Ubuntu & Sankofa: Forging New Storytelling Models in South Africa and Ghana

From Cape to Coast, this was a new model of innovating Storytelling through a South African -Ghana Partnership.

First reported in Communications Africa. Story! Story! You can’t hide a good story, phrased similarly in Game of Thrones. “A piece of history has been made in Ghana with an unprecedented joint venture between African broadcasters.”

What wasn’t reported when the article went to press, was how this venture led to new business between the countries. How?

➡️ We found a model that would involve direct and purposeful reporting between the two countries.

➡️ We focused on strategic themes that showed similarities and differences between the two countries. For example the ANC was instrumental in supporting the Pan African movement of Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah. In fact the immigration minister we were interviewing surprised us by speaking Twi.

➡️ We used tech and shared practices which each of us benefited from.

➡️ The storytelling was social and its essence focused on revisiting myths. Hence for Western media Soweto was this thing, for the Ghanaian crew it looked similar to what they knew of in Ghana.

As schisms in world relationships continue, and new alliances are formed at a governmental level or continue to develop e.g. BRICS, journalistic storytelling of this kind is a key plank in knowledge acquisition and building understanding in an array of industries e.g. education, farming, business, migration and being critical friends.

In many ways the idea isn’t radical. China’s government sees its international journalism as an adjunct of foreign policy when you read Prof Hugo De Burgh’s China’s Media in the Emerging World Order. Some trade journals e.g. Economist feature infomercial writings from countries.

The new broadcast we dubbed The United States of Africa has recently been restored digitally. If you’d like to know more DM me.

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