RESONATE Story Lab:

Beatus Ble Msamange is a Malawian storyteller, filmmaker, writer, and spoken word artist based in Karonga. His work spans film, theatre, community storytelling, and youth engagement, with a focus on stories that explore identity, belonging, and lived experience. A graduate of the MultiChoice Talent Factory (2024), Beatus has worked across directing, casting, production design, and performance. He is the Co-founder and Creative Director of Equinox 13 Films, a production company whose focus is on telling authentic African stories. Beatus is a 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship alumnus and a 2026 Climate Justice Incubatee under Accountability Lab East and Southern Africa. He is particularly interested in character-driven narratives that challenge assumptions and create space for complexity.

Esohe Iyare is a researcher based in Lagos, Nigeria. She has extensive experience conducting in-depth cultural analysis and crafting compelling narratives around digital culture, women, and minority experiences. Her work has been published by Radio Workshop, OkayAfrica, The Republic Journal, Minority Africa and others. Esohe has a Masters in Media and Communication from Pan-Atlantic University, a Diploma in Journalism from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, and a Bachelors in Anthropology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her work on Kidfluencing has been published as a book chapter in Natural Law and Human Dignity: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (2025). She is also a research volunteer for Communiqué HQ, contributing to research on African Creative Industries. Esohe is the Founder of African Writer Weekly, a newsletter supporting 3,200+ African writers in 60 countries, championing African perspectives through storytelling while helping emerging writers grow in their careers.

Kabir Jugram is a journalist who produces audio documentaries centred on the narratives of African youth. His work predominantly explores social issues such as youth unemployment, mental health, and marginalisation in Johannesburg, with a strong emphasis on how ordinary people empower themselves and their communities when broader systems fail to do so. As a journalist, Kabir seeks to uphold the values of preserving dignity, empowering youth, ensuring fair representation, and challenging oppressive narratives about Africa and people of colour. Above all, he considers himself and his work proud products of the city that raised him.

Mary-Ann Nobele is a dynamic storyteller and mental health advocate whose voice in radio and podcasting has shaped narratives for over a decade. Born in Johannesburg, Gauteng, she began her radio career at the age of 15 and later honed her craft at the Wits Radio Academy. In 2022, she became the reporter and central voice of I Will Not Grow Old Here, a deeply personal podcast about her life and aspirations beyond Alexandra. The series earned global recognition, including a 2023 Ambies nomination for Best Documentary Podcast and a One World Media Award, marking a significant milestone for African podcasting. Mary-Ann is a Communicator Fellow with the Child Mind Institute, where she creates impactful narratives around mental health, youth, and community empowerment. Her career reflects a deep commitment to social change, from youth-centred initiatives with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to advocacy work with Gun Free South Africa. Looking ahead, she aims to expand into commercial radio and television while continuing to tell audio stories that inspire, inform, and ignite change.

Nelly Madegwa is an award-winning journalist from Kenya whose reporting covers climate change, sustainable development, health, and human rights across Africa. Her work has appeared in The Intercept, Elephant, Minority Africa, taz, and Africa Uncensored. Her storytelling blends investigative and data-driven reporting with human-interest narratives.

Oswell Moyo is a Zimbabwean multimedia expert, journalist, and media researcher based in Kigali, Rwanda, where he serves with the Rwanda TVET Board. His work and research sit at the intersection of journalism education, media literacy, indigenous knowledge systems, and environmental storytelling, exploring how African ways of knowing can reshape how stories about land, ecology, and community are told and heard. A former research fellow at Midlands State University under the Beneficiation and Commercialisation of Indigenous Fruits and Herbs Programme — a flagship initiative of Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development — he contributed to research focused on indigenous knowledge and sustainable development. He is among the seven founding board members of the Bulawayo Media Hub, established in 2024 to champion climate journalism and amplify marginalised voices across southern Zimbabwe. He also serves as a part-time lecturer at Hanave University, Uganda. A voracious reader, gym enthusiast, and passionate gardener, Oswell brings the same curiosity and discipline to every story he pursues. He holds an MPhil in Media and Society Studies, a BSc Honours in Journalism and Media Studies, and several professional qualifications.

Thando Mpungose is an audio engineer specialising in film and television. His journey into audio began over a decade ago in high school, where he taught himself music composition and sound engineering. This passion led him to the University of the Witwatersrand, where he merged his sound expertise with film studies, specialising in recording, sound design, and mixing. In 2023, his work earned the Best Sound Design award at the Wits Film & TV Awards for Where’s the Chicken?, a short film that received multiple festival accolades. The following year, he served as a technical tutor at Wits, helping students access sound knowledge and supporting academic processes. After completing his BA in Film & TV, Thando founded Athletic Audio, a company dedicated to precision and collaboration in sound. Through it, he has contributed to projects for Showmax, the Centre for the Less Good Idea, and the Foundation for Human Rights.