicion of AI data collection, on why education news doesn't draw the same energy as economic news, and on who actually gets the capital in Africa's growth story. Along the way, they revisit a truth Selam & Hello returns to again and again: talent is universal; opportunity is not. This is part one of a two-part conversation. Part two, Ep 117: Africa After Aid: Education, Aid Cuts and What Comes Next, is coming soon. In this episode: 🌍 Why more than half of the world's new workers in 2050 will be African, and what that asks of classrooms today 🗣️ The githeri test: why AI must learn African languages, local context and children's voices 👩🏾‍🏫 AI for students vs. AI for teachers: which one actually reaches the rural poor 📈 FLEX 2026: 42 African governments, one plan to end learning poverty by 2035 Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 1:23 Welcome to Selam & Hello 1:44 Is it bring-your-husband-to-work day? 3:34 Is there still power in the culture? 6:04 What does Africa's growth really mean? 9:04 Will AI take Africa's jobs? 10:29 Does AI understand African children? 12:26 Should creatives trust AI data collection? 14:31 Why should families care about local AI tools? 16:09 Who does AI in education actually help? 19:06 Can AI coach a teacher with 60 students? 21:51 What makes teacher training work? 26:53 Did the 2025 learning goals happen? 30:10 What made these countries succeed? 31:57 Why doesn't education get Finance Bill energy? 34:39 Is talent universal but opportunity not? 36:49 Is Africa still the place to invest? 39:19 Who gets access to capital in Africa? 44:57 What's next: Africa after aid? About Dr. Ben Piper Dr. Benjamin Piper is Director, Global Education at the Gates Foundation, based in Nairobi, where his work focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy. He has spent more than two decades helping children across Africa learn to read, beginning with doctoral research on teacher training in Ethiopia. He holds a doctorate from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Learn more: - Dr. Ben Piper on LinkedIn: https://ke.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-piper-42a89a32 Gates Foundation: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ - FLEX 2026 (ADEA): https://adeanet.org/en/press-releases/42-african-governments-back-new-better-funding-shared-plan-end-learning-poverty-2035 - Ep 45: Power in the Culture (2023): https://youtu.be/pYNCXLlSYww - Ep 113: Raising Kids Between Two Worlds: https://youtu.be/z8O_Z1K7ZR4 - Ep 114: African Parenting Wins and Fails: https://youtu.be/EHuNHoskNZk?si=onrn3LKa2epHlkK6 - Daily Nation, FLEX 2026 coverage: https://nation.africa/kenya/news/education/african-education-ministers-meet-in-malawi-for-foundational-learning-5527086 Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. - Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhello - Website: https://www.selamandhello.com/ - Instagram / YouTube: @selamandhello - Email: [email protected] | [email protected] Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJMBigciZgiSLzagdsFYLw #SelamAndHello #AfricanPodcast #DrBenPiper #AIinEducation #FoundationalLearning #EducationInAfrica #TeacherTraining

Does your face light up when your child walks into the room? Lilly and her husband, Dr. Ben Piper, reflect on parenting while playing ‘Blame or Claim’, a game about the wins they'll take credit for and the fails they'll pin on someone else (her? him?). Lilly and Ben have raised four children in Nairobi, between Ethiopian and Black American traditions. In a rare episode with Lilly in the guest seat as well as the host's, the producers read a card and the couple point: at themselves to claim it, at each other to blame. Who was the easy parent? Who let the kids stay home "sick"? Who threatened to send them back home to Gojjam? The answers are funny and unguarded. Calm sports parent or crazy? You decide: while Ben knows the basketball rulebook well enough to cite it to referees, Lilly calls everything traveling - and every referee in Nairobi knows them both by name. Term breaks meant "Piper Academy": reading, maths and writing, with mixed results. And their kids’ friends certainly feared one and loved the other…can you guess who?  Then the game turns tender. Lilly reflects on how raising sons revealed how tender the male psyche is, and on Toni Morrison's question about whether your face lights up for your child. At 50, she says, her mother still beams every time she sees her. Ben describes how watching his daughters make their own choices changed how he sees his own mother, and the dreams she held before the decisions she made. What did your parents get right, and what are you choosing to leave behind? And how often do we take the time to ask the questions that might illuminate those important answers.  In this episode: 🏀 The calm sports parent versus the one every Nairobi referee knows by name 🌍 Culture cards: "Auntie," not first names, and the Amharic and Kiswahili that slipped 📱 Reading your children's messages, and why you shouldn't go mining for trouble 💛 What raising sons and daughters taught them about their own parents Chapters: 0:00 Coming up 0:45 Welcome to Selam & Hello 1:35 How do you play Blame or Claim? 2:34 Who was the easy parent? 3:54 Should you give your kid a free sick day? 4:30 Who is the calm sports parent? 6:12 Can children call adults by their first name? 8:07 Did we let Amharic and Kiswahili slide? 9:24 Would we really send them back home? 11:08 Who fell asleep at the school play? 13:01 Should you read your children's messages? 16:18 What does raising sons teach a mother? 17:38 What does a daughter teach you about your own mother? 19:49 What are we proudest our children got from us? 21:11 What are we sorry they got from us? Learn more: Dr. Ben Piper on LinkedIn:   / benjamin-piper-42a89a32   Gates Foundation: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhello Website: https://www.selamandhello.com/ Instagram / YouTube: @selamandhello Email: [email protected] | [email protected] Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper /    / @silaspiper

