After a sold-out event in 2016, The Moth returns to Johannesburg on Saturday March 16 for a night of captivating, personal, and authentic storytelling at UJ Arts & Culture’s Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre. Launched in 1997 in the United States, The Moth is now a global phenomenon, having presented thousands of stories.
The Moth was started by writer George Dawes Green in the United States and, since its inception, has shared more than 60,000 personal stories to audiences around the world through platforms such as their live storytelling events, The Moth Podcast (which had over 100 million downloads in 2022), storytelling workshops, and books.
Held around the world, The Moth Mainstage events take storytelling to new heights. They are live, candid, note-free, and deeply immersive in the way they connect people by highlighting both the diversity and commonality of human experience. At Moth Mainstage shows, five storytellers and a host take the stage to share a 10-12 minute personal story. Each story is true as remembered by the storyteller and crafted with the help of a Moth story Director. For this event, South Africa’s Nsovo Mayimele will be joined on stage by four other storytellers including Turkey based, Syria born Mohammad Jasem and Kenya’s Webster Makombe. They will share their unique stories on the theme of “Power and Possibility” which will inspire you to imagine the possibilities that may unfold when you tap into your own power. The production is directed by Sarah Austin Jenness and Jodi Powell. The Moth has tapped Johannesburg’s own Lebo Mashile to host the event.
“On The Moth stage five varied and accomplished activists will share true personal stories on the theme, Power and Possibility. On Saturday, March 16th, you’ll hear stories of rolling the dice for a lucky break and entering the arena for a fighting chance – digging deep, asking what’s next, and leaping into the unknown.” Says Jenness. “What happens when you find courage, step into power and realize what’s possible? We’re looking forward to this night of hilarious, heartbreaking and authentic stories that will make you feel more connected and think of what could be possible when you tap into your power. We’re thrilled to be back in Johannesburg.” Adds Powell.
The Moth is a globally acclaimed nonprofit organization that celebrates the commonality and diversity of human experience through the art and craft of true, personal storytelling. Through live storytelling events, The Moth Podcast and storytelling workshops, The Moth aims to create a more empathetic world by connecting people from every background through the sharing of true stories. Learn more at www.themoth.org
The story behind The Moth’s name goes that it comes from the writer’s memories of growing up in St. Simons Island, Georgia, “where neighbours would gather late at night on a friend’s porch to tell stories and drink bourbon as moths flew in through the broken screens and circled the porch light”.
At the heart of the initiative is the desire to connect people from different backgrounds and walks of life by sharing what it means to be human and empathetic, by showcasing extraordinary personal stories from everyday people.
About The Storyteller
Mohammad Jasem (From Syria, lives in Turkey): Mohammad Jasem graduated from general medicine in 2004 and studied cardiology at Aleppo Hospitals. Due to the Syrian conflict, he returned to Raqqa around the end of 2012, where he worked at his clinic and with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), assisting victims of war and refugees. He assisted in establishing EWARN in northern Syria and operated as a surveillance officer in Tal Abyad in 2013. In 2014, he became ACU central surveillance coordinator. He took over as leader of EWARN in northern Syria in 2015. We detected polio outbreaks in 2013 and 2017 with the EWARN team and performed polio campaigns to stop transmission.
Nsovo Mayimele (Johannesburg/South African): Nsovo Mayimele is a pharmacist and lecturer. She qualified with degrees including a Bachelor of Pharmacy, Master of Pharmacy, Master of Science in International Development and Doctor of Philosophy. Nsovo worked for corporate, government and academic institutions and has vast volunteer experience. She has contributed to and influenced national and international policies around health, pharmaceuticals and gender. Her work in Healthcare has won her multiple awards, including the Mail & Guardian Influential Young South Africans in 2016 and a National Ubuntu Award from the Minister of International Relations and Corporation of South Africa in 2023. Nsovo serves the community as a member of the District Health Council in the capital City of Tshwane, South Africa amongst other roles. She is passionate about teaching and cultivating a safe and inclusive environment for people to thrive. Her best moments are those shared with her family.
Webster Makombe (Zimbabwe): Webster Isheanopa Makombe is a food systems activist and nutrition advocate. He is a core group member of the Act4Food campaign, spearheading “valuing local and indigenous food knowledge and strengthening local food systems”. He is also a youth leader with the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN). Professionally, Webster is a pro bono lawyer at Justice for Children, a local NGO Zimbabwe that provides legal aid for children whose rights have been infringed and children in conflict with the law. A reader turned writer, Webster enjoys artistic expression in the form of literature and music when carrying out his advocacy work. He is also the curator of a mini-food festival under Act4Food in Zimbabwe called NhapiTapi Food Festival. The word ‘nhapitapi ‘is in his native language chiShona and loosely translates to “finger-licking good” in English.
About the Host
Lebo Mashile: An award-winning writer, performer, producer, actress and activist, Lebo Mashile is a South African household name who is most recognizable for her lyrical and gutsy poetry which has captivated audiences in 38 countries worldwide. Mashile is a sought after social and political commentator, speaker, and master of ceremonies whose infectious enthusiasm is infused into every platform she has touched for more than two decades.
