Emerging African creatives seek greater visibility, opportunities at Lagos festival

The maiden edition of the Africa Content Festival brought together content creators, filmmakers, writers, animators, journalists, poets, and other professionals to explore opportunities for collaboration, skills development, and growth in Africa’s creative industry.

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Held at the Ouida Sunroom facility in Lagos over the weekend, the festival featured masterclasses, discussions, interviews, pitching, film screenings, and displays of creative entries and products, giving participants opportunities to showcase their work and learn from experienced industry professionals.

The event aimed to bridge the gap between emerging talent and industry opportunities, with sessions focused on intentional content creation, audience engagement, distribution, monetisation, and career development.

Guest professionals include award-winning filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, Mbuotidem Johnson, Ayodele Elegba, Charles Nnadozie, Samuelson Oyejide, Wana Udobang, Grace Okon, Aromire Abdulquyum, Timilehin Felix-Fakeye, Asuelime Oje, and Zion Peter.

Why the festival was established

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Seun Adeleye, co-founder of the Africa Content Festival, said the initiative was created to provide a consistent platform for young creatives to learn, connect, and develop their careers.

Mr Adeleye explained that the organisers had previously conducted training and outreach programmes through Shoot Your Shot Africa at institutions and community spaces, including Yaba College of Technology, the American Corner and Bariga, Lagos.

However, he said they wanted to move beyond occasional programmes and establish a platform that would consistently bring creatives together.

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“From ideation to reality has been a roller coaster. Good idea, good plan. But actually sourcing funds and trying to make it a reality was tough,” he said.

According to Mr Adeleye, the organisers funded the inaugural edition with personal resources and contributions from friends who supported the project.

Despite the challenges, he said seeing participants learn, connect and interact with professionals they had previously admired from afar made the effort worthwhile.

“For me, the joy in seeing this kind of thing come to life is seeing the faces of people light up as they learn, as they connect, as they get the opportunity to even interact with people that they have just seen from afar,” he said.

Creative skills to sustainable businesses

Mr Adeleye said the festival was designed to help emerging creatives understand their goals and make career decisions that align with their ambitions.

The co-founder noted that the sessions featured professionals with decades of experience across film, media, and other creative fields, offering participants practical insights into industry demands.

“The era of just doing anything is fading. This is the era where you set your plan from the start, and you build towards something,” he said.

Mr Adeleye added that content creation serves different purposes, from entertainment and education to information and sharing personal experiences, but creators must understand the audiences they intend to reach.

He said producing content without a clear purpose or intended audience can limit its potential.

He said creators needed to be deliberate and develop content that meets audience needs, rather than simply following trends.

African content ecosystem

Beyond skills development, Mr Adeleye said the festival sought to promote a sustainable African content ecosystem where creatives could earn from their work and build viable businesses.

He explained that creating content was only one part of the process, stressing the importance of distribution, audience engagement and monetisation.

Mr Adeleye said the growth of digital platforms has created opportunities for African creatives, but they need to understand how to position their work to reach audiences and earn income.

The co-founder added that the festival was conceived as an African initiative, not one limited to Nigeria.

He said future editions would involve participants from other countries, including Kenya and South Africa, and could be hosted outside Nigeria.

Equipping creatives

Adebisi Peters, co-founder of the festival, also said the event was part of the organisation’s fifth-anniversary activities, creating platforms for emerging creatives to showcase their work and connect with industry professionals.

Mr Peters explained that although the organisation had trained thousands of aspiring creatives, many still struggled to gain visibility and access opportunities to advance their careers.

He said the festival was established to give them an avenue to exhibit their work, learn from experienced professionals, and explore career opportunities.

“Our goal is to help creatives gain visibility and access to opportunities,” Mr Peters said, adding that the organisation was not established to take a percentage of the earnings of the talents it supports.

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He said the initiative builds on the work of Shoot Your Shot Africa, which has trained more than 5,040 young people in media and creative skills.

According to Peters, some former trainees now work with television stations, including Silverbird, while others have secured international employment. He also cited a former trainee who has joined the board of the National Film and Video Censors Board.

Mr Peters added that the organisation had received accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education as a recognised vocational training centre. He said it had also been commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Education to train 80 young people in creative media, bringing its projected training reach to more than 5,100.

Building industry leaders

Mr Peters said the organisation’s work extends beyond technical training to include professional ethics and standards, which he described as essential to developing the creative industry.

He added that the organisers were seeking partnerships with government agencies and private-sector organisations to expand the festival and create more opportunities for emerging talents.

He said the long-term ambition was for programme beneficiaries to become industry leaders and mentors who would support the next generation.

Through the Africa Content Festival, the organisers hope to strengthen collaboration, improve access to opportunities and help build an African creative industry where talent can translate into sustainable careers and businesses.