Returning to the Design Indaba stage, Sunu Gonera’s talk is a powerful call to action for African creatives to reclaim authorship over their own stories. Known for his work across Hollywood and the African continent, Gonera shares how the power of film can be both a cultural and political tool capable of shaping how Africa is seen and experienced.
Gonera’s advocates for film and African storytelling as a powerful counterpoint to the external stereotypes that are often applied to the continent. Gonera’s shares how film can be used to restore nuance, complexity and authenticity to African stories when told by creatives from the continent. Drawing on his own career, Gonera highlights the importance of building local ecosystems that support storytelling from within, from production infrastructure to talent development that ensures that African creatives are represented in global cultural landscape.
A compelling motivating factor, is the democratisation of filmmaking as a result of the streaming platforms now available which are encouraging new voices and an expansive range of stories. Through his career and work, Gonera is challenging African creatives to take agency of the future of cultural production on the continent. By reclaiming narrative power, Gonera suggests that African filmmakers can reshape global perceptions and contribute to a more honest, expansive understanding of Africa one story at a time.
