About us

About Andani Africa

Andani.Africa’s purpose is to grow and strengthen the Creative Economy in Africa. We do this by creating and co-creating valuable insights through research, strategic advisory and content engagement.

Andani.Africa is a research, insights, and strategic advisory company specialising in the creative and cultural industries. It was formed in 2016 out of a need to strengthen research approaches that address knowledge-gaps in the understanding of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) in Africa. Andani.Africa works within the intersection of tradition and culture that we like to call Data Humanism: African forms of storytelling that share insights and knowledge in the tradition of the oral histories of our forebears, and the technological advances afforded us by new digital forms of data analysis and visualisation, harnessing AI for African creative industries knowledge production.

The Team

Lonwabo Mavuso

Director

Lonwabo Mavuso leads Business Development at Andani.Africa. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts (Hons) in Arts Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Lonwabo has played many roles in the creative industries including being the co-founder of Bafundi Film and TV Festival in partnership with the SABC, GFC and NFVF.

He has worked for organisations such as Wits University’s Drama for Life as the Fundraising and Partnership Manager; Business and Arts South Africa as Marketing and Operations Manager and Head of Programmes and Development; South African Tourism as Trade Exhibition Manger; and is currently the chairperson of Arterial Network South Africa.

Lonwabo has led numerous CCI projects in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Malawi and has vast experience working with the private sector, cultural international development agencies, national and international governments, and creative and cultural practitioners.

Molemo Moiloa

Director

Molemo Moiloa heads research at Andani.Africa. She lives and works in Johannesburg, and has worked in various capacities at the intersection of creative practice and community organising.

Molemo’s academic work has focused on the political subjectivities of South African youth. She is one half of the artist collaborative MADEYOULOOK, who explore everyday popular imaginaries and their modalities for knowledge production. Up until recently, she was Director of the Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA).

Molemo also works with the Market Photo Workshop, the School of Arts and Social Anthropology departments at the University of the Witwatersrand, among others. She has both a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (cum laude) and a Master of Arts in Social Anthropology (cum laude) degree from Wits University.

MADEYOULOOK was nominated for the Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics 2016/17 at the New School, New York. Molemo was a Chevening Clore Fellow 2016/17, and winner of a Vita Basadi Award for 2017. 

Madeleine Lambert

Senior Researcher

Madeleine Lambert is a Senior Researcher at Andani.Africa. Madeleine has worked in various research positions, including Head of Research, at Business and Arts South Africa NPC (BASA) since 2015. She co-founded South African creative non-profit Flying House Design, and is a certified Leadership and Performance Coach. Madeleine will undertake both independent and collaborative research, and lead on aspects of research strategy within Andani.Africa.

Lambert’s main expertise lies in research, monitoring and evaluation, arts administration, coaching, facilitation and curriculum development. Lambert holds a Masters Degree in Arts and Culture Management and an Honours equivalent BA in Dramatic Arts from Wits University, and she is an Associate of the Trinity College of London in musical theatre. She was a National Research Foundation Scholar and Intern, and is an alumnus of the Common Purpose Africa Venture leadership programme and of multiple Leadership Academy South Africa programmes. 

Avril Mafemba

Senior Researcher

Avril Mafemba is the Senior Researcher at Andani.Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies (Hons) and a Masters in Social Development from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Avril has worked in the civil space as a programme coordinator and researcher for the South African National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security in partnership with UNWomen, various government departments and NGO’s. Avril has since been involved in several research and comprehensive funding reviews for the Oak Foundation, Sonke, the Irish Embassy and many others.

Phumzile N. Twala

Researcher

Phumzile Nombuso Twala is a Researcher at Andani.Africa and Research Associate at Open Restitution Africa.  

She is a Soweto-born arts practitioner and has contributed to various cultural and creative industries projects. She is currently developing an interdisciplinary heritage, research and development praxis, informed by public engagement curating models, as well as by exploring community engagement and art institution models through research-led inquiry.

She holds BCom Industrial and Organisational Psychology (UNISA), BA (Honours) Media Studies and Journalism (Wits University) and BA (Honours) History of Art (Wits University) degrees. She was on the Wits University Humanities 2021 Dean’s List and has been awarded the Standard Bank Group Foundation of African Art Postgraduate Prize (2021) for Outstanding Achievement in Postgraduate African Art Studies.

Sneziwe Dube

Operations Coordinator

Sneziwe Dube is a Operations Coordinator at Andani.Africa.  She holds an Honours equivalent Bachelor of Art in Dramatic Arts Degree from Wits University where she majored in Arts Management and Cultural Leadership.  Her career has had a strong focus on Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, and Stake Holder relations in the creative sector.

Sneziwe is passionate about creating access to high quality arts education for the average African people and African people’s ownership of their own narratives.