What does it take to raise four children across two continents, and still like each other at the end of it? In this deeply personal Selam & Hello original, Lilly invites her husband of 27 years, Dr. Ben Piper, into the studio for an honest, funny and tender conversation about modern(ish?) African(ish?) parenting. After 24 years of raising four children and two decades on the continent, the two reflect on what they got right, what they got wrong, and what they are still figuring out. This isn't an advice episode. Questions drawn blind from a bowl, many sent in by listeners, turn the interview into a true co-hosted conversation. Lilly and Ben ask each other about raising a child with dyslexia, and about breastfeeding twins in graduate school with no kitchen sink. They cover parenting with behaviorism, and the emotional decision to stay in Kenya while all four children eventually moved to the US. The conversation also goes to harder places: the risks Black sons face in the United States, femicide and gender-based violence in Kenya, and Lilly's experience of postpartum depression in a time when few rarely talked about maternal mental health. Through it all runs a family philosophy that Lilly and Ben still live by: no credit, no blame - and love in it all.  In this episode: 📚What raising a child with dyslexia taught a literacy expert that the research never did 🗣️How to advocate for your child at school by setting the bar before teachers set it for you 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Four kids, twins and grad school: why community made all the difference 🌍Staying in Africa while the children built lives in America: did they win the argument? 💛Mental health, postpartum depression and letting children see their parents cry 🏡Empty nest, grown-up children and grandparent names (it's Lulu or nothing!) About Dr. Ben Piper Dr. Benjamin Piper is the Director of Global Education at the Gates Foundation, based in Nairobi, where his work focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy. He has spent his career helping children learn to read across Africa and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. He is also, as he'll tell you, the second-most memorable parent. Learn more: Dr. Ben Piper on LinkedIn: https://ke.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-piper-42a89a32Gates Foundation: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhelloWebsite: https://www.selamandhello.com/Instagram / YouTube: @selamandhelloEmail: [email protected] | [email protected] Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper / https://www.youtube.com/@SilasPiper