Mashile has graced South African television screens for two decades as a presenter of shows such as L’atitude (SABC1), Drawing The Line (SABC2), and Great Expectations (Etv). To date, the poet has authored two books. Her poetry collection In A Ribbon of Rhythm won the NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa. Mashile’s second collection is Flying Above the Sky. In 2017, Mashile released her second studio album titled, Moya, in collaboration with singer/songwriter Majola. Her first studio album, Lebo Mashile Live!, was produced in 2006.
Mashile is an actress who has appeared in the Academy Award nominated film Hotel Rwanda as well as several stage productions. Her theatre acting credits include the stage adaptations of K. Sello Duiker’s The Quiet Violence of Dreams and Pamela Nomvete’s Ngiyadansa, as well as Threads, a fusion of poetry and contemporary dance. She currently appears in the drama series Classified on Netflix.
She is a commissioned writer who regularly creates work for a wide ranging list of clients including fellow artists, public institutions and corporates alike.
The poet has also written, produced, and co-starred in an original theatrical piece on the life of Saartjie Baartman, the Venus Hottentot, titled Venus vs. Modernity which was staged in Johannesburg at the Market Theatre and in Amsterdam, Holland. The production was nominated 5 Naledi Awards, South Africa’s premier theatre awards. Ann Masina, who played Venus, walked away with the Naledi Award for Best Newcomer for her role. The film has been turned into a film in partnership with Ake Festival, Nigeria’s premier literature and arts festival.
Mashile is a mother of two and in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is a Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg where she is presently developing a play based on South African high school poetry set works in partnership with UJ Arts & Culture.
About The Directors
Sarah Austin Jenness: is the longtime executive producer of The Moth, where she’s worked with thousands of people to craft and hone their unique personal stories. She is a Peabody Award-winning director, is one of the longstanding hosts of The Moth Radio Hour, oversees The Moth podcast (now downloaded nearly 100 million times annually), and is co-author of the bestselling book, How to Tell A Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth. In 2014, Sarah launched The Moth’s Global Community Program, leading storytelling workshops and directing special events where advocates and activists use their personal stories to inspire conversation around gender equality and human rights. Moth stories Sarah has directed in the past fifteen-plus years have been told all over the world: on the floor of the United Nations, at the Sundance Film Festival, on rickshaws and buses, on first dates – and in Dharamsala, India, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama — but she is probably best known for her loud and distinct laugh, which can be heard on Moth story recordings for the past 20 years.
Jodi Powell: For Jodi Powell, stories are a common fabric of humanity. She connects to her story of Mama’s home cooking, the bumpy country roads of her Jamaican childhood and the glories of elementary rubber band dealing through tales told by others.
About The Moth
The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. For over 26 years, The Moth has presented over 60,000 stories, told live and without notes to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth conducts eight ongoing programmes.
The Moth Mainstage, which tours internationally, has featured stories by Elizabeth Gilbert, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kathleen Turner, Malcolm Gladwell, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, John Turturro, Molly Ringwald, Boots Riley, Krista Tippett, Damon Young, Mike Birbiglia, Rosanne Cash, Danyel Smith and Tig Notaro, as well as an astronaut, a pickpocket, a hotdog eating champion and hundreds more; The Moth StorySLAM program, which conducts open mic storytelling competitions in 27 cities: 25 in the US plus Melbourne, AU and London, UK; The Moth Community Programme, which offers storytelling workshops and performance opportunities to adults who are too often overlooked by the mainstream media.
The Moth Education Programme, which brings the thrill of personal storytelling to high schools and colleges in New York, and educators around the world; The Moth Global Community Programme, which develops and elevates true, personal stories from extraordinary individuals in the global south; The Moth Podcast—the 2020 Webby People’s Voice Award Winner for Best Podcast Series—which is downloaded 100 million times a year; MothWorks, which uses the essential elements of Moth storytelling as an empathetic communication tool; and the Peabody Award-winning The Moth Radio Hour which, produced by Jay Allison at Atlantic Public Media and presented by PRX, The Public Radio Exchange, airs weekly on over 575 public radio stations nationwide.
To date, The Moth has published four critically acclaimed books: The New York Times Best Seller The Moth: 50 True Stories (Hachette Books, September 2013), All These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown (Crown Archetype, March 2017) — described as “wonderful” by NYT’s Michiko Kakutani and New York Times Best Sellers Occasional Magic: True Stories of Defying the Impossible (Crown Archetype, March 2019) and How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth (Crown Archetype, April 2022).
The Moth has released its first card deck, A Game or Storytelling (Clarkson-Potter). The Moth’s second podcast, Grown, is out now on all major streaming platforms. Preorder The Moth’s forthcoming book, A Point of Beauty (Crown Archetype) coming out on 3.19.24, wherever books are sold. Learn more at themoth.org
About UJ Arts & Culture
UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA) produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.
In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre.
The faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education