We created Embozi as a free online space that shows you the stories that are happening across Africa. Whether you’re living, working or travelling on the continent and happen to capture a moment or come across an interesting story via social media, you can send the link or upload your video to Embozi.com.
Content is organized and sorted across all 56 countries, which makes it easy for you to find just about any topic you are interested in—and you don’t have to understand any of the 2,000 plus languages spoken in Africa to enjoy the experience.
Embozi began as a documentary film idea in which we would use crowd-sourced mobile phone footage to connect ideas, stories and experiences. We wanted to inspire and capture the imagination of the continent.
But to find the stories that would make the film into a ground-breaking documentary, we had to cast our nets far and wide. I could be looking for content on children in Mali and the algorithms would possibly lead to a news item or NGO video about a refugee camp in the Congo.
There are many videos about Africa on social media that deserve better exposure, but because some content providers don’t have the traffic, views, shares or likes and dislikes, their stories tend to die or remain within the community of friends and family of the sharer. Basically, people like us don’t get to see them.
For example, someone showed me a mobile phone video from Nigeria. It was kids buying ice cream from an ice cream van. I enjoyed the clip for its aesthetics and ambience but also for the fact that I’ve never seen an ice cream van in Uganda, Senegal, Mozambique, Zanzibar or any other part of Africa I’ve visited.
What if someone in Djibouti also saw this clip and was inspired to start a similar business? If the stories that are happening across Africa in arts and entertainment, travel and tourism, conflict, children, women, health, environment and business were to be shared on one space, wouldn’t the sharing of ideas and experiences flourish into a spirit of entrepreneurship and awareness across the continent and beyond?
Wouldn’t those Africans who risk their lives crossing dangerous seas to chase greener pastures in Europe and the West see that opportunities for growth and wealth are a lot closer to home than they think? Wouldn’t this level of transparency make Africa more accountable for her stories, actions and image?
In Luganda, the word “embozi” is slang for story. When you meet someone, you say, “what’s the embozi?” or “bring the embozi.” By utilizing the power of the mobile phone, used by well over 300 million Africans and projected to reach 483 million by 2025, Africa can monopolize on its stories.
In the period to 2025 the network companies will spend $15 billion with projected revenues expected to exceed an eye-watering $51 billion in Africa. There are an estimated 527 million internet users and 202 million social media users in Africa. Between 2018 and 2019 the number of social media users went up by 30 million and the numbers are continuing to rise. As internet and technology use in Africa continue to grow, there is no better time than now to invest in a space that is dedicated to the African content.
We want Embozi to provide a bird’s eye view, a gateway to the continent. If you’re sitting in your home in France, Australia or Brazil and you want to have an idea about how business works in Senegal, or you want to learn about what schools are like in Namibia or you want to discover the latest fashions in Ghana or you just want to watch something fun, then Embozi can be a resource for you.
Embozi is a place where content providers don’t have the pressure to grow their audience, and Embozi unashamedly promotes the social media pages of its content providers, thereby encouraging viewers to visit their pages.
Our wish is to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities with the highly educated and skilled workforce working at the forefront of innovation in Africa. We are a platform for creatives. African youth are tech savvy, as demonstrated by the number of tech startups and tech cities. Embozi strives to be part of the technological revolution that is taking hold in Africa.
P.S. The documentary film is also on the burner!