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Nongcebo Langa fell in love with wine after a chance encounter with a winemaker at a fair. She went on to study the craft at South Africa’s renowned Stellenbosch University and her passion and mastery of the industry’s technical processes has resulted in her creating award-winning wines, like the 2022 Delheim Gewürztraminer. Taurai Maduna, bird story agency As Nongcebo Langa walked between the barrels of a beverage enjoyed worldwide, a bubbling sound could be heard from the gas emitted during fermentation - part of the journey of every great wine. It's a sound Langa said now makes her feel at home - and stirs her imagination. “We have fermentation, then you age (the wine). You can age three months, six months, nine months, 18, 24 months to five years for MCC - Méthode Cap Classique. This is the method used to make South African sparkling wines,” she explained. Langa didn't grow up expecting to make wine. It took a careers fair and a chance encounter with a winemaker there to open her eyes to what is now her career as a South African winemaker and one of the few black women in the industry. “It hasn't been our thing, but now it's becoming our thing,” Langa said of her community's interest in wine. Nongcebo grew up in Pietermaritzburg’s Imbali township where family gatherings were stocked with beer and spirits. This is no longer the case; because of her knowledge of wines, she has become the unofficial ‘family sommelier’ and wine is now a popular choice at family functions. “'I got this wine, how do I drink it, how do I enjoy it?' are some of the questions I get asked by those close to me who have started to enjoy drinking wine,” she explained. KwaZulu-Natal Province where Langa comes from is known for its sugarcane production and dairy and cattle farming and the thought of studying wines never crossed her mind till she visited the careers fair and heard a winemaker there talk about their work. After the fair, the idea of making wine seemed like an exciting challenge, so she decided to give it a go by enrolling at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape Province to study Viticulture and Oenology. “Viticulture is a study of grapes and the grapevine. From the soil to the insects in the ground to the weather, the climates, everything around the growth of the vine. And then Oenology is the study of wine. So wine sciences, the microbes, the machinery, the processing of the grape itself, once it gets into the cellar,” Langa explained. She went further in her education and pursued a Master's program, focusing on the influence of wildfire smoke on vineyards. “It's actually becoming much more relevant in the wine industry all over the world where we are seeing a lot of wildfires around winemaking regions. So my research actually focused on trying to help out once the incidence of this has occurred,” she said. After completing her studies in 2018, Langa interned at the renowned Delheim Wines in Stellenbosch - and never left. She rose through the ranks and was appointed winemaker in May 2022. That same year, she produced the 2022 Delheim Gewürztraminer - a white wine classified as off-dry - which won her the 2023 Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year Award. “The Gewürztraminer is quite a nice and unique grape in South Africa. I think there's about maybe five or so wine farms that actually make wine out of Gewürztraminer. It's exciting to work with and the flavours that come of it are very, very amazing. It's a nice combination of fruits, you've got a nice balance between the acid and the sugar on the palate”, Langa said. Her award came with prize money and a trip to any wine region in the world. She is planning on going to Bordeaux in France in September. “It's one of those regions that are iconic in the world. The wines that come from there are very well known. And, you know, the quality that comes from there is also well-known in the world.” Langa plans to travel when it's harvest season to learn as much as she can - both inside the winery and out. “Wine is a lot about culture as well as the drink and the winemaking itself,” she said, adding that she considers her profession both a science and an art. “Everywhere you go in the world, you're going to learn the same thing about winemaking and then how you express that science, because you learn the science of it, the basics of it, but how you express that, that's up to you.” Langa is certainly in the right environment to grow as a winemaker; according to Statista, South Africa ranks eighth in wine production out of the top 10 traditional wine-producing countries globally. As a wine master, Langa’s work involves monitoring thousands of litres of wine at various stages of production in the cellars. It also involves regularly tasting wine. In the white wine barrel fermentation cellar that houses the Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, she uses the ‘wine thief’ to get a wine sample from the barrel, so as to assess how the wine is fermenting. “As you can see this is raw wine, it won’t be as clear as you will find it in a shop, so it still has to go through a lot of processes and there is high CO2 (carbon dioxide) that keeps the particles in suspension and that is why it is cloudy. But it will settle down over time.” Langa works closely with Delheim cellarmaster, Roelof Lotriet, who advised management to hire her when she was an intern. Lotriet was impressed with her work ethic and her curiosity. He recalled how she responded when he asked her what she wanted out of the internship, and she jokingly replied that she wanted his winemaker job. “With wine, you’ve only got one shot on a vintage. There isn't a redo or undo button. What you do is what you do. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I don't think [Delheim] will be her end place, I think it'll be just the start of a fantastic career for her,” Lotriet said. “I wanted to learn more and work under Roelof as well, it's just been quite a beautiful journey and I’ve adopted a lot of the philosophies that I have actually learned from him. And what he sort of preaches in the cellar. So that's been quite a fascinating and worthwhile journey. And then to be at Delheim so full of history, so full of traditions. It's been a learning experience,” Langa said. Shame Mumba was one of the five panel of judges at the 43rd annual Diners Club Winemaker of the year awards. A certified sommelier and board member of the South African Sommelier Association board member, Mumba described Langa’s wine as having shown a lot more purity. “The wine showed more identity, which simply means that sometimes you don't have to interfere too much in the making of the wine, but the less you make, the better the results will be like.” Mumba added that winning such an award for a young winemaker was a huge confidence booster. “It’s also a big inspiration for the young winemakers that want to become a winemaker and especially somebody of colour. That is even a massive boost for our industry as South Africa.” So what makes a good wine? Langa is quick to point out that it’s a very personal choice. It’s about how one connects with the wine. “I always say, I pair my wine with my mood and the company that I have. If I pick up a Rosé I know I’m going to be chilled by the pool or outside with the braai.” She added that for a serious dinner, she would go for something like her cellar's Grand Reserve. bird story agency Useful links: https://www.delheim.com/ https://dinersclub.co.za/news-events/winemaker-of-the-year/ https://www.statista.com/topics/11626/wine-industry-in-south-africa/#topicOverview https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2024/01/south-african-wine-exports-see-volumes-fall-but-value-growth-increase/ https://academieduvinlibrary.com/blogs/blog/black-women-winemakers-breaking-barriers-in-south-africa

Period pains led investment banker Harriet Chebet to herbal products after her return to Kenya. Now, the herbs are the basis of her thriving herbal products business. Cynthia Rotich, bird story agency A cloud of aromatic steam and the happy sound of bubbling fills the tidy, tiled room in Karen, a suburb in Nairobi, as Harriet Chebet shows off the machinery that helps her produce a range of medicinal herbal products. The remedies, which Chebet promotes as herbal solutions to health issues ranging from endometriosis to joint pain, are delivered daily to women across Kenya. As to their effectiveness, Chebet should know - she started the business after herbal remedies rescued her from a lifetime of pain. “Every month for one week, I was in a lot of pain, throwing up, constipation and on strong painkillers,” Chebet said of her life before she discovered a herbal remedy. At the age of 16, Chebet started to battle with endometriosis, a painful condition where the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. With each menstrual cycle, the tissue thickens, breaks down and bleeds. When Chebet left Kenya for the UK to study and work as an investment banker, the condition continued. For years, she endured the challenges of a demanding corporate job and chronic pain. Even when she was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, there was no solution and no end to the pain. She sought alternative medicines but could not find a remedy for her debilitating pain. Chebet relocated to Kenya in 2017, losing her father the same year. During his funeral, she encountered a woman who, after witnessing her struggle with menstrual pain, introduced her to herbal remedies long used by women of her ethnic group. “I took it back home and boiled the herbs and for the first time in over 20 years I experienced a painless