Sam Brakarsh

Sam Brakarsh is an artist and facilitator from Zimbabwe. He is the Africa Regional Representative for Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and coordinator of the AMANI: Africa Creative Defense Network. In Zimbabwe, he co-founded the Chikukwa Research Trust and Culture Centre, focusing on sustainable governance, political theatre, and environmental justice. Sam is a Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) practitioner, having established TO networks in Zimbabwe and occupied Palestine and conducts trainings globally. He is a Dalai Lama Fellow and holds degrees from Yale and Oxford University.

Ouafa Belgacem

Ouafa Belgacem is an expert in Resources Mobilization and sustainability and a researcher interested in topics related to arts and creativity funding, cultural policies and art financial engineering. She is the founder and CEO of Culture Funding Watch, a leading Cultural and Creative Industries financing intelligence platform for Global South creative actors. She holds 4 Masters degrees in History, Archaeology, Heritage Management and an MBA. Prior to founding Culture Funding Watch she worked for UE, Oxfam GB, SNV, Arterial Network. She has worked and lived in Tunisia, France, Egypt, Mali, Niger, South Africa, Laos and Myanmar. 

She is the writer/contributor of several global reports: UNESCO special report on creative economy 2013, Compendium of cultural policies in the Arab region 2010, CS report on 2005 convention 2019, Cultural policy in the MENA region (UNESCO) 2019. Ouafa was names one of the 100 most influential creatives of African descent 2021, 500 most Powerful African Doers 2022; she is part of UNESCO 2005 expert facility, UNESCO indicator 2030 expert and part of UNESCO expert reflection group on CCI in the digital era.

Sarra Maali 

Sarra Maali has collaborated with various cultural institutions in Tunis, Beirut, and Dubai. From 2007 to 2011, she worked at Metropolis Cinema, where she directed the first three editions of Beirut Animated in 2009, 2011, and 2013. Between 2013 and 2015, she served as both the Artistic Director and Market Director of Animate Dubai. She is a Program Director at Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy). She has recently joined the board of directors of Gabès Cinema Fen, a festival focused on cinema and visual arts in Tunisia.

Dée Werter 

Dée Werter holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from The Hague University of Applied Sciences and a master’s degree in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding from the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, United Kingdom. She currently serves as a Senior Program Officer at DefendDefenders in Kampala, Uganda, where she leads various projects, including the initiative on Artistic Freedom.

Nyasha Freeman Musikambesa 

Nyasha Freeman Musikambesa is a dedicated peace practitioner who leverages innovative approaches to foster positive change in conflict-ridden regions of South-east Africa. His work focuses on providing crucial remedies and technical solutions to establish effective communication channels within communities. These channels are vital for building resilience and fostering understanding among affected populations.

Driven by an unwavering passion for youth empowerment, Nyasha actively works to create spaces for young people to meaningfully participate in peacebuilding efforts. This includes supporting youth-led community initiatives, facilitating interfaith and intergenerational dialogues, and promoting their active involvement in mainstream peacebuilding processes.

Nyasha possesses valuable experience in conflict mediation and possesses a strong ability to conceptualize and support projects that deliver tangible Peace dividends. He recently assumed the role of Co-Chairperson for iDove Africa group, a youth-led platform that champions bottom-up approaches to Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) through interfaith dialogue and community-led peacebuilding initiatives.