Sophie Gradas (2:28)

Republicans blame Democrats for the funding lapse, while Democrats demand an extension to health benefits offered under the Affordable Care Act. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will testify in front of a special Georgia Senate committee about her handling of an election interference case involving President Donald Trump and the 2020 election. Josh Belafonte, the legal counsel for the committee, says Willis lawyers have agreed on a date for questioning.

Orlando Montoya (2:58)

We will reissue the subpoena for November 13, 10am and that her counsel has indicated that she is available on that date and will honor the subpoena subject to certain limitations in the scope of questioning.

Sophie Gradas (3:14)

Only the chair of the committee, Republican Senator Bill Cowsert, an attorney, and Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones, will be allowed to question Willis. The announcement comes after months of legal battles over the panel's legal authority to issue subpoenas. Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill in May clarifying subpoena procedures for legislative committees. Researchers at Georgia Tech have released a new study on a wearable robot designed to help stroke victims reclaim lost mobility. GPB's Chase McGee has more.

Chase McGee (3:47)

The device is a small exoskeleton or a robot that supports the body's own motion. And while you might imagine something out of science fiction, this robot is small and one day could be integrated into your clothing. Aaron Young is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. He describes how the exoskeleton actually learns what movements you need the most help with over time. It's learning how you're walking so that basically it can synchronize better to your pace, to your, you know, asymmetry potentially and other factors in the gait so that it's well aligned. That learning doesn't require an Internet connection, just a computer on the user's back, young says. The next step is a clinical trial and then coverage approval by insurance agencies. For GPB news, I'm Chase McGee.

Sophie Gradas (4:36)

The oyster season has begun on Georgia's coast. The state Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division announced the opening of this year's commercial shellfish harvest on Wednesday. Georgia oyster production was valued at nearly $383,000 in 2024, the agency says. As of Friday, 14 entities have leases for 23 water bottoms for shellfish harvesting, which also includes clams. Like many people, Oyin Shangoyomi spent the COVID summer of 2020 working on a personal project. Then an English major at Princeton University, the young Nigerian American wanted to know more about medieval African history, and her research turned into her debut novel. Her book, Masquerade, earned her recognition as a finalist for a 2025 Georgia author of the Year award. Now living in Georgia, she joined GPB's Orlando Montoya to talk about her epic work of fiction and some of the real history behind it.

Orlando Montoya (5:37)

Masquerade has all these big themes, including self determination, betrayal, love, war, the gods. But in the end, it's about a young woman who rises above her circumstances. Can you briefly describe the main character, Ododo, and what happens to her as the story begins.

Oyin Shangoyomi (5:58)

Absolutely. So in Masquerade, we follow Ododo, who's a young blacksmith. And at this time in West Africa, blacksmiths were largely ostracized for their profession. It was seen as unnatural. So she's kind of at the bottom of the social ladder to say, and one day she's kidnapped by a king, and she's brought to his home, where he lives in luxury. And there's a lot of politics to navigate and also battle and a dodo. Above all, what she sees there is power. And she begins to imagine a life for herself, that she could have that power for herself, too.

Orlando Montoya (6:40)

She ascends from her humble beginnings to become the bride of the king of Yoruba land, the most powerful man in the kingdom. And her position in the royal city should be untouchable. But in fact, it's very precarious, to say the least. Why is she constantly mistrusted, betrayed, undermined, and placed in danger?

Oyin Shangoyomi (7:04)

At the beginning, she fantasizes about kind of being a noble woman. She thinks that is what having power is, that that alone is enough. When she goes to the royal palace, she sees that noble women aren't actually treated much better than blacksmiths are. And she realizes that the common thread in all this is just the way that women are treated in this society. It doesn't matter if they're rich or they're poor. As long as they are subjected to the will of a man, they will never be treated well.

Orlando Montoya (7:38)

Adodo obviously gains a lot as she transitions her life from poverty to power. But she also loses a lot. I think she transforms from a demure young woman nicknamed Little Flower, to someone more calculating, steely, and violent. And the book is not shy on violence. In the end, do you think she trades away some of her heart for that power?

Oyin Shangoyomi (8:05)

I do think so. And I think that was something that I wanted to cover with the novel. That basically, when you are seeking power, you can't go through that process unchanged. You know, there will have to be sacrifices that you make, usually sacrifices in relation to your humanity and maybe even your morality. And that's something that Adoto has to grapple with a bit. She has to learn to be okay with that, essentially, if she wants to be a powerful person.

Orlando Montoya (8:36)

Odotto's relationship with her husband to be the king Oremo, is hot and cold. The reader is never quite sure if their love will last. And the fact that this question stays with the reader until the very last chapter is great writing. Did you have any model to draw on for such a stormy, high stakes relationship.