period," Chebet shared. Inspired by the result, Chebet shared the experience with a friend struggling with similar challenges. “The friend I shared with was on her way to get a hysterectomy and she had been bleeding for around 3 weeks and I advised her to try the product first for pain before getting the procedure. When she took it, she stopped bleeding and shared her experience to a WhatsApp group and that’s how the business, Harriet Botanicals, started," Chebet said. Chebet realised she could tap a range of herbal remedies through her heritage as part of the Kipsigis tribe of Kenya. Traditionally, the Kipsigis were semi-nomadic pastoralists, raising livestock and cultivating sorghum and millet in the fertile highlands of southwestern Kenya. The tribe's traditional healers, called 'Il-Koibatik', used their expertise to prescribe herbs. “The Kipsigis hold over a thousand years of traditional ancient remedies for helping women who have reproductive issues," Chebet explained. A year later, Chebet established Harriet Botanicals as an official institution by obtaining certification from the Culture Ministry, which governs businesses and products of this nature. She then took the crucial step of subjecting her products to safety testing at the University of Nairobi's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. This evaluation confirmed the suitability of her products for mass production. Chebet sources her herbs from the South Rift Region of Kenya and ingredients include the roots, bark, and leaves from approximately 30 different tree and herb species. These herbs are then transported to her Karen-based 'headquarters'. Her facilities include a drying room, a manufacturing plant and a front office where packaging labelling and distribution takes place before products are transported to retailers all over Kenya. Chebet currently employs 20 full-time and more than 50 casual workers. Harriet Botanicals has a range of 12 products that focus on overall body health for both women and men. The prices vary, ranging from 700 to 2000 Kenyan shillings (about US$5 to US$15), ensuring accessibility to a wide range of customers. Mosipchot is one of these products, a traditional indigenous remedy. Sold as a blood purifier with anti-viral properties, it is said to help eliminate joint pain, lower blood sugar levels for patients suffering from Type 2 Diabetes and manage high blood pressure. It is also advertised as a kidney cleanse and diuretic. The product has a ‘please consult your health provider on the use of this product’ advisory on their products and online store website. “Harriet Botanicals is a company that retails traditional, indigenous medicine for the urban, African and diaspora market. These are 100% organic medication with no side effects. It is not processed and there are no preservatives added. Additionally, these herbal products contain bio-active components that are actually found in pain medication, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial medications," Chebet explained. Arorwet is Chebet’s flagship product and perhaps her most famous product. It is advertised as an organic product used to alleviate the symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), fibroids and urinary tract infections, among other female reproductive disorders. Arorwet contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial elements like Phytoestrogens. According to Healthline.com, Phytoestrogens are compounds that naturally occur in plants and which can possibly regulate oestrogen levels in humans. Gachege Kongo is one of Chebet’s frequent customers. She struggled with menstrual pain that was so bad she couldn't carry out her day-to-day activities. It wasn't until she started using Arorwet that her story of pain changed. “I experienced immediate relief once Harriet introduced me to Arorwet which had also helped her. The pain and heavy bleeding stopped and through the years I have continued to use it and I have continued to feel much better,’’ she said. Harriet Botanicals has garnered a wide following across social media platforms. On Facebook and Instagram alone, they have a combined 100,000 followers. Posts include hundreds of positive reviews from people, especially women who previously suffered from the impact of reproductive issues, from painful menstrual cramps to infertility issues. One excited social media user shared her experience after using Arorwet. “I am proud because since 2018, I developed PCOS, irregular, painful and prolonged periods, hoarse voice, primary infertility, HTN, DM and obesity. A friend introduced me to Harriet Botanicals and after using Arorwet and Mosipchot I realised I was pregnant,’’ she said. Brenda Nyongesa, another customer of Harriet Botanicals, shared her struggles of trying to conceive for more than seven years “I was diagnosed with adenomyosis, fibroids and cysts and I had visited many doctors and gynaecologists before I learnt of Harriet Botanicals herbal remedies to issues like mine. After taking around 15 bottles of the famous Arorwet I found out I was pregnant.’’ With a monthly customer base of 5,000 to 6,000 individuals, the company has established a strong presence with over 14 outlets nationwide. Their products are distributed through respected Kenyan health stores such as 'Healthy U'. Researchers estimate that 80% of the world population uses herbal drugs in primary health care, because they are readily available and less expensive. “Traditional medicine has been used in Africa for centuries to address reproductive health concerns and health concerns in general. While I am yet to prescribe them myself, I am always eager to explore well researched herbal medicine like Harriet Botanicals because they provide options alongside conventional treatment. However, it is important to discuss your interest in herbal remedies with a doctor or qualified herbalist first. They can help you determine the appropriate dosage based on your individual needs, health history, and any medications you're taking,” said Dr Simon Juma, a gynaecologist and reproductive health specialist. It hasn't always been smooth sailing for Chebet and Harriet Botanicals. At the beginning of her journey, she encountered a significant hurdle in the form of the societal stigma surrounding traditional medicine. She had to confront accusations of engaging in illegal activities and taking advantage of people, which led to a lack of credibility and not being taken seriously. However, as time passed and customers started to witness the positive effects of her remedies, Harriet Botanicals gradually gained credibility and began to overcome the challenges posed by preconceived notions. Now more confident and experienced, Chebet has plans for the company that will keep her busier than would ever have been possible before her life-changing experience with herbal medicine. “My future plans are to continue formalising my company by taking branding initiatives to another level while working with industry giants. I would also like to rebrand by changing the bottles so that they are high density pharmaceutical plastic. I am also working on creating a new product for malaria and fever. I would also like to continue expanding our markets abroad,” she shared. bird story agency Useful link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/herbaceous-agent

Two male hosts engage in spirited sports banter in a lively studio session in Nairobi. But it's their young female colleague who steals the show, diving into trending sports news. Meet Mukami Wambora, one of Kenya’s few women sports journalists and co-host of the popular radio show, #SportOn. Her journey from law graduate to sports pundit defies norms, and her impact extends beyond the airwaves - she’s also breaking barriers outside the studio, and advocates for mental health awareness. Esther Musembi, bird story agency In a colourfully decorated broadcast studio, two men talk sports. Joining them is a young woman who fuels the debate by throwing in news of a kit debacle that has stirred Kenyans. Knowledgeable and opinionated, she points out what’s wrong with the kit and what might be done as a fix. The conversation then swings to the English Premier League and then on to a much-anticipated track event, dipping into social media commentary along the way. Mukami Wambora is one of the country's few female sports journalists, guest-hosting the popular radio show #SportOn with Bernand Ndong’ and James Wokabi, on Nation FM, on given days as she also freelances at Homeboyz Radio as a pundit. She joined the radio show shortly after exiting a TV show in 2022. Wambora, 34, is hardly the norm when it comes to journalism, specifically sports journalism. Before she got into TV, she was a law graduate, then worked in a local bank as a legal assistant. “I really wanted to do law. I used to enjoy a lot of the legal TV shows. I wanted to be what I was seeing on TV - being in court and defending people.” That was before her first year studying law. The reality came as a shock. “I knew this is not what I want to do but I also didn't know what else I can do. My final decision was to just keep at it.” Wambora finished her degree in the UK and came back to Kenya still trying to figure herself out - and to work out what she really wanted to do. She took a 6-month break before starting at the Kenya School of Law, a prerequisite for practising law in the country. In the six months, she began writing articles about football and sending them out, unsolicited. “A lot of emails never got replied to, but eventually someone invited me to Capital FM to do a voice test. Here I met James Wokabi, who was the host of Football Sunday. So we had a few minutes conversation about football, and he was like, ‘You know your stuff. Why don't you come on Sunday?’ So that was an exciting experience, but it was really nerve wracking,” she explained. Wokabi turned into her first mentor, teaching her everything she needed to know as a sports host and also eliciting what she already knew. “She was nervous and very soft spoken, not the fierce lady that you see today. It took her quite a bit but then she just got going. There was also not as many women doing football punditry. I could see that she loved and knew about what she was talking about.” Wokabi said. Wambora soon became Wokabi's regular guest-host. “You can imagine just having to put yourself out on air. I was really nervous at the start, but he really held my hand and he just kept encouraging me. And as time grew, I got really confident, but at the same time, I was finished at the Kenya School of Law. I had started working at the bank because this (show hosting) was just on Sundays,” she narrated. But the balance between being a lawyer on weekdays and talking sports on Sundays began wearing thin. “I had such a contrast with my Sundays where I’d be so excited to go on radio and talk about sports whereas my Monday mornings were just like ‘I have to get up and go to work’.” Two years into her legal career, she quit. “Every parent’s dream in Africa is for their child to be a lawyer, a doctor. Something that makes sense. But I explained to them that I really wanted to pursue this as a career. And credit to them, they supported me.” They agreed she could always fall back on her law degree if things didn’t work out. “I used to play football. Even in school. I used to get Sports Girl of the Year awards. I used to really love playing sports, but I had not thought of it as a career at that point,” she said with a nostalgic smile. “I tried and here we are. I think a big challenge I had to overcome is impostor syndrome,” she said. She leaned heavily on mentors who were supportive of her journey. She left Capital FM for Bamba Sport, run by Radio Africa, where she worked with sports queen Carol Radull. Wambora credits her introduction to TV to Radull, one of Kenya's most successful female sports journalists. "You never know somebody's ready for TV broadcast until they actually go on air. I hired her... when she had primarily been doing radio at Capital FM and she did a screen test and she was very nervous at first, but who wasn't. I was also nervous at first, and you can tell from a screen test whether someone is trainable or not. She was clearly somebody you could train, because she had the conscience as a person. She's confident, she's knowledgeable," Radull said of her mentee. After her stint at Radio Africa, she joined Citizen TV, where she worked with veteran sports journalist, Bernard Ndong’. “A major advantage of having a female sports journalist is, it shatters the norms, because basic social norms are that sports is largely male-centric. It’s male-centric in terms of it being played, and also most likely in terms of how it's being reported. Because even if you just do a quick analysis of the number of female broadcast journalists in the country, there are very few and far between.” Ndong’ explained. For him, this was also a different kind of mentoring. “She was knowledgeable, it wasn’t just a token we were giving her. She was also willing to learn. I also came to find that female sports journalists are much more adept at following up stories." Wambora went on to cover big events like the 2018 World Cup, which she credits as being a major boost to her career, and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon. She has interviewed big names in football, like Thierry Henry and Rio Ferdinand. Wambora also now wears many hats. Apart from being a sports journalist, she is also the treasurer to the Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK), one of three women on the Executive team. “A big part of what we want to do in terms of transforming sports journalism in Kenya is, we want to give a lot more opportunities for young journalists to cover sports, especially out of the country.” She aims to use her position to give young journalists an opportunity to improve and to grow. She also wants to take care of things like medical insurance that most sports journalists don’t have and to foster unity within themselves. She also founded Uko Sawa, a mental health initiative that seeks to shift the stigma around mental health and to provide support at affordable prices. Taking on mental health issues has become an integral part of who Wambora is, today. “Uko Sawa is something very near and dear to my heart. I got diagnosed with a mental illness very late in life, around 2019, literally in the middle of my career.” “A big part of what's helped me cope is therapy. And one of the things I realize is that it's made me a more holistic person, a better person,” she further explained. She is pushing for mental health to even be introduced to schools, a move she’s confident will reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. “If it's in the school curriculum where, like, ‘after math, I have counselling,' and everyone knows that's what's happening, then it stops having that stigma attached to it. And everyone is better for it.” A product of mentorship herself, Wambora dedicates part of her time to mentoring and has successfully mentored Ivy Ijai, a fellow sports journalist who works at KTN, a leading TV station here in Kenya. “Mentorship was one of the greatest gifts that I’ve had in my career, throughout. And it's a gift I also wanted to pass down.” “She'll ask me for advice on what to do. And we'll talk about it and I can really see how much she's grown. So that's also been really rewarding, being able to also pass on the gift that was given, to someone else. And now I understand when they tell me, ‘we’re so proud of you!’” she elaborated. Her biggest advice is to just start. “Don't wait for someone to give you an opportunity. You just start creating that content; start writing, if you need to write, start recording yourself and talking about sports. Just start,” said the radio host, who is also now a digital content creator and emcee. “If people go back and watch some of my videos, if I’m holding a paper, you can see it shaking, because it's nerve-wracking,” she said of her journey to where she is now. To add to her repertoire, Wambora is eyeing a master’s degree in sports business to fill a gap in sports sponsorship in Kenya and is one of the sector's biggest challenges. “A lot of corporates are not understanding that connect. We have fewer and fewer sponsors in some of these big events, something like Motorsport. The Kenya National Rally no longer has a sponsor, which means there are fewer people taking part. We've missed a trick there.” bird story agency

Through the dust and the roar of engines that marked the 2024 World Rally Championship Safari Rally Kenya, obscured by the intensity of the celebrations and at a distance from the champagne spray and the limelight of the podium, four women played a key role in the event's success. They are four unsung heroes and their passion and dedication is a testament to the indomitable spirit of women in motorsports. Mwarv Kirubi, bird story agency When Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen emerged as top finishers at the 2024 World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally Kenya and stepped onto the podium at Hell’s Gate National Park to freely spray champagne over colleagues and rally officials, one might have been forgiven for presuming that this was an all-mens' event. One would have presumed wrong. Apart from four all-womens' teams participating in the race, four Kenyan women made crucial contributions to the event. Here, bird story agency sheds light on these four women. Charlene Tuja, Rally Photographer In the male-dominated field of rally photography, Charlene Tuja stands out as the only Kenyan woman accredited to shoot at the 2024 WRC Safari Rally Kenya. The presence of so many male photographers, some lugging longer lenses than she herself did not intimidate her a bit. As a Pool Photographer, Tuja shot, edited and uploaded images on the go, ensuring the media was provided with timely, appropriate and quality images to go with stories and updates in real-time. Tuja's journey into photography started more than a decade ago, when she started taking photos with a family member’s film camera. By the time the WRC made a comeback to Kenya in 2021 after a 19-year hiatus, Tuja was working for a firm assisting in the Rally's event communications. She felt it would be more exciting to have a front-row seat in the action, however, so he applied and became accredited as a Safari Rally photographer in 2022. She did so again in 2023 and in 2024. She said the adrenaline, speed, sound, fans and atmosphere made the early mornings, late nights, getting covered in dust and general physical torture well worth it. She also encourages other women to join motorsports photography. “Women are naturally drawn to remembering things. Capturing it on camera and having evidence makes... you see things from a different point of view and challenge yourself to look for different perspectives other than your own, so you get to learn more. Motorsports is very exciting.” Edna Owuor Otieno and Sharon Chepng’etich, Timekeepers Rallying is racing against the clock. Points are awarded or lost depending on how long a driver takes to complete each stage of the race. With this in mind, it is clear that timekeepers are some of the most important officials in any rally. Each rally stage has several timekeepers working at the start and finish of the stage. We caught up with Edna