Work

Political Study Trip to Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar
Partner Sourcing, Stakeholder Engagement and Program Design

I convinced the German tour operator Alsharq to launch Tanzania as a new travel destination and designed an accredited political study trip to Tanzania for a politically interested audience from Germany. In close collaboration with the Tanzanian award-winning photographer Imani Nsamila, I sourced trusted local service providers and secured government, civil society and international stakeholders on the ground as interlocutors for the program.

The trip explores over a millennium of exchange between Bantu communities and traders from Persia, the Arabian Peninsula and India along the Swahili Coast, leading to the emergence of the Swahili language and culture. Through curated site visits and dialogue, the programme traces key historical phases: the Kilwa Sultanate, Omani rule and the Indian Ocean slave trade, German and British colonialism and the path to independence, connecting them to Tanzania’s current global positioning, including its international partnerships and role in global supply chains. It also sheds light on the thousands of years of history that preceded the arrival of traders, missionaries and colonizers, focusing on the rich, mostly orally transmitted histories of the various peoples who have inhabited Tanzania to this day.

Find out more here: https://www.alsharq-reise.de/de/tour/tansania-sansibar-politische-studienreise-12-2026

Initial Reception Center for Young Refugees in Berlin Kreuzberg
Project Management & Quality Management

I set up and managed the operations of a 24/7 temporary shelter with about 60 beds for unaccompanied minor refugees that had newly arrived in the city of Berlin. With a team of 60 full-time and part-time employees and in close contact with local authorities, I was responsible for the safety, care and social support of newly arrived young people. I successfully mobilized additional ressources, by building cross-sector partnerships with local businesses, NGOs and cultural practitioners. For example, I initiated and organized the ‘Art Week’ in collaboration with exiled artists and the NGO Turning Tables e.V., enabling young refugees to learn storytelling techniques such as film, photography, and music production and to produce a documentary film of their own.

EXPO 2020 Dubai
Nation Branding, Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue & Capacity Building

As a pavilion storyteller and content curator at Expo 2020, I advised seven governments from the Global South on national positioning, leading the creative direction of each country’s pavilion in order to challenge perceptions and foster international cooperation (est. 1 million visitors per pavilion). I designed and facilitated multi-stakeholder workshops, weaving together the priorities of government, business, academic, cultural and creative actors from each nation around three goals: attracting investment, promoting exports and boosting tourism.

Qualitative Research & Swahili Translation
I design and conduct qualitative research on the ground that sheds light on people’s actual needs, helping international clients understand East African markets and communities and improve their products and programmes.

Multimedia Production, Sourcing Crews & Contributors
I plan and execute multimedia productions across East Africa and Southern Africa, managing the full production lifecycle. I have a strong network of trusted local crews, fixers and creative partners I can rely on. As a photographer and filmmaker myself, I oversee the entire process: concept and script, crew sourcing, location and talent scouting, logistics, shooting and editing.

OPI (2021)
Short Film
Featuring KLAUS-DIETER WALKE
Written, produced, shot, directed and edited by SOPHIE STOLLE

This short film tells the story of my grandfather and the millions of trees he planted in my home region. It is a story about foresight, patience, trust and letting go; about legacy, intergenerational justice and the things we leave to those who come after us; a reminder that we all are descendants of our ancestors, beneficiaries of their selfless actions, and that one day, we will be ancestors, too.