Made by Africans, watched by the world: Netflix showcases African content

Netflix has launched its Made by Africans, Watched by the World campaign, which showcases talent from across the continent involved in Netflix’s African Originals.

The company released a video featuring local stars, including Pearl Thusi (who starred as Queen Sono in the Netflix Original of the same name) and Ama Qamata (from South African Original Blood & Water).

In total, 18 African creatives came together to showcase the campaign.

“Our aim at Netflix is to have stories that are made by Africans to be watched by the world. We are focused on giving our consumers in Africa, and globally, authentic African content. Having all of these incredible voices in the same room, and on the same platform going forward, is something to celebrate,” Dorothy Ghettuba, who leads African Originals for Netflix, said in a statement.

“We’ve always had our stories told by others from the outside-in but this time, we get to tell our own stories from the inside-out,” she adds.

Ghettuba is a Kenyan filmmaker. Before her position at Netflix, she was the CEO of Spielworks Media — a media production company based in Nairobi.

African Originals on Netflix

This year, two South African Originals were launched on the platform — Queen Sono and Blood & Water. Netflix has renewed both series for second seasons.

Jiva! is the next South African Original series scheduled for this year.

The streaming service already features Nollywood series and movies, but has also started investing in Nigerian Originals for 2020.

“We have amazing talent and we haven’t had an adequate platform for a while to showcase our talent across the board,” Genevieve Nnaji,  Nigerian actress and the director and producer for Lionheart said in a statement.

“It’s a good thing, especially for upcoming artists who want a chance. We have so many more stories to tell in this part of the world.”

If you want to browse African content on Netflix, simply search for “Made in Africa”. This will bring up content that the streaming service has licensed from African creators, as well as African Originals.

Feature image: Netflix