ANF September Newsletter
 Hello Reader, September was all about partnerships and impact. We got recognised for our work. Our playlist now includes an EP we funded through the Kekere Storytellers Fund. We’ve partnered with AUDA-NEPAD to boost visual artists, and Mo Abudu wants to get writers into meetings with global entertainment brands - start polishing your scripts. What's happening at Africa No Filter We’re taking up space: we’ve been nominated to receive the Most Influential People of African Descent’s 2021 Hall of Fame Award for “outstanding service and contribution to changing the narrative of Africa”. ANF's executive director made the Quartz Africa Innovators 2021 list: Moky Makura is one of 26 women who made the list. The women are from 12 countries and 15 sectors, whose impact shows the power that’s unleashed when bold women lead. We’re building the next generation of the internet with Facebook: The future of the internet is fully immersive. We’ve partnered with Facebook to support creators who are pushing the boundaries of digital storytelling through augmented and virtual reality. We (nearly) broke the internet: We received over 6,000 downloads and thousands more views of our How to Write About Africa in 8 Steps: An ethical storytelling handbook. You (nearly) broke our mailbox: our funding season ended at the end of August. We received just over 3500 applications from 65 countries (only 48 of which were in Africa). We’re currently reviewing applications. We are using our voice … Three op-eds: Hear what we have to say about the narrative around climate change in Africa, how african elections are contributing to stereotypical narratives and who is to blame for vaccine inequality. Where Nigerian entertainment goes, the rest of the continent follows: Read our August Twitter report to find out which Nigerian TV show trended in 45 African countries. We asked Google for the most searched topics in Africa: Jobs, sports betting, and Covid-19 continued leading searches in Africa. Read the report here. As part of our work to highlight trends, conversations and the people leading them, we set out to find out who is influencing education in Africa on social media platforms: Meet the top 5 accounts influencing Twitter conversations about education in Africa. Boost your brand and hustle: ANF Academy and Boost with Facebook are hosting a series of digital marketing workshops for journalists, creatives and artists. Sign-up here. We discussed why stories are essential with a prolific poet: Efe Paul Azino dropped gems on creativity, history and memory in shifting narratives. Catch up with the Insta Live conversation here. Stories worth sharing. It takes a collection of stories to create and shift narratives: bird, our story agency, is doing it one alternative story at a time, and you can read some of them here. Content is free to use for media platforms. Contact bird@africanofilter.org to become a publishing partner. What ANF #NarrativeChampions got up to 
Photographer Mutua Matheka’s ongoing Nywele series captures the diversity of African hairstyles and textures. The series features #KekereChampion Bryan Emry as stylist. Catch the second season of Gembu Vlogs to explore the unique cultural landscape of Mambilla Plateau, Nigeria. Abdulsalam Hamza captures the life, vibrancy and economic opportunities in the area, including the discovery of blue and gold sapphire. Subscribe here. Everyday Projects’ Essentials webinar series kicks off on 6 Oct. Renowned photographers and editors will share the ins and outs of visual storytelling and insider knowledge to take your art to the next level. Here’s the schedule. Shifting Narratives 
We’re glad to see more Africans being recognised for their influence. The 2021 Time 100 list of the most influential people globally features 9 Africans - last year’s list only had five Africans. Meet this year’s most influential Africans (according to Time): WTO boss Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; musician Angélique Kidjo; virologist Dr John Nkengasong, scholar and writer Felwine Sarr; environmental activist Phyllis Omido; Daniel Kaluuya; Omar Sy; Elon Musk; and Sara Menker. Benin is the fastest place in the world to start a company - thanks to Covid-19. Restrictions on gatherings turned an e-service portal into the go-to place for registering businesses. The global rise of Afrobeats has inspired a generation of musicians and turned the genre’s stars into Grammy award-winning superstars. GQ profiled how WIzkid became the king of Afrobeats. The rise and rise of Ebony Life TV & Film CEO, Mo Abudu, continues. The former talk show host’s profile in New York Times is a window into how she built her trailblazing company and why she invests in narrative-shifting stories about Africa. It’s paying off: Ebony has deals with Netflix and Sony Pictures Television. Next on Mo’s agenda? Getting emerging filmmakers into meetings with global entertainment brands. Hot Opportunities  This one is on us. We’ve partnered with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) for an art competition to boost emerging visual artists. Winners will showcase their artwork at the virtual African Youth Arts Festival on 21 Oct. All you’ve got to do is submit illustrative art that reflects #TheAfricaYouthWant by 11 Oct. More hot opportunities here. Remember, you must apply to be in the game. That’s it for this edition. Follow us on social media at @Africanofilter. Follow bird on Twitter at @BirdStoryAgency. |
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