Samwel Japhet

Samwel Japhet is a Tanzanian choreographer, storyteller, and social entrepreneur. He tells stories at the intersection of body and memory, using movement, text, sound, and visual storytelling to explore human relationships and social and political realities. Samwel found his voice through dance after a childhood marked by homelessness and abuse, an experience that continues to shape his artistic practice, in which the body becomes a site of memory and witness. 

His work has been presented at festivals and theatres in over 30 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America. Through these international engagements, he builds artistic relationships between Africa and the rest of the world, exploring how performance can expand public understanding and imagine new possibilities for individuals and communities.

In 2021, he received the Seed Award from the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development. He is a 2024-2026 Global Fellow with the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University, a Salzburg Global Fellow, and serves on the Salzburg Global Advisory Council on Culture and Arts. In 2026, he was selected as a Frankfurt Moves! Fellow, an international artist residency and scholarship programme by KfW Stiftung in cooperation with Frankfurt LAB. In 2021-2022, he co-managed UMOJA, a multidisciplinary residency programme for East African and European artists in Tanzania. He graduated from MUDA Africa Dance Institute in Tanzania.

In 2015, he co-founded Nantea Dance Company to produce touring performances, develop social projects, and create platforms that support emerging dancers in Tanzania and across East Africa.