One of the most memorable and important columns to come out of South Africa was Sis Dolly in Drum magazine. The column was a space for black South Africans to write and share some of the most intimate, and sometimes taboo, situations they were going through. Many of us, as young as we were, would read that column in secret, only to go to school and discuss that week’s dilemma with our peers.
The stories were impactful, but it was Sis Dolly’s no-nonsense responses that made the columns what they were. Yes, there were moments when she showed compassion and offered her heart but there were other responses where she would tell the writers off. She had a way of telling people what they needed to hear, even when it was not necessarily what they wanted to hear. What a special product!
My sister suggested a podcast to me: Because We Said So. The format was so familiar that it reminded me of Sis Dolly.
It brought back that feeling of having a conversation with your big sisters, where you could share embarrassing experiences, ask questions and most importantly, receive an honest response.
Spearheaded by Landiwe “Landzy” Gama and Zama Marubelela, Because We Said So is a platform where people write in with their dilemmas and the two hosts offer advice, sometimes with a little sting because they are not afraid to tell it as it is. From the moment the show begins, they put on their big sister hats and offer the hard, honest truth.
How did the two women, who have turned their friendship into a growing digital platform, find each other?
“We met at an event a couple of years back,” says Marubelela.
Their friendship did not take off immediately. As they continued crossing paths at events, they gradually found themselves spending more time together. Their conversations eventually sparked the idea that a podcast could be the perfect platform to share the kind of discussions they were having privately.
For Gama, the idea was partly informed by the kind of guidance they wished they had received when they were younger. “We would have conversations together and we kind of had that epiphany — Why is there no platform that has these conversations? Specifically, a platform that we would have loved in our early 20s that would have been like a guide or having big sisters telling us what not to do, what to do,” she says. They decided to to create one.
Although dilemmas are central to the show, Because We Said So is not limited to matters of the heart or personal relationships. The format has expanded to include current affairs and pop culture, allowing the hosts to engage with what is happening around them and offer their perspectives.
“You constantly just have to stay alert and know what’s going on in the world. We hold that responsibility as well,” Gama says.
That requires more than switching on a camera and having a conversation. Behind the relaxed exchanges audiences enjoy is considerable planning and preparation.
Marubelela explains that the work begins long before an episode reaches the audience.
“There is you having to get the equipment, creating a set or just an environment that speaks to what you are trying to portray with your podcast. You want to have an environment that matches whatever it is that you’re going to be speaking about.
“Then there’s the pre-production of producing the podcast and the content. What are we going to talk about? How is the show going to look on a regular basis? Then you’ve got your editing, then you’ve got your reverts. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
It is easy to underestimate the work that goes into creating digital content, particularly when the final product appears effortless.
What audiences see is two friends sharing opinions and responding to people’s experiences. What they do not necessarily see is the planning, equipment and editing that go into making each episode. For the two hosts the community they have built has made the work worthwhile. People write in with their experiences, follow the hosts through episodes and, in some instances, feel as though they know them personally.
Building a community in the digital space can blur the lines between the people audiences see online and the people they meet in real life. Marubelela acknowledges that social media can create this sense of closeness.
“The nature of social media and sharing your life online does have your audience feeling a little bit parasocial and that’s not even to say necessarily in a derogatory way,” she says.
“Specifically when they’ve moved with you through different life seasons and they’ve seen you essentially for a decade, because I’ve been on the internet for nearly a decade. But for the most part, people are actually resonating with your work, and they appreciate it and they love it. So it’s never in a way that’s negative.”
Beyond the conversations and community, there is also a business to build. Turning a friendship into a working partnership requires shared responsibility, commitment and an understanding that the work extends beyond the fun of sitting together and talking.
For Gama and Marubelela, the podcast is in its early stages and their ambitions extend beyond growing their audience. They want to create opportunities for other people to find their voices and share their stories.
“We definitely do have bigger dreams,” Gama says. “I always say we treat it like a baby. So, this is just phase one of our growing baby. But eventually we have dreams of having our own studio and giving other people the platform to spread their message and start their own podcast and obviously taking it international,” Perhaps that is the beauty of what they are building. It started with two friends recognising that the conversations they were having privately were conversations other people needed to have, too. They took something familiar, gave it a home and invited others into it.
Much like Sis Dolly did all those years ago, Gama and Marubelela understand that sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is tell them the truth. And sometimes, all you need is a big sister willing to say it.