“What’s the best thing about Africa?” That’s an easy question for 24-year-old Aaron Joseph Tamale from Uganda. “Our stories, rich diversity, culture and heritage. We have so much rich history that if we created and shared more of our stories then the world would start looking at Africans differently. And we would appreciate ourselves more, rather than trying to copy norms and traditions whose genesis we do not even know.” And his dream career is to do just that. Aaron wants to become a successful media entrepreneur, film director and producer so that he can write compelling television content “for our minds and hearts – that will change people’s lives”.
He draws inspiration from Clarence Peters for his diversity, creativity and the freshness he brings to his various projects, whether they be music videos, documentaries or TV features.
Aaron believes that storytelling is the essence of making a good film because it either makes of breaks it. “Everything in the film is part of the story from the script and dialogues to the lighting and sound, as well as the costume and set designs. All these communicate something to the audience and that’s why it’s important to get the story right.”
Aaron, who has earned the nickname Media Mogul, is passionate about digital media and dreams of owning a streaming site for distributing and monetising locally-made content. He hopes that joining the MutliChoice Talent Factory will position him as a game changer across East Africa’s film industry. “It’s only a matter of time and Hollywood is running to Africa for more ideas,” he says.