Owuor Otieno and Sharon Chepng’etich who were stationed at the start of the Wolf Power Stage, the last competitive section of the 2024 WRC Safari Rally Kenya. According to Otieno, who has been a fan of cars and motor-racing for much of her life, “a time controller makes sure the drivers are allocated the correct time in the race and makes sure the winner is correctly picked.” Participating in this year’s rally gave her a joy that she finds hard to describe. Contributing to the correct awarding of the rally winner is an unquantifiable joy, she said. And being a woman in a male-dominated space, made her particularly proud. She was also thrilled that four all-women teams competed in 2024, compared to two in 2023. It is hard to separate Chepng’etich from her love for speed. The excitement of the cars revving, the skid starts and the flying gravel particles fills her veins with adrenaline, she explained. She also enjoys that she gets a front-row seat at the only World Rally Championship event run on African soil. Otieno, Chepng’etich and other timekeepers use GPS Clocks connected to specially-developed apps running on customised tablets to inform each driver when they should start the stage, and to record the time the driver takes to complete the stage. They both wish that more women would participate as timekeepers so they can share the excitement of the experience more widely. Sylvia Karimi, Super Fan It’s a few minutes after sun-up at the start of Soysambu Stage and already there are fans and spectators here, two hours before the first rally car comes through. They do not want to miss the action so everyone is angling for the best vantage of rally cars being flagged off to tackle the 29km stage. Two fans, Sylvia Karimi and her son Zane, have made the 1-hour journey from Nakuru City - northwest of Nairobi - to be here. They had to wake up while it was still dark to make sure they had a good view of the action. For Sylvia, seeing Zane’s eyes light up and hearing the excitement in his voice whenever a rally car passed them made the sacrifice of sleep on a Saturday morning well worth it. Karimi feels there are many women viewers, supporters, fans and would-be participants in motorsports but they are underrated, restricted to urban driving and do not show themselves. “More women should show up and shine out, just like in biking,” she said. Past strides in women’s participation Several past Safari Rally events have seen major wins for women. In 2022, Maxine Wahome, then aged 26, made history by becoming the first Kenyan woman in the rally’s long (60+ years) history to win the race's WRC3 category. Wahome’s win came almost five decades after Orie Rogo Manduli and co-driver Sylvia Omino made history by becoming the first black African women's team to grace the Safari when they entered the 1974 edition. bird story agency Useful links: https://www.motorsport.com/wrc/news/wahome-makes-history-as-first-female-wrc3-winner-at-safari-rally/10328884/ https://www.the-star.co.ke/sports/2024-03-15-women-crews-sit-pretty-on-fast-lane-as-wrc-safari-fast-approaches/

Ifedolapo Runsewe, is promoting a “circular” approach to industrial growth and growing her rubber recycling operation at the same time. Her personal journey offers life lessons, too. Zaniel Dada, bird story agency Ifedolapo Runsewe is prospecting for "black gold". Although Nigeria is one of the world’s leading crude oil exporters, this time oil is not the “black gold” Runsewe is looking for. A sustainability-driven entrepreneur based in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria, Runsewe is the founder of Freee Recycle, a waste management company that transforms discarded vehicle tyres into safer, usable products. Freee Recycle is also the launch vehicle for Runsewe's vision of a cyclical economy. “A lot of people are worried about the amount of waste we generate and the impact it's having on our ecosystems. The desire to conserve resources and improve our overall quality of life were motivating factors,’’ the entrepreneur said of her journey into sustainability. The journey began after a decade of managing sales and operations for banks and telcos, Runsewe explained. She began looking for an opportunity to take the entrepreneurial leap. While driving past a landfill one day, she was alarmed by the suffocating fumes coming from piles of burning tyres. Deciding to do some research, she didn't like what she found. The World Bank estimates Nigeria will produce over 100 million tonnes of waste annually by 2050. The current level is some 32 million tonnes a year. Processing garbage safely is challenging for Nigerian authorities and there is also widespread illegal dumping. Old tyres are a particular problem. They have relatively little monetary value after they have been used. Scientific studies have found that they release hazardous material into the soil and water as they decompose and into the air when burnt. Runsewe spent years on research, design, raising capital, and prototyping before Freee Recycle (registered as Freetown Waste Management Recycle Ltd) officially got rolling in 2020. “No one else was doing this at that time. We had to train our staff from scratch. And then we had to import all the technology because it was a nightmare to fabricate them locally. Sometimes we got it right, sometimes we didn’t and that was money down the drain,’’ she said. The “sweat equity” and over US$5 million that Freee Recycle and its partners have invested so far, is now paying off and social enterprise records indicate the company now has 160 employees. Freee Recycle claims their sole facility in Ibadan’s industrial area can handle around 150 car tyres per hour and has gone through 250,000 tyres so far. “Our plan is to scale up to one million tyres per annum or more, and to achieve that we will need to set up other ‘crushing sites’ around the country," Runsewe said. The workflow at the factory involves using specialised equipment to break down the tyres, remove embedded objects, then mould the salvaged rubber into various products for industrial, commercial, and residential use. Runsewe outlined two main strategies her company uses to mine its “black gold”. By positioning itself as an operational hub in the tyre waste management ecosystem, Freee Recycle encourages a value chain in the recycling ecosystem. The company purchases discarded tyres from registered vendors and agents at about US$0.10 per piece, creating business opportunities up the chain. Sources like auto repair services receive additional revenue from selling their old tyres, while Freee Recycle’s collectors make money by identifying and supplying stockpiles to the company. Freee Recycle also encourages organisations with fleets of vehicles to dispose of their used tyres responsibly via an Extended Customer Responsibility (ECR) programme that enables the organisation to divert - at source - the flow of old tyres to landfills. This strategy also makes collating data more efficient as a relatively large number of tyres are collected from fewer sources. Partner organisations are issued certificates that detail the materials received, how they were processed, what they were turned into, and how the processing contributed to reduced emissions. Runsewe’s efforts to reduce Nigeria’s carbon footprint also focus on Freee Recycle’s own industrial operations. “Power is one of our main challenges. The machine behind me is currently running on a diesel generator, which itself is not clean or sustainable. We're working on migrating to a cleaner source of energy,” she pointed out. Overheads make competing with imported or non-biodegradable mainstream products difficult. Some of Freee Recycle’s best sellers are rubber tiles that sell for about US$45 per square metre. Freee Recycle also produces mats, paving bricks, marine bumpers, kerbs, insulation rolls, and other rubber accessories. The company’s marketing strategy includes highlighting to price-sensitive consumers that their goods are more durable, ethically produced, support local businesses, and solve an existing problem. Runsewe believes the future of industry lies in creating harmony between economic goals and increasing social responsibility. “We’re trying to shift from a linear to a circular economy, so there must be a plan for disposing of the materials that manufacturers are putting out there when they reach the end of their product’s life cycle,” she explained. This is one of the reasons Runsewe is so excited about Freee Recycle’s latest offering; upscaled and eco-friendly flip-flops. “We’ve had our eye on the sustainable fashion industry from the very beginning. While visiting Kenya in 2019, I saw Maasai warriors wearing sandals made from waste tyres. It made a lot of sense,” Runsewe recalled. Some of Freee Recycle’s flip-flops feature graphic designs celebrating Nigeria’s cultural heritage. “What Ifedalapo is doing with Freee Recycle should be scaled across Africa and the globe. The sale of these products also increases visibility around environmental issues and leads to more investment and partnerships,” said Abimbola Olufore-Wycliffe, who heads Nigeria’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The guest list for a launch event of Freee Recycle’s flip-flops read like a Who’s Who of influential women in Nigeria’s green economy. “I’m also trying to set an example for other women. We have seats at these tables now. So let’s be more vocal, share our ideas, and help drive change,” Runsewe said after the March event in Lagos. Freee Recycle has also started recycling steel, by smelting scrap metal for repurposing into items like nails and wire. This is where the rubber hits the road for Ifedalopo Runsewe. She intends to keep promoting a mix of solution-focused innovation, existing resources, partnerships, and entrepreneurial resilience, to contribute to the region's economic growth. “For me, success is doing something that I love, something that makes me happy, but most importantly something that impacts other people's lives positively as well,” she concluded. bird story agency

