This is Africa: rewriting a story, reshaping a generation

On Thursday August 11, This Is Africa (TIA) a pan-African and digitally native website launched its Nairobi flagship and its francophone edition at Nairobi’s new Radisson Blu hotel. The event, emceed by African Speakers + Artists’ (AS+A) very own Mark Kaigwa and Isis Nyong’o, was far more than a launch; it was a collective reclamation of what it means to be African, and the power of telling our own stories.

What resonates with us most about This Is Africa here at AS+A is TIA’s commitment to excavating the narratives that have surrounded us for so long, and the power that lies in moulding new ones. The publication’s commitment to creating a forum by Africans and for Africans to reclaim Africa’s vibrant identity in the global consciousness makes them our kindred spirit. As East Africa’s premier talent agency and speaker bureau, our purpose is to share unique and powerful perspectives from speakers and artists in the region and across the continent. With over 200 contributors and a presence in over 30 countries, TIA is doing just that, and rewriting the continent one story at a time.  

We are all familiar with the critical and exasperated tone that accompanies the acronym ‘TIA’ – popularized by Leonardo Di Caprio’s character in the 2006 film Blood Diamond, and typically referring to operational dysfunction.  For TIA editor-in-chief Nancy Onyango, this attitude and one-dimensional stories about Africa are where the dysfunction lies. She says that by taking on this name, TIA is representing the Africa “we want to see”; not one that denies the challenges we face as a continent, but one that is nuanced enough to offer tangible solutions and celebrate innovation and aspiration.

Nancy Onyango’s moving declaration that reshaping the narrative is “not just a historical necessity but a generational requirement,” shows that the only time to chart a course for the future is now.

Siba Mtongana, South African chef extraordinaire and keynote speaker for the evening put it best when she said, “We are rewriting the story of an African child – we are changing the narrative of Africa, so we have to step up.”