What I learned from cooking my way across a continent | Dieuveil Malonga

Summary

Podcast Summary:

TED Talks Daily – “What I learned from cooking my way across a continent” | Dieuveil Malonga
Release Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Lily James Olds (TED Fellows program director, interview segment)
Guest: Dieuveil Malonga, chef & culinary innovator

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Episode Overview

This inspiring episode centers on chef Dieuveil Malonga’s transformative journey across Africa, where he cooked and learned in kitchens across nearly 50 countries. Malonga shares how his explorations led to the founding of Culinary Innovation Village in Rwanda—a training center aiming to both honor African culinary heritage and foster the continent’s next generation of innovative chefs. The episode also includes a rich conversation between Malonga and TED Fellows director Lily James Olds, diving into the roots of his culinary philosophy, the significance of intergenerational knowledge (“the grandmother school”), and his vision for the global emergence of African cuisine.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Pan-African Food Journey

• Food as Connection
  • “The good thing with food, like food, bring people together, food on their border.” – Dieuveil Malonga [04:11]
  • Malonga describes food as a universal language, offering a bridge between cultures and generations.
• Returning to Roots
  • After training in prestigious restaurants worldwide (France, Germany, Japan, Thailand, the US), Malonga felt called to rediscover and learn from African culinary traditions firsthand.
  • He returned to Africa for two years, traveling to over 48 countries to learn “at the grandmother school.”
  • “I wanted to go back to school, to the grandmother school... I took two years just traveling in Africa. I've learned about food, about culture and I saw about the continent history.” [04:47]
• Diversity and Complexity of African Cuisine
  • Malonga corrects common misconceptions: Africa is a vast continent of 54 countries, each with unique food traditions.
  • He emphasizes that there are “more than a million and billion recipe in the continent” [05:31].
• Notable Dishes & Ingredients
  • Cameroon’s ndolé: “If someone cook ndolé for you, it look like the person love you because ndolé take a lot of time.” [05:07]
  • Senegalese yasa; Miranda green banana (kisafriyam); Congo’s fumbua (wild-harvested leaves).
  • Penja pepper from Cameroon: “Spices is life... Penja pepper is one of the best pepper foaming in the world... close to lemongrass. You must taste it really to understand.” [06:12]

Food as Experience, Story, and Cultural Heritage

• Connecting with Ingredients and Their Stories
  • Malonga contrasts European fine-dining kitchens (disconnected from food sources) with African village experiences: “When I was in Germany... you can have carrot, but it’s come from the market. Like you don't know the story behind.” [07:25]
  • “My first time that I tasted the carrot when I was in Cameroon, I was different. Number one, like was sweet and flavorful... I was connected with the product of the people and of the region.” [07:40]
• Celebration of Food in African Culture
  • “In different countries in Africa, people celebrate food. People don't eat, but we celebrate food. It's part of our life.” [06:50]
  • Sharing meals is integral to daily life, often embedded in communal storytelling and mutual support.

Founding Culinary Innovation Village

• Vision and Practice
  • Malonga’s Culinary Innovation Village blends farming, training, and restaurant practice.
  • “We have a training center. We train next generation after, let's say the big chef of tomorrow. The students come from different countries in Africa. From now we have seven nationality and they bring another new dish, they bring Saddam another new way of farming—it's a huge exchange between me and the student.” [08:37]
• From Farm to Table, and Beyond
  • Emphasizes sustainability: Over 100 varieties of fruit and vegetable are cultivated on site.
  • “We teach our students how to farm... I focus more on the story of people and the product. For me, food is sharing and education.” [08:57]
• Global Future for African Cuisine
  • Ambition: “We want really in the future that people can talk about African food like they talk about Italian food... Nigerian food... Congolese, Rwandese, and South African food...” [09:23]

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In-Depth Interview Highlights

(with Lily James Olds; begins at [11:26])

