Ep28. Super Rich Africans | The Soft Life & Hard Truths of Class

Описание: Visit our Substack for our sources, mentions and 'Rigourous Recommendations' and don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed the episode ☺️

Turning our gaze to the glittering world of Africa’s super rich, we ask what wealth really means in a world built on inequality.

Beginning with the BBC documentary From Lagos to London: The Rise of Nigeria’s Super Rich, we unpack the rise of “soft-life” culture, the myth of meritocracy, and the emotional price of Black excellence. From oil money and old elites to Instagram entrepreneurs and Dubai Bling escapism, we explore how class divides shape not only who gets to live well - but whose stories get told as success.

From there, we widen the lens. Tamanda reflects on growing up between Botswana, South Africa, and Britain - seeing wealth, domestic work, and dignity collide inside her own family history. Aiwan recalls her first reaction to the From Lagos to London BBC documentary in 2016 - the thrill of representation, the absurdity of diamond-encrusted phones, and the unease of celebrating excess while living through austerity.

Along the way, we confront the paradox of privilege: the soft-life that depends on someone else’s hard one; the excellence that excludes; the success that can’t always look itself in the mirror.

In this episode:
From Lagos to London: BBC’s portrait of Nigeria’s new elite and what it revealed about class pride
and cultural cringe
Soft-life vs. survival: how social media turned aspiration into performance
Oil, old money & influence: why most wealth isn’t as self-made as it looks
Private schools, “area boys” and the classed accents of belonging
Dubai Bling & Young, Famous & African: when representation becomes replication
Cuppy, Amosu & the entrepreneur myth: grit, guilt and gold-threaded suits
Respectability politics in Black spaces: how class mimics colonial etiquette
What does accountability look like when we’ve “made it”?

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube
🔁 Share with someone thinking about wealth, class or “soft-life” culture

📬 Get in touch:
We’d love to hear from you - email us at [email protected] with your thoughts, reflections, or questions for upcoming episodes.

Visit our Substack for our sources, mentions and 'Rigourous Recommendations' and don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed the episode ☺️

Also available wherever you get your podcasts:
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/297stu7v
Apple: https://tinyurl.com/3dtj4x4u

Episode Chapters:
00:00 Teaser & Intro | Black Wealth Divide + Class Awareness
02:30 When Did You First Realise You Were Middle Class?
17:02 When Did You First Realise You Were Working Class?
29:30 From Lagos to London, Watching Africa’s Super Rich
56:43 The Money, Mindset & Power Connection
01:09:34 Points of Pride + Achieving Across Divides
01:28:45 We Have So Much Conversing To Do as a Collective
01:41:33 Outro | Where Business Meets Love, Culture Meets Critique

#SuperRichAfricans #africanwealth #softlife #blackpodcast #BlackClass #wealthandpower #postcolonialafrica #diasporadialogues #LagosToLondon #socialstratification #culturalidentity #capitalismcritique