Africa’s creative economy has never looked better. And while African music has been at the forefront, there has been an uptake, both locally and internationally, from a film and television perspective. It’s not all glitz and glam behind the scenes, but it would seem the growing $5 billion-plus industry in Africa is one global audiences can’t seem to get enough of.
In 2023, African entertainment company MultiChoice and film and television company Bomb Productions revealed the story of the heroic rise of an iconic Zulu king. It was production value at its finest, from the elaborate costumes on Shaka iLembe and the sweeping cinematography, to the standout soundtrack, stellar computer generated imagery (CGI), and the resonant portrayal of Zulu culture and tradition. “Honestly, we were terrified of the reception we would get,” says De- siree Markgraaff, Executive Producer at Bomb Productions.
“We were so excited by the idea of it but we cheated a little bit because we wanted to tell the story of Shaka, but we were really more interested in telling the story of the men and women who lived in that time, who influenced him, who gave rise to this great person.”
Markgraaff says they were nervous as they only introduced Shaka in episode six of the series, which, she thought, audience members would respond negatively to.
But that wasn’t the case.
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Shaka iLembe, a six-year production, saw over 3.6 million viewers on DStv in South Africa in June 2023 – reportedly the best-ever perfor- mance that MultiChoice has seen in its history, for a drama series. It also reached number one on the DStv App in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and other African countries.
“When audiences reacted in the way that they did to the show, and embraced it in the way they did, firstly, it was a huge relief,” Markgraaff laughs. “But it was so beautiful to watch people falling in love with their history.”
Similarly, when Netflix launched in Africa in 2016 and released its first Netflix Original Africa show in 2020, it portrayed the deep desire that audiences have for authentic African content.
“I really was new to the industry,” Ama Qamata, the actor who brought Puleng Khumalo to life in the Netflix Original series Blood and Water, and who was also a FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 list-maker this year, told us in April.
“It was my first time doing something that big. And I remember the shooting being so stressful. I guess my mentality the whole time was ‘I just need to show up and give my best’. I remember at the Queen Sono premiere, the CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, met me and said, ‘oh, I’m not worried about the show’.”
Blood and Water premiered in May 2020, it ranked num- ber one in several countries, including South Africa, Kenya and even France.
It is also the first South African show to reach number one in the United States.
African creativity is on the up.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Africa’s film and au- dio-visual industries, in 2021, employed an estimated five million people and accounted for $5 billion in GDP across the continent.
The figures, however illustrious, seemingly paint a picture of where the landscape has been and where it’s heading.
Monde Twala, Senior Vice President of Editorial and General Manager at Paramount Africa and Lead, BET In- ternational, talks about how he foresaw the potential and effect of entertainment.
“Growing up in the seventies as a Soweto boy… For a lot of us, our window to the world was television, storytelling and movies. Entertainment was a big part of just how we all were coping,” Twala says.
“I don’t think any African child watches content purely for the purpose of entertainment, and bear in mind, televi- sion on this continent is maybe forty years old, so I’ve seen storytelling evolve at a number of levels.”
Born in the rural part of Limpopo known as Mukum- bani, film and series director Valen’tino Mathibela recalls how even in her village, everyone would watch battery- operated television back in the day.
She remembers how the children were berated for watching too much television as the family would need to save battery power for her uncle’s sports matches over the weekend or her mother’s drama series once a week. And if the battery ran low, you would have to pay 50 cents to your neighbor who still had power to watch television. “That, for me, was where I fell in love with the art of storytelling and motion pictures, especially, but also radio,” Mathibela says.
“I would literally sit next to the radio and listen to drama every day after school. We followed the radio dramas tradi- tionally, and almost had our own imagination of what the characters looked like.”
Representation was lacking at the time. But the new dawn of stories has focused more on creating and control- ling narratives.
This is why shows such as Shaka iLembe or Queen Mod- jadji, which tells the story of Balobedu rainmaker Queen Modjadji whose bloodline has reigned over southern Af- rica’s Lobedu clan for centuries, have been celebrated.
It’s not just about the cultural impact and celebration of history, but also the accurate depiction of those African stories.
Nomsa Philiso, CEO of General Entertainment at MultiChoice, says that part of the storytelling strategy is about ensuring they are told in different streams – not only for the purposes of representation but also education.
Queen Modjadji, which premiered in July, is a story predominantly told in the Khelobedu language.
“We’re going to be telling a story about a language that is not commonly spoken. We haven’t told anything in Khelobedu ever so I would like to see, at least, on an annual basis, in all of our different markets, that we do something impactful for all communities. And [I want to see] that it is going to be long-lasting, and made with the same quality that we would do any other show.”
Authentic storytelling was particularly in the spotlight in 2018 when American entertainment company Marvel released the highly-anticipated Black Panther film. It was the first with a predominantly Black cast, depicting the portrayal of a superhero of African descent.
The film became a global phenomenon that mesmerized
audiences, with many critics, at the time, hailing it as “revo- lutionary”.
“I did not anticipate what the result would be,” says Danai Gurira, who played General Okoye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I could never have anticipated it. But as the response started to happen, it was like, ‘what is happening [I was shocked]’. But at the same time, I did understand, I remem- ber… it wasn’t the easiest process because we were creating something that had never been created before. And we’re all pushing to make it as authentic as possible.”
