ANF January 2025 Newsletter

Hello

Find out what we did at the World Economic forum, sign up for a fireside chat with George Gachara, join the African Narrative Collective and meet storytellers who are changing perceptions about migration in Africa.

What’s Happening at Africa No Filter

1. We challenged world leaders at Davos: We took a powerful message to this year’s World Economic Forum, calling on global leaders to move beyond rhetoric and forge meaningful partnerships with Africa. This is because while world powers pledge “equal partnerships” and a brighter future for the continent, our new research, Building Partnerships in an Unequal World: Africa in the Political Discourses of the West, China, and Russia, reveals a stark gap between diplomatic speeches and tangible action. Based on an analysis of over 124 public statements from leaders of the G7, China, and Russia between 2020 and 2023, the report sheds light on persistent stereotypes and contradictions that undermine Africa’s agency in global politics.

2. We’re powering creatives with fundraising skills: Join the Africa No Filter Academy Presents: How Creatives and Storytellers Can Attract Funding fireside chat with George Gachara to find out what you can do to attract funders, and build networks and partnership aimed at turning your creativity into a sustainable business. George is the founding partner and managing director at HEVA Fund, a creative industry strategist, a fund advisor, and an investor in creative industries in Africa. He has worked on funds like the Pioneer Creative Industries Fund, Ignite Fund, the Netflix Creative Equity Scholarship Program (East Africa), and DOCA Film Africa Fund among others. Bertha Tobia, Oxford University Rhodes scholar and the producer and host of the Spotlight by Bertha Tobias podcast, will moderate. Book your spot here.

3. We’re powering content creators that care about how the world sees Africa: Africa brims with opportunity, optimism, creativity and innovation yet the continent’s stories are still told through negative stereotypes. As part of our advocacy for stories about Africa to be told better, we’re powering a community of storytellers who care about how the world sees Africa and how Africa sees itself by creating fresh content that excites and inspires. Interested to join a community of like-minded storytellers? Apply here.

4. We were out and about: We were at the World Economic Forum where Moky Makura joined several panel discussions to present findings from ANF’s Cost of Negative Media Stereotypes report and its impact on Africa’s financial health. At the session called Reframing Africa Risk: Myth vs Reality, Rational vs Irrational?, she joined other thought leaders to spotlight the cost of media bias when it comes to reporting Africa and how they hinder Africa’s access to affordable capital. We also joined a webinar hosted by Some Fine Day Pix to talk about the power of film and how it can shape new narratives about Africa.

Keeping up with ANF Narrative Champions

Meet the storytellers who’ll be producing stories through blogs, vlogs, short videos, features and podcasts that reframe the current perspectives on migration and its impact as part of Move Africa. Delivered in partnership with the African Union and GIZ, Move Africa is aimed at addressing and countering widespread and deeply ingrained negative perceptions about migration and free movement in Africa.

1. Authors Kenza Barrada, Yann Gwet, Tété-Michel Kpomassie, and Natasha Appanah will join Meriyem Kokaina in four podcast episodes to discuss African migration.

2. Edible Africa, a series by Haneefah Adam, is a culinary and food art journey of unity through food art that uses ingredients from 16 West African countries to show the region’s unity, diversity, and interconnectedness.

3. Wongel Zelalem is using her travels around Africa to debunk myths Africans have about each other and highlight successful examples of African migration.

4. What do Pathé’O, Claudel Noubissie, Abdul Aziz Diallo, and Ky Siriki have in common? They’re featured in Boris Kabré’smultimedia stories of influential figures.

5. Mohamed Mohamud is working on a podcast and photography project that takes place in Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt and Kenya.

6. Ndume Green’s travels through border regions in Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana will feature interviews with historians and showcase the region's cultures and heritage.

7. Tanaïssa Beer is exploring the historical roots of modern African music genres and the historical significance of African textiles.”

8. Dillion S. Phiri is hosting a 10-episode podcast on migration, creativity, and innovation. .

9. Omotoke Motunrayo Fatoki has embarked on a backpacking journey from Nigeria to Namibia to travel through 15 countries via road.

10. Sanny Ntayombya’s podcast, The Long Form, will engage in conversations about opening and running a business in Rwanda, and Free Movement of Persons Protocol and its effect on Rwanda.

11. Chikamnenye Onubogu went on a 10-day trip from Nigeria, via Togo, to Liberia and Ivory Coast to explore border travel by road and air.

12. Lwazi Msipha’s animated character Nurse Thandi travels from South Africa to Ghana to help a patient and in the process discuss the complexities of intra-African travel and the importance of cultural exchange.

13. Abdulsalam Hamza Ozavogu’s photographic series tells the story of a Kenyan coffee farmer who moved to Nigeria to spearhead coffee development and cultivation in Jos Plateau.

14. Wilfried Sanwidi’s campaign, "On the Path of the Water Masters," will share stories of young West Africans journeys along the Niger River and the historical migrations of the Bozo people.

15. Andrino Akuda Kangela will host a podcast series and videos that highlight cross-border collaboration in the Great Lakes region.

16. Jacques Noumonvi is exploring freedom of access across seven West African countries in a project called MotoTrip West Africa – From Benin to Senegal.

17. Felix Byaruhanga is working on an EP featuring four audio poems that celebrate free movement, cultural exchange and Africa’s diverse landscapes, cultures, and business opportunities.

18. Mohamed Badri’s travels will show the cultural exchange, business operations, and the perspectives of local traders, leaders and residents in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

19. Boakye Dacosta is exploring the Island of Sao Tome and Principe, one of a handful of African countries that have ratified the free movement of person protocol by the African Union.

Shifting Narratives
- documenting the narrative progress we’re seeing

Reacting to a European documentary about the DRC, 'Stop Filming Us', by Joris Postema, filmmakers Bernadette Vivuya and Kagoma Ya Twahirwa decided to re-edit the same footage originally taken from a Western perspective to reframe it without using a colonial lens.

Nigerian English teacher Othuke Ominiabohs turned his frustration over being unable to get a publisher for his four manuscripts into the launching pad of Masobe Books, a Lagos-based publishing house launched in 2018. It’s become one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing independent publishers.

In Tanzania, a group of women (Solar Mamas) who trained to become solar technicians are lighting up villages and closing the gap in access to electricity while also earning a sustainable income and challenging gender role norms

That’s it. Remember to follow us on social media at @Africanofilter.

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