#ClimateAction #SelamAndHello #LivingWithTheLand #PoliticsofWater In this final conversation for Selam & Hello’s Living With the Land series, Dr. Anna Msigwa traces the path that led her into hydrology, climate adaptation, and agricultural water management. Based at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania and also serving as a Research Associate at the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center, Anna works at the intersection of water, climate, agriculture, and resilience. Anna reflects on growing up in southern Tanzania, where water was both abundant and scarce, and how those early experiences shaped her understanding of water as a precious resource. She shares how a research project in the Pangani Basin and a conversation with a farmer who thought underground water was endless pushed her to pursue a PhD focused on sustainable water use and evidence-based decision-making for farmers, policymakers, and water managers. The conversation also explores how climate change is already reshaping agriculture, why co-design with farmers is essential, and what practical innovation could look like in the years ahead. Anna’s vision for 2050 is clear: localized early warning systems that speak to farmers in their own languages, on their mobile phones, alongside smarter small-scale irrigation systems that reduce dependence on rainfall and strengthen resilience. This episode asks a simple but urgent question: what does it really mean to steward water well, and how can science help us live with the land more wisely? In this episode:  💧How growing up in Tanzania shaped Dr. Msigwa’s curiosity about water, agriculture, and climate resilience. 💧Why water is never abstract — and how sustainable management depends on knowing what is available, what is being used, and what is being saved. 💧How farmers are already adapting to drought and climate shocks 💧What Dr. Msigwa hopes agriculture could look like by 2050 This episode is part of Living with the Land, a special series from Selam & Hello in partnership with the Australian High Commission in Kenya, exploring the people and ideas shaping the future of agriculture across Africa. About Dr. Anna Msigwa:  Dr. Anna Haji Msigwa is a hydrologist, climate adaptation expert, and lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania. Her work sits at the intersection of water, agriculture, climate resilience, remote sensing, and AI, with pioneering research in the Pangani River Basin and on AI-powered drought early warning systems.  Learn more:  Research Associate Anna Msigwa Returns to WRRC https://wrrc.arizona.edu/news/research-associate-anna-msigwa-returns-wrrcThe Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST)https://nm-aist.ac.tz/ Australian High Commission Kenya: https://kenya.highcommission.gov.au/ Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhello Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram  /  / selamandhello    YouTube   / @selamandhello      / @selamandhello   Website https://www.selamandhello.com/  Email us at:  [email protected] [email protected]  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper  /    / @silaspiper #SelamAndHello #LivingWithTheLand #AfricanAgriculture #FoodSystems #ClimateAction #AustraliaInAfrica

More than one billion people eat potatoes every day. Yet this familiar crop is often overlooked in conversations about climate resilience, nutrition and Africa’s food future. This episode is Part 2 of Living with the Land, a Selam & Hello series in partnership with the Australian High Commission in Kenya. Lilly speaks with agricultural scientist Dr. Dinah Borus, widely known among farmers as “Mama Viazi, ”about why the humble potato may be one of the continent’s most practical tools for addressing hunger and climate change. Kenya grows potatoes primarily for its own people, with most of the country’s harvest consumed locally rather than exported. For Dr. Borus, that makes the potato more than an agricultural commodity: it is a locally grown solution that can strengthen food security, support farmers and feed communities without relying heavily on global supply chains. She explains why potatoes are considered a climate-smart crop, but also sounds an urgent warning: the climate crisis is changing growing conditions faster than many crops can naturally adapt. Farmers need stronger seed systems, better research, improved storage, modern equipment and greater access to technology—but many African producers still lack the tools required to increase yields and reduce losses. Dr. Borus also offers a bold and memorable idea for the continent’s school-feeding programmes: “a potato for every child.” Could nutritious, locally produced potatoes become a regular part of school meals while creating stable markets for African farmers? In this episode: 🍠What makes the same crops in the US-Kenya-Australia both similar and wildly different? 🥔Why more than one billion people eat potatoes every day 🍠What is changing faster: the climate or the crops? 🥔Why potatoes can be part of a climate-smart agricultural future This episode is part of Living with the Land, a special series from Selam & Hello in partnership with the Australian High Commission in Kenya, exploring the people and ideas shaping the future of agriculture across Africa. About Dr. Dinah Borus: Dr. Dinah Jeruto Borus is a senior agricultural scientist whose career has focused on sustainable agriculture, agribusiness, postharvest solutions and climate-resilient food systems. Known to potato farmers as 'Mama Viazi', she has spent more than two decades advancing potato and sweetpotato value chains across Kenya, Rwanda and other African countries. She has held leadership roles at the International Potato Center and ICRAF and now works with the National Potato Council of Kenya. She also serves as the World Potato Congress International Advisor for Africa and Programme Chair for the 13th World Potato Congress in Kenya. Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. Learn more: National Potato Council Kenya: https://npck.org/ World Potato Congress: https://wpc2026kenya.com/bio-dinah-borus/ Australian High Commission Kenya: https://kenya.highcommission.gov.au/ Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhello #SelamAndHello #LivingWithTheLand #AfricanAgriculture #FoodSystems #ClimateAction #AustraliaInAfrica Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram / / selamandhello YouTube / @selamandhello / @selamandhello Website https://www.selamandhello.com/ Email us at: [email protected] [email protected] Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper / / @silaspiper

