“Radiotopia Presents” Premieres “S * * * hole Country,” About Achieving the Ghanaian-American Dream

An anonymous producer under the pseudonym of Afia Kaakyire and the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX today announced “S * hole Country,” an audio memoir about achieving the Ghanaian-American dream.

“S * hole Country” is available free via Radiotopia Presents, a podcast feed and home for artist-owned limited series from independent creators. An audio trailer is available now. The eight-part podcast series begins Wednesday, October 13 with new episodes released weekly through December 1. The series is available on-demand across all major listening platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

“My name is Afia, and I don’t know what to do. Let’s start at the end.” In “S * hole Country,” Afia Kaakyire has an important decision to make. She forages for her family’s guidance in their shared histories during a long-awaited trip to Ghana. The series features true tales dipped in entrepreneurial dreams, green card anxieties, complicated love, an “Are You the One?” marathon, and liberal portions of the world’s best jollof.

Episode 1 begins in January 2018, when Kaakyire is 30 years old. She’s just spent the holidays in Accra--where she eats the food but doesn’t speak the language--and flies home to San Francisco, straight into a media shitstorm (the President of the United States reportedly referring to African nations as “shithole” countries”).

“S * hole Country” is written and produced by Afia Kaakyire. The Radiotopia production team includes producer Mark Pagán, executive producer Audrey Mardavich, and executive producer Julie Shapiro. Podcast art was designed by Sindiso Nyoni and original theme music was composed by Ria Boss.

Follow along on social media @podcast_sh to connect with Afia.

“African storytellers are out here doing the damn thing,” said Kaakyire. “I am so excited for ‘S * hole Country’ to be a part of that movement, and hope its inclusion in ‘Radiotopia Presents’ will inspire podcast networks to elevate more creators from the continent and in the diaspora.”

“Afia’s story of family history and self-discovery is told like no other podcast out there,” said Julie Shapiro, executive producer of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. “In ‘S * hole Country,’ she blends a subtle but killer sense of humor with sharp wit, keen details, and bold moments of vulnerability. We can’t wait for listeners to hear this."

“Radiotopia Presents” series are developed in partnership with independent producers, who also receive financial, production, distribution, technology, and marketing support. In addition, producers retain 100% ownership and creative control of their intellectual property. Prior to “S * hole Country,” “Radiotopia Presents” brought audiences “Blind Guy Travels” from creator Matthew Shifrin, inviting listeners to life without sight. The series received a world premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Festival in New York.

For more from the Radiotopia podcast network and “Radiotopia Presents,” visit Radiotopia.fm.