Kekere Storytellers Fund Champions 2024/2025

Originally from Togo, Andréa Magnon is a social activist, biologist, sustainable-development web writer, and entrepreneur passionate about showcasing African initiatives. Her blog, ON PARLE D’2, deconstructs stereotypical narratives about Africa by young Africans driving positive change. She is working on Visage des Possibilités, a series of four multimedia articles that shine the light on inspiring stories from Francophone African countries and how innovation, collaboration, and sustainable development progressed them. “Thanks to this support, the project will be able to highlight African achievements and inspire young Africans to believe in their potential and their initiatives. By sharing authentic stories of success and resilience from groups born and thriving on the continent, we will help promote a dynamic, innovative, and collaborative image of Africa.”

Angkush is a Chartered Certified Accountant by profession. He is passionate about teaching and writing poetry. He published his first poetry book, The Aapravasi’s Legacy, in 2023. His working on a book about Chagossian people who were forcibly displaced from their island of Diego Garcia by the British. “This grant represents a golden opportunity for me to make people more aware of the different stories about Mauritius. It will assist me to break barriers and make local people and other African nations more conscious of the narratives and preconceived ideas that people might have about my country.”

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J.C Muyonjo is a multidisciplinary artist at the nexus of storytelling, creative technology, and culture. With a background in visual communication, sound design, and interactive media, he crafts experiences that connect ideas, people, and possibilities. His work explores the richness of creativity, future thinking, and the power of meaningful expression. He’s working on Abatuuze Audio Visual Project that invites audiences to engage with Africa not just as a historical or geographical concept, but as a dynamic and evolving source of creativity, technology, and global conversation. “The grant will significantly amplify the next phase of the Abatuuze project, allowing it to reach new levels of creative and cultural impact. I plan to complete the virtual reality (VR) adaptation of the audio-visual album, creating a fully immersive, sensory-driven experience that invites audiences into the narrative world.”

Julien Kemloh Donmo is part of Awoulawoula Medias, a Cameroonian publishing house with the ambition of becoming a global vehicle for African culture. The company produces and distributes Afro-centred, play-based educational content, including children’s books, comics, animated films, and games. The company is working on a book that helps children discover Professor Cheikh Anta Diop and his work in an engaging and playful way. “The grant will allow us to bring forward our timeline by at least three months for the publication of the English version of the illustrated biography Cheikh Anta Diop: Zombie Healer. Additionally, receiving this support from an organisation as reputable and selective as ANF provides us with added motivation to continue developing our project.”

Brian Lesalon Kasaine has over 10 years of experience as a storyteller writing fiction thrillers, creative non-fiction, journalistic features, and prose poetry; and over 3 years of experience as a leader in the storytelling industry. He is the founder of Let’s Tell It, a publishing imprint and virtual storytelling academy and a Mandela Washington fellow. He’s producing feature stories covering the backgrounds, journeys, and impact of 25 young African leaders who participated in the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship. “Perception matters, and most of the time, Africa has been viewed through the lens of stories of civil strife, corruption, famine, poverty, etc. While Africa has its fair share of problems, we also have greatness in many ways, among them our creativity and innovation in solving problems. This grant will enable me to tell alternate stories of young African leaders solving problems in their respective nations.”

Boakye D. Alpha is a multifaceted creative recognized for his contributions to Ghana’s creative ecosystem as a writer, filmmaker, and creative entrepreneur. He is the founder and director of Creatives Project Ghana; an organisation committed to bridging the gap between creativity and entrepreneurship in Ghana. He’s working on The New Voices Poetry Contest and The Hummingbird, an upcoming online literary and arts journal, is committed to publishing poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, photography, and visual art by Ghanaian creative. “For us, this grant serves as both validation and fuel. It validates our belief that creativity is economic power, and that poetry, storytelling, film, and visual art can be tools for transformation, empowerment, and nation-building. It also fuels our ability to reach more unheard voices, particularly emerging Ghanaian poets, writers, and artists who lack the platform, support, and visibility they deserve.”

Creative practitioner Ibrahim Mkude is passionate about showcasing innovative works of art that challenge traditional boundaries and push the limits of creativity. His work strives to create engaging and interactive exhibitions and programs that inspire curiosity, spark conversation, and a deeper appreciation for the power of art to transform our world. He’s working on Pendezesha Ubongo, a short-term mobile creative research residency that seeks to transform libraries and public creative spaces into bustling hubs of creativity and cultural exchange. “This grant provides the critical resources needed to scale up participatory, community-driven art initiatives that center inclusion, cultural expression, and public space engagement. The funding allows me to deepen my impact by supporting more accessible, co-created projects, particularly with marginalized groups such as youth and people with disabilities, while also enabling meaningful documentation and knowledge-sharing.”

Harouna Neya is a multi-award-winning arts journalist, blogger, filmmaker, and media correspondent. He works as a correspondent for international media outlets and a contributor to specialist arts publications. He’s producing critical and analytical articles on contemporary visual arts in Burkina Faso. “This grant is essential to bringing my project to life under the right conditions. It enables me to finance the production and dissemination of the articles, mobilize the necessary resources, and ensure stronger editorial quality. More broadly, this support gives my work greater reach by strengthening my ability to highlight the voices of Burkinabè artists and actively contribute to changing perceptions of Africa and its contemporary creativity.”

Baha Lajmi is a filmmaker and science communicator focused on translating complex scientific concepts into clear, engaging, and relatable content, making science accessible to a broad audience through compelling visual storytelling. He is producing a series called Africa Innovates. It highlights African tech solutions and innovations. “Africa is often stereotyped as a poor continent lacking innovators, but this narrative is outdated and untrue. Africa is a hub of talent, resilience, and innovation, with people tackling global challenges like climate change and water scarcity.”