Ari Diaries

Kasiva Mutua is an enigma! She is an internationally renowned touring drummer, guitarist, percussionist, performing and recording artiste. A co-founder of MOTRa Music and the brains behind Vibe na Queen, Kasiva continues to defy myriad odds with every platform she curates for musicians. She has performed in numerous stages both locally and internationally thanks to being part of entities like Nairobi Horns Project, Nile Project and Asheville Percussion Festival. A TED Fellow and a 2018 Okay Africa 100 women who set the pace globally, Kasiva recently released her much-awaited debut EP Ngewa, which showcases her composition, percussive, songwriting and vocal chops! We hope this episode brings you joy. Episode recorded at Catalyst Media, poster designed by Muriithi Grfx.

Natasha Kimani is a powerhouse! She has presence and charm in copious amounts, and oozes a certain je ne sais quoi that is hard to describe! In this episode, we delve deep into her journey, her background and how she found herself at Africa No Filter where she is doing amazing things to reframe the African narrative!

Crystal Simeoni describes herself as a pan-African feminist who works on macroeconomics policies! A vocal champion of women's rights on a continental and global policy level, She is the director of NAWI - AfriFem Macroeconomics Collective, as well an an LSE Atlantic Fellow! Remarkable does NOT even come close to describing who Crystal is, so we'll let this link give you but a glimpse of who she is as a person - https://afsee.atlanticfellows.org/crystal-simeoni We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!!!!!

Arya Jeipea Karijo describes herself as an African transgender woman, who loves as a lesbian and fights as a feminist. She is a activist, community organizer, as well as a storyteller in tech & queer spaces with a background in UX research. In this episode, Arya delves deep into her journey, weaving narrative after narrative in a soft spoken yet captivating way, peeling layer after layer of her life from childhood until now. And what a tale it is! Ari Diaries is curated by Hermann Ogulla and Kibali Muriithi, its producer and host respectively. It is recorded at Catalyst Media's studio, with the artwork produced by Muriithi Grfx.

Jeri Furahah Muchura is a three-time award-winning potrait & documentary photographer, who understands the importance of inhabiting everything you are and audaciously sharing it. She is a mom of 3, and the current head of programs at Photo Start, an international entity that imparts storytelling skills through photography & videography skills, to young people from underserved & underprivileged areas. In this episode, Jeri spoke about her journey growing up, how she found herself in the industry, and how she has navigated all the biases and hurdles that could have weighed her down. Listen, share, be inspired!

Kendi Nkonge-Mohol describes herself as a singer, songwriter, problem solver and leader in the making. In this first episode of our 2nd season, she delved deep into her journey growing up, as well as how she became a professional musician. She also touched on leadership, breaking biases and why being a good & decent person matters most to her. We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did! Ari Diaries is curated by Hermann Ogulla & Kibali Muriithi, who are the producer & host respectively, and is recorded at Catalyst Media's studio.

Jean Marie Ishimwe describes himself as a Rwandan Refugee in Kenya, as well as a University of Nairobi student pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Journalism. He is the founder of Nawezaa, a Media & Mentorship organization that seeks to support the engagement of refugees and locals, by providing a collaborative platform for change agents. Lastly, Jean Marie is also the Chairperson & Partnership Lead for Youth Voices Community, a refugee-led entity that aims to spotlight refugees' lived experiences whilst also building resilience & self-reliance.

Julius Mbura aka Julio Supercharge is not your typical polymath! He is an advocacy officer, break dancer, disability rights champion, spoken word artist, car reviewer, motivational speaker and all-round badass. Blind due to Maculopathy and later Retinitis Pigmentosa, he has taken it all in stride and his story is a series of spectacular strides! Listen to this episode, and after you are done do check out his YouTube Channel Julio Super Charge!

Rodney Afande, popularly known by his brand name DJ Nruff is an International Tour DJ, Media Consultant, Recording artist & Comic Book creator. He is also the General Manager of Fresh M Radio, Kenya's leading online radio station. Listen to him speak about his stint at Homeboyz Radio, Kiss FM, Easy FM, Nation FM, plus he got involved with Radio 10 (Rwanda) & 5 FM (South Africa) Ari Diaries is an Audio Profile podcast hosted by Kibali Muriithi, produced by Hermann Ogulla & recorded at Master Made Studios.

