STRANGERS X

Is there a "Third Way" for African technology that avoids the binary choice between the US and China? In the wake of the 2026 India AI Impact Summit, I sit down with Africa Tech Policy expert, Dr Jane Munga, Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to unpack the shifting power structures of the global digital economy. This episode explores why the future of African sovereignty isn't found in a software stack, but also in the strength of our institutions.

In this episode of StrangersX, Zainab Taonga Chirwa speaks with maritime security researcher David Willima from the Institute for Security Studies. We discuss how Africa’s coastal cities are facing growing insecurity, the opportunities and challenges in the blue economy, and how the BBNJ Treaty intersects with African sovereignty and digital infrastructure.

Zambia is a country of many peoples, languages, and histories. That diversity is often described as our strength. However, it also places a responsibility on how we speak about one another, especially in moments of political competition.In this episode of StrangersX, Zainab Taonga Chirwa sits down with writer, communications specialist, and journalist Moono Chungu for a reflective conversation on identity, belonging, and national cohesion in Zambia.Drawing on her work and her public writing during the last election cycle, Moono reflects on why ethnic identity should never be treated as a campaign strategy, how political language shapes democratic culture, and what the phrase “One Zambia, One Nation” asks of leaders and citizens alike.This is not a partisan discussion, nor a debate about policies or personalities. It is a conversation about people, and about how we live together in difference, how trust is built or broken through language, and what it takes to hold a plural nation together beyond slogans.This episode opens a short StrangersX series reflecting on Zambia’s recent constitutional moment, beginning with democratic culture, belonging, and responsibility.

What does it mean to build artificial intelligence that genuinely serves the public good and who gets to decide?In this episode, I sit down with Philani Mdingi, Executive Director of Tech for Good and a seasoned technology leader known for delivering mission-aligned digital solutions for civil society and philanthropic networks. We explore the civic potential and political risks of AI in African contexts, and ask whether the current trajectories of innovation are truly aligned with public interest.Drawing from his experience leading digital security and tech strategy at global human rights organisations, Philani reflects on how African actors can shape AI systems that empower rather than exclude and why protecting digital infrastructure is foundational to democratic participation.

The U.S.-brokered peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda isn’t just about ending war, it’s about gaining access to the critical minerals that power artificial intelligence. From cobalt and coltan to lithium and gold, Africa’s mineral wealth has become the battlefield in a global race between China, the U.S., Europe, and tech giants like Tesla and Nvidia.In this episode of Not Just Observers, Zainab Taonga Chirwa breaks down the truth behind the June 2025 DRC-Rwanda "peace" deal. Why cobalt is the new oil in the AI economy? How African countries like Zimbabwe and the DRC are negotiating for sovereignty. The rise of Africa’s AI infrastructure, including Africa’s first Nvidia-backed AI factory. How civil society can drive "mineral diplomacy from below"This isn’t just a geopolitical drama, it’s a call to rethink African agency, technology, and justice.Subscribe for more episodes exploring tech, power, and policy from an African perspective.Dive deeper on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-1652... Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Spotify & YouTube: @StrangersX

I sat down with Wasseem Emam, the founder, director and Head of Research at Ethical Seafood Research. A man who calls many places home who has dedicated his life to advocating for aquatic welfare. Hailing from Egypt, but steadily making an impact across the African continent with his work, this is a special episode filled with many nuggets of information and policy insights in the aquatic welfare sector. Please dive in!

We're Not Offline. We're Overexposed.Dear fellow Strangers,Today marks a milestone I've been building toward for months. Not Just Observers, the AI governance series I've been teasing and working on is finally here.Episode 1: "Copper Kings and Cloud Lords" is now live.In this first episode, I dive into something I call the "dual extraction" happening across our continent:* Physical extraction: Our copper, cobalt, and lithium are flowing outward to power data centers in Virginia and semiconductor fabs in Taiwan* Digital extraction: Our data is becoming raw material to train AI systems that may not serve our needsBut here's what's different about this moment: for the first time in history, we have the tools to do something about it.This isn't another analysis of how Africa remains sidelined while others craft AI policies without us. We've done enough of that.This is about the emergence of African agency.What's ComingOver this first season, we'll explore how African nations are:* Asserting data sovereignty* Building continental infrastructure* Leveraging collective bargaining power* Transforming surveillance into civic technologyNext episode dives into "The New Scramble", how critical minerals have become the new oil and how we're navigating the geopolitical implications.A Personal NoteI'm calling this podcast "Not Just Observers" because that's exactly what we've been told we are, in every major global governance platform.Well, I'm here to tell you that's changing. And this podcast is about how.The tools for technological sovereignty exist. The talent is emerging. The political will is building. The question isn't whether Africa will participate in the AI revolution — we already are. The question is whether that participation will replicate historical patterns of extraction or forge new models of technological agency.If something in this episode stirs your thinking, makes you uncomfortable, or gives you hope, I’d appreciate it if you shared it with a friend or colleague.Remember: governance is about building community. We are not just observers.Stay curious, stay critical, and stay in community.P.S. You can find deeper dives into these concepts in my previous Substack essay titled Copper Kings and Cloud Lords. And if you're building something courageous in the Global Majority, reach out. I want to hear from you.Follow the series on substack | Instagram | LinkedIn | Spotify | YouTubeWith gratitude,Zainab Taonga Chirwa This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zainabtaongachirwa.substack.com

