Paivapo! A Story Telling Series w/Dzoke

Cheza Nami Foundation proudly introduces Paivapo!, a new cultural storytelling and performance initiative designed to uplift ancestral memory, contemporary diasporic narratives, and the living traditions of Africa and her global communities.

Series 1 features Hana Baba, an acclaimed Sudanese American journalist and storyteller known for her work at NPR station KALW, her award-winning podcast The Stoop, and her acclaimed series Folktales from Sudan, highlighted by BBC, NPR, and OkayAfrica.

Hana Baba’s voice—recognized for its depth, clarity, and cultural resonance—anchors the premiere season of Paivapo!, guiding audiences through stories that illuminate identity, migration, resilience, and joy.
If you’re unable to attend Paivapo! in person, your support can still make a meaningful difference. A charitable, tax-deductible contribution helps Cheza Nami expand our storytelling series, compensate cultural storytellers like Hana Baba, and keep these important narratives accessible throughout the Bay Area. (Use the donation option or QR Code!)

Paivapo! expands Cheza Nami’s mission to create accessible cultural spaces that celebrate African heritage through performance, connection, and collective imagination. Through this series, Cheza Nami aims to spark dialogue, community reflection, and an intergenerational appreciation of the power of story.

Paivapo! by Cheza Nami launched its debut series with the incomparable Hana Baba—an award-winning Sudanese American journalist, storyteller, and cultural bridge-builder whose voice has amplified the richness of the African Diaspora across NPR, BBC, and global airwaves and a gem at KALW. Her presence in Series 1 set the tone for Paivapo’s mission: to honor ancestral stories, elevate contemporary African narratives, and create spaces where our cultures speak, dance, drum, and breathe together. With Hana’s mastery of storytelling at the center, Paivapo! becomes not just a program—but a cultural awakening.
Series: Episode 2: Dzokerayi Minya Mukome from Zimbabwe

Nathalie Minya is a dynamic and captivating Storyteller, Speaker, Singer and a “Guest of Oprah

Winfrey”. She recites powerful folktales to children of all ages in ways that promote their curiosity

about a different culture. She passionately and creatively engages the audience with her music and

riveting stories about her childhood of growing up in Zimbabwe, Africa. Currently, she is the Director

of TESE Foundation whose mission is to alleviate poverty from the girl child through education. To

learn more about her efforts visit www.tesefoundation.com

About Cheza Nami:
Our mission is to promote cultural education and diversity awareness to learning institutions, corporations, and communities that foster a more congenial relationship among its members.

Cheza Nami offers activities to community organizations, schools, and corporations while addressing educational and social needs that help foster community building, global citizenship, and personal enrichment through our core programs.

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