THE MUWADO ART OF COMMERCIAL STORYTELLING WEBINARS

Muwado Ad by Muwado - Africa's Storytelling Platform

Muwado (More-Words-O) – Africa’s Storytelling Platform, is not just a platform; it is a vibrant collection of emotions, imagination and experiences, all woven together to bridge the gaps between people.

In addition, the platform enables these stories to generate income for our creators and build a supportive community where people find comfort, inspiration, and encouragement in the shared relatable experiences of others.

To further this agenda, Muwado presents

THE MUWADO ART OF COMMERCIAL STORYTELLING WEBINARS

for African Digital Creatives,

made possible with the kind support by

THE AFRICAN CULTURE FUND. 

This course will equip aspiring African storytellers with the skills and techniques to create compelling stories for passion or business in the contemporary digital world. Emphasizing creativity, originality, and modern storytelling strategies, the course will cover fiction and creative non-fiction storytelling for an increasingly digital world.

Fee: Free. The video recordings are available on the individual modules.

Course Objectives:

• Develop a strong foundation in the fundamentals of fiction and creative non-fiction storytelling.
• Explore various modern narrative techniques and structures.
• Enhance skills in character development, dialogue, plot construction, and thematic expression.
• Understand the impact of digital media on storytelling.
• Dive into design thinking for storytellers and how to build a community out of your audience
• Get an introduction to audio storytelling.
• Make sense of the business of storytelling and how to succeed commercially
• Foster a unique storytelling voice.
• Critique and provide constructive feedback on peer storytelling.

Training Modules

Week 1: Fundamentals of a Story and Creative Storytelling

Facilitator: Dr. Jacob Katumusiime is the Winner of the 2024 Rahamon Bello Award for the Best PhD in African and Diaspora Studies. While he is a Political and Cultural Studies Scholar, he has a pedagogical background in Literature and English Language. Jacob is also a creative storyteller whose works have previously featured in both print and digital anthologies. He often contributes OpEds in Uganda’s national newspapers.

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Your purpose for storytelling.
• What you need to tell a story.
• The structure of a story (Nouns, pronouns and verbs, Adverbs and adjectives, Punctuation
• Intros, body, and outros
• The art of description and giving life to words

Week 2: Character Development, POV, Narrative Voice and Dialogue in Storytelling

Facilitator: Anne Moraa is a Kenyan feminist storyteller, editor and occasional performer. With Masters degree in Creative Writing (University of Edinburgh), she is a co-founder of the LAM Sisterhood, a multi-award-winning feminist content studio, including storyteller & co-creator of the Best Children’s Podcasts in Africa (APVA, 2023) – “KaBrazen”. Her independent works can be found in Catapult, The Meridians Journal, The Elephant, among other,s and she is at work on her debut novel (all while eating copious amounts of chilli-lemon crisps!

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Creating complex, relatable characters.
• Realistic and engaging dialogue.-
• Exploring different points of view: first-person, third-person, omniscient, etc.
• Developing a strong narrative voice

Week 3: Plot, Pacing and Structure in Storytelling

Facilitator: Kagayi Ngobi, Ugandan Author and Publisher.

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Building a coherent and engaging plot.
• Traditional and modern narrative structures: three-act structure, nonlinear narratives, and fragmented storytelling.
• Experimenting with structure: flashbacks, multiple timelines, and parallel narratives.

Week 4: Memoir and Personal Essay in Non-Fiction Storytelling

Facilitator: Neema Komba is a poet, storyteller and researcher from Tanzania. She is the author of Mektildis Kapinga: A silent hero, and See Through the Complicated, a poetry collection. She is the 2022 recipient of the Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship and was nominated as a literature protégé for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative in 2022. She is the 2014 winner of the Etisalat Prize for Literature in the Flash Fiction category. Her story, Let them eat fruit cake (published in Index on Censorship), was shortlisted for the 2019 Stack Awards for best original fiction.

