By Juliet Umeh

A Multimedia Nigeria artist has joined other five artists to make the final list of Africa No Filter and Meta Future Africa: Telling Stories, Building Worlds’ programme.

Each creator will be supported with funding of up to $30,000 and also participate in XR-industry events to improve their creativity and drive interest in their projects. They will also access mentorship from Electric South and Imisi3D.

The programme is focused on harnessing and investing in the next generation of Extended Reality, XR, creators in Africa.

The Nigeria winner, Malik Afegbua is focused on curating a virtual heritage experience of the Kofar-Mata dye pit, a cultural and historical site in Kano, Nigeria.

Other winners were selected from Mozambique, South Africa, Mauritius, Cameroon, and Kenya.

According to the organisers, “the winners will incorporate the creative uses of music, multimedia installations, films and sculpture to explore projects around spirituality, heritage, the cosmos, imagination and memory and masculinity into their extended realities projects – all with a focus on telling compelling African stories that are contemporary, narrative-shifting, and immersive.”

Arts and Culture Program Lead at ANF, Jessica Hagan, said, “It’s reassuring to see the amount of incredible XR talent on the African continent. The creativity and innovation we encountered in the selection process have been very exciting. It shows that Africa is also on the pulse of global innovation and tech trends that are redefining how stories are told and experienced. XR content creation is costly, but African creators are not falling behind.”

Also, Meta’s Public Policy Programs Director, Africa, Middle East, and Turkey, Sherry Dzinoreva said: “This specially curated program is an opportunity to support African storytellers who are leveraging the power of the next evolution of social technology, whilst also shining a spotlight on the amazing, creative, and diverse talent pool we have here on the continent.

“We understand the power of Extended Reality and how it can be used to tell stories that shift narratives about and within the continent – and we’re excited to see these visions come to life.”