ANF March 2023 Newsletter

Hello Reader, 

Take your comedy career to the next level, explore African cities and find out what Mo Abudu did next.

What’s Happening at Africa No Filter

1. We’re looking for Africa’s next top comedians: Laughter is a universal language, so we’re using comedy to tell better stories of Africa. The Africa No Filter Comedy Lab is looking for talented African comedians to develop fresh and unfiltered skits that represent Africa beyond stereotypes. Comics will get grants of up to $3,000 to create new 10-minute skits, in addition to mentorship, masterclasses and marketing support. Deadline: 5 June at 6 PM GMT. Applications are open in French  and English. Got a question for our Grants team? We have two Insta Live sessions on @Africanofilter to help you make your application stand out. The French session is on 5 April, English on 6 April. Both sessions start at 3 PM WAT | 4 PM SAST | 5 PM EAT.

2. We’re turning your creativity into your personal brand: Talent opens doors and launches careers, however, it’s not enough to make you stand out from thousands of other storytellers and artists. Enter personal branding, a tool that experts say is often the difference between making a living and thriving as an artist and storyteller. Join Africa No Filter Academy Presents: Master Personal Branding with Charles O’Tudor to learn how you can brand your art into reaching funders, partners, more platforms and engaged audiences. Date: 19 April at 2 PM WAT | 3 PM SAST | 4 PM EAT. Register here.

3. We opined on African leaders behaving badly: When Africa’s leaders are the main lens through which outsiders view the continent, they should take care to present themselves well. Moky Makura examined some cases of African leaders ‘behaving badly’ and suggests some simple rules from school discipline that would help them clean up their acts in her latest musings on exemplary leadership.

Keeping up with ANF Narrative Champions

1. Wondering how to become a successful content creator? Take it from Mike Muchiri, one of Kenya’s most famous TikTokers: Don't compare yourself, believe in yourself, and stay consistent. Mike is one of many incredible young Kenyans you can discover through Adele Onyango’s Legally Clueless podcast. He’s featured in an episode called It All Started with TikTok. Watch it here.

2. Check out the 17th issue  of TAP magazine to find out what Moky Makura has to say about better representation of Africa and why it’s important to tell stories better, get up close and personal with the man leading the global feminist movement from Sierra Leone and how comic book, Sakura, is challenging skin bleaching in the Sudanese community.

3. Explore the magic of real-life African cities with  Amplified Cities. The travel storytelling project by Amplify Africa celebrates the beauty, architecture, and heritage of cities like Sao Tome, Kigali, Somalia and Larabanga, home to the oldest mosque in Ghana.

Shifting Narratives
- documenting the narrative progress we’re seeing

1. US vice president Kamala Harris’s weeklong trip to Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania caught our attention with its refreshing representation of Africa as an investment destination. We hope more high-profile leaders will take note, and engage with Africa as a business destination instead of a continent that needs western aid to develop.

2. Trevor Noah has become the second comedian in history to win the prestigious Dutch Erasmus Prize, named after Dutch philosopher and humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus (1466 to 1536). Noah received the honour “for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, which is filled with humour, social criticism and political satire.” The only comedian to get the award is old Hollywood icon, Charlie Chaplin.

3. Angelique Kidjo  was honoured with the Polar Music Prize, founded in Switzerland in 1992 and considered one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry. She joins Miriam Makeba and Youssou N’Dour as the only Africans to be honoured by the Prize.

4. Idris Elba and Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu have joined forces  to promote better representation of Africa and diverse stories in the global film and TV industry. They will train emerging African talent and give them opportunities to create content through Elba’s Green Door Pictures and Abudu’s EbonyLife Media.

5. Time magazine’s travel issue includes a feature about the World’s Greatest Places - and it features Cairo. For the Grand Pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum (that houses 100,000 artifacts), and the Pyramid of Djoser -  the oldest pyramid in the country. The list features 50 places you have to visit in 2023.

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

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