Pictures: Spanish Island, La Palma volcano

Abel Mavura is a journalist, editor, and writer whose work explores the intersections of cities, migration, and social justice. He tells stories about how people move, survive, and remake urban life under conditions of precarity, drawing on close field engagement and lived experience. Trained as a journalist at the Christian College of Southern Africa, Abel’s early work was rooted in media practice and community storytelling. Over time, his focus expanded into research and critical inquiry, allowing his writing to move fluidly between reportage, analysis, and long-form reflection. He is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and is currently pursuing research at the University of Cambridge, where his work builds on earlier research into migration and informal housing. Abel is the author of three books, and his writing has appeared across platforms ranging from grassroots and community radio to international and policy-facing spaces. His work is grounded in clarity, ethical storytelling, and a commitment to centring voices often left out of mainstream narratives.