Rewrite Stories to Reshape Systems: Mon 1 Sept 6-8pm

The Conduit Club, 5 Langley Street, London, WC2H 9JA

The Conduit and Wood & Water explore the role of ethical storytelling in global development. Email to register: hello@wood-water.org

What does it mean to tell stories ethically in a world shaped by inequality, the climate crisis, and colonial legacies? From charity campaigns to media headlines, the narratives that shape public understanding of global development are too often rooted in harmful stereotypes, silencing the voices of those most affected. Ethical storytelling challenges these norms, centring agency, dignity, and justice.

Speakers on the night are:

Natalie Lartey is the founder & director of Wood & Water and a change maker who provides leadership to those in environmental and humanitarian spaces that want to generate knowledge and communicate from a racial and gender justice perspective. Known for creating tools and bespoke programs of work, Natalie is an innovator in her field, blending tried-and-tested development approaches with evidence-based theory, and her lived experience.

Lena Bheeroo leads decolonisation, anti-racism and equity work at Bond, where she works with CEOs, policymakers and civil society to embed justice, equity and anti-racist practice across international development. She co-authored Justice-Led Approaches to Global Development and This is the Work, which support policy and advocacy staff to embed decolonial and anti-racist approaches in their influencing. An experienced speaker, facilitator and organiser, Lena is an activist with the Racial  Equity Index and #CharitySoWhite. She is also Co-Chair of Board Racial Diversity UK  and a trustee of EachOther. Her work spans Africa, Asia and Europe, centring care, collaboration and systemic change.

Roxanne Wright is the founder of Eunoia Learning, a PSHE consultancy specialising in  culturally competent and relevant curriculum design for young people aged 16–19.  With a background in youth engagement and inclusive education, she works closely  with schools to create safe spaces for young people to explore identity, race, politics,  and sex and relationships education. Her work particularly focuses on creating  curriculum that reflects the lived experiences and realities of young people’s lives.  Roxanne champions storytelling as a tool for empowerment and systemic change.

Najité Phoenix is a narrative strategist, spoken word artist and cultural theorist working across branding, decoloniality, and collective imagination. With roots in poetry,  semiotics, and critical communications, she crafts frameworks, comms, and audio  rituals that help to release colonial conditioning and co-birth restorative, sustainable alternatives, at home and in the world.

Alexis Akwagyiram is the managing editor of Semafor Africa, a digital publication focused on the continent and its diaspora. He was part of the team that launched Semafor, a U.S. headquartered media company, in 2022. Alexis joined from the Financial Times where he shaped the newspaper’s Covid-19 pandemic coverage as its health and science editor. Prior to the FT, Alexis was the Reuters bureau chief in Nigeria. Based in Lagos for six years, he led a multimedia team focused on business and politics. His work has also appeared in The Guardian and BBC News.