FAME Week Africa and its allied events MIP Africa, Cape Town International Animation Festival, Muziki Africa, and Media and Entertainment Solutions Africa recognised the immense talent Africa has to offer and celebrates creatives from across the continent and the globe, with content sessions designed to inspire businesses and focus innovation, creativity, and purpose.
“To unlock creativity and to be innovative, one needs to provide a platform that not only embraces but celebrates diversity and inclusion. By having different lived experiences and perspectives come together, you are in a position to create something magical,” says Martin Hiller, Marketing, Content + Creative Director of FAME Week Africa.
Exhibitors, speakers, collaborators, sponsors and delegates from around the world all agree that FAME Week Africa, held in Cape Town, South Africa form 24 to 26 August 2022, has truly cemented itself as the one African creative and cultural gathering to diarise annually, and an event that is inspiring positive change in the industry.
“As event organisers, RX has a strong focus on creating a business where every employee belongs and has a home at RX. Echoing the work that RX has done for diversity and inclusion, we aim for RX Africa’s newest show, FAME Week Africa, to be a home to the continent’s creatives,” Hiller says, adding that, “Diversity and inclusion are not only important in the stories we tell but also for the people who help bring these stories to life. One of FAME Week Africa 2022 conference themes, Belong Everywhere, focused on race, cultural, gender equality and queer representation”.
Career changing conversations
Through its content sessions, FAME Week Africa set out to show how inclusive stories help people belong and why representation matters. Topics included ‘Reimagining Africa’s Representation Through Film and Media’, ‘Women in Music in SA: Challenges, Opportunities and Community’, ‘Exploring LGBTQ+ Representation in Film and Television’, and ‘Diversity and Inclusion in Animation’
A highlight of FAME Week Africa was theMIP Africa’s Women in Film and Television morning which recognised the vital role women play in the industry. It is hoped that these talks will be a start of an initiative that plays a vital role in providing a platform that motivates, inspires and supports women in the industry, to achieve their personal and professional goals.
In most African countries, patriarchy that views women primarily as homemakers and caregivers is firmly entrenched. Despite this, over the past decade, many dynamic, African and African diaspora women have redefined and continue to rethink the film and television industry. This shift has been instrumental in giving women more financial muscle in an industry where they have long been economically marginalised. It’s also changing the stories that are being told on screen as female creators offer fresh takes on what it means to be an African woman today.
An event for everyone
With an updated Diversity and Inclusion statement, the team at FAME Week Africa has shown yet again that it is living the RX NIMBLE code.
“At FAME Week Africa, we want to create a platform where African and global creatives live in an equitable and just world, where they can listen to each other and learn from each other. We believe in the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Hiller concludes.