Nontobeko Yamantungwa Sibisi, 35, has a knack for telling stories that convey indigenous, historical and cultural knowledge about the African experience. She founded Okay Sho! Media, a storytelling and media production company that explores themes of belonging, community and identity through an African communal lens. In 2020, she led a team at Okay Sho! Media to conceptualise, develop and produce the first virtual National Arts Festival. Her work is influenced by the intuitive pull towards ideas that inspire change and that advocate for social justice and human rights issues, especially among marginalised people. Nontobeko is a member of the Independent Producers Organisation and the Documentary Filmmakers Association. She was also recently selected for the 15th Edition of Talents Berlinale Durban, A Berlin International Film Festival Initiative, and is part of a cohort of sub-Saharan storytellers on a 2022-23 DW Akademie Fellowship. In 2016, Nontobeko’s stand against a news channel’s decision to remove her segment off TV because she was wearing a doek sparked the #RespekTheDoek movement, which highlighted that organisations need to do more to become culturally aware and inclusive.
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Media Studies, Rhodes University
The opportunity to work on documentary films has been invaluable to my professional and personal development. I like to focus on creating intergenerational stories that resonate with people across ages. Recently, I focused on threading together a body of work that anchors social impact in marginalised and disadvantaged communities most prone to historical violence.
I was approached by one of Africa’s largest broadcasters to lead their programming teams.
Before diving into longform storytelling, the media mantra over the years has been “always with passion” at work. We love connected storytelling and creating community out of it. In 2020 I led a team at Okay Sho! Media to conceptualise, develop and produce the first virtual National Arts Festival in over its 50-year history. We created a series of 22-episode magazine shows that aired over the 11 days of Amazing. It was a great success, and our collaboration later included Standard Bank Arts, BET Africa/Paramount Studios and The Eastern Cape Government. I learned to trust and lean towards the things that move me, especially when it comes to storytelling.
Filmmaker Nadine Angel Cloete, Choreographer Gregory Maqoma & the late Great Mam’Busi Mhlongo. They touch honest and sincere places with their works, and there’s something always so intentional, necessary and needed in their approach. Sibonge for their hands inspires me, too.