African creatives join ANF Fellows scheme
Africa No Filter (ANF), a non-profit organisation that supports the development of stories that try to change stereotypes about Africa, has selected 11 emerging artists to be part of its Emerging Artists Fellows programme.
Among them are Cameroonian actress and filmmaker Stella Tchuisse; Ghanaian filmmaker Prince Ardayfio, who works with traditional film and virtual reality; and award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, producer and media strategist Dylan Habil.
The list also includes Ghislain Mahoutondji Kinmagbo, a self-taught visual artist from Benin; Ivorian digital artist O’Plérou Grebet; self-taught Nigerian photographer and painter Haneefah Adam; visual artist Mpho Ts’uene; multidisciplinary artist Baingor Joiner; Zimbabwean artist Progress Nyandoro; Kenyan visual artist Katanu Sanna; and Cape Verdean artist Yuran Henrique.
Together, they are to produce career-defining projects in 12 months and will be mentored by Ghanaian TV producer Nicole Amarteifio, Senegalese-American journalist and podcaster Selly Thiam, Gambian playwright and director Maïmouna Jallow, Nigerian writer and editor Bukola Oyebode, and Teesa Bahana, director of Uganda-based art trust 32° East.
The 11 will get funding to help develop and produce their projects as well as mentorship and opportunities for networking and collaborations.
Habil, for example, is developing an animated documentary series called Mizizi, a contemporary take on African folktales; while Kinmagbo is producing a short animated film about a teenage girl passionate about living in a world where creativity is a way of life.
Moky Makura, exec director at Africa No Filter, said: “Creativity and art, in general, are powerful tools in creating and presenting relevant narratives about the African continent. We created the Emerging Artists Fellows programme to offer storytellers an opportunity to experiment with ideas and creative methodologies that they’ll be able to reuse for the rest of their careers. The programme will offer them the time, space and development needed to take their careers to the next level.
“They’ll produce films, installations, painting, a novel, a cookbook, multimedia essays, digital art and even emojis. Their work will explore identity, spirituality, landscape, women in leadership, oral traditions, representation, food and resilience. While the projects and artists are as diverse as Africa, they all have three things in common: innovation, creativity and telling an alternative story of Africa.”
“We also wanted highly motivated artists who are intentional about their art practice and put deliberate and consistent efforts towards creating,” added Essé Dabla-Attikpo, ANF’s programme facilitator.
ANF is funded by the Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundations, Comic Relief, the Hilton Foundation, the British Council and the Hewlett Foundation.
tagged in: Africa No Filter, Essé Dabla-Attikpo, Moky Makura