FAME Week Africa receives large number of entries

The organisers said about 200 entries were submitted from more than 20 African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, DRC, Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Togo, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Mali, Uganda, Tanzania, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa.

The B2B event will celebrate diverse African talent at meetings, screenings and content sessions designed to provide opportunities. Participants will be drawn from various art disciplines including music, film, poetry, theatre, media, visual arts and literature.

“We are delighted at the overwhelming response and the sheer volume of submissions that came through,” FAME Week Africa event director Judy Goddard said. “The fact that so many immensely talented people went to so much effort to get their work to us is incredible. Given the wealth of creative work received, it was near impossible to select only four acts to perform. Corporate booking agency, Elegant Entertainment, will select 50 performers and artists to be showcased both virtually and in-person during all FAME Week Africa events.”

Speakers announced

FAME Week Africa will feature a conference at Gallery 44 and Theatre on 4 October. Confirmed speakers for the conference include Spier Films executive producer Lwazi Manzi, actor and producer Sarah Kozlowski, Baxter Theatre Centre marketing manager Fahiem Stellenboom, One-eyed Jack director Manuela Dias de Deus, Insights: Active Imagination’s Ivan Turanjanin, Content Connect Africa CEO Antos Stella, WIM South Africa chapter chair Tumi Mogapi, Wesgro head of film and media promotion Monica Rorvik, Message Architect’s Thami Nkadimeng, Camp Reel Stories founder and executive director Esther Pearl, SA Management Agency founder Samantha de Bruin, Yateletata Services founder Manaileng Maphike and Phly Media CEO Lyall Ramsden.

“I am humbled to be invited to FAME Africa Week to talk about the business of film and television,” Manzi said. “As a black female producer who has made films and television for the world market, it pains me to often find myself the sole representative of black female production. I hope to see many young black creative industrialists in a diverse audience so that we can share ideas on how to ensure that we reap maximal benefits from the hard work that we put into our creations.”

Mogapi said: “I’m so excited that I’ll be at FAME Week Africa in October to connect, inspire and be part of the knowledge transfer that will be happening from all pockets of the South African creative industry, a first of its kind. A proof of concept that if you take care of the ecosystem then it will, in turn, take care of you.”

The speakers will participate in discussions and training sessions including A Vibrant Cultural Economy Post-COVID Is Key to Sustaining Artist’s Livelihoods and Supporting Other Industries Allied to the Arts, Case Study: 2 Thirds a Man – Bringing Your Film to Life and Identifying Opportunities in the Ecosystem, Women in FAME: Challenges, Opportunities & How Women Leadership Can Impact on a Changing Landscape, and Masterclass: Your Brand, Your Business, Your Profits: How to Invest for Success & Prosperity.

“All the speakers are trailblazers within the creative and cultural industries,” Reed Exhibitions Africa portfolio director Martin Hiller told Music In Africa. “They have had a remarkable journey and we look forward to hearing and learning from them. The event programme is nearly all finalised and we look forward to the event in October.”

The full conference programme is available here.

FAME Week Africa is organised by Reed Exhibitions Africa in partnership with the City of Cape Town. The event will feature new products, knowledge sharing and business networking opportunities aimed at unleashing opportunities to an industry ready for new prospects.

For more information about the inaugural event, read Music In Africa’s interview with Goddard here.