Africa No Filter is a donor collaborative organization that strives to drive the development of nuanced and contemporary stories that shift stereotypical and harmful narratives within and about Africa.
They have an overtime goal to leave an empowered narrative change ecosystem and an informed community of storytellers who work more deliberately to change harmful narratives within and about Africa.
Growing from a small team of 9 and $1.5m in March 2020 to investing in 97 grantees and 5 research projects, Africa No Filter has created an expanded ecosystem of storytellers and content creators who are skilled, informed, connected, supported, and in a better position to churn out narratives that are not a disservice to the African people.
Working as an established donor collaborative with funding and managing partners including Ford Foundation, Bloomberg, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundations, Comic Relief, the Conrad Hilton Foundation, the British Council, and Hewlett Foundation. Africa No Filter helps fund robust research, and build strong networks. Their support of nuanced, complex storytelling stems from the hope of shifting perceptions about and within Africa away from simplified and harmful narratives of poverty, disease, conflict, poor leadership, and corruption.
Africa No Filter awards grants and sets up initiatives that support emerging and established artists, scholars, authors, poets, bloggers, vloggers, photographers, curators, publishers, musicians, journalists, arts, culture, and media organizations that are already challenging stereotypes about Africa. By this, the organisation aims to strengthen the narrative change ecosystem by developing robust research and nuanced storytelling about Africa. They also intend to crowd in new narratives – supplying African media outlets with stories that showcase creativity, innovation, and innovators, disrupt harmful narratives by tracking, recording, sharing learnings and data, and research so that the narrative created is evidence-based, salient, and relevant to the African conversations.
An example of such an initiative as set up by Africa No Filter is their latest grant a media callout in celebration of the International Women’s Day, aimed exclusively at women storytellers and women-owned media organizations. Also, outlets to contribute to an increase in African female storytellers and content creators, to give space to voices that are historically misrepresented and underrepresented across the continent.
Likewise, the organization convenes people and ideas bringing together artists, storytellers, researchers, and experts all with the singular aim of unpacking conversations about narrative. From finding and funding young African creatives, encouraging the upskilling of African journalists to investing in innovative storytelling, Africa no Filter has amplified emerging voices and created room for even more diverse content funding research.
By partnering with several media platforms, they have and continue to pioneer conversations, unpack youth narratives and produce locally relevant and globally competitive content, to completely shift Africa away from an uninformed narrative to a refined and uplifting one.
Read other projects carried by Africa No filter.