New Narratives
Motherland by Ham the Illustrator
In 2023 Caerbladon was selected by the British Council to oversee a series of commissions for young African creatives based in the UK.
The New Narratives project is about opening up a future facing dialogue between young creatives and representative organisations in Africa and the UK to build stronger cultural connections between those living in the four UK nations and on the African continent. The project looks for fresh perspectives and new insights based on lived experience which challenge dominant narratives about Africa and the UK, including those relating to the UK’s colonial past and oversimplistic and negative representations of Africa and its diverse peoples and cultures.
As part of the New Narratives programme, Caerbladon offered four digital content commissions targeted at young creatives aged 18-35, in the nations and regions of the UK. A parallel programme is being run for young creatives in the African countries participating in the programme. Each commission comprised a £1,500 award to include artist fees and production costs. The focus of each commissioned artist project was on amplifying new narratives or demystifying existing myths and stereotypes, and short documentaries presenting new stories about contemporary African experience in the UK.
The Open Call, selection and oversight of the commissioned projects was managed by Caerbladon (acting as Executive Producer), with Tatenda Jamera and Cynthia MaiWa Sitei as our project advisers and guest selectors.
The four commissioned projects can be viewed at https://www.caerbladon.co.uk/projects/new-narratives
Ham the Illustrator’s work is here:
https://www.caerbladon.co.uk/new-narratives-artists/ham
Kemi Hadi and Esohe Uwadiae:
https://www.caerbladon.co.uk/new-narratives-artists/kemi-and-esohe
Kialy Tihngang:
https://www.caerbladon.co.uk/new-narratives-artists/kialy
Mosa Mpetha:
