New Un-multichoice campaign to help fight COVID-19 fatigue

‘Together We Can’ by Multichoice Talent Factory (MTF) alumni shares a public-service announcement (PSA) on safety protocols

The Multichoice Talent Factory (MTF) alumni have been commissioned once again to produce a new online campaign on COVID-19 for the UN. Titled ‘Together We Can’, the campaign aims to fight pandemic fatigue by sharing a public service announcement (PSA) that encourages people to continue following COVID-19 safety protocols. The MTF has supported several UN Verified campaigns before including the Pause campaign against misinformation and the Zwakala COVID-19 awareness drive with Multichoice harnessing the power of its platforms to give audiences access to credible, accurate COVID-19 information.

The latest public service announcement (PSA) was shot in Nigeria, Angola, and Namibia, and will resonate with audiences across the continent. The PSA’S will be broadcast across Africa on Dstv and Gotv channels, as well as some key free-to-air channels.

“We are very excited to again have Multichoice on board to help produce our campaign content and expand our reach across Africa,” said Mr. Masimba Tafirenyika, the Director of the UN Information Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.

“Multichoice is uniquely positioned to deliver this important message to their diverse audiences across the continent,” he added.

The campaign is the result of another powerful partnership between Multichoice and the New York Film Academy (NYFA), which sees highperforming graduates of MTF academies in Nairobi, Lagos and Lusaka selected for further training through NYFA. “Campaigns like these are a great vehicle for the talented creative professionals that Africa produces,” says NYFA VP Jim Miller. “It’s also proof of how effective the MTF and NYFA collaboration has been. It’s a natural extension of our commitment to help bolster the skills of talented African storytellers.”

The MTF curriculum allows students and graduates to collaborate with global partners on practical work with realworld relevance, so they can contribute to society, while building the skills to become industry professionals or entrepreneurs.

MTF Director, Nwabisa Matyumza says, MTF alumni have now come full circle, from learning skills to applying what they have learned, for the benefit of African audiences.

“This campaign is a great opportunity for MTF graduates to multiply our impact across Africa,” said Mr. Matyumza. “For a student (now alumni) from Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya or Angola to now be working with global clients is a massive step. To influence behaviour and save lives as part of this global programme is even more exciting.”

“We’re very intentional about ensuring that MTF alumni work on the productions,” said Reatile Tekateka, Multichoice Africa Group Executive Head of Corporate Affairs. “These are commercial jobs, paid for by the UN, to raise COVID-19 awareness. For Multichoice, it’s a great chance to be a platform for good, while creating opportunities for young people and strengthen global partnerships.” Strategic relationships with likeminded global partners like those with the UN and NYFA have seen around 92 per cent of MTF alumni go on to find work in the broadcast industry or launch their

own production companies. Multichoice also regularly commissions MTF alumni to produce its own content. “We’re proud to play a role in developing our industry,” said Ms. Tekateka. “We are creating opportunities, but also empowering our alumni to become productive drivers of the sector themselves.”

Nwani Orire is a storyteller who uses documentaries to awaken society and shine the light in areas people consider grey. Some of his works have debuted on CNN, Africa Magic showcase, MTV Base, and film festivals such as New Vision International Film Festival, Nollywood Paris Week, Africa International Film Festival, Baltimore International Black Film Festival. He is an alumni of the Multichoice Talent Factory, New York Film Academy and the Henley Business School. Hilma Sheehama is a director and script writer. She has worked on an award-winning film “Hairareb” as the first assistant director, production manager and production designer. She has also worked on the short film “Kegumbo okegumbo” as the director and writer. She is a College of the Arts, MTF and New York Film Academy Alumni and is the prize winner of the script writing internship with Nihilent Technologies in India. Paulo Idalecio is a journalist and filmmaker, with a background in Cinema and Audiovisual. He studied at São Paulo International Film Academy in Brazil and attended the Multichoice Talent Factory Academy in Zambia.

He graduated in journalism at Cefojor (Journalists Training Center) in Angola, and has freelanced for Envolve Media, PROCINEIA, Geração 80, DSTV Angola and others, having produced several short films, advertisements, music videos and documentaries. Joshua Tsotso is an enthusiastic visual storyteller, who strongly believes in the power of narratives in shaping our reality. He is an alumni of several film schools including the MTF, NYFA, PAU etc.

As a film director, his working principle is to create only when there's something important to communicate. He is currently a freelancer, working in varying capacities in the creative industry.