Sitting in her own director’s chair on a film set, connecting Africa and the rest of the world, is 24-year-old Larona Dichaba’s dream career.
The freelance screenwriter from Francistown, Botswana, enters the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) Academy programme with one idea – to tell Africa’s stories, better.
“Growing up I always considered myself a pretty good writer. Then I went to a film school and quickly realised my writing was nothing special. It was me who was special. My personality, my very being, was what set me apart from other writers and made my writing special. So I hope to learn more of what makes me tick as a creative so my writing can get better and I can tell better stories,” says Larona, who holds a BA in Motion Picture Medium from AFDA Botswana.
She is inspired by the Afrocentricity of our continent, how foods, languages and fashions are all so different and yet “strangely so similar”, and adores how Africa’s creative world is unapologetically full of vibrant colour, taste and flavour.
In film, she counts Botswana-born, South African-based, actors, writers, directors, producers and all-round creatives, Connie and the late Shona Ferguson, as her role models. She is equally fascinated by Broadway, the stage and theatre, and dreams of seeing African musicals take the world by storm.