Mshai Mwangola
Mshai Mwangola | |
|---|---|
 Mwangola in Abuja 2025 at the ECOWAS 50th Anniversary | |
| Other name | Mshaï S. Mwangola |
| Citizenship | Kenyan |
| Education |
|
| Occupations | Oraturist, performance scholar, actor, director, activist |
| Spouse | John Githongo |
Mshai Mwangola (also written Mshaï Mwangola) is a Kenyan oraturist, performance scholar, actor, director, and activist who works at the intersection of storytelling, pedagogy, research, and advocacy for social transformation.[1][2][3] In 2023, she was recognised as a Kenyan Hero on Mashujaa Day for her contribution to society by blending creativity with advocacy and research for social change.[4]
Education
Mwangola earned a Bachelor of Education from Kenyatta University, a Master of Creative Arts from the University of Melbourne, and a PhD in Performance Studies from Northwestern University.[5] Her PhD thesis is titled Performing Our Stories, Performing OurSelves.[6]
Career
Mwangola is part of the Tutors & Trainers Team at the African Leadership Centre in Nairobi and serves on the Executive Committee of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).[1][2][6] She is a Research and Communication Officer for the African Peacebuilding Hub.[7]
Mwangola is a founding member of the performance-based artivist group The Orature Collective and The Elephant intellectual platform .[8] She is a volunteer with Kenya's National Civic Education Programme (URAIA).[9] In 2012, Mwangola gave a talk at TEDxNairobi titled Reconnecting our past with the future.[10]
Personal life
Mshai Mwangola is married to John Githongo.[11]
Selected publications
- Mwangola, Mshai S. (2017). "Bury My Bones but Keep My Words: The Legacy of the Dirge Singer". In Unlocking Sound and Image Heritage. ICCROM and KIK-IRPA.
- Mwangola, Mshai S. (2008). "Nurturing the Fourth Generation: Defining the Historical Mission for Our Generation". Africa Development, 33(1).
- Mwangola, Mshai S. (2007). "Leaders of Tomorrow? The Youth and Democratisation in Kenya". In Godwin R. Murunga and Shadrack Wanjala Nasong'o (eds.), Kenya: The Struggle for Democracy. Zed Books/CODESRIA.
- Alexander Craft, Renée; Mcneal, Meida; Mwangola, Mshai S.; and Zabriskie, Queen Meccasia E. (2007). "The Quilt: Towards a Twenty-First-Century Black Feminist Ethnography". Performance Research, 12(3): 55–73.
- Mwangola, Mshai S. (2007). "'Justice Be Our Shield and Defender': An Intellectual Property Rights Regime for Africa". Africa Development, 32(1).
See also
References
- 1 2 CODESRIA (2022). "Mshaï Mwangola". Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- 1 2 "Mshai Mwangola". African Leadership Centre. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ Bukenya, Austin (26 February 2022). "Oraturist Mshai Mwangola calls for moving Kenya's cultural centre". Nation Africa. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Dr. Mshai Mwangola". Kenyanism. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Dr. Mshai Mwangola". Uraia Trust. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- 1 2 "Mwangola, Mshai". Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, University of Bayreuth. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Victims, African leadership & the (international) justice system – Mshaï Mwangola". Thinking Africa. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Mshaï Mwangola – Performance scholar". Goethe-Institut. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Our Team". Uraia Trust. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ "Reconnecting our past with the future: Mshai Mwangola at TEDxNairobi". TEDx Talks. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
- ↑ Stanford University Haas Center for Public Service (2015). The Commons (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
Spending almost a quarter as the 2015 Mimi and Peter E. Haas Distinguished Visitor has been intellectually rejuvenating and inspiring for my wife, Dr. Mshaï Mwangola, and me.