In this episode of StrangersX, I sit down with Dumoluhle Mazwemzini Moyo. A writer, scholar, and artist, to explore what it means to grow beyond inherited models of masculinity. Together, we unpack how mental check-ins can be acts of resistance, why parenting must not be confused with control, and how political leadership across the continent still clings to the myth of the "father of the nation." We ask: What happens when care is detached from domination? How do boys become men without reproducing cycles of violence, silence, and ownership? And what does it mean to lead, whether in families or nations, without falling into the traps of patriarchy? This is a conversation about unlearning. About loosening our grip on harmful archetypes. About rethinking what it means to be strong, to be seen, and to care. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zainabtaongachirwa.substack.com

In this episode I sit down with Takudzwa Zoe Chitare, a Zimbabwean-Irish scholar to reflect on emigration, identity, and her PhD research on land tenure and rural women's rights in South Africa. A conversation on migration, memory, and land justice.Takudzwa Zoe Chitare was is a doctoral candidate at the University of Westminster, UK dedicated to advancing the discourse on land rights, gender equality, constitutionalism, and legal pluralism in South Africa. Her research critically examines the interplay between legal principles and societal realities, with a focus on rural women's land rights and tenure reform. Chitare holds an LLM in International Criminal Law and International Human Rights Law from Bangor University (DCU), Ireland. Chitare has served as a part-time visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, UK, where she has tutored in criminal law and taught courses on International Human Rights Law. #DecoloniseLand #StrangersPodcast #GlobalSouthVoices #GenderJustice #MigrationStories #AfricanWomenLead #StrangersPodcast #LandJustice #AfricanDiaspora This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zainabtaongachirwa.substack.com

What does it mean to be Black, Muslim, and female in South Africa, and to speak truth to power through journalism? In this episode of Strangers, we sit down with journalist Nontobeko Aisha Mkhwanazi to explore how identity, faith, and gendered violence shape public life, from the township to the newsroom.We unpack the realities of growing up as a religious minority, navigating life as a visibly Muslim woman, and confronting gender-based violence both personally and professionally. Most importantly, we explore how storytelling becomes a tool for governance, resistance, and reclaiming space in institutions that often exclude.Follow for more episodes on power, governance, and civic resistance across Africa and the diaspora. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zainabtaongachirwa.substack.com

Follow and listen to the PREMIERE epsiode of StrangersX podcast as we explore themes of the growing trend of Nationalism, Belonging and Digital Democracy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zainabtaongachirwa.substack.com

In this debut episode of StrangersX, host Zainab Taonga Chirwa reflects on the meaning of belonging, nationalism, and the label “stranger” — especially as it shapes the lives of youth in the Global South.Drawing on personal experience and political analysis, she asks:What does it mean to not belong where you were born?Can active citizenship thrive where nationalism excludes?And how might strangers, exiles, and outsiders become the architects of liberation?🎧 This monologue sets the tone for a podcast exploring governance, strategy, and resistance from the African continent and its diaspora.📍 Hosted by Zainab Taonga Chirwa | Governance researcher | Founder of StrangersXThis one’s for the thinkers, the builders, the reformers. Let’s create something different.📬 Let’s connect: [email protected] #StrangersX #PodcastLaunch #Governance #CivicSpace #AfricanVoices #G20 #C20 #Y20 #YouthVoices #ActiveCitizenship #Leadership #SouthAfrica #Immigration #DigitalGovernance #AIGovernance #DataGovernance #Topical #MAGA #Nationalism #Ethics #Democracy * Notes to Strangers: https://strangersx.wordpress.com/2025/04/08/notes-to-strangers/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zainabtaongachirwa.substack.com