Creatives to tackle AI, digital power at Mombasa Afrotellers conference

 

The four-day Afrotellers Conference will discuss ownership of African stories, cultural representation and the future of the continent’s creative economy. [iStock Photo]

African creatives and storytellers will meet in Mombasa later this month to confront questions over who controls the continent’s narratives as artificial intelligence and global digital platforms reshape how stories are created, distributed and consumed.

The four-day Afrotellers Conference, scheduled for October 28 to 31 at PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort, will bring together media professionals, researchers, policymakers and cultural practitioners from across Africa to discuss ownership of African stories, cultural representation and the future of the continent’s creative economy.

Under the theme ‘Narrative Sovereignty in the Age of AI and Shifting Global Power’, the conference will examine how algorithms, emerging technologies and digital platforms influence which African stories reach global audiences, how they are represented and who benefits from their circulation.

The gathering seeks to address the power to shape, own, distribute and preserve African narratives at a time when technology is transforming the creative industry.

Afrotellers founder and executive director Willson Chivhanga said hosting the conference in Mombasa would ground the discussions in the city’s cultural heritage while connecting local creatives to a wider continental network.

“Mombasa allows us to place conversations around narrative sovereignty within a living cultural and creative ecosystem. We want participants to engage with the city, its people, its stories and its creative community, while creating opportunities for local practitioners to connect with a wider African network,’’ Chivhanga said

He said the benefits of the conference should extend beyond the four-day gathering through lasting relationships, opportunities and collaborations among storytellers and creative communities.

The programme will examine three key areas: artificial intelligence and algorithmic colonialism, policy and advocacy, and the sustainability of Africa’s cultural and creative economies.

The discussions are expected to explore how emerging technologies and digital platforms affect African storytelling, alongside the policies and institutions needed to strengthen the sector.

Beyond questions of representation, the conference will also consider the economic realities facing creatives and how storytelling can contribute to sustainable livelihoods, stronger institutions and resilient creative industries.

Afrotellers co-founder and partnerships and programmes lead Bekithemba Ntini said local participation was central to the initiative’s approach.

“For us, local partnership is central to how Afrotellers builds, which is building with the community. Working alongside local cultural organisations, creatives, institutions and knowledge holders allows Afrotellers to listen, learn and create something rooted in the place and its people,” Ntini said.

The organisers are working with local partners, including Swahili Pot FM, to bring the inaugural Afrotellers Festival to Mombasa. The festival will merge with Pwani Gat Talent to provide a platform for local and pan-African talent, stories and creative expression.

Alongside the main discussions, the Afrotellers Market will give creatives, cultural practitioners and entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their work and connect with audiences.

The conference is expected to attract participants from Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Togo, Madagascar and Mali, among other countries.

Afrotellers is building a network of country and local hubs to connect storytellers, encourage knowledge exchange and strengthen collaboration across the continent.

Organisers say the gathering will also provide an opportunity to develop partnerships and identify ways to sustain creative networks after the conference ends.