AME Week Africa Webinar: Queer Visibility, Identity and Cinematic Freedom

On 16 September 2026, FAME Week Africa, in partnership with Frames of Freedom, hosted a webinar exploring queer visibility, identity and representation across Africa’s film, television and digital spaces. Obvious Nomaele examined Black queer youth, digital identity and platform visibility in South Africa, while Nonkosi Xaba explored queer representation in South African reality television through Umdeni.

Key Learnings:

• Queer representation connects identity, culture, belonging and visibility.
• Digital platforms can enable self-expression, community and identity exploration.
• Meaningful representation requires moving beyond stereotypes to reflect lived experiences.
• Filmmakers must consider ethics, perspective and the communities they represent.
• African queer stories are deeply connected to culture, tradition, family and identity.

FAME Week Africa Webinar: Meaningful Representation

On 2 September 2026, FAME Week Africa, in partnership with Frames of Freedom, hosted a webinar exploring meaningful representation across Africa’s film, television and creative industries. Sihle Hlophe examined the representation of SiSwati in South African broadcasting, while Banesa Tseki explored culture, commerce and belonging through Nike’s brand storytelling.

Key Learnings:

• Meaningful representation connects language, culture, identity and belonging.
• Minority-language communities need greater ownership over their stories.
• Cultural relevance can strengthen connections between consumers and brands.
• Representation extends beyond visibility to recognition, belonging and power.
• Authentic storytelling requires greater community influence over cultural narratives.

On 5 August 2026, FAME Week Africa, in partnership with Frames of Freedom, hosted a webinar exploring how African film and television can move toward more authentic, inclusive and representative storytelling. Aishlyn Mulligan examined the portrayal of women in South African cinema, while Aphiwe Mame explored the evolution of South African television and the African gaze.

Key Learnings:

• Authentic representation requires moving beyond stereotypes.
• African stories should reflect diverse lived experiences and identities.
• Research can provide practical tools for improving representation.
• Local storytelling must remain culturally authentic in a global media landscape.
• Collaboration between academia and industry can strengthen African screen industries.

On 19 August 2026, FAME Week Africa, in partnership with Frames of Freedom, hosted a webinar exploring representation, memory, creative freedom and funding dependencyin African film and television. Siyavuya Mfenqa examined the representation of South African townships in post-apartheid cinema, focusing on ethics, public memory and the risks of commodifying lived experiences. Mamodibe Ramodibe explored how contemporary African television is expanding representations of Black women through complex, multidimensional characters while navigating industry and funding pressures.

Key Learnings:

• Screen representation can shape public memory and perceptions of history.
• Filmmakers have an ethical responsibility when portraying marginalised communities.
• African storytelling should challenge stereotypes and reflect lived realities.
• Complex representations of Black women can reshape cultural narratives.
• Creative freedom must be balanced with funding and industry realities.