Episode 20: Your Vote Matters - That's Why They Want to Take It Away!

This one is personal. Brendan and Vuyanzi go deep on the Voting Rights Act - the gerrymandering, the protests, and what it means to watch voter suppression unfold when your parents and grandparents grew up in the segregated South. Some conversations you have because you have to.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - the Voting Rights Act under pressure: gerrymandering, protests, and what it feels like to watch this history repeat when your family lived through the first time
• Lost in Translation - Vuyanzi hits lesson 30 of Kiswahili: has it actually helped? Brendan on the utterances that exist across West and East Africa and which ones travel and which ones absolutely do not
• All Joy Matters - Queer Joy: "the gluttony they wrote about in the Bible - ain't no fun if the homies can't have none"; Black Joy: a moment that made both hosts wonder what people will say about them when they're gone

Democrats Abroad Kenya, voting rights America, Black diaspora podcast, American abroad Nairobi, gerrymandering 2026, Kiswahili, living in Kenya, African diaspora, overseas voters

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #VotingRights #BlackDiaspora #AmericanAbroad #Gerrymandering #Kiswahili #AfricanDiaspora #NairobiPodcast #QueerJoy

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About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 19: Death, Data, and Desire

This one starts somewhere tender. Vuyanzi opens up about losing her sister during Covid while she was in Kenya - the distance, the grief, and the network of people who showed up anyway. Brendan shares his own experience losing his uncle in 2021 after making the move. It's a conversation about what it means to grieve from far away, and it earns everything that comes after it.

In this episode:

• Opening conversation - death from a distance: two stories, two losses, one honest conversation about grief abroad and the communities that hold you through it
• Whose America Is It Anyway? - the AI bubble and what it's doing to human cognition, with particular attention to Grok; Palantir and the question of who benefits from data exploitation; Vuyanzi on a Diary of a CEO episode worth your time
• Queer & Black Joy - Brendan has been invited to the next stage of publication consideration for Africa is a Country, with two short horror stories about AI and social media; Vuyanzi makes a case for getting him to read his poetry on the show. Also: Vuyanzi may have met someone, and she thinks she might be sapiosexual

Democrats Abroad Kenya, Black diaspora podcast, American abroad Nairobi, AI and mental health, Grok AI, Palantir, grief abroad, Africa is a Country, living in Kenya, African diaspora

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and find your people.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #BlackDiaspora #AmericanAbroad #AIBubble #Palantir #GriefAbroad #AfricaIsACountry #NairobiPodcast #QueerJoy

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 18: Who Made These Rules?

It opens with a debate about Uno that is somehow also a debate about culture, community, and who gets to make the rules. From there: Virginia redraws its districts and Black women take it across the finish line, abortion rights get enshrined, New York taxes the rich, and an LA teachers' strike that nearly happened reminds us what happens when people organise. Oh, and Pope Leo. Brendan has feelings.

In this episode:

• Opening conversation - Uno's official position on stacking has been announced and it is causing problems; Vuyanzi does not know how to play Spades, which raises further questions
• Whose America Is It Anyway? - Virginia redistricting done, abortion rights locked in, New York taxes the wealthy: Brendan on what fighting back actually looks like; LAUSD nearly went on strike - Vuyanzi on teachers, power in numbers, and a teaching experience some colleagues were not thrilled about
• Queer & Black Joy - Pope Leo, Black, from New Orleans, and Brendan is not calm about it; a Black priest explains Pope Leo and why Trump has him completely wrong

Democrats Abroad Kenya, Black diaspora podcast, American abroad Nairobi, Pope Leo, Virginia redistricting, LAUSD strike, abortion rights, living in Kenya, African diaspora, Black Catholic

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #PopeLeo #BlackDiaspora #AmericanAbroad #VirginiaRedistricting #LAUSD #AfricanDiaspora #NairobiPodcast #QueerJoy

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 17: Helpless from Here

This one starts mid-conversation - which is exactly how the best ones always do. Vuyanzi is sitting with the weight of having a client whose family is caught in Lebanon: the helplessness, the guilt, the strange expectation that life just carries on regardless. Brendan picks it up from there, and the conversation goes somewhere real before the news even starts.

In this episode:

• Opening conversation - when someone you're trying to support is living through a crisis you can only watch from a distance
• Whose America Is It Anyway? - Afrikaner farmers relocating to the U.S. and displacing local farmers; Louisiana moves to block an elected Black judge from office
• The Michael Jackson movie - Vuyanzi takes us from a childhood crush to Thriller on repeat to the grown-up realisation that Off the Wall was the real masterpiece. Also: what do Nairobi cinema audiences actually sound like?
• Queer & Black Joy - Sunday dinners and Big Momma energy; a Black man wins in Delaware and the comment section delivers

Democrats Abroad Kenya, Black diaspora podcast, American abroad Nairobi, Lebanon crisis, Afrikaner farmers, Louisiana politics, Michael Jackson movie, living in Kenya, African diaspora

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #BlackDiaspora #AmericanAbroad #MichaelJackson #Louisiana #AfricanDiaspora #NairobiPodcast #QueerJoy #DiasporaVoices

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 16: Mixed Signals

Things get personal this week. A kiss changes everything - or does it? Vuyanzi shares a moment that has her rethinking her whole approach to dating, which opens up a bigger and messier question: do you go looking for something serious, or do you wait for it to find you? Brendan and Vuyanzi do not agree, and it gets interesting.

