admin
Talent Bope
Arts Reporter
Artists have been implored to concentrate on fusing African content in their artefacts in order to curb cultural erosion which is exacerbated by new technology.
Speaking during a workshop held in Harare yesterday, National Gallery of Zimbabwe director Mr Livingstone Muchefa underscored the need for artistes in the digital creative to post more African content to help conserve culture that was on the verge of corrosion.
Mr Muchefa singled out the new media technology as the major factor which has seen many young people imitating foreign cultural practices.
“As young creative digital communications experts, I urge you to fuse more African-related content whenever telling your stories,” he said. “This in one way or the other will help to fix the cultural erosion that have taken toll in the digital space.
“Artists should create impact stories, so the issue is not entirely on technology, but it lies with the story teller. If you do a research you will get to understand who you are.
“Controlling international media would allow us to publish our own culture. Look at America and other countries which control the media, their culture is awash in the media.”
The plenary was held at Enthuse Afrika’s newly opened digital creative hub urban youth-focused Afrotopia, Zimbabwe’s first digital creative focused co-working, co-learning and co-creating hub in the country.
The plenary conversations were held in celebration of the National Culture Week Commemorations held last month, which saw President Mnangagwa joining the nation on the 21 May at the Chief Njelele’s homestead in Gokwe South to launch the week.
Speaking at the same occasion, director for Culture Fund Mr Farai Mufunya said African content occupied a smaller fraction in the digital space. He said there was need to flood the internet with cultural values in storytelling.
“The digital space has been occupied by non-African content. African content occupies four percent on media globally. Whatever creation of any artistry work should depict an African,” said Mr Mufunya.
“The younger generation has been westernised. A lot should be done to expose them to African culture. They are influenced by people from overseas. Africans should tell their own stories under the influence of their own culture.”
The plenary was held under the theme “The role of digital storytelling in safeguarding the resilience of diverse creative and cultural expression in a Zimbabwean landscape”, which was inspired by this year’s National Culture Week theme “Resilience in safeguarding creativity and cultural diversity.”
Founder and director for Afrikera Arts Trust, Soukaina M-L Edom, said focusing on the African content was of utmost importance, adding that would start with the digital storyteller in order to market the content globally.
Enthuse Afrika is a collective of young creative digital communications experts with a fresh, on-trend impactful take on video production, web design, photograph, copy writing, design and everything that requires a mark on internet.
The young digital content creators met in the capital to pave way for the creation of African-related content with the thrust to promote the local culture.
The panel featured an array of notable members of Zimbabwe’s Creative and Cultural Industry who had managed to sustain creative output through digital storytelling under the harsh effects of Covid-19.
Online Reporter