Transmedia in Emerging Markets: Spotlight on Africa: Business, Film and Activism

I recently have had the privilege to work with the new organization Storycode to create a panel series called Transmedia in Emerging Markets, to catalyze discussions around the potential role of transmedia storytelling to build vibrant cultural sectors and leverage local voice in developing economies, as well as current trends in investments, business, civil society programs and media production that may allow for transmedia business models to flourish in emerging markets.

We launched the series with a "Spotlight on Africa: Business, Film and Activism," which I curated and led at Storycode's presenting partner, the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Joining me for the evening were G. Kofi Annan, Hugo Soskin of 18 Days in Egypt, Franco Sacchi of the Nollywood Workshops, and Layna Fisher of the Sierra Leone International Film Festival. An important connective thread among all the presentations is the harnessing of local voice and local storytelling, and the tremendous economic and cultural possibilities arising from this.

The videos of the event are below. The program starts at 5:00 in the first video, so please click through to there. My introduction and discussion with Kofi starts at 8:00 minutes in the first video. Kofi brings us through a thorough discussion of the consumer base in Africa, and current activity in the technology, media and business sectors, as well as the role of local storytelling in presenting the diversity of images and stories in Africa.

Watch live streaming video from transmedianewyorkcity at livestream.com

Videos from Layna and Franco start at 9:20 in the second video. Layna speaks about filmmaking, distribution and the potential for transmedia to broaden the reach of the Sierra Leone International Film Festival, and interviews media creator Vicki Remoe about the state of digital filmmaking. Franco presents the history and richness of the Nollywood film industry, the second largest in the world. [Note: Since the audio quality of Layna's video is poor, her standalone video is embedded at the end of this post.]

A brief presentation of additional projects relating to storytelling and to transmedia activism concerning Africa starts at 45:00 of the second video. My discussion with Hugo begins at 49:30, and covers 18 Days in Egypt, the forthcoming transmedia activism project harnessing local storytelling from citizens and activists in Cairo during the Egyptian revolution, as well as technological innovations in group storytelling.

Watch live streaming video from transmedianewyorkcity at livestream.com

[Layna's video from the evening]:

About the Writer

Lina Srivastava catalyzes and amplifies social impact through creative media. She is a strategist who combines technology, culture, art, and storytelling for social transformation by:

bringing new narrative forms and distribution techniques to human rights and global development initiatives

using cultural expression and cultural identity as foundational elements of social transformation

integrating needs expressed by local communities as instrumental in program design.

Lina is the founder of a social innovation strategy group in New York City.

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Lina has provided project design consultation to a group of social impact organizations, including UNESCO, the World Bank, UNICEF, MobileActive, Internews, 3Generations, VODO, Apne Aap, Shine Global, BYkids, Donor Direct Action.

An attorney by training from New York University School of Law, Lina has been involved in campaigns for several documentaries, including Oscar-winning Born into Brothels, Emmy-nominated The Devil Came on Horseback, Oscar-winning Inocente, and Sundance-award winning Who Is Dayani Cristal?

The creator of the Transmedia Activism framework, which guides the development of media, art, and technology projects from story to social action, she is currently one of a handful of people in the world creating narrative-based social change initiatives with NGOs, global institutions, and independent media creators, combining both field experience with skills in documentary engagement and transmedia design.

Lina provides workshops, consultations, keynote addresses, panel discussions, and speeches on the rise of storytelling, narrative platforms, and social innovation as tools for social change, including at Yale Law School, Lincoln Center, MIT Media Lab, TEDx, and the Tribeca Film Festival.

The former Executive Director of Kids with Cameras, and the Association of Video and Filmmakers, Lina has taught design and social entrepreneurship at Parsons, The New School of Design, and is on faculty in the Masters of Fine Arts Program in Design and Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts. A graduate of the New York University School of Law, Lina received her BS from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and also studied at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New York University, the Support Center for Nonprofit Management, the Hastings Center for Bioethics, and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University.

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Our mission is to advance social change initiatives and help change agents create and demonstrate impact, using cultural assets and culture-based inquiry as primary strategies. Through direct engagement, and attention to top-level and ground-level action, we provide strategic guidance to change agents--nonprofit organizations, corporate entities, activists and artists--in the areas of planning, operations, partnerships, and communications and media engagement. Please write info@linasrivastava.com to find out how we can work together.

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Transmedia in Emerging Markets: Spotlight on Africa: Business, Film and Activism

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