What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen? Whatever your answer, you have more likely selected that movie because of the story it told, and how that affected you, not because of the camera angles or the CGI.
Storytelling is the bedrock of human communication. Stories are how generations throughout history have preserved their culture and handed it to the next generation. This is especially true in Africa. In this article, we’ll discuss techniques for African storytelling, and how to respect the nuances and hidden meanings in African stories.
Cultural sensitivity in storytelling.
In telling African stories, it is important to take note of the individual sensitivities of the cultural background against which the story is set. This is because it is easy to introduce (or eliminate) an element that offends the culture and ultimately causes a bad backlash. An example of cultural insensitivity is this campaign by Coca-Cola, and this one by H&M in South Africa.
So what storytelling techniques work well in African stories? Let’s discuss a few of them.
The Hero’s Journey
In the hero’s journey, the hero leaves home or a comfortable place and sets out on a journey, facing internal and external conflict and a great trial. He comes back home after overcoming that great trial, with a reward or newfound wisdom, which then benefits the community.This kind of technique plays well in the African context, as most stories feature a protagonist who has to face a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, after which he is rewarded in some way.
This kind of technique plays well in the African context, as most stories feature a protagonist who has to face a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, after which he is rewarded in some way.
Allegory or Symbolism
Symbolism is a strong part of African culture. While crafting a video script, it’s important to introduce elements, visual or otherwise, whose presence, transformation or interaction represent a deeper meaning.Visual elements
Video content affords the storyteller an array of tools with which to further emphasise the tone of the message, the mood, or the general setting. Take advantage of visual elements like brightness, colour treatment, imagery, etc to drive home the point.
As a brand or a marketing team planning your next brand video or campaign, the story needs to tick all the right boxes. You need a technique that frames the customer perfectly in relation to the brand or product, a message that stays with the audience. One way to do both is to script the perfect story, one that pays attention to cultural sensibilities and even pays homage to the culture through symbolism and other elements. The winning story will achieve all these and resonate with the target audience. Video content like this is pure gold, and in some cases can be evergreen, which means you can resurface it every season, and re-engage your audience and tap into that human angle.
If you need a partner in Africa with the experience and expertise to build deeper connections and brand loyalty with your customers through video production, that partner is Pulse. Having worked with some of the continent’s biggest brands, and built the largest digital audience in Sub-Saharan Africa, Pulse keeps its finger on the pulse of the communities it serves and is in touch with contemporary culture. Its position at the nexus of things in the digital world means that it can deliver video projects that exceed expectations and win over huge chunks of the target.
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