ANF Newsletter June 2024

Hello

Find out why we’re putting community at the center of our work, join our conversation about how global media covers Africa and see the city of Tamale, Ghana in a new (and more creative) light.

What’s Happening at Africa No Filter

1. We’ve changed how we work: ANF has been around for four years and in that time, we have learned a lot about narrative change and the creative community we serve.  We are also obsessed with how we can do what we do, but better.  So we’ve reimagined our work as part of the legacy we hope to create, starting with our absolute and deliberate focus on building a community of narrative changemakers who we can support to shift narratives about Africa. To this end, we’ve launched the African Narrative Collective, a community of storytellers and organizations who share our mission to change the narrative about Africa. The Collective offers networking, access to opportunities, connections and members will be eligible to apply for ANF funding. If you care about how the world sees Africa and you want to join the network, please click here.  We are looking for storytellers and organizations (and individuals) who support the African creative industry. Together we can change the way the world sees Africa and how Africa sees itself.

2. We are dispelling stereotypes around elections in Africa: What comes to mind when you think of elections in Africa? If you think of old senile men in power, dictators, rigging, and uninterested youths, you are familiar with the stereotypes surrounding elections on the continent. This is why we are working with African journalists to recognize their indispensable role in shaping Africa’s narrative through their election coverage. What positive narratives do you want to see around African elections? Stay tuned to learn more about the new resource we have created to help journalists transform the narratives around elections in Africa. Connect with us @Africanofilter on all platforms to support our advocacy for #BetterRepresentation for Africa.

3. We’re unpacking findings from the Global Media Index for Africa:  How do the world’s most influential media outlets tell African stories? Join the Africa No Filter Presents: A conversation about how global media covers Africa webinar on Thursday 11 July at 12:00 GMT to unpack findings from our latest research report, the Global Media Index for Africa. Moderator Christine Mungai will be in conversation with Professor Wallace Chuma, independent multimedia journalist Neha Wadekar, ANF’s advocacy and campaigns lead Abimbola Ogundairo, The Africa Report’s managing editor Nicholas Norbrook, and veteran investigative journalist and editor Beauregard Tromp. Register here.

4. We were out and about: We were at the Yaoundé Film Lab to connect with filmmakers from across Central Africa. In London, we joined the Gates Foundation learning session to discuss gender norms and the role of the entertainment media in promoting representation that showcases agency and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation global dialogue about locally-led development. We also joined two panel discussions at Deutsche Welle’s Global Media Forum in Bonn to talk about why journalism needs creative, diverse and young voices, and to unpack why it does not have to be bad.

Keeping up with ANF Narrative Champions

1. Are you interested in seeing Northern Nigeria through a different lens, away from stereotypes of conflict?  The Arewa? exhibition by the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos highlighted more than 80 works of art that highlighted the region's modern history and its evolving socio-cultural landscape. Here’s a taste of the exhibition.

2. What does the Communications industry have to do with shifting narratives about Africa?  In this interview with the OPEC Fund for International Development, the co-founders of Africa Communications Week, Annie Mutamba and Eniola Harrison, delved into the danger of a single story about Africa, often focusing solely on challenges, or presenting a one-dimensional picture of a rising continent; perspectives that lack nuance. Read the interview here.

3. What makes for an award-winning podcast story? Tune into This Coal Life by the Radio Workshop to find out. The episode recently won the top prize for Podcast and Radio at the One World Media Awards.  This is not the first honor for the podcast episode. Last year, This Coal Life won the International Documentary Association’s award for Best Stand Alone Documentary. It also aired on NPR’s daily news podcast Up First, reaching millions of listeners.

4. Can African gastronomy tell better and richer stories about Africa?  The first UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa event, to be held in Zimbabwe on 27 July will make a case for promoting Africa through its diverse cuisine, and Yasmine Fofana of Afrofoodie will be part of the conversation when she moderates a panel debate titled Effective Strategies to Showcase African Gastronomy to the World.

5. The historically rich metropolis of Tamale in Ghana has been imagined as a sartorial capital in the inaugural edition of Manju Journal’s digital fashion zine. The issue, called HomeGrown, was shot and produced by Tamale and introduces a special exclusive editorial titled Mangoes from Tamale. It was shot by Lagos-based photographer Daniel Obasi. Check it out here.

Shifting Narratives
- documenting the narrative progress we’re seeing

Africa made history at the Tour de France when Biniam Girmay, 24,  became the first Black African person to win a Tour de France stage. He is from Eritrea.

Proving once again that Africa’s creativity is indeed Africa’s soft power, the continent’s musicians were center stage at the BET Awards, with Tyla, Makhadzi and Tems taking home awards in the Best New Artist,  Best International Act and Best Gospel/Inspirational Award categories.

The sounds of the Wagogo people in Tanzania went global when Zawose Queens performed at Glastonbury music festival; one of the biggest stages in the music industry.

South African fashion brand Earth Age made it to Paris Fashion week as part of the Dior Summer 2025 Men’s show. The brand was scouted by Dior’s designer and creative director, Edward Crutchley.

Ghanaian designer Dede Ayite made history as the first Black woman to win the Tony Award for Best Costume Design at the 2024 Tony Awards. She earned the accolade for her exceptional work on “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” a play set in a Harlem salon.

Rema’s Calm Down cannot stop making music history. The latest accolade for the song? It has become the first Afrobeats song in history to earn over one billion on-demand streams in the US.

Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth is now available in isiZulu. It was translated from English by Makhosazana Xaba and published by Inkani Books. The isiZulu book is titled Izimpabanga Zomhlaba. The Wretched of the Earth is considered an important reference on social justice and decolonization.

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

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