MARK THE DATE: African Women Visual Media Creators Webinar, 15 July 2025

bongiwe53
Jul 8
5 min read

Updated: Jul 15

Fraymedia Foundation is hosting the

African Women Visual Media Creators Webinar,

Empowering Women in Visual Media

Register HERE to attend

The Webinar will bring together African women who are leading and shaping voices in visual media, spanning photography, documentary, digital content creation, visual journalism and, animation and toon business.

The Webinar will explore and showcase their creative journeys, challenges, innovations, and the impact of their work in reshaping and inspiring African narratives locally and globally. In a media landscape historically dominated by male and Western perspectives, this conversation celebrates African women who are reclaiming the lens and screen.

Date: Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Time: 14h00 - 15h30 pm SAST

Location: Zoom Webinar

Duration: 1h30mins

Register HERE to attend

The Webinar includes the following speakers:

Neo Ntsoma – Multi-award-winning photographer, South Africa
Becky Awo Renni – Documentary and nature photographer, Nigeria
Minenhle Luthuli - Filmmaker and Board member, Sisters Working in Film & TV (SWIFTSA), South Africa
Sosina Mengistu – Documentary and travel, culture photographer, Ethiopia
Abdulsalam Aderonke – Documentary producer and novelist, Nigeria
Vanessa Ann Sinden, Senior Producer, Triggerfish, South Africa

The full bio's of the Webinar speakers are captured below:

Neo Ntsoma

Neo Ntsoma is a multi-award-winning South African photographer renowned for her pioneering contributions to photojournalism, portraiture, and music photography. A true trailblazer, she made history as the first Black woman photographer at The Star newspaper and the first female recipient of the Mohamed Amin Award, part of the CNN African Journalist of the Year Photography Prize.

Born in Vryburg and raised in Mafikeng, Ntsoma’s passion for photography was sparked by a desire to challenge the misrepresentation of Black South Africans in mainstream media. Her work is defined by striking compositions, innovative angles, and an extraordinary ability to capture raw, emotional narratives that reflect the depth and complexity of African life.

Throughout her career, Ntsoma has remained committed to empowering the next generation of visual storytellers, especially young women entering the photography industry. She is the co-author of Women by Women: 50 Years of Women’s Photography in South Africa, a landmark publication that honours the creative voices and contributions of women in photography.

As the founder of Neo Ntsoma Productions, she continues to shape the future of visual storytelling by producing work that is both authentic and impactful. Her leadership extends to judging regional, national, and international photography competitions, where she lends her expertise to spotlight emerging talent.

Neo Ntsoma’s legacy lies not only in her powerful imagery but also in her unwavering advocacy for representation, equity, and the dignity of African stories told through the lens of those who live them.

Becky Awo Renni

Becky Awo Renni is a freelance documentary and nature photographer whose work blends a deep passion for storytelling with a keen eye for everyday beauty. Since beginning her photography journey in 2019, Renni has used her lens to capture moments of authenticity, emotion, and human connection. Through her creative platform, RenniStories, she documents the lives of everyday people, communities, and untold narratives that deserve to be seen and remembered.

Renni has collaborated on impactful visual storytelling projects with notable organizations including the United Nations (UN), Unzipped Stories, R.TV, and the European Pressphoto Agency. Her photography has been featured in The Republic Journal, and in July 2023, she debuted her first solo exhibition, "We Are Timeless", a powerful reflection on identity, memory, and shared humanity.

Through her work, Becky Renni celebrates the universal language of photography, using it to forge connections, evoke emotion, and inspire others to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Minenhle Luthuli

Minenhle Luthuli is a Talents Durban alumni and a television scriptwriter and filmmaker from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her debut independent film, Heart Attack, screened at over 25 international film festivals, including Short Film Corner at Cannes. It went on to be licensed by Showmax. She is the 2022 NEFTi short film competition winner for her film, Get Ready With Me. She went back for the All-Star edition of the competition where she participated with her bold short, Make A Wish. Her latest work, Being You is currently on the festival circuit and is at the finance stage of her debut feature film, Abany’Omama (Some Mothers).

Sosina Mengistu

Sosina Mengistu is a photographer based in Ethiopia.

Her work focuses on documentary and travel, capturing culture, landscapes, religion, and everyday life. She also uses self-portraiture to explore her personal journey.

Abdulsalam Aderonke

Aderonke Abdulsalam is a seasoned communications consultant, media and documentary producer, researcher, and writer with a strong focus on gender and maternal health. She specializes in crafting impactful communication strategies for non-governmental organizations, with a passion for social impact storytelling that uplifts African voices and experiences.

Deronke is also a creative writer. Her recent work, In the Heart of the Flood, is a serialized novella that follows Amina Danladi, a medical school dropout navigating trauma and survival in flood-stricken Northern Nigeria. The story, rich in themes of resilience, womanhood, and cultural heritage, is available on Medium and Archive of Our Own.

Her professional writings explore the intersections of healthcare equity, gender equity versus equality, and the integration of traditional maternal health practices with modern medicine. She advocates for culturally sensitive healthcare systems that blend ancestral wisdom with contemporary solutions, aiming to empower African women across communities.

Vanessa Ann Sinden

Vanessa Ann Sinden is Senior Producer at Triggerfish Animation, Africa’s leading animation studio, with over 23 years of experience in both live-action and animated filmmaking. She has produced some of Africa’s most successful animated features, including Adventures in Zambezia, Khumba, and Seal Team, and recently led projects for Disney+, Netflix, and Disney Junior, such as Supa Team 4, Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes, and Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. Passionate about telling original African stories that reflect diverse voices, Vanessa is also committed to nurturing emerging talent—especially women—through initiatives like the Triggerfish Story Lab, various Netflix and Disney labs, and the African Women in Animation platform, all aimed at building a more inclusive animation industry across the continent.

The Webinar is also in recognition of the recently launched #AfricaThroughHerLens visual campaign held by fraymedia Foundation during Africa Month, in recognition of Africa Day. The visual campaign is a powerful visual heritage campaign celebrating African women who are telling their stories through the lens, to showcase the everyday power, creativity, and perspectives operating on stage, behind and in front of the camera. Through this initiative of honoring African women visual storytellers, who capture the richness of life, culture, and creativity on the continent, fraymedia Foundation is creating a living archive, reflecting the world as we see it. The Campaign spotlighted works of women from a range of countries including South Africa, Kenya, DRC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Malawi.

The Webinar objectives include:

Amplify the voices and work of African women visual media creators.
Explore the role of visual storytelling in cultural representation, activism, and socio-political change.
Discuss systemic barriers faced by women in visual media, including costs, funding, access, safety, and representation.
Share knowledge, tools, and strategies for aspiring creators and media professionals.
Build cross-border solidarity and connections among African women in media.