The Daladala Verse is a 360° immersive film set in the vibrant public transport culture of Dar es Salaam, following Fatuma, a female minibus conductor navigating the rhythms of the city. Through her journey, viewers enter the moving world of Tanzania’s iconic daladala minibuses—where labor, gender barriers, and urban life intersect—revealing the history of daladala culture and imagining a cleaner, more sustainable, and more inclusive future for African mobility.
The film was developed through Electric South’s New Dimensions Lab, an annual program that brings together interdisciplinary artists from across Africa to workshop and develop nonfiction extended reality (XR) projects. From that lab, The Daladala Verse traveled to major international festivals—including New Images, Ars Electronica, and Raindance Immersive happening in June—earning the 2026 New Images XR Competition Storytelling Achievement Award along the way. Agog is a proud supporter of the New Dimensions Lab and the pipeline it creates for immersive storytellers across the continent.
Attendees will begin the event in Electric South’s newly launched Community World in VRChat—a custom-built environment developed with Agog’s support—for a short tour and screening of the film. The group will then move to Agog House—Agog’s custom-built environment in VRChat—for a panel discussion with the film’s creator and collaborators.
The Daladala Verse is programmed as part of the 2026 Raindance Immersive festival. See program schedule: https://www.raindanceimmersive.com/2026-the-daladala-verse
Speakers
Aurelio Mofuga, Creator and director, The Daladala Verse.
A seasoned technologist dedicated to blending art, culture, and storytelling, Aurelio brings African narratives to life through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). In addition to The Daladala Verse, his work includes Utanzania ni Nini and AncestAR, both deeply rooted in African culture. He is also the founder of Kipepeo Edutainment, an initiative that leverages AR to enhance early childhood learning.
Find Aurelio on LinkedIn
Ingrid Kopp, Co-founder and director of labs and partnerships, Electric South
Ingrid has worked in documentaries and interactive media since 2000 and previously served as head of the Interactive Department at the Tribeca Film Institute in New York, where she worked at the intersection of storytelling, technology, design, and social change. She also programmed immersive work for the Tribeca Film Festival and co-founded Immerse, a publication on nonfiction emerging storytelling. Ingrid serves on the Global Future Council on Augmented and Virtual Reality at the World Economic Forum.
Find Ingrid on LinkedIn
Mária Rakušanová, Executive producer and lead curator, Raindance Immersive
Maria leads Raindance Immersive, a highly regarded XR, virtual reality, and interactive art festival celebrating cutting-edge independent creators. The festival takes place physically in London and features a month-long virtual program, with social VR platforms hosting numerous art projects and live performances.
Find Mária on LinkedIn
Moderator
Mary Matheson, Head of production, Agog
Mary is a multi-award-winning immersive director and producer known for using XR storytelling to drive social impact. With a background in journalism and over two decades of experience in documentary filmmaking, Mary has created work for clients including NASA, Google, the United Nations, and Save the Children. Her films have been broadcast on major networks and featured at global events including the UN Climate Change Summit, SXSW, and Sheffield DocFest. Her interactive VR experience on the Yazidis in northern Iraq earned the 2022 VR Award and 2023 Telly Award for Social Impact, and her documentary Walk to Westerbork was part of the award-winning series The Journey Back. She helped found the Narrative and Emerging Media program at Arizona State University’s Los Angeles campus.
Find Mary on LinkedIn.
How to Join
🪩 In VRChat — join live in the Electric South Community World for the screening, then move to Agog House for the panel
🎥 On YouTube — watch the full program as a livestream from anywhere
This event is free and open to all. Capacity in VRChat is limited; early registration is encouraged.
About Agog Agog: The Immersive Media Institute is a philanthropic organization dedicated to helping creators and nonprofit leaders use extended reality (XR)—including virtual, augmented, and mixed reality—to imagine and build a more connected, just, and compassionate world. Agog operates as a field builder and creative partner, supporting immersive storytellers whose work addresses urgent social and environmental challenges.
About Electric South Electric South is a nonprofit working to build a robust storytelling ecosystem in Africa grounded in immersive and interactive technologies. Committed to industry development, Electric South creates opportunities and resources for African artists and creative technologists through mentorship, labs, project funding, convenings, research, advocacy, and field building. The organization works across the ecosystem of African creators, industry, civil society, and governments—bridging these diverse sectors to create an enabling environment for artists and technologists and to reshape the trajectory of emerging technologies.
About Raindance Immersive Raindance Immersive is the XR strand of the Raindance Film Festival, one of the leading independent film festivals in the United Kingdom. Now in its 11th edition, Raindance Immersive presents cutting-edge virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive art from independent creators around the world. The 2026 program features 27 XR projects, with a month-long virtual showcase in VRChat running June 12–25 and an in-person exhibition in London from June 23–25.
About Agog House Agog House is a persistent world custom-built for Agog in VRChat by ShuShu VR and Niko Lang as a gathering space for connections and conversations that explore the social impact of immersive media. Agog hosts monthly public programs in Agog House that spotlight innovative projects and critical conversations in the XR-for-good ecosystem. These events are free and open to the public, and are also livestreamed on Agog’s YouTube channel for global audiences.