Podcast

The challenge

By 2021, people didn’t want to hear about Covid anymore. They just wanted to get on with their lives. As with most places, in Kenya and Nigeria, false narratives about the causes and cures of the disease were prevalent, particularly amongst certain groups: like Pentecostal preachers and al Shabab Islamic extremists.

And for good reason: many communities don’t trust the medical profession. Plus people don’t change their mind because of facts. It’s much more complex than that.

The solution

Whilst some people might zone out at peer-reviewed science, nobody can resist a good vampire story: the podcast I pitched, planned, produced and wrote mixed tall tales with evidence.

From camel-based mobile vaccination centres to disgraced British doctors taking Hollywood by storm, via Lagos megachurches and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the intention was to explore the ideas behind vaccine hesitancy without being boring, or blinding people with science.

The impact

Have a listen here.

Editor’s note: there are probably too many podcasts in the world and most people don’t listen to most of them. But they have an important place in contemporary search; are a useful owned media; and disproportionately attract certain useful audiences, like business leaders, journalists, and angel investors.