Near the vibrant city of Salvador, Ivana Muzenza makes tasty golden brown fritters from a recipe that dates back to the 19th century. The meal serves as a culinary connection to the West African roots of a unique community of Brazilian women. Iris Pacheco, bird story agency Lively conversation blends with the rhythmic sizzle of hot oil in Itapuã, a neighbourhood near the coastal city of Salvador in Bahia State, northern Brazil. The golden brown fritters Ivana Muzenza makes at her stall, known locally as Acarajé, represent more than a tasty snack. Muzenza is a “Baiana”, a Portuguese word that describes an exclusive community of Bahian women who sell street food while dressed in traditional attire; typically a white flowing lace dress, beaded necklaces, and jewellery, with colourful headscarves. Muzenza’s great-great-grandmother arrived in the region towards the end of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. She became a "Ganhadeira de Acarajé", a group of mostly enslaved African women who would walk the streets selling the delicacy. They would save up any extra money they made on top of their owners’ profit, to buy their own or a family member's freedom. Between the 16th and the 19th centuries, over five million Africans - mostly from West and Central Africa - were transported to Brazil. Salvador was the main port of entry, and most of them were forced to work in the Bahia region. Salvador is now home to about 2.9 million people, according to UNESCO. Some diaspora experts classify it as the city with the largest population of people of African descent outside Africa. Its dynamic and vibrant culture is a major draw for an estimated 2.3 million visitors annually. Bahia’s historical links to Africa are evident in Bahia's customs, music (like capoeira and samba), religion, and cuisine. The earliest records indicate that Acarajé first appeared in the region in the 1900s. "My great-great-grandmother was a slave, but after the ‘Free Womb Law’ was passed in 1871, the children of slaves were free, or ‘freedom babies’. She died over a century ago. My great-grandmother also lived past 100 years. I was 22 when she passed, so I had enough time with her. She taught me how to make Acarajé.” Cultural historians say the dish originated from the Yoruba people of West Africa. It’s called Akara in southwest Nigeria today and is also eaten in Togo, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Mali. While a paste made from ground black-eyed beans is the common ingredient in each region, the seasoning and garnishes are unique. In Brazil, Acarajé is also used in sacred rituals by practitioners of the Jejé or vodum branch of the Candomblé religion, which is described as a blend of West African traditions, particularly Yoruba, Bantu, and Gbe, with influences from Roman Catholicism and indigenous Brazilian beliefs. Muzenza closely follows the recipe passed down from the family’s first Ganhadeira de Acarajé for five generations. She mixes salt and chopped onions into her bean dough, deftly moulds it into balls and then drops them into a pan of piping hot palm oil. Once the fritters are fried and cooled, she splits each to add fillings like prawns, vegetables, and hot pepper sauce. The difference now is that Muzenza doesn’t walk the streets - she cooks and serves at Tabuleiro Cinco Acarajé, her own stall. "Our women got permission from the Orixas - our traditional Afro-Brazilian gods - to sell Acarajé on their trays to gain their freedom. Today, we live in the city, and everyone has the freedom to sell Acarajé and support their families. It's the main street food, a food that signifies our resistance, that’s the difference from how it's being made and sold in Africa." Paulo de Jesus is an Adjunct Professor at the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB) and specialises in Brazilian history. "Many slaves were forced into trade when their owners noticed that they had entrepreneurial skills. We can attribute the vibrancy of our street markets today to those women. They also contributed to Salvador's development. Back then there were no vehicles or mechanisation, so the men were manual labourers, and the women supplied meals at their work sites all over the city. It's why Brazil's street food industry is so rich today, it's the result of the women’s ‘entrepreneurial DNA,'" de Jesus noted. Baianas like Muzenza charge US$15-25 per serving of Acarajé, depending on the toppings selected. They earn approximately BRL$2,824 per month, which is about US$540. They usually make more during the summer, when tourist numbers rise. Baianas de Acarajé leaders complain that inflation, urban planning restrictions, competition from fast-food chains, and a lack of cultural appropriation laws are threatening their livelihood. Muzenza recalled how her mother and grandmother initially discouraged her from joining the family business. "Why can't this be treated as a formal profession? It's a lot of hard work. But today, you can just buy ready-made dough. There's heritage and a sacred element to consider. Unfortunately, people don't understand that Acarajé is an ancestral food and business that should be preserved. It's difficult to have a dialogue with those who view it as any other food, which prevents us from entering the commercial market and getting a fair price for our product." Another challenge is the scarcity of verified data and statistics about the specific economic contribution of Baianas de Acarajé. The National Confederation of Brazilian Trade 2022 Survey estimates that street vendors generate approximately US$10.2 billion annually. According to the International Labour Organization's (ILO) 2020 Report, over 38% of Brazilian workers were estimated to be in informal employment in 2018. de Jesus advocates for policymakers to support Baianas given their social and economic significance. He added that the gaps Muzenza and others experience in academic, financial, and legislative inclusion are the result of historical marginalisation. "The entrepreneurial DNA is eroded because a dangerous perception persists that it doesn’t need to be developed. There should be investment in this community and their cultural heritage. A Baiana de Acarajé is not alone; she holds a wider community together. She carries ancestral knowledge," de Jesus added. The Baianas de Acarajé have made several gains in their fight for official recognition. In 2002, a municipal law was passed designating Acarajé as part of Salvador's cultural heritage. In 2004, The National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) added the techniques for preparing Acarajé in Bahia to its curation of Brazil’s history. November 25th is set aside as National Acarajé Day. However, Muzenza argues that more needs to be done. "It's still not enough for us to get real value from our culture. Acarajé is being served in restaurants in Salvador that attempt to create a ‘gourmet’ version for tourists, detached from its true origins. While the government recognises the legitimacy of our traditions, it doesn't provide the level of support we need to compete with those establishments," she said. Some Baianas say the daily ritual of getting dressed and cooking renews their strength and sense of purpose. Muzenza is fiercely protective of a legacy that endured the horrors of forced migration and numerous attempts to suppress its significance. Her Acarajé isn't just meant to be a delicious meal. Muzenza often watches intently as customers devour a fresh batch because their enjoyment and appreciation pay homage to the long line of proud, resilient Baianas who paved her way. bird story agency Useful links: https://www.tasteatlas.com/acaraje https://citiesofmusic.net/city/salvador/

After leaving a financial services executive role, Karabo Morule immersed herself in art investment and created a platform that helps collectors track the value of African art. Her advice is to take a good look at the handicrafts or decorations lying around the house. Some might be worth more than you thought. Taurai Maduna, bird story agency For any enthusiast overwhelmed by the intricacies of collecting contemporary African art, Karabo Morule is a godsend. At the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in mid-February, while walking a group of patrons - all wearing eye-catching headphones - through the exhibits, Morule highlighted some of her favourite artists and what she thinks about when considering art. “Buying art should be seen as a long-term progression but more importantly, one has to buy what they love and as you buy you will start to get a feel of what you like,” the entrepreneur and art collector explained afterwards. For a Sunday morning, the turnout for the 11th edition of the fair was particularly busy, with art enthusiasts lined up outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre well ahead of opening time. Inside, the centre's huge spaces offered up over 300 artists, from around 100 African and international galleries. From Yinka Shonibare’s Beekeeper (Boy) II mannequin, William Kentridge’s hand-painted sculptures, to acclaimed Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu’s colourful prints, there was something for everyone. A qualified actuary and former investment banker, Morule saw an opportunity in the art world, which prompted her to create Capital Art. The subscription platform enables