Kisses from Kenya

EPISODE 14: The Strength of Women... According to Who?From Brendan's VCR days watching The Color Purple to Vuyanzi being told she was "arguing" simply for using her voice - this episode gets into the gap between celebrating women's strength and actually letting women be strong. Two generations, two very different lenses, one conversation worth having.In this episode:Deep Dive - The Color Purple across generations: what a Gen X woman and a Millennial man each saw in that story, and what that gap reveals about how we talk about women's strength todayWhose America Is It Anyway? - the rise of women in the U.S. and Kenya, and the tension between progress and the pressure to stay in a certain placeQueer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi's real-time Black joy moment; Brendan's boda love chase story, which you genuinely need to hearDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Women's rights | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Nairobi | The Color Purple | Kenyan women | Expat life Kenya | Gen X Millennial divide | U.S. politics from AfricaKisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #WomensStrength #BlackDiaspora #TheColorPurple #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #KenyanWomen #QueerJoySupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

EPISODE 13: When They Go Low, Do We REALLY Go High?Michelle Obama gave us the mantra. But in 2026, Brendan and Vuyanzi are asking the harder question: is going high actually costing us something? As the late Flint City Council Member Eric Mays put it rather memorably - when they go low, we go lower. Is he onto something?In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - the queer community's reaction to a "they/them" joke in the Scary Movie 6 trailer: is this the right hill to die on? Plus Deon Cole, Nicki Minaj, and the kind of threats that tell you everything about the moment we're inDeep Dive - an ICE agent throws a woman to the ground in Vermont; Florida passes a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill; where exactly is the high road and who does it serve?Queer & Black Joy - Brendan does tarot reading at a Queer Artists Flea Market; Vuyanzi has a moment with her sister about Camp Glen SpayDemocrats Abroad Kenya | LGBTQ rights Florida | ICE immigration 2026 | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Africa | American abroad Nairobi | U.S. politics from Kenya | Michelle Obama when they go lowKisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #WhenTheyGoLow #LGBTQRights #BlackDiaspora #ICE #QueerJoy #AmericanAbroad #ExpatsOfNairobiSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 20 Apr 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 12: Is the Grass REALLY Greener?Is the grass actually greener on the other side - or does it just look that way from here? Brendan and Vuyanzi sit with the uncomfortable feeling that the right seems energised, emboldened, and utterly unbothered while everyone else scrambles to keep up. Plus: what a four-day work week in Pakistan and the Philippines tells us about who's really driving global economics right now.In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - Democratic senators invoke the War Powers Act over Cuba; how U.S. policy is quietly triggering a four-day work week in Pakistan and the PhilippinesLost in Translation - American friends versus Kenyan friends: do our friendships get lost in translation when we relocate? A Kenyan woman who lived in Boston weighs in, and the conversation gets into romantic relationships tooQueer & Black Joy - Brendan sleeps his way into a better flight during a Boston blizzard; Vuyanzi attends an intergenerational women's brunchDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | U.S. foreign policy | War Powers Act | Global economy | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Kenya | Kenyan expat community | Four day work weekKisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #GrassIsGreener #BlackDiaspora #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #WarPowers #GlobalEconomy #QueerJoySupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 13 Apr 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 11: Has the Sky Fallen Before?Is what's happening in America truly unprecedented - or have we been here before? Vuyanzi and Brendan pull back the lens on patterns of injustice, the centering of whiteness in political outrage, and the question of who gets to be shocked. Fair warning: the cynicism is showing, and we're not sorry.In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - ICE, CBP crime statistics, and the headlines making us pauseLost in Translation - natural scent, cultural memory, and a story about what it means when your body is the controversyDeep Dive - the centering of white reactions to injustice: who says "I can't believe this" and why that mattersQueer & Black Joy - IShowSpeed and the joy of discovering artists you didn't know you neededDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Expat politics | African diaspora podcast | Black American abroad | Queer diaspora | ICE and immigration | U.S. politics from abroad | Nairobi expatKisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #BlackDiaspora #AmericanAbroad #Expat #QueerJoy #ICE #Immigration #NairobiPodcast #AfricanDiasporaSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 6 Apr 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 10: Home Away from HomeThey're back. After a longer-than-planned break, Vuyanzi and Brendan return to find the news cycle hasn't waited for anyone - and neither has the question of what "home" actually means anymore. 2026 opens with a lot to catch up on and one big question at the centre of it all.In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - a full rundown of what you missed: ICE, Kendrick at the Grammys, nuclear treaties, the Guthrie disappearance, and moreLost in Translation - the unspoken rules of flying home: middle seats, plane drinks, and the etiquette nobody writes downDeep Dive - what happens when you go back and home doesn't feel the same? Disconnection, cold weather, the news, and the shifting definition of where you belongQueer & Black Joy - an all-Black crew on Kenya Airways, and why that moment deserves its own segmentDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life | Returning home | Black diaspora | American abroad | Nairobi podcast | Kenyan expat community | U.S. politics 2026Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. New to the show? Subscribe and join a growing community asking the same questions you are.