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

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

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

• 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

• 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

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

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

EPISODE 12: Is the Grass REALLY Greener?

Is the grass actually greener on the other side - or does it just look that way from here? Brendan and Vuyanzi sit with the uncomfortable feeling that the right seems energised, emboldened, and utterly unbothered while everyone else scrambles to keep up. Plus: what a four-day work week in Pakistan and the Philippines tells us about who's really driving global economics right now.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - Democratic senators invoke the War Powers Act over Cuba; how U.S. policy is quietly triggering a four-day work week in Pakistan and the Philippines
• Lost in Translation - American friends versus Kenyan friends: do our friendships get lost in translation when we relocate? A Kenyan woman who lived in Boston weighs in, and the conversation gets into romantic relationships too
• Queer & Black Joy - Brendan sleeps his way into a better flight during a Boston blizzard; Vuyanzi attends an intergenerational women's brunch

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | U.S. foreign policy | War Powers Act | Global economy | Black diaspora podcast | American abroad Kenya | Kenyan expat community | Four day work week

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

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #GrassIsGreener #BlackDiaspora #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #WarPowers #GlobalEconomy #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 11: Has the Sky Fallen Before?

Is what's happening in America truly unprecedented - or have we been here before? Vuyanzi and Brendan pull back the lens on patterns of injustice, the centering of whiteness in political outrage, and the question of who gets to be shocked. Fair warning: the cynicism is showing, and we're not sorry.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - ICE, CBP crime statistics, and the headlines making us pause
• Lost in Translation - natural scent, cultural memory, and a story about what it means when your body is the controversy
• Deep Dive - the centering of white reactions to injustice: who says "I can't believe this" and why that matters
• Queer & Black Joy - IShowSpeed and the joy of discovering artists you didn't know you needed

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat politics | African diaspora podcast | Black American abroad | Queer diaspora | ICE and immigration | U.S. politics from abroad | Nairobi expat

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 #BlackDiaspora #AmericanAbroad #Expat #QueerJoy #ICE #Immigration #NairobiPodcast #AfricanDiaspora

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 10: Home Away from Home

They're back. After a longer-than-planned break, Vuyanzi and Brendan return to find the news cycle hasn't waited for anyone - and neither has the question of what "home" actually means anymore. 2026 opens with a lot to catch up on and one big question at the centre of it all.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - a full rundown of what you missed: ICE, Kendrick at the Grammys, nuclear treaties, the Guthrie disappearance, and more
• Lost in Translation - the unspoken rules of flying home: middle seats, plane drinks, and the etiquette nobody writes down
• Deep Dive - what happens when you go back and home doesn't feel the same? Disconnection, cold weather, the news, and the shifting definition of where you belong
• Queer & Black Joy - an all-Black crew on Kenya Airways, and why that moment deserves its own segment

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life | Returning home | Black diaspora | American abroad | Nairobi podcast | Kenyan expat community | U.S. politics 2026

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. New to the show? Subscribe and join a growing community asking the same questions you are.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #HomeAbroad #BlackDiaspora #ExpatsOfNairobi #AmericanAbroad #Season2 #KenyaAirways #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 9: Morals to Morale

What's the difference between morals and morale - and why does living abroad make that question suddenly urgent? Brendan and Vuyanzi connect the FBI's fear-based collapse, press freedom under attack, and the cultural standards you didn't know you'd inherited until Kenya quietly rewrote them.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - the FBI under Kash Patel and why morale in a federal agency matters to all of us; the New York Times sues the Pentagon over press access rules
• Lost in Translation - things that are polite in America that land as strange in Kenya, and vice versa
• Deep Dive - how morals shape the emotional climate around you; what living abroad reveals about the moral code you were handed; how Kenya has quietly shifted what both hosts value
• Queer & Black Joy - community gatherings, unexpected connection, and a Black woman making historical fiction podcasts

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Africa | Kash Patel FBI | Press freedom 2026 | Black diaspora podcast | American values abroad | Nairobi expat community | Queer Africa

Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Enjoying the show? Share it with someone else living abroad who's asking the same questions. Subscribe for new episodes.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #PressFreedom #FBI #MoralsVsMorale #BlackDiaspora #QueerJoy #ExpatsOfKenya #AmericanAbroad

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 8: Left, Right, Center

In Kenya, the driver sits on the right, the traffic comes from the left, and nothing you learned at home quite prepares you. Vuyanzi and Brendan use that disorientation as the entry point into a bigger conversation: what happens when the political and cultural assumptions you built your life on get quietly, thoroughly flipped?

