RETWEET is your new favourite podcast

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: ANGIE MARADIAGA
With podcasting being so popular, RETWEET is another one to add to your list (left Dina Haddish, right Lydia Mehari).

Podcasts are sources of information that have become so easily accessible for listeners. The ability to personalize your entertainment to fit the narrative you are interested in allows for one of the best and informative mediums.

With podcasts creating a personal element, there is a sense of community that is created by the listeners. Podcasts have the ability to bring together like-minded individuals who share similar interests and goals, which are expressed in the content created. With this, podcasts generate such an influential experience for their listeners.

London’s very own co-hosts, Lydia Mehari and Dina Haddish, are two successful East African women who use their voices and lived experiences to produce new and original content through their podcast, RETWEET. Mehari and Haddish both expressed their interest in social media and desire to create a platform to share their different thoughts and ideas.

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Mehari and Haddish have used their platform to combine their political and social views, along with their passion and motivation to discuss different real life themes throughout the podcast. RETWEET shares different perspectives surrounding interesting and complex topics such as, toxic masculinity, first-generation experiences, beauty standards, as well as online dating.

When asked about how topic ideas were formed, Mehari stated that the duo draw on relevant topics from Twitter, as well as interesting discussions that may be happening in their friend group, or in their academic spaces while attending Western University.

“Lydia and I exist in the Western bubble, and a lot of our experiences stem from the fact. Also, our networks are very Western centred so that reflects a lot on the guests we get on the podcast,” Haddish said.

With each episode, RETWEET discusses concepts related to real- life experiences. For Mehari and Haddish, RETWEET is a space where the two can emphasize their “blackness and womanhood.”

With such a creative outlet, it makes one wonder what these two draw on for inspiration. When asked, Mehari stated that the two enjoy listening to comedian Nicole Byer’s podcast “Why Won’t You date Me,” as well as black female-based podcasts, such as “Bobo and Flex” and “Woke or Whateva.”

With 2020 just beginning, Mehari and Haddish are focused on creating consistent and good quality content, “this would include better sound quality, better articulation, and learning to express yourself that is digestible and accessible to all listeners.”

RETWEET is a thought-provoking podcast which I encourage all podcast lovers to listen to. Mehari and Haddish are available to listen to on iTunes, Spotify, and Sound- Cloud, so be sure to check them out.