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #HomeAbroad #BlackDiaspora #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #Season2 #KenyaAirways #QueerJoySupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 30 Mar 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 9: Morals to MoraleWhat's the difference between morals and morale - and why does living abroad make that question suddenly urgent? Brendan and Vuyanzi connect the FBI's fear-based collapse, press freedom under attack, and the cultural standards you didn't know you'd inherited until Kenya quietly rewrote them.In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - the FBI under Kash Patel and why morale in a federal agency matters to all of us; the New York Times sues the Pentagon over press access rulesLost in Translation - things that are polite in America that land as strange in Kenya, and vice versaDeep Dive - how morals shape the emotional climate around you; what living abroad reveals about the moral code you were handed; how Kenya has quietly shifted what both hosts valueQueer & Black Joy - community gatherings, unexpected connection, and a Black woman making historical fiction podcastsDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Africa | Kash Patel FBI | Press freedom 2026 | Black diaspora podcast | American values abroad | Nairobi expat community | Queer AfricaKisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Enjoying the show? Share it with someone else living abroad who's asking the same questions. Subscribe for new episodes.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #PressFreedom #FBI #MoralsVsMorale #BlackDiaspora #QueerJoy #ExpatsOfKenya #AmericanAbroadSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 23 Mar 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 8: Left, Right, CenterIn Kenya, the driver sits on the right, the traffic comes from the left, and nothing you learned at home quite prepares you. Vuyanzi and Brendan use that disorientation as the entry point into a bigger conversation: what happens when the political and cultural assumptions you built your life on get quietly, thoroughly flipped?In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - a deep-red Tennessee district shows signs of life; a U.S. president, 85 deaths, no due process, and a pardoned drug traffickerCrossing the Road in Kenya - driving on the left, bodas from every direction, silent prayers in Ubers, and what it means to reprogram your instinctsDeep Dive - how living abroad forces you to confront your automatic assumptions and find your own centre when the world feels reversedLost in Translation - "HELLO???" and what Kenyan urgency sounds like to American earsQueer & Black Joy - a friend visiting from Pennsylvania; mixing worlds; joy as resistanceDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | Living in Kenya | American abroad | Black diaspora | Queer expat | U.S. politics from Africa | Nairobi driving | Boda boda cultureKisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. First time here? Subscribe and join the conversation.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #LivingInKenya #ExpatsOfNairobi #LeftRightCenter #BlackDiaspora #QueerJoy #BodaBoda #AmericanAbroadSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 16 Mar 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 7: Celebrations & ComplicationsChristmas trees in 35-degree heat. Eggnog at the Equator. A goat that knows exactly what season it is. Vuyanzi and Brendan dig into what the holidays actually look like when you're far from where you started - the homesickness, the relief, the reinvention, and the complicated joy of celebrating queer identity abroad during the season when everyone assumes you're going home.In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - holiday travel chaos, Christmas starting in October, and inflation shrinking family gatheringsDeep Dive: Vuyanzi on navigating homesickness and building new rituals in Kenya; Brendan on the complicated reality of queer holidays abroad - the escape, the loneliness, and finding chosen family in NairobiLost in Translation - Kenyanisms that once confused everything and now feel completely naturalQueer & Black Joy - community potlucks, chosen-family dinners, and new traditions that actually fitDemocrats Abroad Kenya | Queer expat Africa | Black diaspora holidays | Christmas in Kenya | American abroad | Chosen family | LGBTQ Africa | Nairobi expat community | Holidays abroadWherever you're spending the season, you're not alone in finding it complicated. Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and find your people.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #HolidaysAbroad #ChosenFamily #QueerJoy #BlackDiaspora #ChristmasInKenya #ExpatsOfNairobi #LGBTQAbroadSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 9 Mar 2026  Kisses From KenyaEPISODE 6: Global ErasuresVisible and invisible at the same time - that's the reality of being an American in Kenya, a queer person in a Global South country, a diaspora voice in a conversation that keeps getting shaped by people who aren't in the room. Vuyanzi and Brendan get into who gets heard, who gets quoted, and who gets quietly cut from the story.In this episode:Whose America Is It Anyway? - the Global North's track record of telling LGBTQ+ people in Africa what their liberation should look like, and why that's a problemDeep Dive: Vuyanzi on diaspora political participation, being an outsider within global activism, and what "performative listening" actually costs; Brendan on queer erasure inside global organisations, including what's happening at the Rotary ClubJoint reflection - how do you stay loud without being exoticised? What does real cross-border solidarity look like versus the version that gets press releases?Culture Clash Hotline - African men, cold coffee, and the audacity of timingQueer & Black Joy - Brendan got taken on a date; Vuyanzi is reclaiming her daytime and letting the nightlife waitDemocrats Abroad Kenya | LGBTQ Africa | Global South queer rights | Diaspora voting abroad | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Kenya | Global North Global South | American abroad Nairobi | Rotary Club queer inclusionIf this conversation matters to you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe for new episodes every week.