Principal Creative
Raphael Laurent
Raphael lives for creation, working best in collaboration and thriving in ideation, bringing innovative solutions to every project. His methodology centres on community action research, facilitating equitable relationships throughout the process. Deeply committed to working with individuals and organisations dedicated to creating structures that curate pervasive human flourishing, Raphael believes in the transformative power of storytelling as the chief reconciling force. Through this, he helps people chart trajectories toward justice and collective empowerment.
Raphael spent a lifetime at Oxford, most significantly pursuing a Bachelor of Theology, where he focused on Black Liberation Theology and its antecedents. Currently, he is reading for an MA in Political Science, seeking to formally connect his theology with the histories of African peoples and imperial states. Reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to understanding systems of power, equity, and justice. Raphael holds that beauty is essential to life and integrates visual culture into his work, recognising its capacity to evoke meaning, foster connection, and sustain hope. These academic and creative foundations inform his work, blending rigorous research with creative practice to achieve meaningful, community-centred outcomes.
Principal Action Resarcher
Kobina Amokwandoh
Kobina is a community action-researcher and strategist of West African heritage (Ghana) based in the United Kingdom. With a degree in Classics and Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, he's persistently building on his deep understanding of historical and cultural systems to community-centered work addressing systemic inequities. Kobina works building global solidarity and grassroots collaboration among Indigenous peoples.
With interests in Geopolitics, education policies, and decoloniality, his work prioritises colonised communities self empowerment with evidence-based insights informing transformative action based policies. At Nyar k’Odero Group, Kobina focuses on participatory methodologies development in support of community capacity building, knowledge equities, and epistemic decoloniality.
Oliver Bradley-Baker
Ollie is a visual artist, filmmaker, and cinematographer with a specialisation in documentary storytelling. His work spans diverse formats, including long- and short-form projects across documentary films, music videos, and commercial advertisements. With expertise in industry-standard cameras such as Arri, RED, and Sony series cameras, as well as a passion for analogue formats like 16mm film, VHS, and DV, Ollie brings a dynamic and textured aesthetic to his filmmaking.
Ollie holds a Master’s degree in Fine Art from the Ruskin School of Art at the University of Oxford, where he honed his skills in visual storytelling. His editing expertise spans Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, ensuring polished and professional post-production. As a freelancer, Ollie has worked internationally in Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Lesotho, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Gran Canaria, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and throughout the UK, reflecting his global perspective and adaptability.
A longtime collaborator with NKG, Ollie has been instrumental in shaping the visual language of our projects, contributing to both long-form documentaries and shorter creative pieces. His work reflects a deep commitment to using film as a medium for storytelling that resonates across cultures and contexts.
Mica Vidal-Taylor
Dr. Mica Vidal-Taylor BSc, MSc Oxon, MRes, PhD, is a London-based psychotherapist, trauma coach, and scientist originally from Patagonia, Argentina. With a PhD in Pharmacology from Imperial College London and a Master’s degree from Oxford, she combines academic rigor with over a decade of corporate experience in consulting, communications, and innovation. Drawing from her multidisciplinary background in pharmaceuticals, technology, and digital marketing, she brings a unique perspective to her work with clients.
A bestselling author of It’s Time to Buy Your Own Flowers, Mica is dedicated to fostering resilience and personal empowerment. Her private practice specializes in trauma recovery, narcissistic abuse, and gender-related issues, offering a safe and supportive space for clients to heal and grow. Guided by evidence-based principles, including CBT and DBT, she combines solutions-focused coaching with science-backed therapeutic approaches to help clients regain autonomy and thrive.
Mica bridges her scientific expertise and compassionate practice to facilitate transformative change for people and organisations.
Legal Advisor
Anthony O’Driscoll
Anthony is a solicitor, advocate, and advisor whose expertise supports Nyar K’Odero’s mission to curate spaces where marginalised voices drive systemic change. With a focus on LGBTQ rights and social justice, Anthony has acted in proceedings advancing LGBTQ rights in the Cayman Islands and supported victims of domestic violence and abuse. His knowledge of global legal trends, particularly in the Global South, provides crucial insights into advocacy and decoloniality.