Recorded live at the 2026 Nairobi LitFest on Mother's Day. What do our mothers give us beyond life? Language. Courage. Silence. Resistance. Sometimes even the freedom to choose a completely different life. Lilly Bekele-Piper sits down with three of today's most celebrated international writers, Safiya Sinclair, Dr. Nick Makoha and Lina Meruane, to explore the complicated inheritance we receive from our families and how literature helps us make sense of it. The conversation moves far beyond motherhood into identity, migration, feminism, memory, faith and the responsibility of telling difficult truths. It begins with a deceptively simple question: why is literature uniquely able to hold contradictions? From there the panel reflects on language as technology, poetry as medicine, and writing as an act of survival. In this conversation: 📖 Mothers as our first teachers of language, imagination and identity ✍🏾 Writing memoir versus fiction, and why truth matters 🌍 Migration, race, and becoming someone else through displacement 🤎Motherhood as choice, expectation and political identity Featuring: Safiya Sinclair, award-winning poet and author of How to Say Babylon. Dr. Nick Makoha, Ugandan poet, playwright and founder of the Obsidian Foundation. Lina Meruane, Chilean writer, scholar and author of Against Children. Hosted by Lilly Bekele-Piper This session was supported by the Open Society Foundations’ South-to-South Initiative and the British Council’s UK/Kenya Season 2025. Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhello Email: [email protected] | [email protected] More information: - NBO LitFest: https://www.hayfestival.com/nbolitfest - Book Bunk: https://bookbunk.org/ - Open Society Foundations’ South-to-South Initiative: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1015010532&gbraid=0AAAAAD8I51aAC9lgxa5iY18T9CB_eY5tS&gclid=CjwKCAjwpqHTBhAcEiwAj2Afug7iT-hlaeiLoZJmcFQK4T_AromoOZ_fOV6ygAdgBC7jKjbcUX7CUxoC0zYQAvD_BwE - British Council’s UK/Kenya Season 2025: https://www.britishcouncil.co.ke/uk-kenya-season-2025 Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper / https://www.youtube.com/@SilasPiper

(This episode is a special collaboration with @African Interiors. FULL episode can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83vTSspY7jg&t=627s) What makes a house feel like home? Today, Lilly welcomes you into her Nairobi home, where Ethiopian heritage, Kenyan life and Pan-African design come together to tell one family's story. Lilly reflects on identity, belonging, creativity and why the objects we surround ourselves with often become the keepers of our history. From handcrafted furniture and family photographs to Ethiopian coffee pots, Senegalese glass art, Malian textiles and contemporary African artists, every room reflects a life lived across cultures.  In this episode: 📚 Why books are the heart of this family's living room 🌍 Blending Ethiopian, Kenyan and Pan-African design traditions 🧵 How heritage inspired the creation of Amina, Lilly's Pan-African textile brand ❤️ Why Nairobi has become home while Ethiopia remains the heart's home Thank you to African Interiors for inviting us to share our home and the stories behind the objects that have shaped it! Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. FOLLOW LILLY BEKELE-PIPER Selam and Hello podcast:     / @selamandhello   https://www.selamandhello.com/ FOLLOW AFRICAN INTERIORS African Interiors on YouTube:    / @african_interiors   African Interiors on Instagram:   / african_interiors   CREDITS Producer: ‪@african_interiors‬  Host: Lilly Bekele-Piper ‪@selamandhello‬  Director: Simon Wanderi ‪@s.m_wanderii‬ Director of Photography: Austin Morara ‪@UrbanTakesProductions‬ Editor: ‪@Fame.Fusion.Production‬  Colourist: Esther Magege

