Shifters is a documentary-style podcast series exploring the creative organizations, collectives, and communities reshaping Kenya’s cultural landscape from one extraordinary hub: The Mall.
Produced for the Frequency Shift Programme, the 11-episode series takes listeners inside the spaces where innovation, collaboration, and creativity meet. Each episode uncovers the people, ideas, and movements driving change, from sound labs and skate collectives to sustainable fashion, digital storytelling, and community-led cultural initiatives.
Blending immersive sound design, candid interviews, reflective narration, and archival textures, Shifters offers an intimate portrait of the creators and spaces daring to reimagine what art, technology, and social impact can look like in East Africa.
Narrative-driven and deeply human, the series captures The Mall not just as a location, but as a living ecosystem full of rhythm, resilience, experimentation, and possibility. With a distinctly Pan-African futurist sensibility, Shifters documents the voices and visions shaping Nairobi’s creative future, one story at a time.
EPISODE ONE: THE KANGWANAS
Tucked within Nairobi´s Westlands district, The Mall stands as a landmark and quiet witness to the city´s transformation. Owned by longtime investors in Kenya´s media sector, Family Kangwana, the building reflects a legacy of shaping creative industries while remaining true to its vision. From pioneering private television in Kenya to developing urban spaces, Kangwana´s influence has been foundational and understated.
Now, The Mall is entering a new chapter, creating spaces for cultural, creative and experimental minds and talents to collaborate, connect and experience together.
In conversation with Tabitha and Jared Kangwana themselves, we kick off the Shifters Podcast series, offering a rare, personal glimpse into the story behind the space. From its origins and architectural identity to its contemporary influence on Nairobi´s urban evolution. Exploring the creative renaissance unfolding within The Mall where a young generation of artists, entrepreneurs and cultural voices are reimagining its future in an urban setting.