• Roots and Early Memories
  • Malonga was born in Linzolo village, Congo-Brazzaville.
    • “I grew up in... foodie family and farming. My grandmother owned a restaurant... she was doing only one dish focusing on cassava leaves and cassava root.” [11:48]
  • The family dish: “In my language they call it Sakasaka... in Rwanda, they call it Isombe.” [12:15]
• Migration & Cultural Shocks
  • Moved to Germany at age 11–12.
    • “German food scene was shocking for me... I grew up like with a tasty and some pan African product and came to Germany was like potatoes and all of this meat culture was something shock for me.” [13:25]
• Forging Culinary Identity
  • Started “messing around in the kitchen” at age 14–15. Cooking became a way to preserve identity and adapt.
  • Studied in international school, worked in top international restaurants, but felt compelled to explore the vastness of African cuisines firsthand [14:58].
• Learning Techniques Across Africa
  • Deep focus on:
    • Farming methods (“from the farm to the table”)
    • Fermentation and conservation (“In many village in Africa, they don’t have electricity, so they conserve product and also they fermentate product... and product is give amazing taste.” [16:32])
• Food as Celebration and Community Ritual
  • Meal times as moments of gathering, not mere sustenance: “It’s the time you have story. It’s a time like listen the challenge for some people. And share what? Share food, share drink. And that me was like a celebration.” [17:32]
• Advice for Newcomers & Aspiring Home Chefs
  • On choosing dishes: “Personally, I don't have a favorite food, I don't have a favorite ingredients, I don't have a favorite spices. So depend how do you feel... every day I discover something new.” [18:29]
  • Starter recommendation: “Eat to do ndolé. Ndolé is one of the national dish from Cameroon. It's amazing. It's very rich and is made by leaves like bitter spinach and can mix it with shrimps, sometimes with beef.” [19:19]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Learning from Elders:
  • “For me, the best school is the grandmother school. I think that was one of the best school I've been in my life. You learn many technique, you learn how the food test and also learn story beyond the food.” – Dieuveil Malonga [19:47]
  • “Because for personally it’s very important to understand more about the product and environment. And this you learn it by grandmother.” [20:31]
• On Founding the Culinary Innovation Village in Rural Rwanda:
  • “All my friends, all my family say, are you mad? Why going to Rwanda? Kigali is a small country. I say, I know what I want.” [21:22]
  • “I wanted to create a space that people can come and learn... the ambition is like promote the product that you find in Africa, to create a Pan African space focusing on sharing and education.” [21:59]
• On Sustainability and the Future of Food:
  • “The food of tomorrow is not African. It's not American, it's not French. The food of tomorrow is the food that people use product that have in the corner.” [23:25]
• On Gender Balance in Chef Training:
  • “We learn from women, we learn from female. That is our first skill set to get to get it to the grandmother.” [24:36]
• On the Oral Recipe Tradition:
  • “I realized, like, in many countries in Africa, many people don't have... a cookbook, like, family recipe that really people share it. Like, from mama to the daughter and from daughter to the kids, like, go by grandmother is like a tree.” [26:09]

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Key Segment Timestamps

• [04:11] Malonga’s journey: leaving fine dining abroad, returning to Africa, learning through travel and elders.
• [07:25] On connecting to ingredients and understanding food in context.
• [08:37] Introducing the Culinary Innovation Village and its mission.
• [11:26] Interview begins: Malonga’s background and formative experiences.
• [14:58] Decision to leave top restaurants and travel Africa.
• [16:05] Traditional techniques (fermentation, conservation, farming).
• [17:32] Food as communal celebration in African daily life.
• [19:19] African dishes for newcomers: ndolé and others.
• [19:47] Importance of the “grandmother school” and intergenerational teaching.
• [21:22] Opening Culinary Innovation Village in rural Rwanda—motivations and vision.
• [23:25] Food, sustainability, and Chef’s Exchange initiative.
• [24:36] On gender in the kitchen and learning from women chefs.

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Conclusion

Dieuveil Malonga’s TED Talk and interview illuminate how food can transcend borders, educate, and empower—while anchoring people in tradition and community. His journey from Europe’s Michelin kitchens back to the “grandmother school” kitchens of Africa has redefined what innovation means in the culinary world. Malonga invites listeners to explore African food with open hearts—not just for recipes, but for the stories, techniques, and spirit behind them. His words underscore both a reverence for the past and an incitement to creativity and global understanding in the kitchens of tomorrow.

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Recommended Starting Points:

• For a taste of Africa at home: Try Cameroonian ndolé or seek out traditional dishes from across the five African regions ([19:19]).
• For those interested in the legacy and stories: Stay tuned for Malonga’s cookbook, which aims to capture recipes passed down through generations ([27:10]).

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Memorable Quote:

“Cooking don’t have border. And that's why I recommend people to be open and to move all of this cliche that people have for Pan African cuisines.” – Dieuveil Malonga [26:25]

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For more:
Visit fellows.ted.com for TED Fellows films and stories.

