The NDINI Podcast

Frustrated by the lack of authentic representation of African women in media and advertising, Chule Gobodo co-founded Brainbow Conscious Creatives with two of her film school classmates. 

Their focus is connecting brands to African women through authentic storytelling.  And everything they do is driven from LOVE - an unheard of concept in the business world.  And even more unusual is a Creative Agency, owned and managed by three young black women film makers. As Chule says "We don't do business as usual. At Brainbow, we do business unusual! 

The South African company has been making waves in the creative ad space since being founded less than two years ago, and is ranked 7th in the world by the Mobile Marketing Association Awards for best creative agency for business impact. To put this in context, Ogilvy which is on largest creative agencies in the world is ranked 6th.  

Chule and her Brainbow co-founders are also the creative minds behind the platform "The Economy of Women",  They felt compelled to address the crisis of confidence that many African women face.  Their goal with the platform is provide women with an online community, where they can grown and support each other.  

And love being at the centre of everything she does, Chule also has a personal platform called 'Chule, the Love Activist'.  

Chule comes from a lineage of achievers - in 1987 her mother, Nonkululeko Gobodo was the first black female Chartered Accountant in South Africa.  

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• Why you should never be afraid to start over or to re-invent yourself 
• The big dream and vision that Chule and her partners at Brainbow have for African women
• The book the inspired how Brainbow does business  
• Why they created the platform "The Economy of Women" and what it means
• What Chule's biggest dream is for herself
• How having a mother who was the first black female Chartered Accountant in South Africa inspired Chule
• Why Chule thinks African women have such poor relationships with money
• The surprising thing that Chule is afraid of 
• What she loves most about herself 
• ….and the profound meaning of her name 
• The best advice she has ever been given
• What Chule’s “I am’ is 

LINKS

Brainbow Conscious Creatives

Brainbow on Instagram

Brainbow on Facebook

Brainbow on Twitter

Brainbow on YouTube

Brainbow website 

The Economy of Women

Economy of Women on Instagram 

Economy of Women website 

Chule the Love Activist

Chule the Love Activist website

Chule on Facebook

Chule on Twitter

With her debut film having it’s premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, Nigerian filmmaker Abbesi Akhamie can officially call herself a filmmaker!

Her film ‘Still Water Runs Deep’ is a moving exploration of the emotional complexities of one African father.  But what is interesting is that her career choice to become a filmmaker was actually inspired by the blockbuster movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ 

I met with Abbesi shortly after her premiere, and she talked about the journey to being a filmmaker, the challenges she faced in making her debut film, and her big dreams for the future. 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• How Director Danny Boyle’s movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was the inspiration for her decision to become a filmmaker

• What inspired her debut film ‘Still Water Runs Deep’

• What being bi-cultural means to her

• The biggest lessons she learning in making her debut  film

• The challenges she faced in bringing this film to life

• Her experience of being a black African female filmmaker

• The advise she’d give to anyone thinking of a career in filmmaking

• Her greatest ambition

• Who she admires most in the industry

• What her ‘I am…’ is 

EPISODE LINKS

 Abbesi on Instagram

Abbesi on Facebook 

Abbesi's Website

When her marriage fell apart, and the economic and political situation in her native Zimbabwe started rapidly declining, Thembi Bheka was forced to leave her home country to move to Canada as a refugee.  Although it was heartbreaking, she had to leave her young children behind.  She arrived in Canada with a whole lot of determination, and only $5 in her pocket – money which she'd been given by a fellow passenger on her flight.   

Thembi worked odd jobs including as a car wash attendant and a care giver, before being accepted into nursing school.  She graduated with flying colours, and got a job, which meant she could finally bring her children to live with her in Canada . But she soon realised that trying to balance being a single mother with her newfound career was not going to work.  She also knew that nursing was not a profession she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing.    

Thembi stumbled across a seminar on real estate investing, which introduced her to the bestselling book 'Rich Dad, Poor Dad".  She credits that seminar and the book for literally changing her life.  She was inspired to buy her first rental property and hasn't looked back since! 

In addition to being a real estate investor, Thembi has decided to share her knowledge by starting a company which she's called "Real Estate Real Riches".  Through her company, she offers training focused on educating and empowering others about investing in real estate.  

