Unleashing Popular Culture to Drive Climate Action With Iminza Mbwaya

This episode features a conversation with Iminza Mbwaya, Programme Manager at Sounds Right, a platform for global music artists to help nature fund its own conservation. It was recorded in September, 2024.

Sounds Right is an initiative by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, an agile extension of the United Nations, exploring unconventional pathways to spark global empathy, action and change through the power of popular culture and dialogue. 

At Sounds Right, Iminza brings strategic, creative, and legal skillsets to the table to support the program development, design, and implementation. 

Before joining the UN Live team, Iminza worked with Dalberg Global Development Advisors and afrocentric impact firm, Axum, where, amongst other things, her work focused on designing and piloting novel concepts for outsized impact and sustainable returns. 

Iminza is also a performing singer-songwriter and has a background in Intellectual Property Law, where she advised creatives and businesses on how to identify, protect, and monetize their intellectual property assets. 

Amongst other things, Iminza and I discussed the real-world impacts of presenting nature as an independent music artist, what happens to the royalties generated through Sounds Right, and how reconceptualising nature in this way can shift how we think about and engage with it altogether.

Additional links:

Head to the Sounds Right website

Explore NATURE’s discography on Spotify

Discover a playlist of top NATURE collaborations on Spotify

Check out the Museum for the United Nations website

Visit the EarthPercent website