Transcript

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[Duivel Malonga]

The good thing with food, like food, bring people together, food on their border. I believe the new generation really are pushing now to promote the amazing food heritage within the continent. My name is Jove Malonga and I'm a chef. I've worked in many restaurants from Paris, from Germany, us, Japan, Thailand. My experience in a fine dining restaurant around the world was amazing. I've learned amazing technique. I've met amazing people. I realized myself that I wanted to know more about Pan African cuisine and I took the initiative like to go back to the continent. I wanted to learn. I wanted to go back to school, to the grandmother school. I took two years just traveling in Africa. I've learned about food, about culture and I saw about the continent history and got to learn my grandmother about African cuisine. First is not just African cuisine, it's countries cuisine. African is a continent. Like we have 54 countries. I've used it more than 48 countries. I started with Cameroon. That was amazing. I was like a baby who's learning new things. The first things I've learned was the national dish call it ndole. They call it like a recipe for King. If someone cook ndole for you, it look like the person love you because ndole take a lot of time is let's say seven or six hours. And it's a lot of ingredients. When I went to the village, we did it together with grandmother for my friends. And we spent all day. But the taste was amazing. It's like difficult to say how many recipes I've learned, but I've learned many recipes. A lot. In Nigeria, we have more than 200 tribes. And every tribe we have a different dish. So I can describe. We have more than a million and billion recipe in the continent. Senegal. Yasa is a stew. But the main product they use onions, Miranda green banana. They call it kisafriyam. Sometimes they mix with chicken or like. It's like a stew. In Congo, DRC Fumbua is made by us. So it's a leaves that find it more in the forest. Spice is very important for me. Spices is life. Penja pepper is one of the best pepper foaming in the world. The penga have something sweetness and so it's close to lemongrass. You must taste it really to understand. Peinja pepper grow only in Pinja region. I like to go to visit the harvest of panja pepper. Because most of the time the people singing and at the same time of mango and mango rife. And personally when I'm there, I like to go to help the people in the farm and I sweet mango. In different countries in Africa, people celebrate food. People don't eat, but we celebrate food. It's part of our life. When you taste the dish, firstly you know people who's growing product. You know, story behind. I think it's very different. For me, it was like I was tasting, but I saw experience. When I was in Germany, I was working in like one of the best restaurants in the world. I didn't get the connection with the product because you can have carrot, but it's come from the market. Like you don't know the story behind that was the big difference. My first time that I tasted the carrot when I was in Cameroon, I was different. Number one, like was sweet and flavorful and the texture was very different. And it was very small carrot. It was not that the big carrot that we usually use in the in Europe. And I was very surprised. I was connected with the product of the people and of the region. After traveling, my ambition was like, I want to share what I've learned in different countries in one place. Culinary Innovation Village is a food campus that we have created for my team. We have a training center. We train next generation after, let's say the big chef of tomorrow. The students come from different countries in Africa. From now we have seven nationality and they bring another new dish, they bring Saddam another new way of farming is a huge exchange between me and the student. When I travel I bring many seeds from different countries. We have more than 100 variety of fruit and vegetables. We teach our students how to farm and also we have a restaurant, Mezamalonga. There we do most of them food experience. Dimeshin like to promote the African ingredients and spices. I focus more on the story of people and the product. For me, food is sharing and education. My vision in the future is we have many places like this in many regions in Africa, many things happening globally. People are traveling now for food and African cuisines are playing a big role. We want really in the future that people can talk about African food like they talk about Italian food and people can talk about the Nigerian food and let's see Congolese Rwandes and South African food like also people talk about American food.

[Narrator/Host]

And now a special conversation between Malonga and Ted Fellows program director Lily James Olds. They discuss his early culinary days in Europe, what led him back home, and why the most important kitchen for him at least, will always be Grandma's. That's coming up right after a short break. This episode is sponsored by Defender. Are you a trailblazer, a risk taker? Someone with countless tales of epic adventure? Well, even the boldest among us started small, daring themselves to reach greater goals each day. If you're looking to take on a challenge like that, the Defender is too. It's a vehicle built for drivers capable of great things, whether they're headed towards uncharted territory or just a weekend getaway. The Defender is a vehicle built to meet challenges head on so you can explore with confidence. It's not just tough with a rigid body design tested to the extreme, it's smart with next gen technology like 3D surround cameras that let you see under the vehicle and a clear sight rear view mirror so you can always see what's behind you even if the back window's blocked. It makes driving and parking simpler with driver aid technologies and intuitive driver displays that are customizable to your journey. Explore the full Defender lineup at Land Rover usa.

