The Bertha
Accelerator
Residency programs for people in social justice to take the time and space to advance their work alongside a global community of co-conspirators.
What is the Bertha Accelerator?
The Bertha Accelerator creates a space where social justice advocates from around the world can come together to re-think, re-organize and re-inspire themselves.
Accelerators bring together a global community of co-conspirators to brainstorm challenges, connect with one another and leave re-charged, taking what they've learned back to their movements and organizations at home.
We know that social justice work is wide-ranging and takes form in a variety of ways, so each Bertha Accelerator is curated around a different theme or pressing social justice issue, to make space for this.
Time to re-think, re-organize and re-inspire.
2026 Accelerator
Bertha Film Accelerator: Politics & Power
A residency program for documentary makers from the African continent
The Bertha Film Accelerator was a transformative eight-day residency designed to support bold, justice-driven documentary filmmakers from across Africa. Hosted at the Bertha Retreat in the Cape Winelands, South Africa, the Film Accelerator provided a rare opportunity for filmmakers to step away from production pressures and immerse themselves in creative development, collaboration and critical thinking alongside peers and mentors.
Learn MoreThe Film Accelerator Participants
Aliya Musa
Sudan
Chris Kets
South Africa
Christian Hubaroboye
Nigeria
Evelyne Agli
Benin
Fatou Ndiaye
Senegal
Mark Mushiva
Namibia
Mthobisi Khanyile
South Africa
Rami Jarboui
Tunisia
Youssef Berrada
Morocco
Where Our Accelerators are from
Past Bertha Accelerators
2025
Hope-Based Storytelling as a Tool for Social Change
Explored how storytelling can shift narratives, build community and inspire collective action through ethical, values-driven communications.
Read the story
2024
Holding Space for Social Justice
The inaugural Bertha Accelerator brought together activists from around the world to reflect, recharge and strengthen movements through collaboration and shared learning.
Read the storyReady to advance your work?
Apply to attend an upcoming Accelerator, or partner with us to bring one to your community.