What if the future of Africa isn't hidden beneath the ground—but growing from it? In this special episode that is part 1 of a series in partnership with Australian High Commission Kenya, Lilly Bekele-Piper sits down with one of the world's foremost voices on agriculture and food systems, Dr. Agnes Kalibata. From transforming Rwanda's agricultural sector to leading the UN Food Systems Summit, Dr. Kalibata has spent decades helping shape how the world thinks about food, farming, and the future of our planet. Together, they explore why food systems are about much more than farming - and why Africa has an opportunity to lead the world in building a future that is more resilient, productive, and sustainable. In this episode, we discuss: 🌾 Why food systems matter more than food security alone 🌍 Africa's extraordinary agricultural opportunity—and what's holding it back 🚜 How farmers, not policies, should be at the center of agricultural transformation 🌱 Balancing productivity, climate resilience, and sustainability 💡 The innovations giving Dr. Kalibata hope for the future Throughout the conversation, Dr. Kalibata challenges long-held assumptions about African agriculture and reminds us that the continent's greatest asset isn't simply its land, it's its people, its farmers, and its capacity to innovate. Whether you work in agriculture, climate, policy, business, or simply care about where your food comes from, this conversation offers a compelling vision for what Africa's future could look like when food systems are designed around people, opportunity, and resilience. This episode is part of Living with the Land, a special series from Selam & Hello in partnership with the Australian High Commission in Kenya, exploring the people and ideas shaping the future of agriculture across Africa. About Dr. Agnes Kalibata Dr. Agnes Kalibata is an agricultural scientist and globally recognized food systems leader. She is the Founder and Chair of C4Impact Advisory Group (https://connect4impactadvisory.com/), former President of AGRA, Rwanda's former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, and served as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit. Her work has helped improve food security and livelihoods for millions of farming households across Africa. Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram / / selamandhello YouTube / @selamandhello / @selamandhello Website https://www.selamandhello.com/ Email us at: [email protected] [email protected] Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper All platforms @silaspiper / https://www.youtube.com/@SilasPiper #LivingWithTheLand #DrAgnesKalibata #AfricanAgriculture #FoodSystems #ClimateAction #FoodSecurity #WomenInAgriculture #SustainableAgriculture #AfricanLeadership #AfricanInnovation #SelamAndHello #AustraliaInAfrica #FutureOfFood

Recorded live at the World Hope Forum: East Africa. What if culture isn't something we simply inherit but something we intentionally build? Fashion designer Katungulu Mwendwa has spent her career living that question. In this special episode of Selam & Hello, Lilly sits down with Katungulu Mwendwa, founder and creative director of Katush, for a moving reflection on identity, belonging, creativity, and the responsibility we carry to future generations. Drawing from her journey as a Kenyan designer, new mother and storyteller, Katungulu unpacks a question that has shaped her life's work: "Who am I culturally?" From growing up in Nairobi between multiple cultural influences, to rediscovering traditional craftsmanship through Akamba artisans, to reflecting on what her own son will inherit, Katungulu explores how culture is not simply preserved through beautiful objects but through relationships, rituals, community and shared creation. One of the most powerful moments comes as she describes weaving alongside women from her ancestral village, realising that "culture was not the basket. It was the circle." Through shared tea, prayer, conversation and collective problem-solving, she reframes culture not as nostalgia, but as participation. In this episode: What colonial history means for African identity todayWhy African fashion is about process, not just aestheticsHow motherhood transformed Katungulu's understanding of legacyWhy culture is built through community, memory and participation About Katungulu Mwendwa: Katungulu Mwendwa is the founder and creative director of Katush, a Kenyan fashion brand known for blending contemporary design with traditional African craftsmanship. Her work has been featured in Vogue, CNN and Forbes Africa. She collaborates closely with artisans across Kenya to celebrate heritage while reimagining it for today. Our theme of "Culture as Joy, Power and Source" runs through all eight speakers at The World Hope Forum: East Africa, including Donica Merhazion, Kevin Mwachiro, Omer Eltigani, Iona McCreath, Yonas Tadesse, Njoki Karu, and Lilly Bekele-Piper. If this conversation resonated with you: 👍🏾 Like the episode 💬 Tell us in the comments: What does culture mean to you? 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations celebrating Africa's stories, ideas and people Selam & Hello is a Pan-African storytelling platform where Africa and her diaspora come to think, reflect and be heard. Follow Katush: @katushnairobi | www.katushnairobi.com Find us: https://linktr.ee/selamandhello Follow World Hope Forum  https://www.youtube.com/@worldhopeforum3695https://www.worldhopeforum.com/https://www.instagram.com/worldhopeforum/?hl=en  Email us at:  [email protected] [email protected]  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper @silaspiper  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJMBigciZgiSLzagdsFYLw #SelamAndHello #AfricanPodcast #AfricanIdentity #CulturalHeritage #WorldHopeForum #AfricanFashion

