The project aims to remove the barrier to information and ultimately introduce new audiences to the world of podcasts, which is especially relevant during these uncertain times.

Blind History is a collaboration between Gareth Cliff from CliffCentral and Anthony Mederer, the MD of Taylor Blinds and Shutters. CliffCentral is the biggest podcaster in Africa, which aims to provide content that is informative, educational and entertaining.

But, according to CliffCentral's Greg Cohen, who spearheaded the initiative, podcasts is an audio-only medium and by its very nature excludes the hard of hearing community.

"When we were approached by Thuli Zikalala (one of the eleven SATI accredited interpreters in South Africa) with a concept to make the medium more accessible, we decided to create South African sign language interpreted videos of our content, starting with our popular podcast series Blind History. As far as we are aware, this is a first-of-its-kind concept that we're extremely proud of," says Cohen.

Cohen says that inclusive content is important, especially in a diverse country like South Africa. "The easier it is for people to access content, the better. We need to embrace inclusivity and not exclusivity," Cohen adds.

"This is especially true with podcasts, where the audience chooses you and you don't target your listeners. It's important to provide information and lessons on an equal playing field to the audience," says Cohen.

"CliffCentral.com and Taylor Blinds and Shutters are an open-minded, forward-thinking team. I value the opportunity to bridge different communities, create awareness to professional SASL interpreters, and make content more inclusive and accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community," says Zikalala.

Blind History won a Sunday Times Gen Next Gold Award in 2019 and is now in its third season that comprises 13 episodes. The series consists of short freestanding episodes, each about an interesting person in history. This has included Alexander the Great, the Kennedys, Caesar Augustus and King Henry VII.

"We like to talk about our favorite people in history," says Cliff. "Some of them are favourites because they were really good people, some because they were fascinating and evil."

Although the production of the podcasts is sponsored by Taylor Blinds and Shutters, Blind History has indicated that is not a marketing campaign. Instead, it simply aims to share the passion of 'these self-confessed history nerds' with the world.

Each episode airs on CliffCentral, while the podcasts can be found on:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • CliffCentral app
  • CliffCentral website, and
  • Taylor Blinds and Shutters's website.
Individuals can find the first South African sign language podcast here, and listen to past episodes here.

For more information, visit www.taylorblinds.co.za. You can also follow Taylor Blinds and Shutters on Facebook or on Instagram.