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Key elements of non-fiction: accuracy, research, and narrative truth.
• Interviewing for stories
• Balancing personal experiences with universal themes.
• Crafting engaging and informative essays.

WEEK 4 RECAP

Week 5: Solutions and Ethical Journalism

Facilitator: Rhoda is an experienced broadcast journalist with a special interest in magazine productions, who has over time mastered the art of creative direction, driven by her passion for solutions-oriented and relatable media content. She is also into script writing and editing news & magazine pieces.

Since 2008, she has served in the newsrooms of the major TV broadcast houses across the Ghana media landscape, and has also been into Creative Direction of magazine productions as a broadcast content producer.

She is a freelance media practitioner based in Accra, Ghana, but she works across borders. In her freelance journey, she had worked for CNN, New Narratives, BBC Eye, Discovery Learning, Mnet Africa, etc.

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Techniques for creative non-fiction: narrative journalism, literary reportage.
• Why solutions journalism
• Fact-checking and other journalism ethical guidelines
• Online digital safety

Week 6: Podcasts and Audio Storytelling

Facilitator: Namyalo Consolate is a Ugandan storyteller who shares her love of story through writing, voice-over, and Film. She has been in the media space for over a decade and works with Capital FM Uganda.

As a professional Voice-over Artist, she has worked with some of the most reputable brands and organisations worldwide, including CNN, CARE, WiDEFglobal, Climate Works Organization, World Resources Institute, UNDP, and the University of Oxford. She is committed to building communities through Audio, Visual, and Written storytelling, empowering them to tell their own stories.

Consolate has been featured on MCI’s Media Viability Talks, The ConnectiveTea &AfriMillenial podcasts, YAZA Africa, Goethe Zentrum Kampala & Echo Mindsets. She has also been awarded a certificate in Cultural Journalism from Africalia & La Cooperation Belge Au Development and one in Film Production from the American Film Showcase.

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Podcasts and other audio storytelling formats
• Tools for audio storytelling
• African audio storytelling traditions

WEEK 6 RECAP

Week 7: Leveraging Technology, AI and Multimedia for Better Storytelling

Facilitator: Lorna Okeng is a creative technologist, immersive curator, foresight practitioner, and researcher with a deep interest in futures, new frontiers of storytelling, cultural diplomacy, and technology experimentation. A trained electrical and computer engineer, with over nine (9) years of experience working with internet and emerging technology companies, including Google, Vodafone and Electric South, her work sits at the intersection of art (visual art + design + music), disruptive technologies (Generative AI, Augmented and Virtual Reality), and societies utilizing systems and futures thinking approaches to push the boundaries of creative expression. Lorna is also a Creative & Digital Economy Research and Policy consultant focused on African and emerging markets, and a lead research contributor to the Africa XR Report. She is a Next Generation Foresight Practitioner Fellow at the School of International Futures, a member of the World Metaverse Council and a Lifeboat Foundation Futurist Advisory Board member

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Digital storytelling: blogs, social media, and interactive narratives.
• Using multimedia elements: audio, video, and graphics to enhance storytelling.

WEEK 7 RECAP [VIDEO]

Week 8: Building a commercial brand as a storyteller on and offline.

Facilitator: Uncle Mo is a sensational Ugandan comedian, actor, and social commentator who has made significant strides in the entertainment industry since his rise. Uncle Mo has built a substantial following by leveraging platforms like YouTube and TikTok. His content includes skits that resonate with Ugandans’ everyday experiences. Uncle Mo’s work has not only entertained but also sparked conversations around important societal issues. Kiboneka believes in the potential that technology and social media have to transform the comedy scene in Uganda.

With this session, the goal is to learn:

• Branding as a storyteller and getting business-ready
• Creative, authentic influencing/collaborations
• PR and brand protection

WEEK 8 RECAP [VIDEO]

Drop a comment below with links to all your assignments if you have finished all 8 modules

Written by

Muwado Community Management

Official Muwado Forums Community Manager.

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