After five years of sold-out festival runs in Richmond, Virginia, RESONATE Podcast Festival is coming to Africa for the first time, bringing its celebration of audio storytelling to Cape Town in February 2027. Presented in partnership with Radio Workshop, the two-day festival will feature an international line-up of audio producers, journalists, podcasters and multidisciplinary artists sharing their craft, ideas and approaches to creating compelling audio.
The announced speakers include award-winning audio producers whose work has helped shape the global audio landscape. The line-up features Emmanuel Akinwotu, West Africa correspondent at The New York Times; Emanuele Berry, Executive Editor at This American Life; Yolanda Sangweni, Vice President of Culture Programming at NPR; and Joe Richman, founder and executive producer of Radio Diaries. They will be joined by acclaimed audio creators and journalists including Kaitlin Prest, creator and host of The Heart; Nichole Hill, creator and host of Our Ancestors Were Messy; Julie Shapiro, a leading figure in independent audio and podcast production; Emmanuel Dzotsi, a producer at This American Life; and French journalist Rokhaya Diallo. South African voices also include comedian and satirist Lesego Tlhabi, known for her character Coconut Kelz, and Johannesburg-based transdisciplinary artist and creative researcher Zara Julius.
Curated by RESONATE founder Chioke l’Anson at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), the festival creates a meeting point for people working across audio, journalism, culture and storytelling. Through its partnership with RESONATE, Radio Workshop is bringing a global audio community together, creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing, collaboration and engagement with a wider international audio community. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting creative development and strengthening connections between African practitioners and the global audio industry.
A key feature of the programme, the Pitch Party, celebrates new ideas and the independent creators shaping the future of audio storytelling. The Pitch Party competition offers eligible independent producers the opportunity to pitch original projects for a chance to receive US$10,000 to produce a pilot episode. Three finalists will present their ideas live before a panel of judges and an audience at the festival. Finalists also receive professional guidance to refine their pitches ahead of the presentation, as well as receive complimentary passes to the 2027 RESONATE Podcast Festival in Richmond. Terms and conditions apply..
RESONATE Cape Town will take place at the Homecoming Centre, a cultural complex featuring two theatres in the heart of the city. Located in the historic District Six precinct, the venue offers a meaningful setting for a festival centred on storytelling, culture and the exchange of ideas. The festival coincides with the 2027 Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Africa’s largest contemporary art event. Hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), just minutes from the Homecoming Centre, the art fair features more than 100 exhibitors from around the world and attracts art lovers to the city.
The timing gives visitors a chance to experience two distinct but complementary celebrations of creativity in Cape Town, bringing together conversations about contemporary art, culture, and audio storytelling. For festival information, programme updates and tickets, visit resonatecapetown.org.