As an advisor to a predominantly creative organisation, Anthony’s legal mind offers a vital perspective to Nyar k’Odero’s work. His expertise in navigating complex disputes and structural inequities ensures our storytelling strategies are impactful and ethically grounded. Drawing on his experience advising senior executives on high-stakes legal matters, he enhances the narratives we create by deepening our understanding of power dynamics and accountability.
A graduate of the University of Oxford, where he excelled as a Moritz-Heyman scholar and Full Blue recipient, Anthony combines intellectual rigor with a global outlook. His contributions bridge the commercial and creative worlds, ensuring our projects remain transformative and grounded in justice and representation.
Founder & Advisor
Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell
Rebecca is the Founder and Advisor of Nyar k’Odero, as well as a writer, filmmaker, and decoloniality scholar whose work critically examines race, gender, and cultural politics. She made history as the first Black woman to swim for Great Britain, achieving a world number one ranking in the 50m breaststroke at 15 years old.
Rebecca graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) from the University of Oxford before relocating to Paris. Living in Paris allowed Rebecca to immerse herself in the language and culture, achieving fluency in French and broadening her global perspective. Her storytelling, rooted in her commitment to decoloniality, spans writing and filmmaking. In 2019, she directed and produced Breakfast in Kisumu, an acclaimed documentary that premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Currently, Rebecca leads 10,000 Black Interns as CEO, driving its mission to create thousands of paid internship opportunities for underrepresented Black students in the UK. Under her leadership, the initiative has partnered with over 700 companies across more than 30 sectors, fostering inclusion and social impact. Her efforts were recognised in 2023 when she was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Social Impact category.
In 2024, Rebecca released her memoir, These Heavy Black Bones, a powerful account of her experiences as an elite athlete and her journey through complex cultural and racial landscapes. The book has been lauded for its candid exploration of personal and systemic challenges.
Community Engagement
Chiara Stennett
Chiara graduated from SOAS with a degree in Politics and International Relations. Chiara is a freelancer working closely with the team at Walks of Life Films. In addition she supports our work on Fallism. Chiara is interested in all aspects of film making and is building a portfolio of her work.
Creative Producer
Lucasta Emley
Lucasta joined NKG following her BA in History of Art and Spanish. Well-traveled and deeply immersed in diverse cultural experiences, she spent a year studying plastic arts and printmaking at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, which enriched her artistic perspective.
With a solid foundation in the creative arts, Lucasta has become an established set designer highly regarded for her ability to craft immersive and visually stunning environments. Her work has been celebrated for blending cultural motifs with contemporary aesthetics, creating spaces that tell compelling stories and elevate productions. From large-scale cinematic sets to intimate installations, Lucasta’s innovative approach and meticulous attention to detail have positioned her as a sought-after creative force in the industry.
Johnathan Brown
Johnathan Brown is an American creative and filmmaker dedicated to innovative storytelling and cultural representation.
A graduate in Communications and Cinematic Arts, Johnathan was a Robertson Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. In Summer 2022, he joined NKG as an researcher, he work was central to developing our decoloniality praxis and pedagogy in support of our clients. He spent serious time reflecting and curating his narratives prior to launching into production. Johnathan is active on LinkedIn
Charity Sector Advisor
Thesia Kouloungou
Thesia was born in Congo Brazzaville but moved to Ivory Coast after the 1994 civil war. Thesia graduated from Northampton University with a degree in multimedia journalism and sociology. She worked for the National Lottery Community Fund, latterly overseeing grant making activities supporting organisations to engage more fully with communities. Thesia was also appointed the London and South east EDI lead for NLCF, leading initiatives to reduce inequality. Thesia was the EDI Lead at London South Bank University with a strategic focus on embedding equality diversity and inclusion in the lifecycle of staff and student experiences. She is now at the DCSM.