IMMEDIATE RELEASE
23 MARCH 2022
ZURI WORKS SET TO LAUNCH KIPAJI LAB SECOND COHORT FOR VISUAL AND STORYTELLING CREATIVES IN KENYA
Nairobi, Kenya— Zuri Works returns for a second cohort of its program, the Kipaji Lab (the Lab). The Lab, which debuted in 2021, seeks to enable artists, creatives, and storytellers as solution-makers who drive social transformation, cultural change, and economic development. The Lab’s transformational learning and hands-on methods produce permanent shifts in the way creatives think, act, and create.
In its second year, the Lab is looking for forward-thinking storytellers and content creators who understand the power of visual stories and believe it is the best tool to build a visual decolonizing movement to drive genuine economic, cultural, and social transformation for Africa and its diaspora.
Through the 6-week blended online and in-person funded training, centered on three essential areas: creativity, transformation, and the business of creating, 30 select storytellers will be able to tap into their limitless potential, and thus unlocking new creative paradigms.
“The curriculum is based on our unique training approach, creative transformation, a form of transformational learning designed to awaken creatives and produce breakthrough results in their lives. Because our methodologies are based on transformation learning rather than informational learning, participants experience breakthroughs in their creativity, personal and professional performance. We not only provide participants with skills that enable them to become powerful creators, but we also provide them with the equipment and opportunity to share their creations at our end of training showcase, the Red Balloon Festival,” said Dr. Andrene M. Taylor, Chief Creative Innovator at the Lab.
Continent Collaboration Architect Kofi Assouan adds, “We use an immersive and experiential approach to accessing individual’s creativity in order to generate visual stories for the future world. Our work is motivated by the belief that visual storytelling is the most powerful instrument on the planet. We believe that allowing for creative expression is fundamentally decolonizing the intellect and the imagination.”
Dr. Taylor states, “The Kipaji Lab’s vision is to decolonize African visual storytelling by providing every participant with the tools and resources they need to nurture their creativity and create compelling stories that inspire audiences and improve the human experience.”
Cynthia Kalimbo, Kipaji Lab’s Country Coordinator, also contributes, “The Lab is looking for creatives between the ages of 19 and 35 who are devoted to decolonizing the continent through narrative. Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to Africanness, gender, racial, and sexual fairness, as well as researching Black people’s humanity.”
To be considered, applicants must submit a body of work. Applicants must have prior filming and editing experience. Applicants for writing positions must have prior experience in screenwriting or content creation.
Applicants must be able to live in Nairobi and arrange their own transportation to and from the training site.
The application period runs from March 23rd through April 20th, 2022.
More Information on our website www.kipajiab.com or email info@kipajilab.com
Follow us on all social networks on our handle @KIPAJILAB
Kipaji Lab actively invites applications from women, minorities, underrepresented groups, and members of the LGBTQ community this year.
ABOUT KIPAJI LAB
The Kipaji Lab (the Lab) is a dynamic, visual storytelling training platform that aims to equip the next generation of African creatives with the skills, tools, abilities, and opportunities they need to propel Africa’s creative industries.
The Kipaji Lab is defining the role of artists, creatives, and storytellers as solution-makers who drive social transformation, spur cultural change and advance economic development. We are a collective of artists, scholars, filmmakers, activists, storytellers, educators, researchers, and change-makers who are deeply committed to serving creators on the African continent who are poised to transform narratives and create new stories.
ABOUT ZURI WORKS
Zuri Works is a DC-based non-profit production company dedicated to nurturing and supporting early professional BlPOC storytellers who create stories that entertain, inspire, and advance social change.
For more information on The Lab, please visit www.kipajilab.com
Media contacts:
Cynthia Kalimbo Country Coordinator Kipaji Lab
info@kipajilab.com
pm@kipajilab.com
The Lab is also supported by (Wyetey Group)