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African Storytellers are Reaching Beyond Space and Time

Animation, virtual reality, newspapers delivered via Whatsapp—a new wave of creative storytelling is growing on the continent.

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Africans across the continent have diverse and powerful storytelling traditions.

In the past, since the primary medium of delivery was oral, narratives tended to be confined to their region of origin—and were easily manipulated, controlled and appropriated.

Human behaviour is heavily influenced by belief and so Africa’s progress has been inextricably linked to what is being shown and told about it, using narratives it did not own.

That is changing. The current generation of African storytellers is using technology to own, highlight, share, and preserve their tales. Here are some great examples.

Image by Andriy Onufriyenko / Getty Images.

Okwi Okoh

Okwi Okoh is a media development specialist with 20+ years of experience in news reporting, visual storytelling, and digital media transformation. He has provided editorial strategy, project management, and training to Reuters, the United Nations, the African Union, and Africa InSight. He is currently consulting for the bird Story Agency which was launched by Africa No Filter in 2021 to help break stereotypes about Africa.

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