Eunice Kilonzo is an award-winning storyteller,  communications & Multi-Media Specialist, and currently a Content Generation Manager at Safaricom PLC. Her immediate role was with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) HQ in Nairobi, Kenya as a Social Media and Content Consultant. She has extensive hands-on experience in organizational communications, and media management across a range of sectors: health, science, environment, technology, financial services, and development. Her expertise includes multimedia editorial development, stakeholder management, internal communications, social media, and digital publishing. Previous roles include: Communications Officer for the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) nestled in the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and a senior health reporter at Nation Media Group for over seven years while managing a team of 10 reporters.

Omar Elmawi is the current coordinator of the deCOALonize Campaign and the Stop EACOP Campaign. At deCOALonide, he leads a team of community partners, organizations, and staff to push for a green and sustainable energy future for Kenya. At the Stop EACOP campaign, he works with myriad other organizations and individuals from Tanzania, Uganda, and the rest of the world to push for the protection of sensitive Ecosystems, human rights and addressing climate change concerns. He described himself as a highly motivated lawyer with over 7 years of experience assisting communities in asserting their rights and having their voices heard in development projects coming to their doorsteps. He is knowledgeable on energy, climate change, and environmental laws and has dedicated his career to supporting marginalized communities to safeguard and enforce their rights. Over the past 8 years, he has worked and partnered with renowned organizations, including Katiba Institute, 350, Save Lamu, Natural Resources Alliance of Kenya, and Natural Justice.

Billian Ojiwa wears many hats. For starters, he is a husband & dad, in addition to being a celebrated community activist, youth leader and the Founder of both Billian Music & Resource Centre as well as Ficha Uchi Initiative. He is s proud member of Mathare Republic, and a large chunk of his initiatives focus on this vast area! In this episode, we trace Billian's path from the onset to where he is now, in addition to delving deep into the myriad things he is juggling. The exciting coincidence is that we also get to release this episode on Youth Day 2021.

Our Guest this week is Matt Owegi, a gifted guitarist and all round musician based in Nairobi. Matt has played for a number of musicians, and is currently the lead guitarist for HART the Band. He speaks about his journey and background, plus the different experiences that have shaped the person he is today. Ari Diaries is hosted by Kibali Muriithi, and is produced by Hermann Ogulla at Master Made Studios.

Our Guest this week is Chaxy Moroga, Founder of UpSyd Digital Networks and the On Premise Manager for Redbull Kenya. Chaxy spoke on his journey, and the different things he has learned thus far. Ari Diaries is hosted by Kibali Muriithi, and is produced by Hermann Ogulla at Master Made Studios.

Executive Director of ‘Siasa Place' – which is a youth organization established in 2015, dedicated to collaboratively create an environment that enables the youth of Kenya to directly engage with the political mainstream in a meaningful way. Siasa Place educates youth on electoral processes, constitution, government institutions, and functions. SP currently works in 10 counties. She attained her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Sociology from Jacksonville State University in 2010 and her Master's in Public Administration in 2012. Nerima is also a columnist with ‘The East African' and 2018 Obama Leaders Fellow. “Change is demanded. The change that we constantly plea for will not appear one day. It comes with persistence, perseverance, and unity.”

Florence Odiwuor describes herself as passionate about education, youth, leadership, community service, and social change. She is the National Coordinator for Kenya Unites, which is part of Sri Lanka-based Global Unites. She happens to be its youngest National Director! After graduating college, Florence immediately began work as the National Coordinator. For two years, she has been supporting networking and partnership development, fundraising strategies, contributing content for Kenya Unites' social media accounts, and mentoring schools going youth. Florence and her team have worked directly with more than 5000 students, and 200 teachers across 26 counties, teaching on peacebuilding, conflict transformation, reconciliation, and mental health

Muthoni Maingi is an award-winning Global Digital Strategist and currently the Head of Digital Campaigns at Oxfam International. At Oxfam she leads global work, working collaboratively across the 90-country confederation on projects that use digital technology to influence and leverage the power of people to end poverty. Using the mobile, web, and social media to drive, support, and connect the actions, donations, and offline participation of millions of people. In her past life, she was the Digital Manager overseeing the Enterprise and Consumer Business Unit at Safaricom (one of sub-Saharan Africa's most valuable brands). In this role, she was part of the core team that launched two new brands -Little Ride a cab-hailing app, and BLAZE a youth telecommunications network. BLAZE was recognized as digital excellence, case study on Think with Google and won the Relationship Brand category at the African Excellence Awards.

