Africa Updates: Canal+ Takeover Of MultiChoice; Nigeria Film Fund; Yetu (Un)Limited

When Streamlined was launched two years ago, it came with a promise to cover Africa, swiftly followed by the realisation that a steep learning curve would be necessary before doing justice to the content industries of this huge and complex continent. One thing I’ve learned since launching Streamlined is that the more straightforward something looks on the outside, the more complicated it gets when you lift up the lid. After doing a ton of research and attending several Africa-themed panels in Cannes, I’m having a stab at covering some current African events.

African cinema has of course been gaining more international attention in recent years – this year alone, Mati Diop’s Dahomey won the Golden Bear in Berlin; and Zambian-Welsh filmmaker Rungano Nyoni won best director ex-aequo for On Becoming A Guinea Fowl in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section; which also premiered Somalian film The Village Next To Paradise.

But outside of festivals, we usually only read about Africa’s film and TV ind…