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - a deep-red Tennessee district shows signs of life; a U.S. president, 85 deaths, no due process, and a pardoned drug trafficker
• Crossing the Road in Kenya - driving on the left, bodas from every direction, silent prayers in Ubers, and what it means to reprogram your instincts
• Deep Dive - how living abroad forces you to confront your automatic assumptions and find your own centre when the world feels reversed
• Lost in Translation - "HELLO???" and what Kenyan urgency sounds like to American ears
• Queer & Black Joy - a friend visiting from Pennsylvania; mixing worlds; joy as resistance

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Expat life Nairobi | Living in Kenya | American abroad | Black diaspora | Queer expat | U.S. politics from Africa | Nairobi driving | Boda boda culture

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

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #LivingInKenya #ExpatsOfNairobi #LeftRightCenter #BlackDiaspora #QueerJoy #BodaBoda #AmericanAbroad

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 7: Celebrations & Complications

Christmas trees in 35-degree heat. Eggnog at the Equator. A goat that knows exactly what season it is. Vuyanzi and Brendan dig into what the holidays actually look like when you're far from where you started - the homesickness, the relief, the reinvention, and the complicated joy of celebrating queer identity abroad during the season when everyone assumes you're going home.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - holiday travel chaos, Christmas starting in October, and inflation shrinking family gatherings
• Deep Dive: Vuyanzi on navigating homesickness and building new rituals in Kenya; Brendan on the complicated reality of queer holidays abroad - the escape, the loneliness, and finding chosen family in Nairobi
• Lost in Translation - Kenyanisms that once confused everything and now feel completely natural
• Queer & Black Joy - community potlucks, chosen-family dinners, and new traditions that actually fit

Democrats Abroad Kenya | Queer expat Africa | Black diaspora holidays | Christmas in Kenya | American abroad | Chosen family | LGBTQ Africa | Nairobi expat community | Holidays abroad

Wherever you're spending the season, you're not alone in finding it complicated. Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe and find your people.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #HolidaysAbroad #ChosenFamily #QueerJoy #BlackDiaspora #ChristmasInKenya #ExpatsOfNairobi #LGBTQAbroad

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 6: Global Erasures

Visible and invisible at the same time - that's the reality of being an American in Kenya, a queer person in a Global South country, a diaspora voice in a conversation that keeps getting shaped by people who aren't in the room. Vuyanzi and Brendan get into who gets heard, who gets quoted, and who gets quietly cut from the story.

In this episode:

• Whose America Is It Anyway? - the Global North's track record of telling LGBTQ+ people in Africa what their liberation should look like, and why that's a problem
• Deep Dive: Vuyanzi on diaspora political participation, being an outsider within global activism, and what "performative listening" actually costs; Brendan on queer erasure inside global organisations, including what's happening at the Rotary Club
• Joint reflection - how do you stay loud without being exoticised? What does real cross-border solidarity look like versus the version that gets press releases?
• Culture Clash Hotline - African men, cold coffee, and the audacity of timing
• Queer & Black Joy - Brendan got taken on a date; Vuyanzi is reclaiming her daytime and letting the nightlife wait

Democrats Abroad Kenya | LGBTQ Africa | Global South queer rights | Diaspora voting abroad | Black diaspora podcast | Queer expat Kenya | Global North Global South | American abroad Nairobi | Rotary Club queer inclusion

If this conversation matters to you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Kisses from Kenya is the podcast for Americans living abroad who haven't stopped paying attention. Subscribe for new episodes every week.

#KissesFromKenya #DemocratsAbroad #GlobalSouth #QueerAfrica #BlackDiaspora #Erasure #LGBTQRights #ExpatsOfNairobi #DiasporaVoices #AmericanAbroad

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

What does it mean to live abroad as an American without becoming a spokesperson, a saviour, or a walking symbol of U.S. power? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we explore representation, projection, and the uneasy mirror Americans hold up when they leave home.

