The Mami Wata
RECOMMENDED READING
Moonlight Stories, by Nigerian author Remi Adedeji.
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, by Virginia Hamilton.
NIGERIAN & AFRICAN AMERICAN EDITORIAL TEAM
Uche Aguh -Uche is Nigerian born film director now based in the US. His film #TheHouseInvictus is on Amazon Prime.
Phillip Calvert - Philip is an African American influencer @Philwaukee who focuses on culture and art. He is host of a travel series on @matadornetwork.
EPISODE CAST
Yara Shahidi is the host of the second half of the series.
Yara is an award-winning actress, producer, change agent, and breakout star of ABC’s Emmy-and Golden Globe-nominated series black-ish. Shahidi is now the executive producer and lead of its Freeform spinoff series, grown-ish (#1 cable comedy, 18-49 yr olds), playing character Zoey Johnson.
MAMI WATA - Voiced by janet Onye
Born to immigrant parents from Nigeria and Liberia, Janet Onye is a native New Yorker who is a performer, singer, songwriter and advocate for all things “black girl magic!” Janet is a consummate thespian who has traveled to over 25 countries and continuously immerses herself in different languages, cultures and traditions.
OBI- Voiced by Owen Nnamdi Aguh
Owen Nnamdi Aguh is a Nigerian-American Dallas-Fort Worth based Voiceover Actor. This project was his introduction into the podcast world and he is now hooked! Keep up with him as 'NanoNnamdi' on youtube!
DWAYNE - Voiced by Kevin Thelwell
Kevin Thelwell was raised in Miami, Florida where he attended Miami Dade College and studied theater. He has worked on a variety of projects such as audio books, e-learning, commercials, anime, cartoons, video games, and more! Many of his clients include the likes of Amazon Audible and Funimation Entertainment. His notable roles include: Mio in Megalobox 2 Nomad, Poseidon in Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, and Kakeru Keshi in Kakushigoto. KevinThelwell.com
TIFFANIE - Voiced by Marion Toro
Marion Toro is a professional voice actress who has a fun and creative voice suitable for video games, animations, and podcasts. She provides a variety of voices ranging from young children to the elderly and alien/monster-like sounds. Specializing in character voices and is the voice of Vamp Irella in "Indigo 7 Quest for Love," Nurse Gracie McKee in "Empire of Sin" by Romero Games. She has also worked on the visual novel "Emergency! Monster Team" by Toro Comics, Nadel Pierce and Terra Cotta, and the RPG "Boyfriend Dungeon" by Kitfox Games as Olivia the Barista of Kick's cafe. She wholeheartedly believes that the inclusion of POC in the world of voiceover is essential. Representation matters, as it's best to be seen and heard.
AUNT NGOZI- Voiced by Florence Mafomemeh
Florence Mafomemeh is a freelance multimedia journalist based in New York City, United States. A native of the english-speaking region of Cameroon in West Africa, she moved to New York City 17 years ago from Germany where she lived for four years. Florence produces video and audio content as a one-man band as well as writes for online media. Her anglophone region of Cameroon has a lot in common with Nigeria including the foods, culture, beliefs and accent. The former British territories sound alike and speak the same kind of broken english called “pidgin english.” Florence says, as a mother of four born and raised in Anglophone Cameroon, voicing the role of Aunt Ngozi in “The Mami Wata” was amazing as she could relate to everything in the story.
CROWD MEMBER- Voiced by Anooj Bhandari
Anooj is an Artist, specifically a creative storyteller, playwright, and performer, who believes deeply in art as a process to ask quiet questions publically. He is a ensemble member of the New York Neo-Futurists, where he writes, performs, and directs in their weekly show, The Infinite Wrench. He has performed in spaces across New York City from Queer Abstract to The Bronx Academy of Art and Dance, has showcased works in progress at venues like La Mama Experimental Theatre and the Gloria Kaufman Studio at the Juilliard School, and has had his work performed at institutions including The Queens Museum and Town Stages. He is an alumnus of EmergeNYC, the Hemispheric Institute’s Fellowship for Emerging Political Performance Artists.
SANDY POPLORE - Voiced by Cherie B. Tay (she/they)
Cherie is a queer, BIPOC, gender non-confirming Voice Actor and multimedia creative artist based in NYC. Working VO Genres include animation, commercial, eLearning, narration, podcasts (audio drama and credit tags), live announce, promo, and trailers. In addition to being a voiceover artist, they are also a Broadway stage manager, professional photographer, videographer, and ukulele teacher. Broadway and Tour credits include: Hadestown, Amelie, Gettin' The Band Back Together, War Horse, In The Heights.