00:00into one pile so that we could work and maybe we all work and get your story told
00:05and then we work on your story and then you bounce it off
00:08and building this collective and that's something that we've been trying to put together and do.
00:15And I think once we're able to figure out that,
00:18Hollywood will get more stories and get full stories and a broad range of stories.
00:24But I think the African creative needs that assistance.
00:28We need that platform to be able to do that.
00:31Almost even like residency programs.
00:33Exactly.
00:34Where you're just paid to be creative. You're paid to create.
00:37Exactly.
00:38And you have that support. You have housing. You're being fed. All of that.
00:41And that's something that we actually put together and have been pitching
00:44but also the right minds have not come to the table to assist us and help us to bring that together.
00:51May I add to that?
00:54I think it's important as we think about co-creating together the Africans and African-Americans and folks in the diaspora
01:04that we look at the entire chessboard and see what moves we need to make.
01:10And regarding people being available, it doesn't look the same anymore.
01:15I think open conversation needs to happen. Use me.
01:20Let's approach people with access and see what they're willing to do in terms of collaborations.
01:26Because I will tell you, no one's asking me for anything. At all.
01:33And I'm going around, I'm going back to Nigeria trying to, like, guys, like, what's up? Let's do something.
01:38What's up? What's up? What's up? What's up?
01:40Well, we're already having lunch after this, right?
01:41All right. All right. Yeah.
01:44Yeah, thank you so much. So we're going to go to Q&A. And before we go there, I just want to say, you know,
01:49a lot of times we go places, we hear these conversations, we sit here for a few hours,
01:54and then we go outside, and sometimes nothing changes.
01:57So I would urge everyone, all of us, everyone here, have these conversations with someone that you're sitting next to.
02:04Have these conversations with your friend, and really make efforts to be that change.
02:09Don't come up with an idea and let that idea die. Like, really talk about it with other people.
02:14Help bring it to maturation, and then that way we all can see the change that we want to see.
02:19All righty. So we will take the first question.
02:23You can do a quick intro.
02:25Hi, my name is Lisa Miranda, and I'm a creative from Cape Verde in West Africa.
02:36And I'm working on projects there, and I noticed that even within Africa, in the Lucophone countries, the Francophone countries,
02:43there's just not yet this platform or that I know of, something that kind of bridges the creatives and collaborators
02:50and even access to, you know, the grants, the funds, all of that within Africa.
02:55And I noticed that it's kind of scattered where it's like some African countries, they're like, oh, we're looking for resources in Holland or in France.
03:03But how do you guys foresee this kind of coming together so we can use the resources that we have as a continent,
03:10but then also make it strong enough that we can pour it out and, you know, get the money and the resources that we need to keep the creatives going forward?
03:23I think that might be a you question.
03:27I think it's difficult and challenging because all of this is relatively new, and I'll speak for myself and my company.
03:37We started in East Africa and then into South Africa, and we're trying to build the bridges and connect the dots between the territories.
03:47It's hard where you are, and what we need is more people who are coming to the continent to help build platforms.
03:54I think we, in the last five years, we've done extraordinary things with the talent that we represent,
04:00and we've moved mountains, and we've gotten over hills, and there's a long way to go, but we're also one agency.
04:07One agency who's committed to connect the dots and move people across the pond and whatnot, but we need more people.
04:14And I think when there's more people focused on it, we'll be able to have greater impact.
04:20I hope that answered your question.
04:25I didn't solve it, but I'm sorry.
04:28Next.
04:29Hello.
04:32Thank you all for being here today.
04:34My name is Alia Habib.
04:36I am from the East Coast.
04:38I started as an actor, and during the pandemic, I made the transition to move to L.A.,
04:43and pursue my career as a writer.
04:46But as an artist in the industry, what are your thoughts in terms of, so I'm a mixed background of freed and enslaved Africans,
04:55and we always hear the conversation in Hollywood of, you know, Africans playing American roles and Americans playing African roles.
05:03So I'm interested in what your thoughts are on black Americans playing African roles.
05:10Because when they do, there's always this backlash of, oh, their accent wasn't right or whatever.
05:16But I mean, which is the case sometimes, right?
05:22But I know that for me, and I know a lot of black artists who are interested in getting more in touch with their roots and enclosing that gap globally in the diaspora.
05:34So what are your thoughts and reflections on the opposite?
05:40It's an extremely complex question that you have.
05:43It is. It is.
05:44But one that I think is important to discuss.
