Cohort 
2021

Paul Modjadji

Artist

We can reduce the scale and impact of dementia through awareness about brain health and the introduction of proactive interventions that can reduce the onset of dementia in our vulnerable members of society.

Current Work

Choreographer, Creative Director, and social entrepreneur.

Personal Hero

My father.

Words of Strength

Passion driven, community uplifter, doer.

Vision

As a society we can reduce the scale and impact of dementia through awareness about brain health and the introduction of proactive interventions that can reduce the onset of dementia in our vulnerable members of society.

Strategy

Paul is currently running community engagement art programmes that engage young people from as early as three years old, right through to young adults. The next phase of these programmes is to engage with elderly community members and offer fitness and wellness classes.

Impact

As an Atlantic Fellow, Paul aims to build on his capacity in the area of brain health understanding in order to use his arts activism and advocacy work to push for robust programmes that cater to at risk members of our communities.

Motivation

In most black communities in South Africa, mental health is not only misunderstood but is often a taboo subject. Often time dementia is considered to be a spiritual disposition versus a biological/mental condition.

Education & Experience

Paul is a dancer, choreographer, writer and creative director who's career began in Denmark on a dance scholarship. Since returning home to Africa he has choreographed and produced stage, film, and community projects and founded the non-for profit organization Leaders Who Dare To Dream Foundation. His work as an artist and activist has taken him to many parts of Africa and the world.

Awards & Honors

2011
First African dancer to win the European Star Dance World Masters Championships, in the solo Jazz category
Global Young Leaders Congress, Washington DC, USA
Global Young Leaders Award Recipient
Recipient of president Barack Obama's Mandela Washington Young African Leaders Award
Talent America Showcase, New York, USA
Crowned Top Dancer in the world
Recipient of the South African Youth Awards, in the Arts and Entertainment category