Ten African journalists and filmmakers have been selected for the One World Media Fellowship aimed at aspiring journalists and film-maker, supporting new talent from around the world to produce engaging and creative media in the global south.
They are among twenty fellows selected for the fellowship
Working in film, print, audio, or multimedia, the Fellows’ projects bring together integrity and creativity to present underreported stories that break down stereotypes and build cross-cultural connections.
Read about their career, story pitches and ambitions.
The Africans are;
KEMI FALODUN
Kemi is a Nigerian writer, journalist and editor whose writing explores mental health, social justice, science & technology and the intersections between private and public memory. Her work has been published in Al Jazeera, Catapult, The Guardian; Africa is a Country, The Republic and several media outlets. In 2020, she co-started the POBIN Project to document stories of Police Brutality in Nigeria.
STORY
A multimedia story about special education in Nigeria, the impact of coronavirus pandemic and inclusive education.
AMBITION
She wants to tell multimedia stories that make people feel seen and affirmed, stories that expand our humanity and contribute to policy implementation.
STELLA DARLEY TETTEH
Stella is a freelance writer and filmmaker based in Accra, Ghana. She has written for international and local media organizations and has produced and directed documentaries on her Youtube channel. A graduate of Communication studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism; she was selected for the British Council’s Future News Worldwide 2019, amongst a worldwide selection of 100 best young journalists.
STORY
A story about immigrant victims of child marriage in a rural community in Ghana, highlighting the personal experiences of these girls.
AMBITION
She is passionate about travelling around the world while reporting and telling stories of social justice, health and development in Africa, with a focus on women and minority groups.
JAMES JAMU
James is a Malawian journalist, photographer, and documentary filmmaker based in Namibia. A member of World Press Photo’s African Photojournalism Database (APJD); his work has been featured on Al Jazeera, The Namibian daily newspaper, OSISA and Doek literary magazine. He is a recipient of the Butler Media Institute Award for outstanding multimedia journalism at the Southern African Broadcasting Association Conference 2017 (SABA). He is a recipient of an Open Society Institute of Southern Africa grant in 2020. He also worked as a cinematographer for “Daughter of Molly: My Body Space As An Archive” — a short film screened at the Owela Festival in Recklinghausen, Germany, and at the National Art Gallery of Namibia.
STORY
A gay couple with newborn surrogate children was displaced. Immigration officials in Namibia denied the entry of Phillip and his newborns in South Africa following the success of the birth. Birth and citizenship rights have been under immense scrutiny. The quest for justice hinges on the LGBT community and Namibian lawmakers poised with a daunting task to revise the order of things.
AMBITION
Jamu wants to mirror the African millennial experience by exploring evolving subcultures through thoughtful and compelling visual narratives.
INNOCENT KUMCHEDWA
Kumchedwa is a multi-award winning journalist from Malawi. He holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Humanities from the University of Malawi majoring in Philosophy and Classics. He centres his reporting on social accountability, corruption, human rights and health.
STORY
People at a refugee camp in Malawi are bringing change by making software applications that are solving societal challenges. Interestingly, the app factory which is in the camp is also benefiting the host communities.
AMBITION
Kumchedwa dreams of one day becoming Malawi’s BBC Correspondent.
EMAN MOUNIR
Eman is an investigative journalist from Egypt. She has been working independently since 2019, writing with websites inside and outside Egypt. Eman is keenly interested in scientific and environmental issues, as well as stories related to human rights. Eman received an award in New Media from the University of Bournemouth in the UK, and a specialist award in scientific journalism from the German Goethe Institute. She’s currently nominated for the True Story Prize in Switzerland and previously nominated for Thomson Foundation’s Young Journalist Award. Eman is currently studying Data Journalism with a 6-month diploma offered by ICFJ and ARIJ Network for Investigative Journalism.
STORY
Textile workers suddenly found themselves without work, income, or compensation, after their hands and feet had been amputated while working. This multimedia project explores the lives of five textile workers who struggle daily to find out why.
AMBITION
To continue telling interactive investigative stories of marginalized people who are often forgotten by society, in an attempt to regain their rights once again.
FREDRICK OCHIENG
Fredrick is a freelance filmmaker and photographer with a main focus on documentaries, events, portraiture and lifestyle. He started shooting at 10 years old, using his point and shoot camera. This meant he had to get so close for details, so his connection with people grew and he was motivated to tell stories around him that facilitated change. He loves to share his skills with other emerging filmmakers and photographers using a participatory approach where they learn by doing.