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[Lily James Olds]

Welcome, Malanga. I'm so happy that you're here with us today.

[Duivel Malonga]

Mit. I'm happy to be with you.

[Lily James Olds]

I would love to take it back to the beginning of your journey with food. And I'm wondering if you could tell me about where you grew up and some of your earliest memories of food.

[Duivel Malonga]

So I was born in Congo, Brazzaville. I was born in one very small village in Linzolo is, let's say one hour from the capital of Congo, Brazzaville. So I grew up in the family. I can see like foodie family and farming. My grandmother owned a restaurant. The restaurant was very famous, but she was doing only one dish focusing on cassava leaves and cassava roth.

[Lily James Olds]

So what was the name of that dish?

[Duivel Malonga]

In my language they call it Sakasaka. Okay, so it's a cassava leaves. You have it in many African countries, like in Cameroon, in Gabon, and in Rwanda, they call it Isombe. You have the same in Madagascar, you have the same in Tanzania. But each country, they have their own recipe. So the Congolese recipe is very different to Rwanda recipe or the one from Gabon.

[Lily James Olds]

And so did you grow up farming? Because you said that your grandmother had a restaurant, right?

[Duivel Malonga]

Exactly. You know, when we talk about family, African family is more than 20, let's say more than 100 people in the same villages. So like a family member, most of them was farming. And my grandmother owned the restaurant. When I was 11, 12, I moved to Germany, start my school journey there. So the food culture was different. I think that challenge, the food challenge inspired me really to start to do small food at home. I think my food story start from there.

[Lily James Olds]

That's amazing. And so what were your first experiences cooking and when did you know that you wanted to be a chef?

[Duivel Malonga]

I think the first experience, let's say that I decided I will be a chef. That came when? When I came in Germany. When you are young, parents really push you and send you to school, to be a doctor, to be a pilot, to be a president. They don't push you to be a chef. But after, when I came to Germany, the German food scene was shocking for me. I grew up like with a tasty and some pan African product and came to Germany was like potatoes and all of this meat culture was something shock for me. It was a challenge. But the challenge really inspired me to start in young age to do my food myself. Like cooking for myself. Yeah, the hobby turned to the what the person I am today.

[Lily James Olds]

And how old were you when you started, you know, messing around in the kitchen and with food?

[Duivel Malonga]

Yes, I was 14, 15.

[Lily James Olds]

Wow. Yeah. That's amazing. And you know, I'm curious. So you've worked in some of the world's top restaurants. I mean in Paris, Germany, Japan. I'd love to hear about a little more of what inspired you to take some time away from that, you know, world of high end dining and to spend those two years traveling across 48 countries in Africa, which is incredible. I mean, first of all, I can only imagine how much amazing food you ate during that time. But we'd just love to hear about how you what kind of inspired that, that change for you.

[Duivel Malonga]

Let's say I studied in the very international school in Germany. When I was young, my ambition was to go back on the continent. But before to go back in the continent in Africa, I wanted to understand more about global food scene. And so I was working in the very high end restaurant and get a lot of connection. I knew some Pan African cuisines and I wanted to understand more. That's why I was traveling and learn from another people and learn new technique, learn new recipe, learn new ingredients and get the new taste for different countries in the world. That was amazing experience. Still today I will continue to travel so that I can learn from what the technique and I can bring back the technique in there. Like I can bring the technique for another countries in Africa. Yeah.

[Lily James Olds]

Can you share a little bit more? I mean, you talked about this before, but just what were some of those techniques and tools that you learned during your time during those two years traveling around the continent, you know, and how do they inform your practice and your cooking today?

[Duivel Malonga]

So I've learned many techniques. I think the first one is the product, the farming technique. That's very important. I have learned more from the farm to the table. I've learned about fermentation, conservation and also the taste. All technique I've learned from the different villages now in the continent in Africa helped me to create and also to innovate.

[Lily James Olds]

Little restaurant and why is fermentation specifically so important?

[Duivel Malonga]

So me, I live in little village and I grew up in a village and now I'm living in small village. Many village in Africa, they don't have electricity, so they conserve product and also they fermentate product during the fermentation and product is give amazing taste and that's what the taste is very dependent on the product that you are going to fermentate or going to conserve?

