can't play music or podcasts

I've seen this question come up when Googled but have yet to see a reply that includes any sort of solution so I'm hoping beyond hope that I've missed it somewhere. I'm unable to play either podcastg of music, which renders my iPod touch effectively useless. This has occurred over the last 4-5 months or so and when I've restored the iPod from scratch, the issue has seemingly resolved itself for a period of time. It has now happend again and after restoring yet again it hasn't helped at all.

I've recently relocated to Malawi, and unless I'm mistaken there is no Apple store here or anywhere I can take it for repairs. It's still in warranty until July, but I'm not sure what I can do?

Has a solution been found at all?