Japa Diaries Podcast

Hi guys! We’re taking a little break from our regularly scheduled programming this week, but we’re not leaving you without something good to listen to 👀While we’re away, check out Popcorn for Dinner, a podcast for people who love a good debrief with friends after watching their favorite TV shows or movies.We’re especially excited to introduce you to their episode on The Odyssey. Give it a listen, and if you’re into it, don’t stop there! Popcorn for Dinner has a whole catalog of episodes to choose from.Listen, enjoy, and we’ll be back next week with more of the Japa Diaries episodes you know and love 💚

You made it abroad, now everyone needs something from you 😅Fritz joins us for a very real conversation about black tax, family expectations, and the pressure that can come with being “the one who made it.” He shares his journey from Ghana to the U.S., from a full-ride scholarship and multiple campus jobs to building a career in software engineering.We get into sending money home, guilt, boundaries, and what changes when you start building a family of your own. Because making it abroad is one thing. Figuring out how much of that success you’re actually allowed to keep? That’s another conversation.

What happens when your family history is tied to one of the most painful chapters in Nigeria’s history? In the case of filmmakers Leke and Meji Alabi-Isama, they made a documentary about it.Leke and Meji join us to talk about their 2026 BBC documentary, Surviving Biafra, which explores the Nigerian Civil War through the stories of people who lived through it — including their own dad and grandfather, General Alabi-Isama.From uncovering archival footage to confronting the stories we inherited about the war, this conversation looks at what happens when you dig into the history that shaped your family, your community, and your country.

What happens when you’ve built a life abroad… then realize you want to go home? This week we're sitting down with Desola to talk about her journey from Nigeria to the UK, and eventually, back home again. We talk about career, the realities of moving back home, and why sometimes Japa really can be a round trip.

We’re joined by Sayo aka Koj (or Shasco, depending on who you ask 😂) of Submarine and a Roach to talk about his Japa journey from Nigeria to Canada, the loneliness that can come with building a life abroad, and why a good salary doesn’t always equal a good life.We get into identity, community, comedy, and how finding your people (and something that gives you purpose) can make a place start to feel like home.

We’re back and we’re kicking off season five by asking: what happens when Japa doesn’t feel like a one-way trip anymore?Abimisola and Malik catch up on their own Japa journeys, returning home, changing immigration rules, and the growing desire to keep one foot here and one foot there. Plus, we’re talking Lagos, “touching soil,” aging parents, and what it really means to have options.And because Japa Diaries is growing beyond the podcast, we’re sharing what’s next for the community, from events and screenings to our new street series.Welcome to season five gang! Let’s get into it 💚

Filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. left Nigeria at 13 and didn't return for 9 years. In this conversation, he shares what it's like to live between Nigeria and the UK, why he finally made a film about his father, and how creating My Father's Shadow became a healing journey for his entire family.🎬 My Father's Shadow is in U.S. theaters now, support African storytelling: mubi.com/myfathersshadow

Even when we’re out of season, we’re still bringing you good content! In this bonus crossover episode, Abimisola guest hosts Culture Custodian’s Uncultured podcast, diving into the history of japa in Nigeria. We thought you’d enjoy this one. And if you do, be sure to check out more episodes from Uncultured!----------------------------Roses are red, our passports are green, ‘Japa’ is migration to a country you’ve never been. Loosely translated from Yoruba, japa means to run away, and it’s what many Nigerians living in the country today aspire to do in the midst of rising inflation, insecurity, and unemployment.On this episode, host Abimisola of the Japa Diaries Podcast, surfs the waves and their ripple effects on our identities. On board with her are Nigerian-American Mrs. Tayo Iyiola and Black British returnee Chef Wunmi Durosinmi-Etti. Follow the trio as they sail back and forth across the Atlantic, visiting former presidents, Nollywood icons, and the most elusive Nigerian of them all - the ‘I Just Got Backs’.Uncultured is a Culture Custodian Production.