05:47You know, for me, I think you have to look at historically what has happened, right?
05:53I feel like I love that there's this desire to reconnect with the African continent.
05:59Black Americans are going back in large numbers.
06:02Ghana, a year of return.
06:04Everyone's doing their tests and studies and finding out they're 10 point or 4.5 percent Nigerian or whatever it may be.
06:10And it's a beautiful thing.
06:12I don't say that facetiously.
06:14But I think if it's about telling global stories, you know, I think there needs to be thought given to opportunity and access, right?
06:28As an actor, I want to take on incredible, challenging, dynamic roles.
06:33I play a black American that we eventually made Nigerian on Dynasty, but that wasn't the impetus of the character.
06:41And so I have to challenge myself and say, okay, valid point that you're saying there's this kind of like this backlash of black American plays an African.
06:49I just feel like as this journey of black Americans finding their connection in Africa and bringing that to Hollywood storytelling happens, just allow Africans at the table.
07:02Do you know what I mean?
07:03Allow us in the same way that, you know, black America felt often like whites were co-opting their stories, where the writers, the directors of everything and not having an authentic voice for black America.
07:14The same thing that women have been saying about men are writing all our stories.
07:18And now you see like black women bonding together, you know, making sure that their voices are being infused into the storytelling.
07:25I would just say give consideration to that.
07:28Otherwise, you risk, you risk co-opting an experience without making an investment in that experience, without educating yourself about that experience.
07:39And I think that's, I think that's the path forward.
07:42I love that people want to take on these challenging roles.
07:45Yes, there's always the eye roll of, okay, the accent wasn't there, the accent was there.
07:48But if I'm looking across the board at a film or story and its origins are in Africa and the majority of the characters are African,
07:57and I'm going through IMDB credits, I'm like, okay, who's the writer, who's the director, who's behind this, you know, how many Africans are actually in this.
08:04And I don't think that's like a reach or a wrong thing to ask and to want to assert and ensure because you want to make sure that the voices are authentic.
08:18So have those people who've had that experience, whose stories you are telling, at the table and involved in the story.
08:25And then pick the best actor for the role.
08:27I agree with you in terms of picking the best actor.
08:32Picking the best actor for the role, that's where I'm actually on the fence, actually.
08:38Because living in Nigeria, you hear the frustration of Nigerian artists and, you know, seeing mainstream films come about and it's a Nigerian or it's a South African or whatever.
08:54And it's not as authentic as it could be.
08:57Why didn't they cast this person? Oh, what's he now?
09:00Like, it's just very frustrating.
09:02But at the end of the day, just with me living in Nigeria, they pick certain people based off of the fact of their marketability.
09:10Are they going to be able to sell the product? Are they going to be able to help the producer get their money back?
09:15So there's just so many things that come into account.
09:18So I totally understand where Sam is coming from.
09:21But from a producer's standpoint and where the money's coming from, it's layered.
09:29It's layered. That's how you get Will Smith as a Nigerian.
09:32Wait, what did you say?
09:35This has been an absolutely incredible panel.
09:40We are...
09:43Wait, we're good to hold this person.
09:45No, no, no, no.
09:46Okay, this, no, obviously, you know the Nigerians are the panel.
09:49Like, what's up?
09:50No, I'm kidding.
09:51Okay, no, seriously, we have to wrap this up.
09:53Honestly, you guys, this has been an absolutely incredible panel.
09:57Thanks to each and every one of you for being here.
10:00Thank you so much to Essence for truly having conversations that matter.
10:04And like I said before, the only way to move forward is through partnership.
10:08So I hope that you meet people here today that you can find ways to partner with
10:12and figure out how to move projects forward.
10:15May I say one thing?
10:17I want to highlight the fact that Essence has been doing a great job in terms of bringing people together.
10:21Yes, yes, yes.
10:23To co-create.
10:24Thank you so much.
10:25Especially the work Sidra Smith has done with the...
10:28Sidra!
10:29Yeah!
10:30Where she's merging the Hollywood and Nollywood worlds.
10:34Yes.
10:35And I think that's super important.
10:36And we should continue to make those kinds of spaces available.
10:39Can I say that Sidra actually traveled to Nigeria.
10:42So she came on ground to Nigeria to see and experience.
10:45And she's now here bringing it all on here.
10:48Woo!
10:49We love you!
10:50So we appreciate you.
10:51Sidra, we love you.
10:52Yes.
10:53Okay.
10:54Thank you all so much.
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