#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #GlobalSouth #QueerAfrica #BlackDiaspora #Erasure #LGBTQRights #ExpatsOfNairobi #DiasporaVoices #AmericanAbroadSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 22 Dec 2025  Kisses From KenyaWhat does it mean to live abroad as an American without becoming a spokesperson, a saviour, or a walking symbol of U.S. power? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we explore representation, projection, and the uneasy mirror Americans hold up when they leave home.In Episode 5, Brendan and Vuyanzi dig into the idea of being seen as a mouthpiece and the fear of reproducing neo-imperial dynamics abroad. Vuyanzi reflects on moments where American presence, even when well-intentioned, carries assumptions of authority, influence, and cultural dominance. Brendan examines what it feels like to be treated as a representative for all Americans, or all queer people, and the pressure to explain, defend, or soften the United States from afar.Together they talk about power, self-awareness, guilt, responsibility, and how living in Kenya sharpens their understanding of how American identity is read, resisted, and sometimes rejected.This episode explores neo-imperialism, representation, identity abroad, cultural power, and the emotional labour of being American outside the United States.ChaptersIntroductionWhose America Is It AnywayBeing seen as a mouthpieceNeo-imperialism and good intentionsHolding a mirror to ourselvesClosing thoughtsSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 18 Dec 2025  Kisses From KenyaHow much of identity sits inside an accent, and what happens when you realise that English is not as universal as Americans imagine it to be? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we explore language, power, misunderstanding, and the price of an accent abroad.In Episode 4, Brendan and Vuyanzi get into the pleasures and pitfalls of speaking English in Kenya. Brendan talks about how English shifts across borders and how language becomes a mirror of privilege, expectation, and social position. Vuyanzi unpacks the idea of an “expensive” accent, the assumptions placed on her voice, and the strange economy that emerges when sound becomes status.Together they explore code switching, cultural misfires, the humour of miscommunication, and the quiet emotional work of carving out new identities through language.This episode tackles accents, belonging, class dynamics, cultural translation, and how Americans learn to listen differently once they live abroad.ChaptersIntroductionWhose America Is It AnywayLanguage games in daily lifeThe cost of an accentWhat speaking English abroad teaches usClosing thoughtsSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 8 Dec 2025  Kisses From KenyaWhat does it mean to vote for a country you no longer live in, and how does distance change your relationship to fear, safety, and home? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we talk about voting abroad, American democracy, and the emotional cost of returning to the United States.In Episode 3, Brendan and Vuyanzi unpack the realities of being overseas voters. Vuyanzi reflects on antiquated voting practices in the United States, especially through the lens of New York, and the frustration of navigating systems that feel outdated and exclusionary. Brendan explores his fears about returning to the U.S., shaped by political violence, queer visibility, gun culture, and the question of whether home still feels safe.Together they discuss civic responsibility, distance, belonging, and what it means to care deeply about a country that often feels increasingly unstable from afar.This episode explores voting rights, democracy, safety, identity, diaspora life, and the emotional contradictions of loving a place you have left.ChaptersIntroductionWhose America Is It Anyway?Voting from abroadFear, safety, and returning homeWhat democracy feels like at a distanceClosing thoughtsSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Premiered on 6 Dec 2025  Kisses From KenyaWhat happens when two Americans living in Kenya realise that comfort and safety are not the same thing, and that identity does not travel neatly across borders? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we explore fear, freedom, and the contradictions of life abroad.In Episode 2, Brendan and Vuyanzi dive into what it means to navigate overlapping identities in a new country. Brendan unpacks the quiet calculations queer people make about safety, visibility, and vulnerability in the United States, and how living in Kenya reframes those instincts. Vuyanzi explores the idea of the “walking contradiction”, the moments where being a Black American in Kenya disrupts and reshapes her sense of self.Together they talk about how both the United States and Kenya hold different kinds of danger and comfort, how cultural expectations collide, and how living abroad forces you to renegotiate who you are in public and in private.This episode explores safety, race, queerness, belonging, and the uneasy dance between fear and freedom.ChaptersIntroductionWhose America Is It Anyway?Comfort and safety abroadWalking contradictions in daily lifeWhat we are learning about ourselvesClosing thoughtsSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]

Two Americans living abroad explore race and queerness in global contexts, and what identity looks like when you move to East Africa. Welcome to Episode 1 of Kisses from Kenya, a Democrats Abroad Kenya social podcast exploring Blackness, queerness, culture, and life as Americans in Nairobi.In this first episode, hosts Vuyanzi (a Black American living in Kenya) and Brendan (a gay American living in Kenya) unpack the strange and surprising identity shifts that happen when you cross borders. Vuyanzi reflects on what it feels like to be “no longer Black” in a context where race functions differently, while Brendan explores how white privilege follows him even when the environment changes. Together they examine how identity travels, transforms, and sometimes contradicts itself in unexpected ways.This episode looks at belonging, culture shock, safety, comfort, and the realities of navigating American identity abroad. It is candid, funny, and grounded in lived experience.ChaptersIntroductionWhose America Is It Anyway?Identity shifts abroadRace, queerness, and privilege in KenyaWhat we are learning about ourselvesClosing thoughtsSupport the showAbout the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: [email protected]