Kabrazen
Common Sense Media Review
By Diana Baron-Moore , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring stories of African women & girls through history.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Listen
Parent and Kid Reviews
What’s It About?
Created by the LAM Sisterhood, a storytelling collective based in Nairobi, Kenya, each episode of KABRAZEN tells a different story of a historical woman from Africa. Listeners are asked to participate, learning to pronounce the heroine's name, practicing their whistling skills, or even singing along to the show's theme song. Stories are taken from recent history all the way back to retellings of folk stories with women characters placed at the center. At the end of each episode, Auntie Shishi explains how the story is connected to real history, helping kids to make connections to the real world and to understand some of the more abstract metaphors.
Is It Any Good?
This podcast is an engaging show for preschoolers and has a lot to offer older kids as well with its positive messages and thoughtful telling of histories many kids may not have heard before. The LAM Sisterhood, the team behind Kabrazen, is based in Nairobi and members possess both a deep understanding of the stories they choose to tell and a personal stake in creating positive representations of women from Africa for children. The characters in the stories told are all powerful in different ways, demonstrating a variety of distinct strengths and skills. Cultural elements are woven seamlessly throughout episodes with Auntie Shishi switching between languages and referring to specific traditions, clothing, and places.
Above all, what makes this show shine is the craft at play in its writing and performance. Kids will be hooked in by Auntie Shishi's animated voice and the thoughtful use of music and repetition will keep even the littlest ones at the edge of their seats and wondering what's going to happen next!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Kabrazen explores stories of women and girls from African history. Why do you think it's important to learn about people and stories from different parts of the world?
Activity: After you listen to an episode go to a map and find where the story took place. Research and learn more about the woman or girl from that story.
The women and girls in each story show courage, teamwork and perseverance. Why are these important character strengths?
Podcast Details
- Release date: February 25, 2022
- Genre: Storytelling
- Average Run Time: 18 minutes
- Website: https://www.kabrazen.com/
- Host: Auntie Shishi
- Production Company and Network: The LAM Sisterhood
- Pricing structure: Free
- Topics: Adventures , Great Girl Role Models , History
- Character Strengths: Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: August 20, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
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