In this episode:

• The big debate - "try it before you buy it" versus "teach it when you reach it": two positions, zero consensus, and the accidental revelation that one host is a toxic Sagittarius and the other a toxic Gemini
• Deep Dive - the grey zone between friends with benefits and something more: how do you know when feelings have shifted, and why is it so hard to say it out loud?
• Queer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi meets a restaurateur and comes away with a story worth telling; Brendan revisits an old boo who almost became a new boo

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Dating abroad | Expat relationships | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Nairobi | Love and relationships Kenya | Queer dating Africa | Expat life Kenya

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and find your people.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #MixedSignals #DatingAbroad #BlackDiaspora #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #QueerJoy #RelationshipsAbroad

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 15: War & Politics

Sometimes you laugh because the alternative is crying. This week Brendan and Vuyanzi sit with the weight of global conflict, the strange experience of being American abroad when the world wants to talk about U.S. politics, and a PSA that needs to be said: please do not move to Kenya just because you heard it's cheap.

In this episode:

• Opening - Vuyanzi reflects on possibly winding down her weekly solo live stream and what the space has meant
• Deep Dive - war, global events, and how differently they land depending on where you are and who you are; why Brendan keeps getting pulled into conversations about U.S. politics abroad while Vuyanzi doesn't experience that same dynamic
• PSA - moving to Kenya for the wrong reasons: a frank conversation for anyone considering it
• Queer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi finds joy in the shallow end of a comment section that could have hit much harder; Brendan brings stories from a wedding, a photo, and a mysterious man from the past

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Moving to Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | American abroad Africa | U.S. foreign policy | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Kenya | War and politics 2026

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #MovingToKenya #BlackDiaspora #WarAndPolitics #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #QueerJoy #ExpatsOfAfrica

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 14: The Strength of Women... According to Who?

From Brendan's VCR days watching The Color Purple to Vuyanzi being told she was "arguing" simply for using her voice - this episode gets into the gap between celebrating women's strength and actually letting women be strong. Two generations, two very different lenses, one conversation worth having.

In this episode:

• Deep Dive - The Color Purple across generations: what a Gen X woman and a Millennial man each saw in that story, and what that gap reveals about how we talk about women's strength today
• Whose America Is It Anyway? - the rise of women in the U.S. and Kenya, and the tension between progress and the pressure to stay in a certain place
• Queer & Black Joy - Vuyanzi's real-time Black joy moment; Brendan's boda love chase story, which you genuinely need to hear

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Women's rights | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Nairobi | The Color Purple | Kenyan women | Expat life Kenya | Gen X Millennial divide | U.S. politics from Africa

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and join the conversation.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #WomensStrength #BlackDiaspora #TheColorPurple #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #KenyanWomen #QueerJoy

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com

EPISODE 13: When They Go Low, Do We REALLY Go High?

Michelle Obama gave us the mantra. But in 2026, Brendan and Vuyanzi are asking the harder question: is going high actually costing us something? As the late Flint City Council Member Eric Mays put it rather memorably - when they go low, we go lower. Is he onto something?

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - the queer community's reaction to a "they/them" joke in the Scary Movie 6 trailer: is this the right hill to die on? Plus Deon Cole, Nicki Minaj, and the kind of threats that tell you everything about the moment we're in
• Deep Dive - an ICE agent throws a woman to the ground in Vermont; Florida passes a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill; where exactly is the high road and who does it serve?
• Queer & Black Joy - Brendan does tarot reading at a Queer Artists Flea Market; Vuyanzi has a moment with her sister about Camp Glen Spay

Democrats Abroad Kenya | LGBTQ rights Florida | ICE immigration 2026 | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Africa | American abroad Nairobi | U.S. politics from Kenya | Michelle Obama when they go low

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and hit the bell so you don't miss an episode.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #WhenTheyGoLow #LGBTQRights #BlackDiaspora #ICE #QueerJoy #AmericanAbroad #ExpatsOfNairobi

Support the show

About the show Kisses from Kenya is a social and cultural podcast produced by Democrats Abroad Kenya. It explores personal stories about race, queerness, culture, politics, and the experience of being American in Nairobi. The views expressed on this podcast do not represent the official positions of Democrats Abroad Kenya, Democrats Abroad global, or the Democratic Party.

Listen, subscribe, and share If you enjoy conversations about language, identity, diaspora, and culture clash, subscribe for new episodes on a weekly(ish) schedule! You can find us on Youtube at ‪@KissesfromKenya and on all Podcast Platforms.

Follow Democrats Abroad Kenya on Instagram, Facebook, or on the DA website!

Contact us Share your stories, questions, or comments at: kissesfromkenyapodcast@gmail.com