Tendeka Matatu, Director of Content at Netflix, tells FORBES AFRICA that when making content about the continent, representation should be at the fore of that strategy.
“Also, more than that, it’s about authenticity,” Matatu adds.
“If you’re going to make a show that’s for a local audience, and it’s locally- grounded and relatable, it needs to be authentic. And we want to reflect our shows. We should want to reflect the reality of society as well.”
Seemingly, once you get that right, the viewership numbers will start to reflect just how hungry people are for African content.
Several series on Netflix echo this.
Heart of the Hunter, starring Bonko Khoza, was number one for two weeks on Netflix’s global top 10 and was number one in over 81 countries. In Nigeria, Black Book, starring Richard Mofe Damijo, held the number three spot in the global top 10 list. Blood and Water has also been successful in this regard.
“We are kind of in this, dare I use the word, renais- sance of African culture and how it’s gripping the world,” Matatu says.
“We’re really seeing great shows and movies from African storytellers kind of travel the world.”
According to reports citing research firm Omdia, Netflix had 1.8 million subscribers in Africa towards the end of 2023. Furthermore, according to a Socio- Impact Report by the streaming giant, it spent about $175 million between 2016 and 2022 in several coun- tries, for creating African content.
Showmax reportedly has 2.1 million subscribers on the continent, which could be due to their focus on locally-produced content.
Variety stated, earlier this year, that MultiChoice spent roughly $1 billion on African film and TV, covering half of its gen- eral entertainment budget.
Showmax pumped out around 20 Originals in February and expected to have over 1,300 hours of original content produced in the coming year — representing a 150% increase in output compared to the previous year. The streaming platform’s rev- enue this year grew by 22% to $1 billion.
This then begs the question – if streaming is doing this well, what is happening with cinema?
African cinema still faces hurdles such as funding limita- tions, distribution barriers and the need for more training and development.
But according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Africa’s Entertainment and Media Outlook 2023-2027 report, box office revenue has been recovering since 2021 but has yet to match pre-Covid-19 levels. South African cinema was the strongest per- forming of the three markets in 2022, with total revenue amount- ing to R862 million ($47 million).
Beverley Govender, Senior Marketing Manager at South Afri- can cinema company, NuMetro, says that while streaming servic- es have changed the way people consume media, they have also underscored the unique value of the cinema experience.
“Competing with streaming platforms involves meeting the demand for convenience and variety,” Govender says.
“However, we have turned this challenge into an opportunity to elevate the in-cinema experience. Our collaborations with technology partners have allowed us to offer innovations like VIP lounges, gourmet concessions and immersive sound systems. By enhancing our customer service and providing unique, high- quality experiences, we continue to distinguish ourselves from the at-home viewing options.”
Another reason why cinema continues to thrive could perhaps be due to the massive budgets pumped into the international ti- tles, shown at cinema houses; a fact that exposes the investment gap between Hollywood and Africa’s film landscape.
Statista reported that Hollywood budgets, on aver- age, are about $100 million per film.
Statista reported that Hollywood budgets, on aver- age, are about $100 million per film.
Take for instance a blockbuster like Black Panther which reportedly grossed around $1.3 billion – the 2022 sequel that followed, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, starring Letitia Wright and Gurira, made $800 million in worldwide box office, according to Forbes.
In South Africa, specifically, the average production cost in 2020, according to the National Film and Video Foundation, was about R7.1 billion ($387 million).
“Cinema in South Africa is definitely catching up with what’s happening, especially because of the streamers. Our crews, which have always been good, have certainly gotten better now. I suppose the biggest difference is just budgets… but that doesn’t mean that the stuff is less good,” says South African-American actor Arnold Vosloo, who starred in the Hollywood mega-grossers, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.
“I find the crews in South Africa as good as anywhere else, and, in terms of the scripts and the writing that’s coming along, people are getting better all the time and doing unique things. I think the best is yet to come. I’m very positive about South Africa, its opportunities and chances to put things out there.”
Matatu adds, “Funding across all formats, across Africa, has always been an issue. I think it’s still an issue. But to be honest, it’s an issue in many parts of the world especially when you’re talking about independent productions.
“I see things getting better and I think that there is a boom in production across genres. I have 20 years of experience as a film- maker and I spent a lot of that time running my own produc- tion company. I was involved in many movies in South Af- rica, and I think about the options and the opportunities that I had to fund productions in the early 2000s versus what I see producers have now, it’s become a lot easier.”
According to reports, there are now funding mechanisms specifically focused on Africa’s creative sector. Capital Films announced a new fund earlier this year of ₦500 million ($316,000), which would be dedicated to investing in a vari- ety of Nollywood films.
Similarly, in South Africa, investment group Talent10 Holdings and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) recently announced a commitment of around R1.9 bil- lion ($104 million) to develop new entertainment and gam- ing.
Talent10 CEO Wayne Fitzjohn tells FORBES AFRICA that South Africa has a lot to offer.
“In terms of production, I’m not aware of another juris- diction that can produce content at the quality we can, at the cost we can, with staff as versatile,” he says.
“There are many times that when it comes [to] storytelling, especially African storytelling, when we are thought of as niche,” British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo says. “We are in an era where people are starting to see us. We are getting there.”
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