art collectors to document and track the value of their artworks over time. “I qualified as an actuary by profession after studying at university, and then I worked in investment banking for five years, first in equity derivatives and then working in insurance securitized products. I also have qualifications in management,” Morule explained. The entrepreneur, also known for her venture philanthropy company, Amara Investments, is passionate about educating people about buying art as an investment. Art, she believes, should not just be something you hang on a wall and forget about. “What I think we've been missing is the fact that there's an art ecosystem, a global art ecosystem, and it's about how we can make sure that we're active participants in that and also being able to participate in the monetization of that and the appreciation of art in that context.” Morule pointed out that collecting art is nothing new for many black Africans. Rather, it is something many people all over the continent have been doing for generations. But not everyone has recognised the investment potential in the art hanging on their walls, on a shelf, or in the garden. “Your parents probably have art, and sometimes it's stuff that you might not think is art. They might be something that's ceramic in your house. You might not see it as art. You just think it's a piece of decoration. In some parts of the world, that is an important investment,” Investing in art doesn't need to be only for the rich, Morule believes. “There's several things that one could do. The first is actually just visit art institutions and visit the galleries, attend an art fair. You don't have to go with the intention of buying anything.” She added that when visiting art fairs, one should focus on the emerging artist sections, where prices are lower. Purchasing prints is another way to get into art without spending lots of money. “These are artworks which are multiple form. Typically works of paper but it could be a sculpture that's multiple as well, or photography works. And because they are in multiple versions of the same thing, generally their price point is lower than if it's a unique artwork.” Morule added that some big collectors such as JP Morgan, the New York investment bank have about 70% of their art collection in prints. The 11th Cape Town Art Fair was an opportunity for galleries across the continent to bring their artists' works to a wider audience. Makano Bwato’s Dear M – Hope You Heal From The Things You Don’t Talk About piece was one of the attractions. Bwato, who is Congolese but lives in Kampala, Uganda, was represented by Amasaka Gallery, founded by artist Collin Sekajugo. Amasaka is considered one of the few alternative spaces offering a diversified representation of Ugandan and regional art, in that country. “A lot of people did not really identify Uganda as a creative hub. So one of the main reasons as to why I came up with this idea was to not only, you know, nurture talent, but also create opportunities across the borders. So that is a poem, that notion that I picked the interest in art representation for my fellow artists, especially those that look up to me in Uganda,” Sekajugo said. Sekajugo, who also displayed photographic works by Ethel Aanyu, said the response he had received at the fair was impressive and was well worth the investment. “I thought that this is the biggest art fair and probably the biggest platform for showcasing African art on the continent. And I thought that my gallery would use it as an opportunity to present itself and also introduce itself to a wider audience that Cape Town has to offer on the global art market.” The Cape Town Art Fair is widely regarded as one of the premier art event destinations on the continent. “The visitors are a combination of the public that come to experience the art fair, art enthusiasts and art lovers. And then we have art professionals, art collectors who travel from all over the world to visit,” said Sophie Lalonde, the fair's Associate Director. She added that 50% of the galleries were South African and the rest were from across Africa, Europe and America. “We are showing art from Africa, in Africa, which is quite unique. There's not a lot of art fairs here. And, really importantly, this is an international art fair. We are not only showing the best of African art in Africa, but we are also bringing international artists to South Africa and allowing people to view artists that they wouldn't have the opportunity to see otherwise,” Lalonde added. Morule is already planning her next art trip, which she hopes will be to the Dakar Biennale in Senegal. “I was very fortunate to go to the 2022 Dakar Biennale. (I) had a really wonderful time and I think Biennales are a great way to also challenge oneself in terms of the breadth of art, because generally that's where people like experimenting and you know, trying to think of different ways in which they could express art. Dakar is one of my favourite cities in the world.” Art travel experience is now something Morule is experimenting with and she has partnered with a tour company to develop the idea. “We actually have been starting to host trips with a small group of collectors for them to be able to travel to different places around this passion point of art. And so, last year, we had one to Art Lagos 2023 to experience the art fair, but experience Lagos as well. Some people might not ordinarily travel to Lagos, might feel apprehensive to travel there and so it was great to have that experience.” Morule is also passionate about developments in the art space, such as the Artist’s Resale Right which she hopes can assist artists to continue to earn royalties from their work, as in the music industry. “This is assisting visual artists to participate in the performance of the art in the secondary market. So if an artwork goes to auction or is sold by a gallery or another art dealer in the art ecosystem, even though it's a secondary sale, a portion of those proceeds would then be added to the purchase price and be paid to the artist or their estate." On being asked which African artists would-be art investors should be looking at, Morule mentioned multidisciplinary artist Dada Khanyisa from South Africa and also Abdoulaye Diarrassouba - known as Aboudia - from Ivory Coast, whose work has been compared to Jean-Michel Basquiat. bird story agency

While there has been an increase in the number of female referees at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), only Moroccan Bouchra Karboubi has so far taken to the pitch as a centre referee. Joel Omotto, bird story agency Bouchra Karboubi is blazing a trail through the beautiful game. While there has been a laudable increase in the number of female referees at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following the appointment of six women, only one has been given the mandate to officiate as a centre referee, with the rest working as either assistant referees or Video Assistant Referees (VAR). That honour was bestowed on Morocco's Karboubi, who became the second woman, and first Arab woman, to officiate a men’s AFCON match. She followed in the footsteps of Rwanda’s Salima Mkansaga, who made history at the 2021 tournament. Karboubi is not new to this stage, however, having made her AFCON debut in Cameroon two years ago when she worked as a VAR. However, being the centre of attention was a whole different experience when Karboubi led an all-female crew, a first at the tournament, that included assistant referees Diana Chikotesha of Zambia and Cameroon’s Carine Atezambong to officiate the AFCON 2023 match between Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau, on January 25. “Refereeing this match was an honour for me,” said Karboubi. “During the last AFCON, I was the first woman to do VAR, I was in the final and on this AFCON, I am a centre referee. I was proud to represent African women and to represent refereeing in Africa.” She added: “When I found out, the emotion was enormous. I was happy, I'm not saying there was no stress, but the stress stops as soon as we kick off. So, it was a pride for me to represent African women in general.” As a woman refereeing a men’s game, Karboubi knew she had to have a flawless performance just to prove that women can do it at this level. “The Guinea-Bissau – Nigeria match was a serious challenge for me,” she admitted. “We had to show that we are here, the first women’s referee trio. So, we had no room for error because we did our best to live up to the trust that CAF placed in us.” “We were very happy, especially with the three women, for being able to show that we can be there and that we can have the same competitiveness as the men. It wasn't easy but we were able to show that we can be there and that we can do it,” said the match official, whose career is filled with firsts. Karboubi became the first Arab referee to officiate at the Women’s World Cup last year when she took charge of the match between defending champions the United States of America and Vietnam. In 2022, the police inspector became the first female referee to officiate the final match of Morocco’s Throne Cup, having set a personal milestone two years earlier, when she became the first female referee to oversee a match in Morocco's top-tier professional football league, the Botola Pro 1. Karboubi would have been at the other end of refereeing decisions had things turned out the way she initially hoped. Growing up, she wanted to be a footballer but had to abandon that dream as there was no organised women's football in her country at the time. The 36-year-old would find solace in officiating, but it was not easy when she started out. Her conservative