Oyin Shangoyomi (9:03)

Not personally, no, thankfully. But going into this book, something that I was thinking about a lot was actually a concept that I heard from Toni Morrison first. And basically in one of her books, to paraphrase, I don't remember the exact quote, but she said something like, the love is no better than the lover. And so stupid people love stupidly. Violent people love violently. Weak people love weakly. Mean people love meanly. And so going into this, I knew that Oremo, you know, he's personality wise, he's pretty charming, but you can't forget that he's conquered so many lands and he's brought misery to so many people. And that's who he is. So even though the love that he shares with Edotto, it's genuine, he really does love her. It's also he's a violent person. And so the way that he loves isn't always good.

Orlando Montoya (10:01)

The story is familiar in a way. It resembles many novels about royal intrigue or the shenanigans of the rich and powerful. And with Edodo's abduction to live with the king, it's somewhat like the Greek myth of Persephone the. But it's also very different in its setting. What interests you about 15th century Africa?

Oyin Shangoyomi (10:26)

I feel that most of what we see about African history and African society, it concerns Africa post colonization. And even when you look at African history, so many texts begin when the British or the Dutch or the French arrived. And I really wanted to explore Africa before all of that, because when you see that those types of things, it sets the narrative that Africa didn't have a history or like it didn't even exist before Europeans came to colonize it. But the truth is, there was a very long and rich history before the continent was ever visited by Europeans. And I wanted to show those societies and the way that they functioned in themselves Outside of the lens of the European gaze.

Orlando Montoya (11:15)

What part of the story did you get from history?

Oyin Shangoyomi (11:18)

It was just a compilation of all these different parts of West African history. I focused on the economical prosperity that was there. And that part is very true.

Orlando Montoya (11:31)

The ivory, the gold, the gleaming city. Was there a place called Shangote?

Oyin Shangoyomi (11:38)

No, that part is made up. But the royal city, that one is true. In the kingdom of Ghana, the king, he did not live in a palace. He lived in kind of like a city is how big his palace was. And it was filled with so many of those luxuries of the gleaming gold. And actually, gold was so common at this time that it wasn't even as coveted by West Africans, bronze and copper were much more coveted, and I show that too. And just the fabrics and the richness because they're so I feel like Nigerian culture is so beautiful and rich, and I really wanted that to come across in my book.

Orlando Montoya (12:18)

I noted that this book started out as a pandemic passion project, and many people started projects back then but never finished them, including me. So what advice would you give to people who may have 2020 visions that are still unrealized?

Oyin Shangoyomi (12:35)

I mean, the only way this got finished was through through passion, and it was something that I genuinely cared about and that I looked forward to doing. And I think that what the pandemic really allowed me was kind of that silence and not having the feedback of others to maybe even discourage me from writing the book. You know, I would just say to listen really to what you want to do and what's really driving you, and outside voices try to shut it out.

Orlando Montoya (13:06)

All right? Oyin Shangoyomi is author of Masquerade. Thanks for sharing your story with us here on tpp.

Oyin Shangoyomi (13:15)

Thanks so much for having me.

Peach Jam Podcast Host (13:22)

Georgia is the new hotbed for musical talent, and the music industry knows it. Record executives are turning their eyes to the Peach State to discover the next big thing. On GPB's Peach Jam podcast, you'll hear those rising Georgia artists before anyone else listen and discover the sound of what's next on the Peach Jam podcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Sophie Gradas (13:46)

In Georgia Sports now that Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snicker has announced he won't be returning to his role next season, speculation is ramping up on who might replace him. Him David Ross, the former Atlanta catcher and Chicago Cubs manager, said on Thursday that he's ready to manage again and that returning to the Braves quote would be amazing. The Bainbridge native led the cubs to the NL Central Championship in 2022. Coaches on Snickers 2025 staff have experience as a manager, Walt Weiss and Freddie Gonzalez. Other possible candidates include former Braves infielder Mark DeRosa, Cubs bench coach Ryan Flah, former Marlins manager Skip Shoemaker and tickets for the 2026 FIFA World cup are officially on sale. FIFA says 4.5 million fans applied in a lottery for the first chance to buy seats, with winners notified by email. This week, the tournament will span 16 cities, including Atlanta across the U.S. mexico and Canada, but the full match schedule won't be set until December. Prices range from about $60 for early matches to more than $6,000 for the final. FIFA says the demand shows global excitement for what will be the largest World cup ever running June 11th through July 19th. That's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. Thanks for listening. If you want to learn more about these stories and hear More, too, visit gpb.org news if you haven't yet subscribed to this podcast, take a moment right now and do it. Keep us current in your podcast feed. If you have feedback, we would love to hear it. You can email us@georgia todaypb.org I'm Sophie Gradas.

Peach Jam Podcast Host (15:47)

Georgia is the new hotbed for musical talent, and the music industry knows it. Record executives are turning their eyes to the Peach State to discuss the next big thing. On GPB's Peace Jam podcast, you'll hear those rising Georgia artists before anyone else. Listen and discover the sound of what's next on the Peace Jam podcast from Georgia Public Broadcasting.