Greetings, friends:
We’re just over two weeks away from Africa Media Festival 2025, and if you haven’t secured your ticket yet—now is the time! As we put the final touches on the program, I wanted to share a glimpse of the conversations, ideas, and provocations that will shape this year’s Festival.
One of the big questions we’re exploring is who really owns African stories. Media ownership and influence matter more than ever, especially as foreign-backed platforms and news outlets shape what we see, read, and believe. We will unpack the power dynamics behind Africa’s digital media landscape, while the “African Narrative Collective & AI Bias Buster Demo” showcases a tool designed to challenge biased storytelling and reclaim African narratives.
But owning the story is just the beginning—how we tell it is just as important. Some of the most powerful media innovations aren’t happening in newsrooms, but in the everyday ways people communicate. The session titled “Speaking Their Language: How Pidgin English is Fighting Misinformation” explores how language shapes trust, while “Mastering the Art of Audio Storytelling” looks at how sound can build deeper emotional connections with audiences. And then there’s the question of preserving stories that might otherwise be lost—something the “Eleza Masolo” Demo is tackling by using storytelling to revive forgotten African traditions.
Some stories, though, aren’t just heard—they’re seen. If you’ve ever wondered how film and media create stunning visual transformations, we have a Demo that will take us behind the scenes of the craft that turns storytelling into spectacle. And at the other end of the spectrum, there are stories that some want to disappear. The “SafeBox Network” Demo introduces a global safety net that ensures investigative work lives on—even when journalists face threats, imprisonment, or worse.
And of course, we have to talk about A.I. While the world races ahead with artificial intelligence, African media is still navigating who gets to benefit—and who gets left behind. “A.I. in Journalism: Addressing the Global Divide” will explore inequalities – and injustices – in A.I. adoption, while “The Wisdom of the (A.I.) Crowd” will show how generative A.I. can actually enhance solutions journalism, surfacing insights from years of investigative reporting.
Finally, there’s the ever-present question of how African media can survive—better yet, thrive. “Future-proofing Independent Media” will offer real-world strategies for building financially sustainable media businesses in the face of industry disruption. And because none of this change is easy, the session titled “Overcoming the Fear of Change” is here to challenge us all to push past resistance and embrace the possibilities ahead.
Because if there’s one thing AMF is about, it’s this: the future of African media belongs to those who are unafraid to reimagine it.
See you soon—it’s almost time.
In the meantime, here’s:
What I’m Reading: Being a mother in the west would be a dream, I thought. But compared with Uganda, it was a nightmare. Patience Akumu asks, how have western women managed like this for so long?
What I’m Watching: What Exactly is Jägermeister? Haven’t you wondered that too? Be honest. Heads-up though: this is a deep, deep rabbit hole.
What I’m Listening to: I always say that one can never be late to a work of art, or of the heart. I just discovered Lupita Nyong’o’s podcast Mind Your Own. What a beautiful, generous, warm and heartfelt one this is. We need more beauty in the world!
My best,
Christine Mungai
Curator | Baraza Media Lab