MTF stars fighting pandemic fatigue in Africa
As the world battles Covid-19 for the third year in a row, MultiChoice Group and the United Nations Verified Campaign have entered into a deal to fight against the pandemic fatigue.
The development is a big win for MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) curriculum, which allows star creative students and graduates to work with global partners on practical work with real-world relevance.
Such partnerships help them to play a pivotal role in society even as they sharpen their skills to become professionals or entrepreneurs in the creative business.
Dubbed Together We Can, the campaign seeks to fight pandemic fatigue by among others broadcasting a public service announcement (PSA) that urges populations to keep observing the set health safety protocols.
In Kenya, the total confirmed positive cases now stand at just over 323,600 the death toll from Covid-19 is at least 5,650.
As of April 15, confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries reached 11.5 million while over 273.4 million vaccinations have been administered across the continent.
In the past, MTF has backed a number of UN Verified drives – such as the Pause campaign against misinformation and the Zwakala COVID-19 awareness drive – with entertainment giant MultiChoice pivoting on its platforms to give audiences access to credible, accurate COVID-19 information.
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The latest PSA was shot in Nigeria, Angola, and Namibia, and is billed to resonate well with millions of people across Africa.
It will be broadcast across the continent on DStv and GOtv channels, as well as via other free-to-air channels across countries.
“We are very excited to again have MultiChoice on board to help produce our campaign content and expand our reach across Africa,” says Masimba Tafirenyika, Director, UN Information Centre, Pretoria South Africa.
“Multichoice is uniquely positioned to deliver this important message to their diverse audiences across the continent,” added Mr Masimba.
The campaign is also a result of a liaison between MultiChoice and the New York Film Academy, a deal that sees the best 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 helping bolster the skills of talented African storytellers.”
MTF Director Nwabisa Matyumza says, MTF alumni have now come full circle, from learning skills to apply what they have learned, for the benefit of African audiences.
“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,” noted Matyumza.
“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,” says Reatile Tekateka, Multichoice Africa Group Executive Head of Corporate Affairs.
Strategic relationships with like-minded global partners like those with the UN and NYFA have seen around 92 percent of MTF alumni go on to find work in the broadcast industry or launch their own production companies.
Quite often, MultiChoice commissions MTF alumni to produce its own content.