community initially could not fathom her interest in sports. Her brothers tore up her refereeing flags to discourage her from the sport because it was ‘shameful for a girl to wear shorts and stand on the same pitch with men’ and it was not until her father watched her officiate a men’s game in 2007 that he started to support the career she chose. “I will tell young girls who have a passion, who have a goal, to work, to never give up because each path has its own challenges, and we must not give up. We must continue and with the grace of God, we can get where we want to go,” said Karboubi. When she is not applying the rules on the football pitch, the mother of one is enforcing them back home, where she works as a police inspector. She is based in Meknes, a city in northern Morocco. "Being a policewoman for me, means applying justice," she said in a separate interview with the BBC. "As a referee, it's me who applies the law and it's a win-win because it's a job and it's my passion and they are linked to each other." "Refereeing helped me a lot as an athlete to be a good police officer, and being a police officer helped me have a strong personality on the field as a referee,” Karboubi explained how the two roles complement each other. She is also adamant that she has a place in the home. "It's true that at work, I’m a police officer and on the field, I'm a referee. But at home, I am a woman, I am the woman of the house and the mother of a daughter," she said. bird story agency

Investment in African women-founded and led startups remains a bright spot in a global ecosystem drained of funding. Conrad Onyango, bird story agency Africa’s women-led startups retained their sparkle through 2023, against the backdrop of one of the darkest periods for global startup funding, raising US$200 million, 7% growth over the previous year, according to a report from Africa: The Big Deal. In 2022, these female-founded ventures had grown by 4%. The amount remains significantly lower than the US$ 2.7 billion raised by their male counterparts but the almost doubling in growth during such a difficult time indicates a growing interest in women-led startups from investors. “Though it remained small, the absolute amount and share of funding going to female-led ventures did grow in Africa last year compared to 2022,” said Africa: The Big Deal Co-founder, Max Cuvellier in their latest analysis. However, funding for female founders was concentrated in the seed stage, where they represented 20% of startups raising from US$100,000 to $1,000,000, a significant increase from 13% in the previous year. In the US$1 million plus deals, female CEOs raised a total of US$6.4 million, a marginal increase over the earlier period. While the percentage of women founders decreased as the stages increased, there was still some growth higher up, with 7% recorded in the US$10 million+ category, also up from 4% in 2022. Sabi, a Nigerian E-commerce startup, signed the largest deal by a female CEO, with Series B funding of some US$ 38 million. This growth trend is also highlighted in reports by Partech and Disrupt Africa, showing funding to startups with at least one female founder growing from 20.2% in 2022 to 26.3% in 2023. “Signs of improvement, then, but there is still a long way to go before we will see funding parity from a gender perspective,” said the Disrupt report. The Partech analysis shows Kenyan female-founded startups led, raising 25% of the total amount raised by female founders in Africa. However, this is a significant drop in the share of funding going to Kenyan women founders. The country accounted for 41% in 2021 and 61% in 2019. Tunisia and Ghana are front runners of growth in this respect, with female-founded startups representing 38% of all deals in both of those countries, in 2023. According to the Partech report, Kenya ranks fourth after Morocco’s third place, 35% share. Next in the top 10 are South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire respectively. The E-Commerce sector accounted for the most of women-led venture funding rounds, capturing 22% of all funding. While fintech ranked second, securing 19%, that contrasts with a larger 24% slice of the overall startup funding pie. On the other hand, funding for women-led ventures in the health-tech sector commanded a larger proportion (16%) of funding for female-led companies over funding for all companies (11%), according to Partech. bird story agency

Amanda Dlamini, 34, is no stranger to fame; in her early twenties, she represented the South Africa women's national team as captain at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. After early retirement, Dlamini got the opportunity to continue working in football. Now she's made history as a "first" at the AFCON 2023. Joel Omotto, bird story agency At the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), there has been a distinct female voice in the commentary box. For those who don't know, it's the voice of Amanda Dlamini, the former South African football national team captain and the first woman to commentate a game at the men’s AFCON. In yet another major score for women at this tournament, Dlamini’s mastery of her craft, including deep analysis of the action and a good understating of the game, tactics and players, have shown that on all levels, women’s inclusion in the men’s game was not only long overdue but also adds great value to African, indeed international, football. In many ways, the voice that is now a recognisable part of this year's AFCON was the result of experiences on and off the pitch for the woman who retired from international football in 2018 aged 29. “I do not think I chose commentary, I think commentary chose me because of an opportunity that was afforded when I had to be forced into retirement at an early stage in my career,” Dlamini said of her newfound role in the game. Following her injury, she could easily have faded into the background of South African football history. “Fortunately, our local broadcaster at home decided that maybe I have the potential to do commentary or to be in broadcasting simply because of the way I conducted interviews while I was captain in the national team,” she explained of her break in broadcasting. The former national captain was soon working in local broadcast in South Africa, commenting on Premier Soccer League matches as well as CAF-inter club games. In 2022, she earned a major break when she was chosen as an analyst for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which saw her country win. However, even all that experience would not prepare her for what would come next - the delayed AFCON 2023 in the Ivory Coast this year. “The emotions that run through my mind at the realisation that I will be the first woman at AFCON to do commentary, I was not thinking about it at all. I was focused on doing my job but knew that it was the biggest moment in my career,” she recalled. A negative atmosphere had begun to surround women commentators in the men’s game and Dlamini knew she had to be perfect ahead of her first game commentary, which would be Morocco’s Group F clash with Tanzania, in San Pedro’s Laurent Pokou Stadium, on January 17. “It was my first AFCON doing a men’s tournament, I have always done women’s AFCON. Having this opportunity, I thought 'what a platform and for me to just maximise on it'.” Dlamini was thankful she could call on solid grounding from her former national team coach, Vera Pauw; a grounding in analysis which had helped Dlamini enjoy a seamless transition from playing into broadcasting. “When I was still playing with Banyana Banyana, she came with a very different style of analysing football and encouraging players that video analysis is not to criticise the players but to make them better players on the field,” she said of the Dutch coach. Her coach’s way of doing things impressed Dlamini and made her realise later on that she could transfer the skills she had picked on the field from Pauw, into a different area of football. “I thought maybe this is something I would like to do, tactical analysis, and fortunately for me after retirement, I just fell into broadcasting.” “I enjoy the back stories of teams. Their objectives, especially the coaches’ thoughts and preparation. Then it’s comparing starting line-ups, formations and getting individual stats on players as they are world-class players across the world. And then it’s pronunciations of players names and surnames,” Dlamini shared in a separate interview with CAF. As she continues to make her presence felt, the 35-year-old’s hope is that more women will pick up the mic and that it will no longer be a rare occurrence for a woman's voice to be heard commentating at a men’s tournament. “The feeling is that I represent all the women very well and I am sure many more doors will open for other women who are in the commentary space. I hope my impact at AFCON 2023 will help more women realise that they must believe in their abilities and when the platform is there, do not shrink,” Dlamini said. bird story agency