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• How Thembi went from being a refugee with only $5 in her pocket to now having financial freedom 
• What she learned from what is now her favourite book 'Rich Day, Poor Dad'
• What her biggest ‘Why’ is
• How she's using the knowledge she's learned in real estate to empower women, and in particular African women
• Her advice for anyone looking to get started in the real estate market
• What being a real estate owner has done for her and her family
• What Thembi’s greatest dream is
• What her superpower is
• What Thembi believes "real riches" are
• The legacy she wants to leave behind 
• What Thembi’s "I am.." is

EPISODE LINKS

Thembi's African Safari Website

Thembi's 'Real Estate Real Riches' Website

Thembi on Instagram

Thembi on Twitter 

Hawa Essuman is a Ghanian-born award-winning filmmaker currently based in Kenya.  Her most recent film Silas, which is a documentary about Liberian environmental activist Silas Siakor, recently opened at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival.  Since then it has gone on to screen at film festivals around the world.  

But Hawa wasn’t always a film director or producer – she started out as an actress in theatre productions, before moving into film production.  

In 2010 Hawa directed the narrative film Soul Boy, which has played at more than 40 film festivals around the world and won numerous awards.  Hawa has also produced music videos.

In our conversation, Hawa shared how the life of a filmmaker is not always glamorous!  She shared some of the challenges she’s faced in making her films, as well as her advice for anyone looking for a career in the industry.  

Hawa also shared a more personal story – her sister Rafia has sickle cell anemia, which has caused her bones to become brittle.  Hawa talked about what she’s doing to help her sister.  

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

What made Hawa want to be a filmmaker

The greatest misconception about women in the film industry in East Africa

Why tell Silas Siakor’s story was so important to her

The best advice she has for anyone wanting to become a filmmaker

How Sex and the City 2 led to her most recent filmmaking partnership

What she’s working on next

What Hawa’s greatest hope is

What Hawa’s “I am…”is

EPISODE LINKS

Hawa on Instagram

Hawa’s Indiegogo Fundraiser for her sister Rafia 

SILAS 

Silas Movie on Facebook

Silas Website

SOUL BOY  

Soul Boy Trailer 

"Doubting yourself – you’ve already killed your dream before you’ve even begun"

Farai Simoyi is an award-winning designer, who has worked with big name brands like Beyonce's 'House of Dereon', RocaWear, Nicki Minaj and Rachel Roy.  She now has her own eponymous label - Farai.  

Farai started making clothes for fun as a little girl from scraps of fabrics from her aunt's store in Zimbabwe.  At that time she didn't really think about becoming a designer as a career.  In fact, when she went to university, she signed up to study psychology.  But in her sophomore year, she had an 'aha moment', which led to her changing her major to design.  

She was hired by Beyonce's 'House of Dereon' soon after graduating, and then went on to work with various big name brands.  But she always had a burning desire to have her own line.  In 2011 she launched 'Farai' with a show at the prestigious New York Fashion Week.  

In recent years Farai has really been driven by her desire to give back.  She knows all too well that young designers aren't often given the opportunities they deserve.  In 2017, she started 'The Narativ' as a place to nurture and support African brands looking to break into the international market.   

She recently opened 'TNT Concept Store in New York so she can provide designers with a physical location to showcase their brands.    

Farai is also deeply committed to supporting female entrepreneurs, and especially African creatives.  And so she recently partnered to launch 'Bloom', which is a platform that supports African female creative entrepreneurs.  

LINKS

Farai on Instagram

Farai on Facebook

Farai's label website

The Narativ on Instagram

The Narativ website

T.N.T. Concept Store on Instagram

T.N.T. Concept Store website 

Zambian filmmaker Rungano Nyoni has achieved the seemingly impossible.  Her first Directorial feature film ‘I am not a witch’, which she also wrote, made it’s debut at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. 

The film, which is a satire about a nine-year-old girl accused of witchcraft in Zambia, has gone on to play at every major film festival; and has won several awards, including a BAFTA for ‘Outstanding Debut’.  The film has also won ‘Best Director’, ‘Best Feature Film’, ‘Best International Film’ and ‘Best Directorial Breakthrough’ awards. 

