The Mandela Rhodes Foundation Podcast

10. From silence to systems change: Reem Elsayed on power, gender and who gets care

What began as quiet observations in overcrowded clinics became a lifelong commitment to transforming health systems. In this deeply reflective conversation, Mandela Rhodes alum Reem Elsayed, a PhD student at Oxford University, traces her journey from community pharmacist to health systems researcher. She reveals how personal experience, courage and values-based leadership can help drive meaningful structural change for women across North Africa. Through reflections on power, access and equity, Reem explores what it means to lead with both empathy and conviction in spaces where care is often unevenly distributed.

9. When leadership meets uncertainty: Dr Bayo Akomolafe on leadership pitfalls and cracks in our knowing.

What if the "clarity" we seek in leadership is actually a barrier to real transformation? In this episode, Nigerian philosopher Dr Bayo Akomolafe invites us to "slow down" and meet the "monsters" of our time - the things that don't fit into our neat categories of progress and success. From the passing of his father to the "death spirals" of ants, Bayo explores why leadership isn't a human skill we master, but an "eruption" that happens when we stay with the trouble.

8. From liberation movement to transformative leadership: Mrs Graça Machel on power, people and purpose.

In this episode of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation Podcast, Mrs Machel reflects on intergenerational leadership responsibility, education as a driver of dignity and transformation, and the quiet work of healing and reconciliation. From her early political awakening under colonial rule to serving as Mozambique’s first Minister of Education, she challenges narrow ideas of power, questions who development is really for, and calls on young Africans to lead now, not later. Leadership is ultimately reframed as service, inner work, and moral courage, positioning Africa as a vital moral voice in shaping global futures.

7. African sovereignty, self-reflection and mental resilience with Dr Sangu Delle.

This episode blends big-picture thinking with some intimate truths. Sangu makes a compelling case for African economic liberation while also confronting old cultural expectations on men's mental health. Judy guides the conversation that shows why authentic, self-reflective leaders are essential to Africa’s future.

6. From the Cape Flats to Silicon Valley: Dr Shehnaaz Suliman on courage, purpose, and global health leadership.

In this inspiring episode, Dr Shehnaaz Suliman shares her remarkable journey from a young activist in apartheid South Africa to becoming a biotech leader in Silicon Valley. Guided by Madiba’s call to serve, Shehnaaz reflects on the courage forged in the struggle for justice, her fight for equitable HIV access across Africa, and what it means to lead with empathy in global boardrooms. This conversation explores how adversity can be a superpower, how African leadership can redefine global health, and why rediscovering our shared humanity is an ultimate act of progress.