I was so excited to have an interview with Dercio Gomate on "Inspire in Half an Hour" podcast. Dercio is a Mozambican musician/composer based in Maputo. His music has taken him to Berlin, Zurich, and this year to Washington D.C. where Dercio and fellow musicians showcased a piece they had composed for a nature documentary film shot in Botswana for the National Geographic. Dercio is particularly passionate about promoting traditional African instruments and he plays the mbira  #musician #composer  #mbira   #inspire #motivation
 

Be inspired by Aliénor Salmon, author of  ‘Finding Rhythm’, an advocate for happiness and founder & CEO of ‘Bailando Journey’. Aliénor gave up her full-time job to follow her dream to learn how to dance. It was a journey of self-discovery #dance #salsa #bachata #latindance #selfdiscovery #happiness

Be inspired by the talented Katanga, a professional salsa dancer and bachata teacher. His path to dance was different, sometimes criticism can spur you to do great things! He chats to me about his experiences in international dance competitions, including coping with stage fright and how dance can bring joy to so many people of all ages and different skill levels. 

Katanga who is originally from Madagascar has travelled the world teaching and performing as a professional dancer for over 20 years and now is based in Portsmouth, the UK. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram @SalsaKatanga.
#salsa,#bachata,#danceteacher,#inspire 

Be inspired by Michelle Sintaa Morna, a yoga & meditation instructor.  How can we cope better with life’s stresses? How can we be happier? Michelle has given yoga and meditation sessions for over eight years in Mozambique, and since COVID-19  to online students around the world. She is also currently studying yoga therapy. #yoga #meditation #visualisation #happy #calm #destress

In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour I chat with Emeka Ntone Edjabe,  a South African artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Emeka enjoys experimenting with many different forms of art including acrylic painting and indigo tie-dye, and he loves teaching children. 
Emeka talks about his plans to set up a community arts centre in Johannesburg where young people and children can explore their creative passions.

#art #tiedye #artteaching #southafrica

In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour I chat with Cooper Rust, who has danced as a principal ballerina on stages around the United States before founding Artists for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Originally from South Carolina, United States, Cooper now lives in Nairobi where her organization supports young talented Kenyan ballet dancers from the poorest neighbourhoods in Nairobi. One of her students, Joel Kioko, featured in the first episode of Inspire in Half an Hour, won a place at the English National School of Ballet and is now in the US where he has been dancing with a ballet company in Chicago. 
Tune in and listen to Cooper's inspiring story!

#ArtistsforAfrica #ballet #dance #Kenya #inspire #arts

In this episode of Inspire in Half an Hour I chat with GreatJoy Ndlovu, a Zimbabwean artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He talks to me just before he travels to Florence, Italy for the launch of his solo exhibition, ‘Enigma of the Soul’ at the Tobian Art Gallery 1-15 October 2022.

#greatjoy#art #visualarts #Zimbabwe #SouthAfrica #Johannesburg #podcast #inspirational

Giacomo Pirozzi is a photographer and art curator, based in Florence, Italy.

Giacomo’s photography has taken him to 150 countries across continents. Most of his work has been with UNICEF. Giacomo has also facilitated over 70 child photography workshops around the world. During the workshops, Giacomo teaches children, many of whom have never held a camera before, how to tell their stories through a camera. 

 Giacomo’s other passion is art. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Giacomo launched the Tobian Art Gallery, in the heart of Florence. He displays artists’ work from different countries. His next art exhibition will be from an artist in South Africa.

 I chat with Giacomo about how he got into photography and art,  what it means to him, his vision for the future, and much more. Please tune in! 

 Thanks to  @Giacomopirozzi  @TobianArt 

Thanks to  @KwameEric

 #Podcast #photography #photographyworkshops #art #artgallery #photographer #artcurator

In this episode, I talk with Manuela Madeira, a talented Mozambican figurative artist based in Brussels. 

From December 2021 to January 2022, Manuela had a solo exhibition entitled Mussiro & Other Masks @aKazi! Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, the US, and from February to March this year, she had another solo exhibition entitled A Batota dos Sonhos @Fundacao Fernando Leite Couto Art Gallery in Maputo, Mozambique.

Manuela has a MA in Social Anthropology from Manchester University, the UK, and a MA in Art and Process from the Crawford College of Art & Design, Cork, Ireland.

Manuela talks to me about how she got into art, what inspires her, advice to aspiring artists, and much more. Do tune in!
#podcast #mozambique #artwork #mozambicanart #mozambicanartwork #mozambicanpaintings #africanpaintings #Nampula #figurativeartist #paintings #artgalleries #inspirational

Anaïsa Visser, a biracial filmmaker, based in Canada, is a strong advocate of mental health and race issues. As a child, Anaïsa lived in Mozambique, the United States and France before moving to Canada. 

Anaïsa is the Festival Director of the 17th annual Vancouver International Women in Film Festival (March 8-13) and the founding member of “Women and Gender Diverse Filmmakers of British Columbia”.