[Lily James Olds]

Yeah. I mean, I was lucky enough to get to visit Culinary Innovation Village and got to eat some of these delights. And it really was just such an incredible experience, I would say, for every part of the senses. Right. Of exactly what you're describing. You know, I guess connected to that, you've said that in many African communities, people don't just eat, they celebrate food. And I'd love to hear a little bit more. What do some of those different celebrations look like? And how would you describe that as different? You know, the way that food is valued perhaps in some of those celebrations than in other kitchens or other places that you've spent time.

[Duivel Malonga]

Most of the place I was traveling in Africa is like, when do people wake up in the morning, they go to work. Like, people don't talk about a breakfast or lunch. And the time people come together for sharing and celebrating food for me was like, it was a celebration time. Like, people are coming back from the work, they're coming back from the farming, they're coming back from wherever and sit down together and share the food. It's the time you have story. It's a time like listen the challenge for some people. And share what? Share food, share drink. And that me was like a celebration.

[Lily James Olds]

I love that. I love the daily celebration with food that feels so good. So for people listening who may have never tried a dish from Cameroon, Nigeria, Rwanda or beyond, where should they begin? And also, I guess for the aspiring home chefs, what recipes would you recommend that they seek out and try to make at home?

[Duivel Malonga]

I would say just my friend, follow, listen to your heart. Personally, I don't have a favorite food, I don't have a favorite ingredients, I don't have a favorite spices. So depend how do you feel? Like every day I discover something new. And like today I've discovered something I never tasted in my life. And I say this is the best thing to eat every day. And I know that most I'll discover other things I know really depend how you feel.

[Lily James Olds]

So you're being diplomatic is what you're saying. You're not picking favorites?

[Duivel Malonga]

Yes, exactly. I recommend people to visit the continent, at least the five region from north, south, east, west and also central Africa. I recommend you eat to do ndole. Ndole is one of the national dish from Cameroon. It's amazing. It's very rich and is made by leaves like bitter spinach and can mix it with shrimps, sometimes with beef. Me, I like to eat it. I can eat it every day.

[Lily James Olds]

That sounds great. I just want to go back to. Because I think it's a really kind of powerful example of expanding one's learning. When you talk about the grandmother school, why is this kind of cross generational learning so important to you?

[Duivel Malonga]

When I was traveling, I started to visit the city, like the big city. I realized myself in big city like hotel, they don't serve the Pan African cuisines. Most of them, when you go to hotel, they serve you like just international food. And I was disappointed. One of grandmother had advised me to go to the village if you want to eat the authentic African cuisine, go to the village. If you learn like modern cuisine. For me, it's like I can do nothing because it's already modern and I don't have connection with that food. But I have more connection when I go to the village and learn by grandmother. For me, the best school is the grandmother school. I think that was one of the best school I've been in my life. You learn many technique, you learn how the food test and also learn story beyond the food. And so that's why I so teach to our students, the young people who teach. We really invite grandmother sometimes to come to teach them. Because for personally it's very important to understand more about the product and environment. And this you learn it by grandmother.

[Lily James Olds]

And I want to describe for people for a second Malanga what it's like to come visit the culinary Innovation Village, which is also where Mezza Malanga, your amazing restaurant, is now based. So from Kigali, it's a long, three, four hour driving, winding road which is gorgeous. And then you have to take a boat to get to a peninsula. How did you decide that that was where you wanted your space to be?

[Duivel Malonga]

So when I was living in Europe, I get a lot of opportunity and a lot of big groups. Let's say a big company wanted to work with me. And I deny all of this offer to come to Rwanda. And all my friends, all my family say, are you mad? Why going to Rwanda? Kigali is a small country. I say, I know what I want. And I came to Rwanda, I opened my project in Kigali. All people say, okay, good, we understand why you wanted to go to Kigali. And when I tell them, okay, now I'm leaving Kigali, I'm going to this small village, all people is mad. They say, are you mad? Even the government in Rwanda say, are you sure what I'm going to do? So the reason why I would come to visit Kulina Innovation Village is like, you know, Today, people are traveling for food. Personally, I wanted to create environment that I can share with people. I wanted to create a space that people can come and learn, like, I'm going to eat, but so I can learn about Africa. The ambition is like promote the product that you find in Africa to create a Pan African space focusing on sharing and education. So at Kunar Innovation Village, we have a fermentation house. People can come and learn about fermentation. You can come and learn about spices and also the story beyond.

[Lily James Olds]

I love that. And why do you think this vision is so important for the future of the continent?

