Lekgetho Makola: Dreaming of Photo Making with Love and Purpose
In this week’s episode, we travel to Johannesburg to speak with Lekgetho Makola, a visual storyteller, cultural strategist, and arts executive whose work spans decades and continents. From his early days sculpting clay animals in rural Limpopo to curating critical archives at Robben Island and studying under film legends at Howard University, Lekgetho shares how his journey has been shaped by care, community, and a radical commitment to dignified representation. Now chief operating officer of the Market Theatre Foundation, he reflects on the transformative power of photography infused with love as a tool not only for documenting truth but for reclaiming identity and rehumanizing Black life. The conversation explores what it means to make—not take—images, the tension between capitalism and care, and the promise of building artistic ecosystems rooted in joy, collaboration, and cultural memory.Jump To:02:09 - “Disorganized lions won’t catch even a limping buffalo.” Lekgetho’s invocation highlighting the power of community and collective action.05:15 - Lekgetho’s journey into the arts, with a little help from an attentive headmaster and exposure to animation on TV early in his childhood.10:00 - The role of the arts, politics, political organization and even sport, in building a space for him to gently “let down” his father by choosing to pursue arts over studying economics.14:50 - The Howard University experience, Lekgetho chooses to attend graduate school at the premier HBCU in the US and continues to be inspired by its pan-Africanist teaches23:30 - References in Black imagery in the US, and West Africa and their influence on archiving the photos at Robben Island Museum, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.25:35 - Visual literacy, the transformation of South Africa and the power of the image to de-humanize Africans as part of the “Colonial excursion”33:30 - On utilizing the care found in traditional African storytelling to put dignity back into the modern legacy of Black and African storytelling.46:20 - Youth and the impact of African music and urbanism on the future of visual storytelling. 54:00 - South Africa’s current challenges and the importance of care and integrity.
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Semhar Araia: Dreaming of Borders as Bridges
In this episode Semhar Araia, CEO of the Diaspora Academy, discusses the transformative power of diasporic life—from visiting Eritrea as a teenager to working there professionally—highlighting the emotional and political significance of being both from a place and apart from it. She shares the story behind her name, revealing a powerful lineage tied to Eritrea’s struggle and resistance.The conversation delves into the power of the diaspora and diasporic identity, particularly for Black and Brown communities, and the beauty of finding a sense of belonging across traditional borders. Semhar advocates for diasporic unity grounded in love, mutual recognition, and feminist values, arguing that the diaspora holds immense potential to reimagine global leadership and collective liberation. In recognition of the power of the diaspora we purposely start our journey through Africa with this conversation with Semhar in her home in DC.This is Dreaming in Color, Africa.Jump straight into:00:00:45… Introduction of Semhar Araia00:02:35… Semhar opens the conversation with an Invocation honoring her 00:03:55… Semhar’s early beginnings in an activist home in 1970’s New York00:09:04… The importance of community – Semhar shares about her deep connection to Eritrean Diaspora community and how that sense of community has evolved00:12:03… Going “home”, to Eritrea, at 1300:14:20… Going back again, professionally, as a diasporan00:16:12… Naming: the role of Semhar’s highly politicized name, and its connection to Eritrea’s struggle for independence, in her sense of “taking up space”00:21:05… on deep impact of separation from homeland, and of connection…00:25:47… The power of the diaspora movement, and how it is at once a feminist and a liberation movement
The equitable future we seek requires celebrating the genius of today’s leaders of color. In Dreaming in Color, hear from champions in the charge for equity and justice. Hosted by Darren Isom, a partner in the The Bridgespan Group’s San Francisco office, this podcast offers leaders of color space to share how they have leveraged their unique assets and abilities to embrace excellence, drive impact, and more fully define what success looks like. Grounded in both his New Orleans roots and his experience as a queer Black leader in the social sector, Darren invites listeners into the candid kitchen table conversations that have long helped shape the journeys of BIPOC leaders. Together, we embrace these leaders’ ingenuity, learn from their wisdom and wit, reflect on their words with authenticity and humor, and listen as we think of how we can collectively strive to do and be better. This is Dreaming in Color.
South Africa