ANF June 2023 Newsletter

Find out which Nollywood producers and writers have joined the Oscars board, how you can support our #ISeeMe campaign and meet a chef who has travelled to 48 African countries to create an Afro-Fusion menu.

What's happening at Africa No Filter

1. We’re supporting the development of better stories of Africa: A reminder if you are a journalist, content creator, performance and visual artist aged under 35, and already producing work that tells African stories beyond stereotypes - you can still apply for funding through the Kekere Storytellers Fund. More info in  English  and French. Our Last Mile Film Fund also accepts grant applications on a rolling basis. The Fund supports post-production activities for films that offer a fresh, inspirational, and contemporary perspective of the continent. More info in English  and  French.

2. We explored the possibility of building digital nations: Is it possible to build the type of country that meets the needs of its citizens without the misaligned values that stand in the way today? Moky Makura explores a bold new vision aimed at building a digital nation across Africa and the diaspora in the latest Moky’s Musings for New African magazine. Read more.

3. We are challenging stereotypes in our stories: We found through research that many African stories are told through stereotypical frames of poverty, corruption, conflict, poor leadership, and disease. Yet, this is far from being a blanket reality for all Africans. We asked our online audience to identify the stereotypes and showcase their alternative realities by completing the sentence “Africa is not only… but also…”. Check it out on  Instagram. How would you complete that sentence? Tell us with #ISeeMe. Join the campaign to demand better storytelling that feeds better narratives about the continent. Tag us @Africanofilter, and we will repost you.

4. It’s all about money: Funding for your next storytelling project, that is. So, we asked two funders to empower our community with the skills and tools to navigate getting funded. The ANF Academy Presents: Grant Writing for Storytellers and Artists is now live on our website. Read the blog  or watch the masterclass.

Keeping up with ANF Narrative Champions

1. The connections between land governance, heritage and culture are at the centre stage in the latest edition of Jahazi Journal. The articles capture the intersections between land and spirituality in the African socio-cultural context, education and knowledge systems in inclusive land governance; women's perspectives to secure tenure rights and other issues. Read it.

2. Money, Freedom, a Story of the CFA Franc - a film by Katy Lena Ndiaye and Oualid Baha - won the second prize at the Al Jazeera Awards for Best African Feature Documentary  at the 2023 Encounters Festival. The film is a no-holds-barred look into France’s legacy in former African colonies.

3. Looking for your next great African book? Troy Onyango of Lolwe magazine recently launched his debut book, For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings. It’s a collection of 12 short stories with a quickening pulse and pages crackling with sharp observations and gentle revelations about solitude, loneliness, connection, loss, love, and the infinite intricacies of daily human life.

Shifting Narratives - documenting the narrative progress we’re seeing

Ghanaian photographer Prince Gyasi will photograph the 2024 Pirelli calendar.  The 27-year-old is known for vivid images that mixes senses. The Pirelli calendar was launched in 1964.

The Oscar Awards have also turned to Nollywood, by appointing five Nigerian actors and producers to the Oscars board. Richard Mofe-Damijo, director CJ Obasi, producer Jade Osiberu, and writers Kunle Afolayan and Shola Dada now have voting rights for The Oscars nominations and winners.

Chef Dieuveil Malonga  of Meza Malonga restaurant in Kigali is on a mission to create afro-fusion cuisine that embodies the continent’s vast and varied heritage and traditions, so he is eating his way around Africa, and infusing his journey into the restaurant’s menu. He’s been to 48 African countries.

The Essence Festival is one of the biggest gatherings that happen in the name of Black culture, and this year’s edition devoted a day to Nollywood. Nigeria’s film industry is the second biggest producer of movies globally, after Bollywood.

Are you an African journalist who wants to tell better stories about Africa? bird news agency is looking for you, but first, you have to complete the African Stories: A guide for journalists on how to tell better stories about Africa course. It’s free, digital, and only takes three hours to complete. Then you can pitch and get paid to publish on bird.