Three months into the third cycle of Baraza Media Lab’s Data Storytelling Fellowship (DSF), supported by MOVE Africa, an African Union project backed by GIZ — the stories are deepening, and so is the understanding of migration across Africa.
We often celebrate the final product; the polished story, the viral post, the investigative triumph. But here at Baraza, we’re just as interested in the process: the interviews that shift your thinking and the feedback that challenges your assumptions.
So we asked a few Fellows to share where they are, how they’re navigating the work, and what this experience is teaching them. Here’s what they had to say;
Uri Ledger 🇰🇪: Proximity Matters
Why this story?
“Trade is the backdrop for a lot of migration in East Africa. I wanted to offer a fresh angle — one that focuses not just on border policies, but on how people move with purpose, especially around intra-regional trade.”
Biggest challenge?
“Balancing this story with other responsibilities. It’s a demanding piece, and I want to do it justice.”
What I’m learning about migration:
“Migration is intimate. You can’t sit in Nairobi and tell a story about North American migration and expect it to resonate. It’s about proximity. The closer you are to the lived experience, the more truthful the story.”
Mabel Achewune 🇳🇬: Behind the Borders of African Travel
Why this story?
“I’m exploring what drives African travel content creators to focus on intra-African travel, and how African Union policies like the Free Movement Protocol shape that journey.”
Biggest challenge?
“Digging through reports and documents to find the right data. It’s exhausting, but necessary.”
What I’m learning about migration:
“Only five African countries currently offer visa-free access to all other African nations. But regionally, restrictions are more relaxed. It’s uneven, and that tells its own story.”
Tony Mulenzi 🇺🇬: Centering Disability in Migration Policy
Why this story?
“Continental and regional migration policies often leave out Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). I wanted to examine where they fit into Africa’s mobility frameworks, and where the gaps still exist.”
Biggest challenge?
“Reliable data. There’s so little available on disability and migration. Thankfully, with the mentorship in this Fellowship, I’ve learned how to work through that challenge, scraping, verifying, and visualizing data where possible.”
What I’m learning about migration:
“It’s more than movement. It’s about survival, hope, and the right to opportunity. When we design inclusive systems, we make migration safer and more dignified — especially for those often left out of the conversation.”
Liapeng Raliengoane 🇱🇸: The Silence of Empty Villages
Why this story?
“I’m writing about rural migration from Quthing, Lesotho, a quiet but massive shift. Villages are emptying out. I want to raise awareness about what we’re losing, and what kinds of policies might change that.”
Biggest challenge?
“Access. Many Basotho migrants live and work in South Africa, often under intense schedules. Some were reluctant to share their experiences.”
What I’m learning about migration:
“It’s not just movement, it’s about survival and sacrifice. For many Basotho, migration is the only available path out of poverty. That reality deserves more attention.”
The Work Is Still Unfolding
As we move toward the final days of the third cycle of the Data Storytelling Fellowship, each story continues to take shape guided by data and told from a place of personal connection. The process hasn’t been easy. But it has been transformative.
We’ll be back soon with more updates. For now, we invite you to keep following the journey because these stories, still in progress, are already reshaping the way we understand migration across Africa.