And that’s a wrap on our first FAME Week!
FAME Week has been a whirlwind sharing NEWF’s programs and impact with visitors at our booth, in our sessions and during one-on-one exchanges. From VR and film catalogues to unpacking labs and our Africa Refocused program; we are energised by the support for our vision, mission and an equitable future for African Storytellers.
HER|Story: Shaping and inspiring impact and storytelling across Africa
The women in the NEWF community are among the women across the continent showing up as the leaders, change-makers, and community cornerstones we have needed in our time. As the climate crisis intensifies, and intersectional social justice and impact movements rise to challenge the ways of the world; these women are meeting each challenge with passion, determination, and insurmountable fortitude - advocating for our access, expertise, and right to choose, the equity to lead, and to simply show up as ourselves while reimagining a better, more inclusive future for all people.
How many African photographers and cinematographers have the opportunity to film wildlife off the continent?
While diversity and inclusion across industries that include arts, culture, entertainment and film have been a fervent topic-turned-movement, we are a long way from close comparisons to the sheer volume of foreign talent building their careers on bodies of work produced on the African continent. For Peter Ndung’u from Kenya, the ancestors aligned time and place in such a way that a recommendation from a peer, and an already acquired VISA for a trip to see his wife Ruth (an academic in residency in Austria) led to an opportunity to join the Gulo Film Production crew led by Oliver Goetzl on assignment for four weeks in the snow in Eastern Finland.
Exploring the Future of Storytelling
This year has been electric with momentum! One of the most exciting events on our travel calendar is the National Geographic Society Explorers Festival. For NEWF, each year has given us more opportunity to celebrate our community and see our dream of Pan-African representation growing in the Society and around the world. Our dream of seeing diverse catalogues of authentic stories featuring a global melting pot of culture, language and community-inclusive impact is one we see coming to life.