Biographies

Rachel M’Bon, born in Switzerland to a Congolese father and a Swiss mother, is a journalist and film-maker. After a federal diploma in communications and studies in journalism, she worked for over 15 years, for several Swiss media groups in the society and culture section. In 2018, she launched the Instagram account NOIRES to highlight black and brown women in Switzerland, which would later become the account of her association NWAR (Now we are Rising). Her first film, “Je suis noires”, co-directed with Juliana Fanjul, premiered at the Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) in March 2022, exploring themes of identity and the issue of racism. Its success earned it the Swiss Film Prize in March 2023. Rachel is a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion, founding NWAR and the Afropea Cultural Center in 2023. In September 2023, she was named one of the 100 personalities of the year by the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, and continues to work on filming and writing new stories about black representation.

Juliana Fanjul is a Mexican-born director based in Geneva. She graduated from the International Film School of Cuba and the HES-SO Master’s program in Switzerland. Her films explore power dynamics in the female world and have been screened and awarded globally. She is the head of the documentary department at the Film School of Cuba and teaches at EPFL and HEAD (Geneva).

Igiaba Scego is a Somali Italian writer, cultural activist, and freelance scholar. She was born in Rome to Somali parents who took refuge in Italy following a coup d’état in their native country, where her father served as foreign minister. She holds a PhD in education on postcolonial subjects, has done extensive academic work in Italy and around the world, and has a special interest in immigration and mobility. Her first memoir won Italy’s prestigious Mondello Prize, and her novel The Color Line won the Premio Napoli. Scego received the International Award Viareggio-Répaci in 2021. Most recently, she was longlisted for Premio Strega for her second memoir Cassandra a Mogadiscio. Her previous novels include Beyond Babylon and Adua. She also coedited the anthology series Africana (Feltrinelli) with Chiara Piaggio.

Sonia Lima Morais, born in Rome in 1990 to Cape Verdean parents, holds a degree in Political Science and specializes in managing intrafamily conflicts within the context of migration and reunification. Her research focuses on topics related to racialized and hypersexualized black bodies. She is also a co-founder of the intersectional and intergenerational feminist collective Donne in Cammino, which operates within the International Women’s House.Since 2023, with the collective, she has been curating the RicercAzione, È una di famiglia, a research and performance project that addresses issues of female migration, care work, public and private spaces, and gender-based violence within the context of domestic labor. At the same time, they are working on the memories of female prisoners in Iran, which led to the performance Le voci oltre le mura. Sonia is also the author of the story Sguardo nero: i razzisti in Italia non esistono, a finalist in the DIMMI Storie Migranti competition and recently published by the publishing house Terre di Mezzo. Additionally, she will be featured in the anthology dedicated to writer Kaha Aden with the story Até manha (A domani).

SPAZIO GRIOT is a nomadic space founded and directed by Johanne Affricot, that platforms research, process, experimentation, discussion and education in visual and performing arts, music and literature. As an itinerant, nomadic think, feel and do-tank rooted in Rome, SPAZIO GRIOT regularly hosts exhibitions, performances, screenings, workshops, residencies, readings, panels and public programmes. Previous events include the exhibition and public programme ‘Riverberi’ (Mattatoio, Rome, 2024); ‘Rifrazioni’ (Mattatoio, Rome, 2023), ‘Sediments: After Memory’ (Mattatoio, Rome, 2022); ‘Whose Wor(l)d is This? Diverse Voices in Urban Literature in the UK and Italy’ (Rome, London, 2022); the Italian release of Grada Kilomba’s book ‘Plantation Memories. Episodes of Everyday Racism’ (with Castello Di Rivoli and Capovolte Edizioni, Turin, 2021); ‘Memorie) In Ascolto (Listening Memories) (Rome, 2019); the touring performance project ‘Mirrors’ (Rome, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Dakar, 2019). SPAZIO GRIOT’s online magazine GRIOTmag is published in English and Italian. Established in 2015, GRIOTmag publishes interviews, profiles and reviews in art, culture, music, film and style. With an editorial team working between Berlin, London and Rome, and networks across the African continent, its diaspora and beyond, GRIOTmag is a living document of groundbreaking contemporary cultural production.