Staff Reporter
A local entrepreneur from Lesotho, alongside peers from South Africa and Malawi, showcased their creative industry businesses to potential investors at the prestigious Création Africa Days event held at the French Residence in Pretoria, South Africa, on September 17, 2024.
The 12 finalists, selected from over 700 applicants, represented various creative sectors including fashion, video games, and audiovisual production.
They presented their innovative work to key figures in the cultural and creative industries, to secure international investment and scale their businesses globally.
SourceCode Motion Pictures, hailing from Maseru in Lesotho, was among the featured participants. Founder Katleho Monyako said they specialise in innovative visual storytelling through 3D animation, VFX, and cutting-edge technologies like Unreal Engine.
“Lesotho’s creative industry is still in its infancy. We have stories that have never been told – we can preserve our culture and stories for future generations through 3D animation and VFX,” said Monyako.
The event was the culmination of the Création Africa programme, a M24 million initiative funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The programme, designed to foster creative entrepreneurship, provides African talent with mentorship, business development skills, and access to seed funding.
“These entrepreneurs represent the future of Africa’s creative industries,” said French Ambassador David Martinon, who hosted the event at his residence.
“By equipping them with the tools to succeed, we are promoting not only innovation but also economic growth in South Africa, Malawi, Lesotho, and beyond.”
In addition to the showcase at the French Residence, the finalists participated in networking sessions in Johannesburg, where they strengthened ties with key players in the local cultural and creative industry (CCI) and French economic partners.
In October, they will travel to Paris to take part in BIG 2024, Europe’s largest business and investment forum. This prestigious event offers the finalists an opportunity to expand their global networks, forge new partnerships, and further their impact on the creative industries.
The twelve finalists include SourceCode Motion Pictures from Lesotho, Ananta Design Studio, Giya, LSJ Clothing and Merchandising/Butan, Moodswing, Pineapple on Pizza Studios, Renaissance Design, SpaceSalad Studios, Tendalo Trading, and Thebe Magugu from South Africa; and Kwacha Creative Studios and Terry Made Designs from Malawi.
