Human Rights. Writing. Photography. Prints. Music.

Themba Lewis is writer, photographer, rights advocate, and academic whose work explores the intersections of persecution, repression, justice, protection, and alternate futures. He has spent more than a decade documenting scenes across the world - including genocide in Rwanda and the Egyptian Revolution - and advocating for the rights of persecuted people across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. His research and writing examines political violence, gendered vulnerability, and the structural brutality of border policy.

Themba holds graduate degrees from the University of Oxford and the American University in Cairo. His academic work focuses on social integration, detention, gang violence, and access to legal protection.

The first sun in his eyes and air in his lungs was in Swaziland, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, which shed its name in 2018. It has yet to shed its King.

For inquires:

thembalewis@gmail.com
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Work

Themba has worked as a human rights advocate and organizational leader for nearly two decades across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He has held key roles with the Danish Refugee Council, the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, and the International Refugee Rights Initiative, leading regional programs, legal aid networks, and advocacy efforts on behalf of persecuted communities. He His consultancy clients include the International Refugee Assistance Project and the International Organization for Migration. He has taught at Sofia University, the American University in Cairo, the Institute for International Humanitarian Law (San Remo), and as part of the CPG Global Academy. He has also served as an expert Advisory Board Member to the Center for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, University of Auckland, New Zealand as and a Board Member at AMERA International.

For professional history, click here.

Writing

Themba has authored and contributed to a wide range of publications focused on forced displacement, border policy, and refugee rights, particularly in the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific. His co-edited volume, Forced Displacement and NGOs in Asia and the Pacific (Routledge, 2022), is a key contribution to the field, exploring the critical roles NGOs play in addressing protection gaps and navigating civic restrictions in displacement-affected regions. He has authored or co-authored several influential regional analyses and policy reports, shedding light on refugee realities, particularly Afghan women and stateless populations. His earlier work includes research with institutions such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Japan, the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies at the American University in Cairo, and the New Bulgarian University, where he tackled themes ranging from urban refugee livelihoods to detention to gendered experiences of migration. His written work, grounded in rigorous field research and rights-based analysis, is widely recognized for its accessibility, ethical depth, and policy relevance.

As founder of Black River, he has specialized in crafting and publishing short-run, letterpress-produced books of creative non-fiction using a basement letterpress and traditional printing techniques.

Photography

Themba is a life-long photographer and an accomplished photojournalist whose career began through documentation of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution for multiple media outlets. Using analog cameras, his recent work focuses on the human condition: street photography, urban decay, human rights, and social justice. His images capture nuanced moments in the experiences of people across five continents and two decades. Themba’s photos have been featured in major international outlets including The BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, The Guardian, Getty Images, Courrier International, The Daily Beast, The Wall Street Journal, and others as well as in academic and humanitarian publications by institutions such as Oxford University, Harvard University, and Tufts University.

For photo exhibitions and publications history, click here.

Print and Design

Themba’s print and design work under the imprint Black River focuses on political prints, event posters, and small-run artisanal publications. Working primarily with traditional letterpress printing, he produces bold, tactile pieces that navigate the restrictions of type-set typography and imagery, working these as best possible into public art, promotion of the underground, and social commentary. His prints are crafted using raised type and relief blocks, inked and hand-pressed into paper to create the distinctive impression that defines letterpress work. He uses the physicality of print to bring community culture into visual form, creating small acts of communication, craft, and resistance with each print.

For print and design exhibitions and publications, click here.

Music

Themba’s musical projects have included The Intima, Tara Jane O’Neil, Mirah, JOMF, al-Wazza (Cairo, Egypt) and others, releasing music on labels including K Records, Thrill Jockey, Post Present Medium, and Zum, reflecting a long-standing commitment to community-driven sound. Over the years, he has shared stages with a wide range of artists including Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Cat Power, and The Ex.

For a short list of musical releases and collaborations, click here.