“Until the lion learns how to write, the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter,” Igbo Proverb.
#OurContinentOurStories
In the absence of counter-narratives, inaccuracies become a culture, and a way of life. It is often said that 'Until the story of the hunt is told by the lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.' So until the story of Africa is told by Africans, the story of Africa will always glorify others. We see the urgency to challenge historical revisionism, while deconstructing the negative representation of Africa by mainstream media.
What is our story?
Today, This Is Africa (TIA) is a leading pan-African digital media platform that presents a credible informed, and accurate reflection of the continent to a global audience. We are transitioning to an independent, self-sustaining community media trust from within Africa.
As this transition happens, we are under the threat of closing down - after the financial and technical support by RNW Media ends on July 30, 2019. And that is why we need you to be part of this transition, and to secure the future of the platform!
We are raising funds to keep the platform running as we prototype a business model that will enable long term sustainability. We call upon our community of partners, subscribers and supporters to donate and save the platform!
What have we done so far?
We have consistently embraced the task of informing, educating, and connecting our 1 million subscribers with fresh insights from the continent through informed articles, photos and videos. Articles such as Europeans did NOT bring shoes to Africa and The Long Reach of Africa's music in the US are examples of counter-narratives we produce.
A remarkable moment of our work was on the 10th of March 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed. 157 lives were lost. TIA started the #SayTheirNames campaign to humanize the statistics of the crash, and empathise with the affected families and friends of the victims. We sparked conversations on how deaths on the continent are covered during tragedies.
The impact of our conversation led to Al Jazeera showcasing our campaign on their programme The Stream. In the first three minutes of the YouTube video below, you'll find TIA mentioned for its effort to stir the conversation on how crisis and tragedies on the continent are covered by the Western media.
What will your donation do for TIA?
Your donation will enable us to continue telling inspiring stories of our continent through writing and other multimedia formats. Through your support, 1 million subscribers will stay informed, educated and connected to stories they would otherwise not find on mainstream media for yet another year. A lacuna in the media space will be a huge disservice to the continent.
Who are we?
This is Africa registered as a community Trust with the Kenyan Government, and is currently setting up physical operations in Nairobi, Kenya. A lean team of 5 young Africans works collaboratively via the internet to curate stories of leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, identity and governance. The core contributors are complemented by a network of technical support specialists, creatives, contributors and subscribers from across the continent and the diaspora.
What are some of our products?
(1) The (Un-)Making of Icons in Africa produced in partnership with Perspectives /Heinrich Böll Foundation (2) A collection of African desire and pleasure anthology produced in collaboration with Hola Africa.
Who are some of our partners?
- RNW Media
- focuses both on engaging young people – primarily in the digital
space – and influencing young people. Our approach is based on
continuous innovation applying state of the art media tools and methods.
- Music in Africa
- is easily the fastest growing information and exchange web portal
dedicated to the African music sector, reaching millions of people every
year. - African Sports Tourism
- is the platform for the official 'solemnization' of sports and
tourism industries, where eggheads cross-breed ideas and exchange a hand
of fellowship towards social-economic gains for Africa and her nations.
- Ghetto Radio -
Ghetto Radio consists of the flagship 89.5FM Ghetto Radio station in
Nairobi, Kenya and the website Ghettoradio.co.ke. Ghetto Radio 89.5FM
offers “street credible” news, views and entertainment by people from
the urban ghetto, to an audience within and beyond the ghettos. - Ake Arts and Book Festival
- brings together writers, poets, dancers, artists, film-makers,
thinkers, from all over the world to talk about Africa, on African soil,
in Nigeria to be specific. - The Conversation Africa - is an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public.
- Love Matters Africa - provides easy-to-access information and news on sexuality and sexual health for young adults around the world.
- GroundUP (South Africa) a news agency that report news that is of the public interest, with an emphasis on the human rights of vulnerable communities.
- The Institute for Security Studies (ISS Pretoria SA) - publishes original analysis of current events in Africa, every day.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND US
Interested in learning more about us? Follow us on our social media platforms:
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/thisisafrica.me/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisIsAfricaTIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisafrica.me/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thisisafricaTIA/featured
Website: www.thisisafrica.me
