Audio Storytelling and Interviews

This audio story explores the powerful allure of comic conventions as a nostalgic escape. It delves into the reasons why attendees flock to these vibrant gatherings, seeking to reconnect with cherished memories and beloved characters. Amidst the chaos of modern life, the conventions offer a comforting reminder of simpler times, bringing fans together to their shared passion for comics and pop culture.

This full-hour, uncut interview features USAID contractor Jessica Lisasi offering a candid, inside look at how USAID operates across African nations—how funds are allocated, the structural limits of foreign assistance, and where well-intentioned systems can break down into corruption. Drawing on on-the-ground experience, Lisasi outlines what actually works, what doesn’t, and why durable political and economic progress in Africa often requires approaches beyond traditional aid models.

Produced in early 2025 amid the first threats of DOGE-driven cuts to USAID, this audio storytelling piece examines the long-running conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda through firsthand voices and lived experience. The interview explores how aid-industry corruption and misaligned incentives can unintentionally deepen instability in developing nations, challenging listeners to rethink the moral certainty often attached to foreign assistance.