‘Don’t Hold Back’: Award-Winning DW Vodcast Returns For Season Three

The new season features an updated set, open conversations, and a renewed commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices across the African continent.

Find launch event info below.

Produced in partnership with Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio, Don’t Hold Back takes a bold approach to storytelling: no filters, but honest and necessary dialogue. Season three continues to unpack themes ranging from financial pressures and family expectations all the way to health, HIV stigma, motherhood, politics, and identity.  

A space for brave conversations

Hosted by South African media personality Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba, the show invites audiences to engage, reflect, and discover. It redefines how young Africans deal with the issues that matter most and brings together voices that don’t often get heard in mainstream media — from trailblazers and changemakers to ordinary people living extraordinary lives.  

Host Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba: “Don’t Hold Back is where we tell the truth, even when it shakes the room. Young people deserve conversations that are messy, brave, and practical – so we ask hard questions and leave with hope you can use.”

A team that crosses continents

The vodcast is a collaboration between DW Africa and our South Africa-based radio partners Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio from Kagiso Media Radio. Together, the teams shape a compelling vodcast that resonates with African youth.

Asumpta Lattus, Head of English for Africa: “Don’t Hold Back is what happens when creativity meets collaboration – across continents! From Johannesburg to Bonn, teams from editorial, design, marketing, legal and distribution teamed up with our amazing radio partners to build something truly special.”

Diane MacPherson, Head of On-Demand content Kagiso Media Radio: “We’re proud to be part of Don’t Hold Back. It’s a space where young Africans can hear their stories reflected with honesty, courage and laughter. That authenticity is what sets it apart and it’s why the show resonates so strongly with our audiences.”

Timely and in touch with current events

While young Africans are shaping their futures against the backdrop of political shifts, cultural expectations, and digital change, Don’t Hold Back provides a stage for them, as Claus Stäcker, Director of Programs for Africa, highlights: “I see Don’t Hold Back as a forum where topics such as IVF, sex and sexuality, as well as other taboo topics, are addressed with rare openness.”