Journalist and entrepreneur, Tafadzwa Sharaunga has been nominated for this year’s edition of the Digital Lab Africa Online Pitch Competition.
Sharaunga has been nominated alongside 29 other African contestants.
An elated Sharaunga who was nominated in the Digital Music category for his Mbira Online project said he could not believe he had been selected.
“Initially I was surprised when I received the congratulatory email,” said Sharaunga. “I wasn’t as enthusiastic since this was my second time applying for the competition. At the moment the magnitude of the competition hasn’t quite set in.”
Starting on the 23rd of April the selection panel for Digital Lab Africa 2018 will be conducting online interviews with the participants to select 10 winning projects out of 30 sub Saharan participants.
Continued Sharaunga: “The Mbira Online project is being worked on by Stereo Guru, an entertainment start-up working on various home grown solutions for the upcoming urban entertainment scene. Solutions include artist publishing and distribution,” explained Sharaunga on what his project is all about.
The 10 winners will get a 3000 Euros cash prize and a tailored-made incubation programme to accelerate their project development with two mentors, from French & Sub-Saharan creative industries ecosystem (producers, distributors, broadcasters, experts, artists…), a residence period in France within a digital cluster/hub, and participation in industry events in France and/or in Sub-Saharan African region.
“It is with great pleasure that we will welcome at NEXT – the hub dedicated to innovation at the heart of the Cannes Film Market – the announcement of the results of the DLA Pitch Competition. We look forward to introducing these emerging African talent in the digital space” Julie Bergeron, Head of Industry Programs, Cannes Film Festival Market.
“We would like to thank all the candidates who applied for the DLA call for projects. The number of projects received, their quality and diversity strongly illustrate the dynamism and creativity of African audiovisual industries” Erika Denis, Regional Head of Media, Film & Music (French Embassy) and Director of Digital Lab Africa