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent the official views, positions, or policies of the Australian High Commission Kenya. Selam & Hello has partnered with the Australian High Commission as they celebrate 60 years of partnership with Kenya for this special series: Saying the African Part Out Loud! In this final (and wonderfully fun!) episode, Lilly sits down in studio with Nyokabi (Kabi) Kuguru, founder of Mount Kenya Coffee. With roots in a multigenerational farming family in Nyeri County, Kabi is carrying forward her grandfather’s legacy while forging new connections between Kenya and Australia. Armed with two master’s degrees from the University of Sydney—in Public Health and Digital Communication and Media—Kabi’s path into coffee wasn’t the obvious one. But through heritage, passion, and purpose, she is building Mount Kenya Coffee into more than a brand: it’s a platform for storytelling, cultural exchange, and community. In this episode, we explore what gave her the confidence to enter a demanding global coffee market, what she is learning from farmers in Kenya and roasters in Australia, how she defines success, and the beautiful advice her grandfather shared with his grandchildren. Kabi also graced the studio with Mount Kenya Coffee beans, and as she and Lilly enjoy a hot cup, they wrap up with a lively game of kahawa ama chai to discover her true favorite! Pour yourself a cup and tune in to this warm, insightful conversation about coffee, culture, and connection. Follow Mount Kenya Coffee: Website https://www.mountkenyacoffee.com.au/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mountkenyacoffee_auLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkuguru/ Follow the Australian High Commission Kenya:  Website https://kenya.highcommission.gov.au/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AusHCKenyaInstagram https://www.instagram.com/aushckenya/X https://x.com/aushckenya Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sselamandhello/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmO35TpU1jj2fGlzFQwLgA TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@seovelamandhello Website https://www.selamandhello.com/  Email us at:  [email protected]@selamandhello.com  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper Production by: IR Studios

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent the official views, positions, or policies of the Australian High Commission Kenya. In the second episode of the ‘Saying the African Part Out Loud’ series with the Australian High Commission Kenya, Lilly sits down with Hemanshi Galaiya — Kenyan bioengineer, social entrepreneur, and PhD candidate at the University of Queensland — to explore how science, identity, and purpose intersect. From her early days as a self-proclaimed "nerd" in Nairobi to earning global recognition as a 2024 finalist for the Global Student Prize, Hemanshi’s journey takes us from being the first person in her family to pursue higher education to her current research in biomedical engineering. She shares her thoughts on why representation in science is about more than having “a seat at the table” and her philosophy for creating lasting systemic change. We also dive into her award-winning social enterprise, Young Stripes, which brings frugal science and hands-on STEM education to children as young as four — breaking down barriers and sparking curiosity in the next generation of Kenyan scientists. Hemanshi offers hard-earned lessons on starting before you’re “ready,” the art of fearless networking, and scaling social impact sustainably. Whether you’re a young changemaker, an educator, or someone curious about how science can drive equity and environmental sustainability, this conversation is packed with insight, heart, and hope. Follow Young Stripes: Website Facebook  Instagram LinkedIn  Whatsapp X Follow the Australian High Commission Kenya:  Website Facebook Instagram X Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram YouTube TikTokWebsite Email us at:  [email protected]@selamandhello.com  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper Production by: IR Studios

The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent the official views, positions, or policies of the Australian High Commission Kenya. To commemorate 60 years of diplomatic partnership between Australia and Kenya, Selam & Hello has partnered with the Australian High Commission for a special three-part series: Saying the African Part Out Loud! In this inaugural episode, host Lilly Bekele-Piper is joined by Australian-Ethiopian tech entrepreneur Caleb Maru, founder of Tech Safari—Africa’s largest tech newsletter and a rapidly growing media, events, and community platform reaching over one million people monthly. Recorded live at iHub Nairobi with a vibrant crowd at their Creative Community of Practice, the conversation examines the conditions driving successful tech ventures across the continent, whether stronger capital, policy, and/or talent is most needed the Continent’s tech ecosystem, the pros and cons of AI’s development in our mother tongues and why failure is key to any tech entrepreneur’s success. Caleb shares fascinating stories and insights from founders securing major investments, unpacks the pressures of “launching to survive,” and offers his forward-looking view of the milestones that will define African tech success in the next 15 years. This episode offers timely, thought-provoking perspectives on African innovation and how African tech leaders are shaping the industry ‘now’ and creating what is ‘next.’  Selam & Hello extends its appreciation to the Australian High Commission Kenya for its support in making this series possible. Special thanks to: iHub Nairobi, Creative Community of Practice, Collins Manaseh, Selina Jamayo, Hesketh Wines and The Wine Box Kenya. Follow Tech Safari Africa: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedInX Follow the Australian High Commission Kenya:  WebsiteFacebookInstagram X Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram YouTube TikTok Website Links from the episode:  The Diaspora Debate: Should African Professionals Return Home?Expatriate As a Service: The streets say you need a white co-founderThe rise and fall of Africa's first UnicornThis table raised over $100M to build Africa’s future and its just the beginning  Email us at:  [email protected]@selamandhello.com  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper Production by: Voomantics Kenya