STORY
Our world has been disrupted by the pandemic but compassionate heroes have emerged to give hope and help their communities navigate through the crisis.
AMBITION
To continue telling stories for change, to start a positive dialogue about the challenges we face in our daily lives and share it around the global community. To create a space where people can learn, create and connect
ZANJI VALERIE SINKALA
Zanji is a multimedia investigative journalist from Zambia. She has freelanced for media organisations such as the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Transparency International, International Women’s Media Fund, JournAfrica but to mention a few. In 2017, she was nominated for the Zambian Women of the Year Award and in 2019, received the Princess Diana Award for producing courageous journalism. In the same year, she was named among the world’s 100 best young media makers by British Council Scotland at the Future News Worldwide Program and was trained by the best media houses in the UK. Today, she sits on the Future News Worldwide Advisory Board as an alumni board member.
STORY
Choongo is a shoemaker living in Lusaka’s most polluted slums known for containing the majority of the city’s discarded waste items. His household are repeat victims of the urban flooding getting more frequent in Lusaka. To help his community, he crafts floaters from discarded plastic water bottles, tent material and ropes to ensure the survival of those in his community who cannot afford expensive swimming lessons or floaters.
AMBITION
To learn the craft and eventually work as an expert on cybersecurity, focusing on the intersection of digital security, technology and investigative journalism.
SAMUEL WANJOHI
Samuel is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who believes in a human-centred approach to storytelling. His debut film “Imara” (2017) catapulted his career having screened and won in major festivals including the Zanzibar International Film Festival, Kalasha Film & TV Awards and Montreal International Black Film Festival in Canada, just to mention a few. He has also worked with organizations such as Docubox East Africa Film Fund and most recently Cognizant, for commissioned work. He is a former fellow of Cinemadamare, a summer film school in Italy, and currently works with Capital FM Kenya as a Digital Creator. He recently co-founded Life Spark Studios, a film production house that focuses on humanist and branded short-form documentaries.
STORY
Illegally incarcerated for challenging the Kenyan government in 1982 in an attempted coup, Wahinya Wa Boore, now aged, is still relentlessly pursuing justice for his unlawful arrest and torture.
AMBITION
To achieve a lasting positive impact in individuals’ lives, communities and cultural setups within the African continent, through the stories I tell.
BAREND J. WILLIAMS
Barend is an enthusiastic and charismatic young freelance documentary filmmaker from Eerste River, Cape Town. Barend started in the film industry by interning at the Encounters Documentary Festival and in 2020 was selected to participate in the Encounters South African International Documentary and Western Cape Government’s Project Development Workshop. He also works as a production manager for 1000 Hugs Films. Barend has always had a passion for telling stories about his community, hence why he dropped out of the University of the Western Cape in 2016 to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker.
STORY
91-year-old Aunty Roos seeks to find her long lost sister before she passes. She retraces her life from her birth, her upbringing, separation from her family and present-day life. We get a look at the difficult life of a woman who has seen the history of South Africa and has been a victim of it.
AMBITION
To tell interesting and enlightening stories about the overlooked people of history. To provide a voice to the voiceless through my work and ultimately tells stories that are not only visually beautiful but informative and fulfilling.
HANAN YOUSSEF
Hanan is an independent documentary film producer/director, a documentary filmmaking trainer, and a former university lecturer. She’s a Chevening alumna and holds an MA in Media Production: TV documentary production, with distinction, from University of Salford, UK. She has 9 years’ experience in teaching and training documentary film making. She has produced and directed a number of documentary films, screened in Egypt and the UK. She’s the winner of BBC’s Short Documentary Film Award at BBC Arabic Festival 2018, for her film “The town the men left”. She has recently produced and directed her latest documentary film SOBEK for BBC (broadcast on BBC Arabic TV Channel).
STORY
A young resilient Egyptian mother takes us on a journey into Egyptian women’s world, who are suffering from the discriminating personal status law that fosters patriarchy & gender inequality.
AMBITION
To convey big pictures through personal stories in documentaries, to reinforce social sustainability in developing countries. Giving voice to the voiceless; spotting light on underrepresented groups with a special focus on women empowerment.