They Lied About Africa

How They Scam You When You Build in Senegal

One plot of land. Five different buyers. Five families who each believed it was theirs. This is not a horror story — this is what is actively happening to diaspora investors trying to build back home in Senegal right now. In this episode I sat down with Paya, founder of Paya Residence in Almadies, to get the full picture — what documents you need, where to verify ownership, which neighborhoods are actually worth investing in, and exactly how people lose everything before a single brick is laid. If you have ever said "one day I want to build back home" — this episode is your starting point.

Is Modest Fashion Misrepresenting African Culture?

In this episode, I sit down with Senegalese stylist and textile exploration artist Marième Mboup to unpack a question that feels simple, but isn’t: is modesty really a choice? Raised in Dakar, where modest dressing is lived, embodied, and culturally rooted, Marième brings a perspective that challenges how global fashion has reframed modesty as a trend, an aesthetic, and a market category. Together, we explore what gets lost when identity becomes content, who benefits from the commercialization of modest fashion, and how African Muslim women are reclaiming authorship in an industry that has long borrowed from them without credit. This is not just a conversation about fashion — it’s about power, narrative control, and redefining what freedom and creativity actually look like.

Apartheid Wasn't African. It Was American.

Apartheid is often taught as a uniquely South African system, but the ideas that shaped it didn’t appear out of nowhere. In this episode of They Lied About Africa, we explore how apartheid was built from systems that already existed across the world, including American Jim Crow segregation, colonial governance structures, and racial classification laws. By looking at the global influences behind apartheid, we uncover how governments study, borrow, and adapt systems of power and control. This episode challenges the narrative that apartheid was simply an African problem and instead places it within a broader history of racial governance. Tune in to rethink what you thought you knew about apartheid and the global systems that helped shape it.

The Business of Poverty: How Africa Was Framed

The aid industry didn't just respond to poverty in Africa. It built a system around it. In this episode, we break down how foreign aid became an industry, how that industry shaped the global narrative around an entire continent, and what that framing has cost Africa in capital, sovereignty, and power. This isn't about whether aid helps. It's about what gets built when crisis becomes the dominant story. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @theyliedaboutafrica for more.

Who Really Controls African Money?

African countries are called “independent” — but independence isn’t just political.In this episode, we break down who really controls African money, why currency matters for development, and how systems created during colonial rule still shape African economies today.Using the CFA franc as a case study, this video essay explains:- What it means to control a currency- Why “stability” is often framed as help- and how economic power outlasts formal independenceThis isn’t conspiracy.It’s structure.If you’ve ever wondered why independence hasn’t meant economic freedom, this episode explains what most conversations leave out.Follow They Lied About Africa on Socials for more:Instagram: @theyliedaboutafricaTikTok: @theyliedaboutafrica