“In many parts of Africa, there are certain misconceptions regarding the creative industry, whereby people think of it as something of a hobby. It is, unfortunately, a misconception shared by both the audience and some professionals. This misconception has greatly diminished the creative industry to the extent that even government support for the creative industry in various countries is non-existent,” says 23-year-old Jamal. He has hopes that the MultiChoice Talent Factory will slowly but surely help to change that and grow Africa’s creative industries from strength to strength.
Jamal’s biggest career aspiration is to be an outstanding film and TV producer, so it’s no surprise that one of his favourite books is Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field.
The Tanzanian Film and TV Studies graduate is moved by how the continent manages to unite and come together through art. “I have high hopes for the future of this industry, with initiatives such as the MTF academy and the growth of the digital age, I think the future looks very promising,” he says.
Jamal draws from the example of Mauritanian film director Abderrahmane Sissako, who is one of the pioneers of African cinema. “I consider Timbuktu a masterpiece of African filmmaking,” he says. Given creative license to create a TV show, he would produce a television drama because “television is a powerful platform with the ability to reach millions of people and television dramas have emerged as powerful tools in shaping the world along the way.”