Arts Culture & Entertainment

Lindah Mbaisi Nominee Arts & Culture #ZuriAwards 2021 is a Public Relations Officer at Performers Right Society of Kenya (PRISK) who saw the need to create more awareness on the need to compensate and remunerate (pay royalties) performers in Kenya for the use of their creative work.

Jayshree Suchak Arts &Culture Nominee # ZuriAwards 2021 is the Founder of Jays Pyrotechnics who has a strong passion and Hobby for pyrotechnics special and visual effects brand providing both indoor and outdoor pyrotechnics. Also curates multimedia shows using new media technology, such as hologram, 3D projection mapping and lasers.

She is a dedicated librarian at the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS), currently serving as one of the directors based in the Nakuru branch.

Purity has been recognized with innovation awards, including honors in Denmark around 2016—for her work in library innovation and sustainability .

She’s actively involved in community outreach, like organizing American Sign Language learning circles at KNLS Nakuru to promote inclusion for people with hearing impairments.

Muthoni Omukhango is a Christian author, publisher, and founder of Reflections by Muthoni Omukhango, a platform that empowers believers through faith-based literature and personal development resources. She also serves as the National Director of CLC Kenya, a global Christian publishing and missions organization.

With over a decade of experience, Muthoni mentors African Christian authors, curates book tours, and promotes Kingdom literature across East Africa. Her notable works include Back on My Feet, Too Busy for Worship, and A Girl’s Fathers, which offer practical biblical wisdom for parenting, purpose, and worship.

She leads the “Back on My Feet” program for single and couple parents and runs a podcast addressing faith, family, and leadership. Passionate about raising a reading generation for Christ, Muthoni is building a strong African Christian authorship movement that inspires transformation through the written word.

Dr. Elizabeth Wala is an award-winning Health Systems Strengthening expert and global health advisor with over two decades of experience across 36 African countries. She specializes in policy development, strategic innovation, and stakeholder engagement, supporting national and county governments, donors, and development partners to drive sustainable public health impact.

Elizabeth has led transformative initiatives in health system decentralization, public-private partnerships, and capacity building. As a trusted advisor, she has influenced policy, mobilized resources, and championed innovation in health technologies like Damu-Sasa and Hemafuse. Her work bridges evidence, policy, and practice to build resilient communities and health systems across the continent.

She is also a dynamic communicator with an extensive network of health and private sector partners in Africa.

Hellen Mtawali is the Founder and CEO of Afrizo Voices (short for “African Zone”), a celebrated music group that uses African-inspired gospel music to uplift, inspire, and connect audiences across the globe. Through Afrizo, Hellen has led international music tours that not only spread the gospel but also serve as a cultural and promotional platform for Daystar University, where she is a respected faculty member and mentor.

A renowned vocal coach, performer, and music educator, Hellen is deeply committed to nurturing African talent and using music as a tool for transformation, cultural pride, and spiritual impact. Under her leadership, Afrizo Voices has become a global ambassador for African music and values, with performances spanning continents and touching diverse audiences.

Svetlana is a passionate marketing and communications expert who believes in the power of storytelling to shape perspectives, influence minds, and ultimately enhance lives. With a deep commitment to delivering value through effective communication, she has built a career focused on creating meaningful connections between brands and their audiences.

Her journey began in Japan, followed by a move to Singapore, before settling in Kenya in 2015. In 2018, she took a bold step and founded Tandem, a creative agency driven by innovation and impact. Over the years, she has collaborated with some of Kenya’s leading brands, spanning industries from financial services to FMCG, crafting campaigns that resonate and drive results.

One of Svetlana’s most impactful contributions is her work on SKY Girls KE, a behavior change initiative empowering teenage girls to make informed, positive life choices about their bodies, health, and future. Through her leadership, she continues to harness the power of marketing and communication to drive social change and lasting impact.

About Tandem and the SKY Girls Initiative

Tandem is a creative marketing agency founded in 2018 with a mission to craft campaigns and projects that drive real impact. Guided by the motto, Creativity with Purpose, the agency goes beyond delivering results—it creates experiences that educate, entertain, and provide genuine value to audiences.

One of Tandem’s standout projects is SKY Girls KE, part of a pan-African girls’ empowerment movement designed for teen girls aged 12-19. Through innovative content, including teen TV dramas, TikTok shows, magazines, large-scale events, and interactive games, the initiative connects with young audiences in ways that feel natural and engaging. By incorporating play, storytelling, and real-life scenarios, SKY Girls equips teens with decision-making and refusal skills, helping them stay true to their values during their formative years.

Joy Alunga is a multidisciplinary artist and a dynamic force in Africa’s creative industry, seamlessly blending animation, design, and storytelling to elevate African narratives on a global stage.

With over seven years of experience, she has contributed to major productions, including Brand Kenya, DoubleTree by Hilton, D&R Studios, The Real Housewives of Nairobi, and Ctrl Z Show as a Visual Development Artist. Notably, she was part of the Iwájú team—an animated series by Kugali in partnership with Disney.

Beyond her creative work, Joy is deeply involved in mentorship and industry advocacy. As a lecturer at the Nairobi Institute of Technology, she nurtures the next generation of African animators. She is also an active advocate in the industry through the Association of Animation Artists Kenya, where she served as a jury member for the Kalasha Film Festival (2020) and was part of the 95th Oscar Committee Kenya (2022). In recognition of her expertise, she was recently appointed as Kugali Media (UK) Ambassador for East Africa.

Expanding her influence in 2024, Joy ventured into TV and film hosting, debuting as a panel moderator at Nairobi Comic Con 2024, where she led a discussion on the future of African animation. She is also a host at D&R Studios, further cementing her role as a leading voice in the industry.

With a relentless dedication to pushing creative boundaries, amplifying African stories, and empowering the next generation of artists, Joy Alunga is a trailblazer shaping the future of animation and visual storytelling in Africa.

Joy Mwangi #ZuriAwards 2023 Arts and Culture Nominee is among the few female entrepreneurs that have dared to venture in the animation industry, a male dominated tank and has founded her own animation studio that is now aged 12 months.

She founded Ada Animation in September 2020,a pan-African Animation studio headquartered in Kenya that seeks to build a thriving industry in Africa that will in turn create employment for the youth and catalyze wealth creation opportunities. The studio is also present in two other countries: UK and South Africa. Her studio is the first in Kenya and one of the few in Africa that has successfully execute an all animation capacity building programme. Ada Animation Bootcamp is a three-month hybrid programme that provides ambitious African animators with the necessary skills, tools, mentorship and a platform to create their own stories and earn from them.