‘Our alumni have been winning awards at international film festivals as well as making their own commercial films… I hope they continue to craft stories that address important issues in their communities and shape a better world. I hope they embrace their power as the conscience of their generation through their storytelling. I am content and confident that every single one of them have evolved and will be an asset to the future of Africa’s creative industries’
THIS portrait created by Abel Ngoma of Zambia is a send-forth gift from the Multichoice Talent Factory marking the end of my tenure as Academy Director (West Africa.)
It has been a truly wonderful opportunity to pioneer such an important capacity-building investment into Africa’s creative industries.
Since 2018 we built and executed a practical, industry-fitted, syllabus that not only trained participants for one-year in storytelling and filmmaking, but also explored the business of the business in ways that only Multichoice, the biggest and most successful content provider on our continent, could offer.
We partnered global brands like DOLBY, New York Film Academy, Henley Business School, School of Media and Communications Pan-Atlantic University among others, to offer courses in best practices in filmmaking.
We also promised that the students will learn to make film by making film.
Indeed MTF students uniquely had opportunity to work on all genres of content by immersing for 3-months in award-winning TV shows like TINSEL, Battleground, The Johnsons, Flatmates, Big Brother, Supersports and multi-camera OB van productions. They watched lots and lots of films and read all kinds of books to grow their mind. The results have been heartwarming.
Our alumni have been winning awards at international film festivals as well as making their own commercial films. Some are working in high level technical crews all over West Africa. They have also created several production companies and are pitching their stories with passion and power. A few even got together and produced 120 episodes of a popular TV series called ‘Elenini’ on the Africa Magic channels. More importantly, they became wiser, more conscious humans when they left the academy.
I hope they continue to craft stories that address important issues in their communities and shape a better world. I hope they embrace their power as the conscience of their generation through their storytelling. I am content and confident that every single one of them have evolved and will be an asset to the future of Africa’s creative industries.
I want to deeply thank Multichoice for committing huge resources to bring the Academy to life and empower its processes and Programmes. I am especially grateful for the vital support of the Multichoice Nigeria leadership team, the management of the MTF programme in South Africa, and my colleague Academy Directors across the continent. They all made my experience incredibly rewarding. Most of all, I thank God for His grace and the divine support at every turn.
AS I move on from the MTF, I am delighted to begin a different phase of my journey in 2022. I will be an Adjunct Facilitator in filmmaking at a reputable International University somewhere abroad. I will also begin an academic research program in documentary cinema. As well I will be joining an elite international team to produce a feature film from the memoirs of a Nobel Laureate. So there’s more than enough to keep me busy in 2022.
I will always look at this portrait and savour the memories even as a vibrant new future emerges for MTF under a new and exciting leadership team. I will always cheer on the team as should every MTF alumni.
I wish us all a magnificent and rewarding 2022
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Scenes from the Season with the students and some of the Resource persons
