HBCU-Africa Correspondents Corps AY 2023-2024

HBCU-ACC President

Akofa Bruce is an undergraduate student at Howard University. She serves as the Community Outreach and Communications Intern at the Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership. Akofa wishes to intersect her Political Science major and Women, Gender, and Sexualities Studies minor as an upcoming multimedia journalist. She aspires to cover African voices and stories from across the world, especially from her respective homes, Ghana, Kenya, and New York. 

HBCU-ACC Vice President

Aurelia Mouton is an honours journalism student at Stellenbosch University. She is the former editor-in-chief of Die Matie, the SU student-run campus newspaper. Her fields of interest include geopolitics, conflict reporting, political risk analysis, and foreign correspondence.

HBCU-ACC Secretary

Mfundo Jabulani Msimango is a second-year PhD student in Applied Linguistics and African Studies at Penn State University. His research interests focus on language and literacy in multilingual contexts in Southern Africa. Additionally, Mfundo serves as a Coordinator for the Penn State Global Virtual Forum.

Alumni Officer 

DaQuan Lawrence is an international journalist, human rights activist, educator and African Studies Ph.D. candidate at Howard University with experience covering international issues impacting Africa and its diaspora. Lawrence currently contributes to The AFRO Newspaper, served as the 2023-2024 News & Politics Editor for The Hilltop, and is an alumnus of the 2022-2023 HBCU-ACC Cohort.

Tatiana Allen is a journalism student attending Howard University. She has written for the NYU Spectrum, Howard University News Service, and her blog, Sipping with Tati. She has delved into the realms of fashion brands, business insights, and digital literacy within her recent articles. She has an interest in covering international affairs that affect civilians within the African diaspora. She aspires to be an investigative journalist specializing in global news. A communications major, she is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

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Mya Hall is a freshman Public Relations major from Georgetown, Guyana. She is a reporter for the Variety Section at The Hilltop, the student newspaper of Howard University. Hall has covered issues both on and off campus dealing with student life and the international student experience. Passionate about the diverse narratives people of various backgrounds have to offer, she hopes to educate the masses about the nuances of the black experience in the Caribbean, and the world at large. Hall aspires to become a professional in the field of public relations and leave her mark on the world.

Babajide Tella is a doctoral student in the Political Science Department at Howard University. He is interested in African politics, political representation, political institutions, women in politics, democratization, and development studies. Babajide is an alumnus of The University of Ibadan, Nigeria (Bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Master's degree in International Relations).

(Stellenbosch)

Nkululeko is a journalism honours student at Stellenbosch University. Nkululeko is also a freelance photographer and plans to incorporate this into his career of conflict reporting and photojournalism.

(Durban - DUT)

Enzokuhle Sabela is final year Bachelor of Journalism Student at the Durban University of Technology. He hosts, The South African Conversation, a politics podcast. His work has appeared in the Mail and Guardian. He is actively involved in Tomorrow’s Leaders on Training, a program that aims to train the future leaders of South Africa.

Faith Awotho is a student at Howard University studying International Affairs. They are currently interested in supranational and intergovernmental structures, and in the future, they plan to pursue scholarship on the persistence of structural hierarchy across post-modern institutions. As a long-time storyteller from the state of Vermont, their previous works use digital media and collaborative art to examine rural experiences. 

Oluwatobi Osobukola-Abubu is a doctoral student of the Department of African Studies. She has in the course of her graduate research, worked with the DC Human Trafficking Task Force Committee (HTTF) to sensitive students and staff at the Howard Law School and the Howard University Hospital on the identification and provision of support to victims of human trafficking. She has an interest in writing commentaries on trafficking-related issues. 

Sam Dennis Otieno is a dual-title PhD student in the Departments of Comparative Literature and African Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. He is interested in various forms of African literary and cultural expressions. He is an alumnus of the University of Nairobi, Kenya and has written for The Standard and Daily Nation newspapers in Kenya, as well as Music in Africa.

(Witwatersrand)

Salient Aminu is an Honours International Relations student at the University of Witwatersrand. She has a passion for fostering global cooperation and understanding.

(Witwatersrand)

Thuto Kgosiemang is a University of Cape Town graduate currently pursuing a BA Joint Honours Degree in International Relations and Politics at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

(Witwatersrand)

My name is Thato Makwela. I am a student at the University of the Witwatersrand. I'm currently studying for my honours in International Relations with a specialization in gender studies, empire studies and media studies. I am highly interested in the world International, particularly in matters of African development, regionalism, immigration, advocacy, and humanitarian issues.

(Witwatersrand)

Ezra Mendel is an International Relations Honours candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand. Separately, he is a constitutional advocacy intern at the FW de Klerk Foundation.

(Witwatersrand)

Thandolwethu Shisa is a Golden Key Award recipient who holds a Bachelor's Degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Pretoria. Thandolwethu is currently completing an Honours Degree in International Relations at the University of the Witwatersrand. 

(Witwatersrand)

Tasneem Vania is an international relations honor student at the University of Witwatersrand. She was recognized as the most outstanding student in the field of international relations across all three years of her undergraduate studies.

Phiwokuhle Mnyandu is an established policy pundit, he is best known for his appearances on BBC World News and VOA Straight Talk Africa. 

Michael Walsh is a well-known foreign policy commentator, he served as a Subcommittee Chair on the Biden Defense Working Group during the 2020 presidential campaign.