For three weeks, football fans across Africa and the world, have been hooked on the thrilling action of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The tournament has been a great spectacle, with major upsets, quality football and an incident-free event leaving fans in awe. The event also has some unsung heroes, among those a clutch of official woman photographers. Joel Omotto, bird story agency For years, sports photography was a preserve of men, but in recent years that has been changing and at AFCON 2023, a record number of women photographers have captured historic moments for football organisations and media outlets. Egyptian Weam Mostafa Elsayed was thrown into the deep end when her country hosted the tournament in 2019. Gaining recognition for her work in that event, she earned a second bite at the cherry as the official photographer of the delayed 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF). “Being a female photographer is a challenge in itself, especially in the sports field,” Elsayed told CAF. “Many people used to think that we were not good enough or even as good as the men. But I loved to challenge myself and everyone to prove them wrong.” “The experience itself is not like any other tournament I covered, AFCON is huge, it unites the whole continent and your pictures as a photographer is about history. Those pictures will live forever and for me as I meet people and photographers from all over Africa and elsewhere, I get to gain more experience and be better at my work,” she added. Another official photographer working at her second AFCON is Gambian Sarjo Baldeh, who has been in the trade for seven years. The 21-year-old made history when she became the youngest photographer at the delayed AFCON 2021 in Cameroon two years ago and the experience helped shape her into a top journalist. “The experience in this AFCON has been beautiful and I have learnt a lot throughout. I realised to be a sports photographer, you need to focus, be fast and not be lazy to capture the best scenes,” said Baldeh, whose career started in 2015 when she was just 15 and in ninth grade. Baldeh initially had challenges getting the right equipment and has had to overcome a lot of stereotypes. She has, however, remained resolute and now reaping the fruits of her hard work and persistence. Nigeria’s Justina Aniefiok is also capturing historic moments at her second AFCON and what a tournament it has been for her, with the Super Eagles making it to the semi-finals. Had things gone according to plan, however, she would been making headlines and not telling the story: she started out playing football but had to abandon her ambitions of becoming a professional football player when her family didn't support her dream. Her journey into sports photography started six years ago and has been a rollercoaster ride. “Cameroon 2021 brought me to the limelight,” said Aniefiok, who was crowned 2021 Sport Photographer of the Year by the prestigious The Ballers Award in Nigeria. She added: “I had to hand everything over to God to take perfect control as I was scared of how I will survive when I get to Cameroon. But everything went well. I’m proud of myself because I was able to overcome my fear and to showcase my work to a large audience.” The three experienced photographers have not just acted as an inspiration to other women but also took female colleagues making their first appearances at the tournament under their wings. Among those who have covered the AFCON for the first time are Ghanaian iLa Yeboah and Khady Sy from Mauritania. Sy captured her country making history as they earned a shock 1-0 win over Algeria to earn a last-16 spot at the tournament. “The qualification at the expense of Algeria will remain one of the historic moments of my career. The celebrations with the Mauritanian players and supporters remain etched in my memory,” she said. Yeboah only ventured into photography two years ago but her first AFCON was a disappointing one as Ghana exited the tournament at the group stage, meaning her stay in Ivory Coast was short-lived. However, the experience provided an opportunity to learn and network. “I have met thousands of photographers, both young and old, from different countries,” she said of her experience in the Ivory Coast. “It is a great honour to speak to a few of them (and) because most of them speak French... I have had fun. The fans’ reactions to goals is just beautiful; the African colours are all over match venues.” While this year's tournament has been widely regarded as a great exhibition of African football, these trailblazing young women have not only helped to record and showcase the event but have also become a showcase themselves - as pioneers in sports photography. bird story agency Useful links: https://store.cafonline.com/caf-africa-cup-of-nations/news/totalenergies-caf-afcon-in-the-lenses-of-young-female-photographers/ https://alkambatimes.com/sarjo-baldeh-a-budding-female-photographer-who-is-driven-by-passion/ https://ojbsport.com/2024/01/26/afcon-2023-caf-spotlights-nigerian-photojournalist-for-outstanding-work/

International clubs are looking to Africa for more female football talent, a new FIFA report shows. Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Africa is growing into a critical supplier of professional female football talent to international clubs outside the continent, according to a new FIFA report. The ‘Global Transfer Report 2023’ released on January 30 by the international football governing body, FIFA, shows that Nigeria and Ghana produced among the highest number (in the top ten globally) of women players in the international transfer market last year. The FIFA report assesses and aggregates the market dynamics of professional and amateur footballers globally. “An all-time record of 74,836 cross-border transfers were made in 2023. Some 23,689 (31.7%) of these moves involved professionals (men and women), with the other 51,147 (68.3%) transfers being those of amateurs,” FIFA highlights in a media release accompanying the report. In the global rankings, Nigeria and Ghana secured the 4th and 8th positions, respectively, in a list including the USA, Brazil, Colombia, Britain, France, Canada, Germany and Argentina. These statistics underscore the escalating momentum of professional women's football in Africa, revealing a substantial rise in female participation in the sport not only within the continent but also globally. The surge in female players from the continent aligns with CAF's Women's Football Landscape report, disclosed in 2022, which reported over 150,000 registered female players across its member associations. Beyond Nigeria and Ghana, the FIFA report estimates a total of 260 female players were transferred to clubs outside the continent, generating a revenue of US $47,000 for the selling clubs. This is a significant rise considering less than 60 African female players were transferred to international clubs in 2020. More encouragingly, the number of players within the continent who were transferred to other African clubs is also rising. For instance, ONG Academie Sam-Nelly, a Beninese women's football club, set a global record by signing 22 players last year, all acquired from Nigeria. According to Fernande Tchetche, an Ivorian national defensive former professional footballer, women's football is “in full expansion and growing daily.” “Girls from all over Africa can freely play football and earn a living from this sport. Today, women’s football in Africa is steadily growing into a job and this is quite encouraging to see,” she explained in an interview with CAF’s press team. CAF has recently launched the CAF’s Women’s Instructor Course, a dedicated training course for coaches in female football. Such initiatives promise to further grow female football. The course was launched in Rabat in October 2023, where 19 instructors from 18 countries were trained on best practices when developing female football talent. In addition to advancements in the female category, the FIFA report highlights notable progress in male professional football, specifically focusing on African players. Notably, Nigerian and Ghanaian players also stand out as highly coveted in the global football transfer market, ranking among the most preferred. “Nigeria and Ghana are the only African countries that are among the top ten in terms of the number of transfers made in 2023,” the report details. 825 Nigerian male players transferred across clubs, representing a 9% rise from those made in 2022. These transfers were valued at US $189 million, an 82% increment from the amount clubs selling Nigerian players raised in 2022. Meanwhile, the value of Ghanaian players in the international football transfer market skyrocketed by 792.9%, reaching US $163 million from 630 transfers. It represents the greatest leap any single country could manage globally. Apart from Nigeria and Ghana, the continent saw 3066 transfers to clubs outside the CAF confederation, raising US $77 million for the selling clubs. The UEFA confederation led the purchases with 860 transfers, indicating a growing interest in African talent worldwide. Notably, there is a growing appetite for African talent among clubs within the continent. Last year, intra-African transfers reached a record high of 1587, valued at US $11.7 million. Top African club transfer spenders include Al Ahly and Pyramids-Egypt, Club Sportif Sfaxien - Tunisia, Mamelodi Sundowns - SA, Alahly Benghazi - Libya, ES Tunis - Tunisia, Al Ahly Tripoli - Libya, MCA - Algeria, Al Hilal KH - Sudan, and Young Africans Sports Club - Tanzania. Even amateur football transfers for both genders involving African players witnessed a significant uptick, with 1146 transfers to the continent, marking a 21.5% rise from the previous year. Additionally, 3172 transfers of amateur talent left the CAF confederation to clubs outside the continent, reflecting a 10% increase from the previous year. The global sports industry, valued at US $512 billion in 2023, is set to surge to US $624 billion by 2027, according to the Sports Global Market Report 2023. Africa anticipates an 8% market growth in the next 3-5 years, according to PwC's Global Sports Survey 2023. bird story agency Useful link: https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/114622e4e17cf6a8/original/FIFA-Global-Transfer-Report-2023.pdf