In Episode 5, Brendan and Vuyanzi dig into the idea of being seen as a mouthpiece and the fear of reproducing neo-imperial dynamics abroad. Vuyanzi reflects on moments where American presence, even when well-intentioned, carries assumptions of authority, influence, and cultural dominance. Brendan examines what it feels like to be treated as a representative for all Americans, or all queer people, and the pressure to explain, defend, or soften the United States from afar.

Together they talk about power, self-awareness, guilt, responsibility, and how living in Kenya sharpens their understanding of how American identity is read, resisted, and sometimes rejected.

This episode explores neo-imperialism, representation, identity abroad, cultural power, and the emotional labour of being American outside the United States.

Chapters

• Introduction
• Whose America Is It Anyway
• Being seen as a mouthpiece
• Neo-imperialism and good intentions
• Holding a mirror to ourselves
• Closing thoughts

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

How much of identity sits inside an accent, and what happens when you realise that English is not as universal as Americans imagine it to be? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we explore language, power, misunderstanding, and the price of an accent abroad.

In Episode 4, Brendan and Vuyanzi get into the pleasures and pitfalls of speaking English in Kenya. Brendan talks about how English shifts across borders and how language becomes a mirror of privilege, expectation, and social position. Vuyanzi unpacks the idea of an “expensive” accent, the assumptions placed on her voice, and the strange economy that emerges when sound becomes status.

Together they explore code switching, cultural misfires, the humour of miscommunication, and the quiet emotional work of carving out new identities through language.

This episode tackles accents, belonging, class dynamics, cultural translation, and how Americans learn to listen differently once they live abroad.

Chapters

• Introduction
• Whose America Is It Anyway
• Language games in daily life
• The cost of an accent
• What speaking English abroad teaches us
• Closing thoughts

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

What does it mean to vote for a country you no longer live in, and how does distance change your relationship to fear, safety, and home? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we talk about voting abroad, American democracy, and the emotional cost of returning to the United States.

In Episode 3, Brendan and Vuyanzi unpack the realities of being overseas voters. Vuyanzi reflects on antiquated voting practices in the United States, especially through the lens of New York, and the frustration of navigating systems that feel outdated and exclusionary. Brendan explores his fears about returning to the U.S., shaped by political violence, queer visibility, gun culture, and the question of whether home still feels safe.

Together they discuss civic responsibility, distance, belonging, and what it means to care deeply about a country that often feels increasingly unstable from afar.

This episode explores voting rights, democracy, safety, identity, diaspora life, and the emotional contradictions of loving a place you have left.

Chapters

• Introduction
• Whose America Is It Anyway?
• Voting from abroad
• Fear, safety, and returning home
• What democracy feels like at a distance
• Closing thoughts

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

What happens when two Americans living in Kenya realise that comfort and safety are not the same thing, and that identity does not travel neatly across borders? In this episode of Kisses from Kenya, we explore fear, freedom, and the contradictions of life abroad.

In Episode 2, Brendan and Vuyanzi dive into what it means to navigate overlapping identities in a new country. Brendan unpacks the quiet calculations queer people make about safety, visibility, and vulnerability in the United States, and how living in Kenya reframes those instincts. Vuyanzi explores the idea of the “walking contradiction”, the moments where being a Black American in Kenya disrupts and reshapes her sense of self.

Together they talk about how both the United States and Kenya hold different kinds of danger and comfort, how cultural expectations collide, and how living abroad forces you to renegotiate who you are in public and in private.

This episode explores safety, race, queerness, belonging, and the uneasy dance between fear and freedom.

Chapters

• Introduction
• Whose America Is It Anyway?
• Comfort and safety abroad
• Walking contradictions in daily life
• What we are learning about ourselves
• Closing thoughts

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

• Introduction
• Whose America Is It Anyway?
• Identity shifts abroad
• Race, queerness, and privilege in Kenya
• What we are learning about ourselves
• Closing thoughts

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