In this poignant final episode of Selam & Hello, Lilly sits down with the extraordinary Ato Nagizy Gebremedhin—engineer, mountaineer, and a treasured elder of Nairobi’s community. At 90 years old, Ato Nagizy recently climbed Mount Kenya for the 14th time, exemplifying a life lived with purpose and resilience. Together, they journey through his Ethiopian and Eritrean roots, his groundbreaking path to higher education in Kansas as one of eight students selected by Emperor Haile Selassie, and his time at MIT. They reflect on his impactful career in civil engineering and urban planning with organizations like UNEP and the World Bank, as well as his dedicated work preserving the vernacular architecture of Eritrea. His book Asmara stands as a tribute to the modernist architecture of his beloved city. From pivotal moments in history across America and Africa to the peaks of Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, Ato Nagizy’s life is a tapestry of ambition, heritage, and adventure. Lilly and Ato Nagizy delve into his passion for mountain climbing, exploring the lessons learned from scaling some of Africa’s highest peaks and the unyielding drive that has defined his remarkable journey. This episode is a celebration of legacy, resilience, and the mountains—both literal and figurative—that we climb in life. Buy Asmara by Ato Nagizy Gebremedhin The book - amazon.com/Asmara-Modernist-Gebremedhin-published-Publishers/dp/B00EKYS47S  News and articles about Ato Nagizy Gebremedhin Citizen TV - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y6x9FsqKKI Voice of America - https://www.voanews.com/a/eritrean-american-climbs-mount-kenya-/7752654.html The Daily Naton - https://nation.africa/kenya/sports/other-sports/at-90-oldest-man-climbed-mt-kenya-is-not-about-to-stop-4792728#story  Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sselamandhello/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmO35TpU1jj2fGlzFQwLgATikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@seovelamandhello Website - https://www.selamandhello.com/  Email us at: [email protected] [email protected]  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper Production by: IR Production Studio

In this compelling episode of Selam & Hello, Lilly sits down with Robyn Emerson, Chair of Democrats Abroad Kenya, for a candid and insightful discussion on the 2024 U.S. election results. Together, they unpack the ripple effects of the American election on Africa and the diaspora, delving into the emotional and political aftermath of Kamala Harris’ loss and what it signifies for communities both within America and abroad. The conversation takes a hard look at what a Trump presidency could mean for U.S.-Africa relations, the diaspora’s role in shaping global narratives, and how Black women continue to stand at the forefront of the fight for justice and equality. Tune in for a timely and thought-provoking episode that bridges continents, amplifies voices, and asks the hard questions about our shared future. Follow Robyn: LinkedIn - https://ke.linkedin.com/in/robyntemerson Website - https://about.me/robytnemerson Twitter - https://x.com/austexanywhere?s=21&t=qXfj3Yi02NuEi0ZoxSRd8A  Book referenced by Robyn: Musings: Reflections on my journey with cerebral palsy by Zawadi Muraya - https://nuriakenya.com/product/musings-reflections-of-my-journey-with-cerebral-palsy/  Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sselamandhello/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmO35TpU1jj2fGlzFQwLgATikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@seovelamandhello Website - https://www.selamandhello.com/  Email us at: [email protected] [email protected]  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper Production by: IR Studio

In this reflective year-end episode of Selam & Hello, Lilly and Selam & Hello’s Creative Producer, Rahma take a heartfelt journey through the show’s most memorable milestones and candidly share the challenges and opportunities that come with sustaining their platform. They delve into the power of personal storytelling, how their guiding pillars of joy and justice shape who they are, and why these core values remain central to the community they’ve built. Join them as they look ahead to the next chapter of Selam & Hello, exploring fresh possibilities and their hopes for new seasons to come. It’s a powerful reminder of where they’ve been, who they are, and what lies on the horizon. Follow Selam & Hello: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sselamandhello/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmO35TpU1jj2fGlzFQwLgATikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@seovelamandhello Website - https://www.selamandhello.com/  Email us at: [email protected] [email protected]  Music Credits: Selam & Hello Jingle by Silas Piper Production by: IR Production Studio