[Duivel Malonga]

I think food connected to the ecosystem and now our ecosystem is dying. And I think all people know that what's happening with the climate change and everything. And so the ambition don't be dependent on other people and other countries for food. And so the ambitions is to train people on using local product. Because as a chef, I have responsibility. We have a concept that don't have a menu. Just we wait what the earth gives us and we take what earth gives us. We give little, let's say some magic like this. The transformation that we do and to share with our guest.

[Lily James Olds]

Yeah.

[Duivel Malonga]

The food of tomorrow is not African. It's not American, it's not French. The food of tomorrow is the food that people use product that have in the corner. We have created a program called Chef's Exchange. We are welcoming chefs from Colombia, from Ethiopia, from Uganda, from New York, and from different places. They came to visit us to understand more how we do, how we farm, how we create, how we innovate. It's a space to share the philosophy and how we think about the food of today and tomorrow. And so I think that's the impact, the global impact that we are creating is another way to farm, is another way to cook for the better Africa for tomorrow, for the better world for tomorrow.

[Lily James Olds]

I love that. You know, I think connected to how you do things different at Culinary Innovation Village, I also was really excited to see how many women's chefs you had as part of the group that you were training. Obviously, there's such a big gender divide and that title of chef is often put on men. And women are often left as the home cooks. How do you think about teaching and training in that way, both men and women together?

[Duivel Malonga]

I grew up like most of them. Only women was cooking like was chefs. And. And when I went to Germany when I started, my culinary junior at school was more men than women. And I was surprised. I was asked my question, why the world is changing now. Today, you have more female chefs that are getting star. So, like, things are changing. We learn from women, we learn from female. That is our first skill set to get to get it to the grandmother. Maybe another country may be somewhat different, but we really welcome all people who want to learn and so to inspire people in the future.

[Lily James Olds]

Right. Okay. One more question from me, which is kind of my. The nerdy thing, since I love to cook so much myself. So obviously, when I came to your space, I was lucky enough to witness your incredible collection of cookbooks from different chefs, many from the continent. And I know that you are currently working on your own cookbook. What are two cookbooks that you'd recommend that highlight food from the continent?

[Duivel Malonga]

So when I was traveling different countries in Africa, like, I was asking about cookbook. Okay. Ah, mama, I know how to cook. But you do have a cookbook. And most of response I get, like, I realized, like, in many countries in Africa, many people don't have, like, a cookbook, like, family recipe that really people share it. Like, from mama to the daughter and from daughter to the kids, like, go by grandmother is like a tree.

[Lily James Olds]

Right.

[Duivel Malonga]

You know, I remember again, I went to the village and told me, okay, if you want to eat the best peanut sauce, you must go to this family. If you want eat the best yam soup, you must cook this family that this somebody have the best recipe, you know?

[Lily James Olds]

Right, Right.

[Duivel Malonga]

That is exactly the story I'm writing in my book. That's kind of stories I'm learning. But, you know, cooking don't have border. And that's why I recommend people to be open and to move all of this cliche that people have for Pan African cuisines, we are getting a lot of food tourists. And so now when you see worldwide many African chefs that are getting awards by using Pan African ingredients, and people are really curious to understand more what's happening in foods in Africa. And we are open for that. We are very happy to welcome all these people open for the good food in Africa.

[Lily James Olds]

And so it sounds like we should wait until your cookbook comes out, and then we'll get all the five in one, the stories and all the recipes.

[Duivel Malonga]

So the first book will come, will be more like, simple, but another one will come that I'm working on.

[Lily James Olds]

Oh, my gosh, I cannot wait. Okay, well, thank you so much for this conversation, Malanga. It was, as I've told you many times, it was such a treat to get to visit your gorgeous, incredible, inspiring space. And thank you for this conversation today.

[Duivel Malonga]

Thank you so much. Thank you.

[Narrator/Host]

That was Deweyval Malanga, a 2025 TED Fellow. To learn more about the TED Fellows program and watch all the TED Fellows films, we invite you to go to fellows.ted.com and that's it for today. This episode was produced by Lucy Little, edited by Alejandra Salazar, and fact checked by Eva Dasher. The audio you heard at the top comes from the short film made by Divya Gadangi and Owen Maclean Story edited by Corey Hajim and produced by Ian Lowe. Video Production Manager is Tseering Dolma. Additional support from Lily James Olds, Leone Horster and Allegra Pearl. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. Our team includes Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little and Tonsika Songmar Nivong. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Balaurazo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening.

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