Kenya's flower exporters are switching to sea freight as new tech helps keep flowers fresh at sea.

‘I was scared of the night’: When Vasco's parents died in a car accident, his childhood was transformed into a struggle to survive. He started as a young child sleeping at his father's grave, but ended up in a spiral of gangland crime and violence on the streets. Why are more children in Zambia ending up on the streets? Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #TheComb Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com Produced by Mary Goodhart

How a rower's victory became a symbol of hope in post-apartheid South Africa. Sizwe Ndlovu became the first black African to win an Olympic rowing gold. Sizwe says that day changed the rest of his life. This is a guest episode from the World Service show, On The Podium, which brings you the stories behind the medals, originally released on 30 June 2021. The second season of On the Podium begins 18 June 2022. Search for On The Podium wherever you found this podcast.

Misinformation and miracle cures: After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Grace Ajuma Gift was told about many different treatments and cures which ranged from herbal remedies to starch-free diets - Grace tried many of them. The misleading advice she received may have cost Grace her life. A Kenyan oncologist talks about the prevalence and perils of cancer misinformation. Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #TheComb Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com Produced by Kim Chakanetsa

After rape in Senegal was finally made a serious crime, a pop star dared to tell her own story.

‘I ran away’: For many years, Brahim and Maymouna were enslaved. They were born into Mauritania’s slave caste - the Haratin and denied their liberty, even though slavery has been officially banned. It was only when Brahim was a teenager that he gradually began to question and resist his circumstances. From an early age, Maymouna’s life revolved around serving a master who treated her badly. Maymouna eventually escaped and has started to build a new life for herself. Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #TheComb Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com

Making the invisible visible: After her father was abducted and killed in the Gambia, Nana-Jo Ndow, and her cousin Sirra started an organisation to raise awareness of the issue and set up a memorialisation centre. Now, survivors are starting to heal by sharing their stories and young people can learn about human rights. It’s usually men who are forcibly disappeared during dictatorships but women who are left behind to try to pick up the pieces - and they often risk their lives searching for answers. Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #TheComb Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com Produced by Penny Dale

‘There were no locals at all’: Reckoning with race, history and access in Kenya’s tourism industry. For much of his career as a tour guide in Kenya, Felix Migoya would have clients from the United States and Europe but no Kenyans. Safari was seen as the preserve of white people, a ‘mzungu affair’. Alex Kamau is part of a new generation of young Kenyans who are reimagining what it means to explore and enjoy the country’s natural heritage on their own terms. Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. #TheComb Get in touch: thecomb@bbc.com Produced by Kim Chakanetsa

Three African women explain how they have boosted their income by going digital since Covid.

Shareholders failed to get Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna to share vaccine knowledge.

Human rights groups criticise a court that convicted the two stars of "violating family values".

Could audio files be the new digital drugs? New research shows that binaural beats - illusionary tones created by the brain when the brain hears two different tones in each ear – can change someone’s emotional state. The work, published in Drug and Alcohol Review, shows for the first time that people use binaural beats to relax, fall asleep and even to try to get a psychedelic drug high. BBC’s R&D Audio team have created a binaural beat soundscape especially for Digital Planet and we speak to Dr Alexia Maddox, a tech sociologist, one of the researchers behind the study.

Publishing via What’s App – getting female authors recognised in Zimbabwe Getting a book deal may seem like an impossible dream for many budding authors, but in Zimbabwe, for many female writers, this is a reality. Linda Mujuru, a senior reporter for Global Press Journal, tells us how most publishers are struggling in Zimbabwe due to the dire economic situation over the last twenty years and why so many authors have turned to social media as their only way of telling their stories. Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure set up her own publishing house in the UK as she could not get her work printed. She reads one of her poems in Shona, a native Zimbabwean language, and explains how she now looks for fellow female authors online and publishes their work too.

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Angelica Mari.

Studio Manager: Giles Aspen Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

(Image: Music in the mind concept. Credit: Getty Images)

Hassana Adamu speaks to the BBC about feeling neglected on the eighth anniversary of the kidnappings.

Zeinab Badawi is in Nairobi to talk to one of Kenya’s most ground-breaking cultural figures, Dr Njoki Ngumi. She abandoned a promising career in medicine to help set up an arts collective, and believes that creative endeavours can help transform societies. One of the collective’s films exploring homosexuality was banned in Kenya, where gay sex is a crime. So how far is Njoki Ngumi shifting opinions?

Claire Graham talks to the former BBC News Africa Bureaux Chief, Milton Nkosi, to get a better understanding of why the post-apartheid dream of a ‘Rainbow Nation’ has still not materialised.

The Explanation is a snackable audio guide giving you the backstory behind the headlines. Unpacking complex chains of events, The Explanation will make the stories in question much easier to understand.

Increasingly sophisticated tech tells us more than ever about our food's journey from farm to fork.

The World Trade Organisation says ongoing pandemic-related supply chain problems are also hurting growth.