ANF November Newsletter

Hello Reader, 

November was all about extending our impact. We launched the One Africa? report, expanded our funding pool and hosted a fireside chat to help African producers break into the global scene – just another month in our world.  

What's happening at Africa No Filter

1. Africa is a sub-Saharan concept with young North Africans expressing their disconnectedness from the rest of the continent: We know because we asked 4500 people aged 18 to 35 in Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe to tell us what they think about being African, personal, and professional relationships with other Africans, and if they would travel or relocate within the continent. The answers will surprise, inspire hope and validate why narrative matters. Read our One Africa? report here. Follow the conversation online using #OneAfrica #ANFResearch. 

2. Look around for the small and simple human stories that inform and move us: David Cornwall’s reminder that the doccie stories that networks pick up are right there on our doorsteps. We just need to find them and tell them - well. David Cornwall presented the ANF Academy Presents: Going Global - Connecting Film & Documentary Producers to Global Markets workshop. Find out what he said about funding, collaboration and why you should tap into TikTok, Youtube and upcoming streaming platforms. Read more here.

3. COP26 put climate action on the global agenda, and the general sentiment is that Africa is “sleepwalking towards a climate catastrophe”: We went to Twitter to see if Africans care about climate. The top 5 accounts belong to an environmentalist, a journalist, a communications expert, a radio personality and an economist. Find out what they are talking about here. And if you missed our opinion piece about Africa and climate and the missing middle – you can read it here.  

 4. Let’s talk about sex, virtual reality and Africa on Wikipedia: ANF is becoming a trusted implementing partner, and we are excited about three new campaigns we will be working on. With Meta (previously Facebook), we are supporting content producers to create virtual and augmented reality films that tell African stories, while our partnership with Wikimedia will empower communities to produce content to increase the representation of African knowledge on the internet. And a portion of our funds from Hewlett will go towards a storytelling campaign, "Let’s talk about Sex", that shifts sexual health and reproduction rights narratives. 

5. Our executive director was recognised for putting ANF out there: Moky Makura is one of 50 marketing and communications experts globally who made the PRovoke Media’s The Innovator 25 Global Edition. The list celebrates game-changers who have “elevated and evolved engagement and influence.” She puts it down to the inspiring work ANF is doing!  

6. Shift narratives with ANF, the African Union & Wikimedia Foundation:
We’re looking for the Wikimedian in Residence to lead the Africa Knowledge Initiative aimed at increasing the representation of African knowledge on the internet through Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects. Duration: 14-months. More info. 

Meet our latest Narrative Champions

What do you get when Sipho Kings, Tomiwa Aladekomo, Dr Njoki Ngumi and Yasmine Fofana walk into a room? The narrative change we’re betting on. 

1. Sipho Kings and his team at The Continent newspaper embody what we mean by nuanced, contextualised and innovative storytelling by reporting on Africa from a continental perspective. Besides disrupting how mainstream African media tell African news, they also use WhatsApp to connect with audiences across Africa.  

2. Tomiwa Aladekomo is the brains behind Big Cabal Media. The Nigerian company is building the next generation of African media brands and creating some of the most exciting content about Africa through tech and youth publications, including Zikoko - one of the fastest-growing youth publications in Nigeria and Africa. 

3. Ivory Coast has a rich culinary scene and food heritage that Yasmine Fofana is sharing with the world through Afrofoodie, a digital platform dedicated to connecting locals and travellers with the best culinary experiences in the country. “The grant will not only allow me to amplify the voices of the movers and shakers of our culinary heritage in Côte d’Ivoire but also to step beyond its borders and immerse myself in other African cultures as well.” 

4. Dr Njoki Ngumi and the team at HEVA challenge one of the biggest misconceptions about the art, culture and media industries in Africa — that they are not financially viable. HEVA’s innovative funding and capacity-building programmes have disrupted the creative arts in East Africa. We partnered with HEVA to power their Ascend programme. It’s an immersive pilot project with 15 women-led media initiatives to set them up for success while centering marginalised voices.
 

Shifting Narratives
- documenting the narrative progress we’re seeing 

Senegalese writer Mohammed Sarr is the first Black African to win the Goncourt Prize, France’s oldest and most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt. It celebrates work that shows mastery of the French language. He’s also the youngest winner since 1976. Sarr’s winning novel The Most Secret Memory of Men was praised for its “stunning energy”. Didier Decoin, Goncourt’s president, called the novel “a hymn to literature". 

Nigerien architect Mariam Kamara was named one of 25 creative leaders of the future in Wallpaper magazine’s 25th Anniversary Issue, ‘5x5’ project. She’s the founder and director of Atelier Masōmī in Niamey, Niger, an architecture firm whose designs are true to the country’s heritage and natural resources - proof that authenticity is creative currency. 

Ivorian graphic designer O'Plérou Grebet caught the world’s attention three years ago when he created emojis to represent his country’s food and culture. He is still working on his representation project and has added more emojis to represent life across Africa.

That’s it for November. Remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin at @Africanofilter. Follow @BirdStoryAgency on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with alternative stories about Africa.