A Governance Expert that seeks to work with Countries, leaders, and organizations to tackle humanity's toughest and wicked problems. Nancy is a crisis leader who seeks to develop solutions to Africa's complex problems. Working across different generations through people-to-people connections and the use of research, her expertise lies in Futures scenarios and Foresight, research, strategic advisory, policy formation, Monitoring Evaluation, Learning, and project design. Nancy loves mentorship and has been a volunteer with Emerging Leaders Foundation; working with the Next -Generation Leaders through the passing of life lessons, valuable skills, and experience. She is passionate about Kenya and the Continent of Africa and seeks to find ways she can be of help to generations coming after me. She is committed to Africa's development, and support to its young women and men. Nancy has an invisible disability and as such, seeks ways in which children and people with disabilities can realize their fullest potential by ensuring systemic issues in this area addressed. During my past time - I write Poems, run daily, hike, and currently training for my first Triathlon in May 2021. Mulah - Prosper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKyFL_1-oek

Suzanne Silantoi is a public policy analyst, who has just recently graduated from the University of York with a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Public Policy. Suzanne was the youngest Nairobi senatorial candidate in 2017 at the age of 23. Suzanne was a nominee of the International Association of Political Consultants Democracy Award 2017 alongside David Maraga, Chief Justice and President Supreme Court of Kenya, and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkey's opposition leader. (https://www.iapc.org/nominees; https://iapc.org/nominee/suzanne-silantoi-lengewa). Suzanne has over 5 years of experience in the health development space. Currently, she is running a podcast and YouTube channel known as ‘Is that so? With Silantoi'. The aim of this channel is to help us understand our role in governance and help raise a politically empowered generation. Silantoi"s Youtube Page https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0QUi8gxCLCTExEAF2ik_g

Carine Umutoniwase is the Founder and Executive Director of Footprints for Change, which is an organization that thematically focuses on Leadership and Governance, Youth Engagement, Peacebuilding, and Research & Advocacy. F4C has six programs that cut across and focus on developing peace cultures and nurturing accountable leadership and constructive youth civic engagement. The target audience and beneficiaries are young people between the ages of 10 – 25 years and use a variety of means, including in school and out of school forums, sports, arts, comic books, social media, and photography, to engage these young people and message our program objectives. The organization's vision is ‘Build authentic and accountable youth-led grassroots engagement' and its mission is ‘Provide mentorship platforms and programs to awaken potential and strengthen capacity for peacebuilding and sustainable development. F4C believes in partnerships to create synergy and harmony for constructive implementation and impact making in societies.

Christine Odera is a fierce advocate for Peace & Security, Human Rights and Youth Participation. She has gathered over 6 years experience in Youth Networks & Alliance building, programing, advocacy, policy, inter-cultural and experiential learning, mediation and research. Her understanding of Youth, Peace & Security issues propelled her into active engagement in designing and influencing policy, programming and and documentation of various peace & security projects for organizations & governments. Ari is Kiswahili for initiative, spirit & drive. In the first series, we will be speaking to a number of amazing women who are the embodiment of the Ari Spirit. This series is in celebration of International Women's month, whose themes are #ChooseToChallenge & Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world. The podcast is curated by Herman Ogulla & Kibali Muriithi, and is recorded at Master Made Studios.

Ari is Kiswahili for initiative, spirit & drive. In the first series, we will be speaking to a number of amazing women who are the embodiment of the Ari Spirit. This series is in celebration of International Women's month, whose themes are #ChooseToChallenge & Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a covid 19 world. This podcast is curated by Kibali Muriithi & Hermann Ogulla, and is produced at Master Made Studios. Karibu.