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In ancient Ethiopia, courtship was not always a matter of choice. Eden joins this episode to talk about how forced dating actually worked, and who could be subjected to it.

Igue is the Benin Kingdom's annual thanksgiving festival, marking the close of one year and the start of the next. Augusta joins this episode to walk through how it's celebrated and what to expect if you ever attend.

In Delta State, there is a marital tradition that forbids a married woman from sleeping with anyone other than her husband, with severe spiritual consequences for breaking it. Anthonia joins this episode to talk about Ishi and how it continues to be practiced among the Aniomas, Isokos, and Urhobos.

Botswanan cooking has its own distinct character, and many of the dishes go unmentioned outside the country. Ann joins this episode to walk through the staples, one dish at a time.

Beninese cooking shows up at weddings and at the everyday table, and often in similar dishes. Ashake joins this episode to walk through the ones you're most likely to encounter.

From the suya stalls of Lagos to the boli sellers along the Ibadan roads. This episode is a tour of Nigerian street food, and where to find the best of it.

Long before formal banking arrived, Nigerian communities were saving and lending through the Ajo system. This episode walks through how it works, and why people still prefer it to the bank.

UNESCO has officially named Senegal as the birthplace of Jollof rice. The war is far from over. Pamela, Adwoa, and Jen join this episode to argue for their regional version, and why theirs is the one to beat.

Nigerian food is the kind of subject Nigerians can argue about for hours. Aikido isn't Nigerian, which makes this episode the rare outside opinion on dishes the locals usually have the last word on.

Yam festivals show up across many African cultures, and each one looks slightly different. Anita joins this episode to talk about the Iri-iji yam festival of Mbaise in Imo State, drawing on her experience of attending it.

Kenyan cooking is shaped by the coastline, the trade routes, and the many communities the country brings together. Lavigne joins this episode for a tour. Maybe have a snack nearby.

Braai, Biltong, Bunny Chow and Bobotie. Mamokone joins this episode for the introduction of South African food.

From Ewa Agoyin and Oloyin to Moi Moi, Akara, and Gbegiri. This episode walks through how a single legume becomes so many distinct meals in Yorubaland.

Every African society has rituals it returns to, some of them centuries old. This episode is a tour of the ones witnessed firsthand and the ones we've grown up hearing about.

Igbo cuisine is built around its soups, and there are more of them than people outside the region usually realise. This episode walks through the staples one by one.

Christianity and Islam shaped African religious practice. The reverse is also true, and less talked about. This episode looks at the borrowing in both directions.

Nigerian food is the kind of subject that turns family arguments into hour-long debates. This episode is a back-and-forth on favourites and least favourites, and what shapes those preferences in the first place.

Cultural preservation is usually framed as an unqualified good but should every tradition be preserved? This episode tries to identify where the line falls, and when honouring tradition starts to do harm.

What does Kenyan food look like outside Kenya? Yvette joins this episode to walk through the dishes that have made it to the diaspora, and what's been changed in translation.