The Africa Monologue Challenge is an initiative that seeks to showcase the many talented African actors and actresses, while also using the platform as a tool to rebrand the image of the continent and promote Pan-Africanism.

The CEO of MK Casting and an Executive Director from the African Chamber of Content Producers paid a courtesy call to the acting Zambian High Commissioner and her security advisor. The courtesy call was an avenue for the organizers to share their vision for the competition and to discuss the possible support they could receive from the Zambian government.

The acting High Commissioner for Zambia in Ghana, Her Excellency Hellen Zulu Masongo, addressed the delegation and congratulated the organizers for their hard work in putting the event together. She pledged to support Zambia's representative in the competition by liaising with the appropriate government institutions in Zambia to assist in sponsoring the participation of Jeromy Mumba; the Zambian finalist in the ongoing Africa Monologue Challenge.

She said, “The High Commission will do everything in its power to ensure Jeromy gets to Ghana to participate in this competition. We will forward his details to the Ministry of youth, sports and arts to connect with him in Zambia and see all the possible ways they can assist him. The Zambian government is committed to assisting the youth in Zambia to excel in all global engagements, and I believe we will do our best to rally the support of the Zambian people for Jeromy to win this competition and sell the positives of Zambia and Africa”.

The Security Advisor to the Zambian High Commission, Colonel Derek Mwendaofyo was interested in how the competition can be used to change the negative narratives around Africa. He expressed his delight that a Zambian national has made it to the final ten of a competition that started with over 400 participants across the world, and was optimistic that with the right support, the Africa Monologue Challenge can shape Africa’s narratives.

The organizers of the competition expressed their appreciation for the warm reception they had received from the Zambian High Commission and assured them that their country's representative would be given their full support.

Mawuko Kuadzi, CEO of MK Casting, and a judge on the Monologue Challenge revealed that as a casting director, his motivation is to put more African acts in the global limelight. This, he said will enable them to influence the kind of stories told about Africa.  "We must use this competition to show the world the best of Africa and its potential to positively influence global events. The Africa Monologue Challenge is an exciting opportunity to promote Pan-Africanism and to create a better image of the continent.”, he said.

The Executive Director of the African Chamber of Content Producers, Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin revealed plans of producing a Pan African Film with the ten finalists of the challenge. He also disclosed the organizers' intentions of making the winner of the competition an ambassador of Pan-African Trade to promote the agenda and initiatives of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The final competition is expected to be held in May and will feature participants from all over Africa. It is hoped that the competition will be a tool to promote the talent of African actors and actresses, while also creating a positive image of the continent. The winning country gets to host the next edition of the event.

From left to right: Mawuko Kuadzi, Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, H.E Hellen Zulu Masongo, Col Derek Mwendaofyo