But Rungano didn’t set out to be a film maker – she actually studied for a Masters degree in acting before deciding she preferred being behind the camera and not in front of it.  Since making that decision, Rungano has written and directed 6 short films.  

Rungano sat down with me at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to talk about filmmaking and the challenges of being a black woman in the industry.  

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• What inspired Rungano to become a filmmaker
• How she came up with the subject of her first feature film
• What it takes to make a feature film
• Some of the challenges she faced in making the film
• What it’s like being a black female filmmaker
• What advise she’d give to anyone thinking of a career in filmmaking
• What inspires Rungano
• The meaning of Rungano’s name, and how it foreshadowed her career 
• What brings Rungano the most joy
• What Rungano’s 'I am' is

LINKS

Rungano’s Website

‘I am not a witch’ Trailer 

She's a Solicitor, Speaker, Writer and Social Activist.  

Spurred by seeing the mistreatment of women in her native Zimbabwe, Rumbi Bvunzawabaya was inspired to become a lawyer so she could address some of the injustice she saw growing up.  But due to the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe at that time, she was forced to move to the United Kingdom with her husband.  Arriving in UK, she was shocked by the shoddy legal services being provided to migrants, and so she and her husband decided to set up their own legal practice.  

Rumbi quickly realised that her relationship with her clients needed to expand beyond just being their lawyer - they needed help with settling into the country, especially after having been separated as families.  And so she and her husband started Migrant Family Support to provide parenting, marriage and bereavement support.  

Rumbi and her husband have also recently started a series of 'Freedom' events aimed at empowering people to break free of past life events that are holding them back from achieving their true potential.

Rumbi was candid about her life and the challenges she's faced, especially coming from a culture where speaking about domestic issues is taboo.  She shared how witnessing domestic violence in her own family, as well as being raped as a young girl, affected her self-confidence and her marriage.  She also shared how she was able to make peace with herself through writing her book 'Girl in the Mirror' which talks about her experiences.  

Since my conversation with Rumbi, she and her husband have sold their law practices to focus on the various programs she and her husband have established to help migrants, as well as people in her home country of Zimbabwe.  

 If you’re interested in supporting the work that Rumbi is doing through Tugwi Trust, please consider sponsoring a child.  You can get in touch with Tugwi Trust through their website at www.tugwitrust.co.zw or via Facebook

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• What inspired Rumbi to become a Solicitor
• The role faith and spirituality play in her life and the work she is doing
• What it's like being business partners and working together with her husband
• How Rumbi's family responded to her writing a book about her childhood experience with domestic violence
• How she was able to find forgiveness for her father after his death
• Why Rumbi made a conscious effort to change her parenting style for her children so she made sure she did not pass her childhood insecurities to her children
• The inspiration behind her and her brother starting a foundation to help young Zimbabweans
• Her vision for where she sees herself for the next 5 years 
• What brings Rumbi the most joy
• What she can't get through the day without 
• What she wishes she had more of in her life
• What Rumbi's 'I am' is

LINKS

Rumbi on Facebook

Rumbi on Instagram

Rumbi's book The Girl in the Mirror available on Amazon

Migrant Family Support Website 

"Create beautiful moments wherever you are" 

Whitney Madueke is a lawyer who was admitted as a Barrister in the High Court of Nigeria.  But after studying law, she realized that law wasn’t her passion.  What she really loved was fashion and beauty.  So she packed up her bags and moved to the New York to pursue her passion.  

Making the transition wasn’t easy though – she’s had to work hard to create her brand, and there were times she even thought about giving up on her dream.  But she’s persisted, and now has partnerships with some major fashion brands.  

She started what has become a hugely successful YouTube channel where she shares tips on hair and makeup.  

She’s also decided to go back to school to study fashion because her ultimate goal is to be a fashion designer.  

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS INTERVIEW

• How Whitney went from being a lawyer to being in the fashion and beauty business
• The challenges she's faced in making the transition, and what her family thought about her making such a drastic career change
• Why Whitney believes in the power of following your dreams 
• How to take great pictures for social media
• The biggest mistakes she sees women of colour making with their makeup
• Her advice for taking care of natural hair 
• What she wishes she had more of in her life
• Her biggest goal
• The best advice she's ever been given 
• What Whitney’s ‘I Am' is

INTERVIEW LINKS 

Whitney on Instagram 

Whitney on YouTube 

Whitney on Twitter 

Whitney on Facebook 

Whitney’s  Facebook

Whitney’s Blog 

Aisha Addo says she thrives on working to make the world a better place for women.  

After leaving her native Ghana to move to Canada at 14 years old, she found herself in foster care for two years. 

At 18 years old she started 'Power to Girls Foundation'.  Aisha wanted to provide young girls with a space where they could be inspired, empowered and provided with mentorship and support - all things she wished she'd had growing up.  Seven years on, she's taken the foundation to Ghana, and is looking to expand to other African countries.  She's also working on building the first Leadership Centre for Women in Ghana to provide skills training for women, so they can gain economic freedom.  

And as if running a foundation wasn't enough, Aisha has recently launched Canada's first ride-sharing service for women by women.   The service, which is called DriveHer, was prompted by seeing the young girls from her foundation struggling to find safe transport, particularly late at night.  

And what's next on her list of goals?  Well, to become Ghana's first female President of course…

Aisha was named 'One of 100 Black Women to Watch in Canada', as well as one of the '150 Black Women making history in Toronto'.  She also received the 'Young Black and Gifted Award for Community Service' and was named a 'Black Diversity Group Role Model'.  

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS INTERVIEW

• How growing up in foster care and being in an abusive relationship inspired her to start a foundation to support and empower young girls

• The challenges she's faced in starting and growing the foundation

• What made her start Canada's first ride-sharing service for women

• Who she'd most like to have dinner with, and what her favorite African dish is

• What she wishes she had more of in her life

• Her biggest goal

• The best advice she's ever been given, and that she lives by 

• What Aisha's 'I Am' is

INTERVIEW LINKS 

Aisha's Website 

Aisha on Instagram

Aisha's Facebook

Aisha on Twitter

Power to Girls Foundation Website

DriveHer Website 

Her name Nompumelelo is a Zulu name that means ‘success’.

Oprah Winfrey said of her: “She's going to be a powerhouse.  I expect that she'll end up being in a major political role in South Africa in the years to come, or even president.”  

She was born into abject poverty – her family lived on less than $3 a day.  Her mother had Mpumi when she was 17 years old.  She never knew her father – he left soon after her birth.  At 9 years old, Mpumi was orphaned when her mother died because of complications from HIV/AIDS.  Mpumi’s mother had been forced to resort to prostitution to raise money to look after her young child.  

When Mpumi was 21 years old, a friend of her mother shared with her the story of how her mother contracted HIV – she had an unprotected sexual encounter with a man who promised her 300 Rands.  300 Rands which she used to buy Mpumi school shoes.  

The woman who Mpumi calls her greatest inspiration – her grandmother, or Gogo as she calls her – stepped in to raise Mpumi.  Mpumi’s grandmother was strict, fearing that she might fall prey to their circumstances.  She was made to study hard, and to attend church, which is where she learned to speak English.  

In 2007 Mpumi was accepted into the inaugural class of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.  This opportunity was quite literally life-changing.  

Mpumi is now a global speaker and communications strategist.  She has spoken around the world, including speaking at the White House; and sharing her story in front of more than 16,000 at WE Day in Los Angeles.  

She has also now started an initiative called #ShareYourStory focused on raising awareness and providing education related to domestic violence and HIV/AIDS in South Africa, especially as it affects young women and girls between the ages of 13 and 25.  As NationBuilder's first ‘Leader in Residence’, Mpumi is developing the digital infrastructure for Share Your Story Africa.  

Mpumi also sits on the Board of Directors of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.  

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS INTERVIEW 

• Why sharing her story is so important to Mpumi
• What it was like growing up in poverty, and how she has used that to her advantage
• What made her start the #ShareYourStory initiative
• Why she’s launching a journal and intention program
• What the first book selection is for her new journal and intention program
• Who inspires Mpumi the most
• The greatest lessons she learned from her mother and grandmother
• What Mpumi’s ‘I Am’ is 

INTERVIEW LINKS

Instagram:  @mpumi_nobia 

Twitter: @Mpumi_Nobiva  

Website: Mpumi Nobiva Website 

Facebook: Mpumi on Facebook  

LinkedIn: Mpumi on LinkedIn

YouTube: Mpumi on YouTube