Kenya an Eye Opener to What a Structured Creative Industry Looks Like

With Kenya Film Commission Board Chair Person. Mr. Sudi Wandabusi (far left) and Timothy Owase Kenya Film Commission Chief Executive Officer (far right)

By Morgan Mbulo, President of the National Association of Media Arts (NAMA)

My recent working visit to Kenya for the Kalasha Film and Television Festival and Awards was not only successful, but transformational. It was a trip that exposed us to what a fully structured and coordinated creative industry ecosystem can achieve when government institutions, creatives, regulators, guilds, production houses, and training institutions work together under one framework.

First and foremost, I would like to sincerely commend the National Arts Council of Zambia and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts for giving us this opportunity to travel and engage with key stakeholders in Kenya’s creative industry. Such opportunities are extremely important because they expose us to systems and models that can help us grow and strengthen Zambia’s creative sector.

During the Kalasha Awards Night

Together with Madam Bridget Malumba, Board Member of the National Arts Council, we held several engagements with industry leaders, institutions, and production houses in Kenya. One of the most important lessons from Kenya is that their industry is highly organized and structured under the Kenya Film Commission. Almost every department we visited — from film regulation, actors’ guilds, festivals, training departments, content creators’ associations, and even monetization systems, all stem from the Film Commission framework.

This is something Zambia urgently needs.

The discussions held with the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Film Commission, Mr. Timothy Owase, were encouraging and insightful. Kenya has demonstrated that when the creative sector is properly structured, opportunities for growth, training, international collaboration, and revenue generation become much easier to achieve.

What impressed me most was not only the infrastructure, but the deliberate investment in creatives. Kenya has built systems that support filmmakers, actors, writers, directors, digital creators, and content producers through training, regulation, equipment accessibility, and monetization.

This visit reinforced the importance of Zambia establishing a Film Commission. I know the Ministry and the National Arts Council are already working on frameworks around this area, and I want to strongly emphasize that this cannot be overemphasized. The Film Commission is the backbone of the entire creative ecosystem. Without it, many structures remain fragmented.

A Film Commission would help coordinate:

• Guild formation

• Industry regulation

• Content development

• International collaborations

• Training programs

• Festival structures

• Content monetization frameworks

• Investment attraction into the creative sector

Another critical issue that emerged during my engagements in Kenya is content monetization.

As creatives, we invest heavily in our productions, yet many Zambian content creators are still unable to fully monetize their works. This is a matter that requires urgent attention because monetization directly translates into revenue generation, employment creation, and sustainability for artists and production houses.

During my meetings with content monetization companies and digital creators’ associations in Kenya, I learned that there are many models that Zambia can begin exploring while broader frameworks are being developed. We cannot continue producing quality content without creating systems that allow creatives to benefit financially from their work.

I also wish to make an open appeal to my fellow artists, filmmakers, content creators, producers, actors, directors, writers, and all stakeholders in the creative industry.

Let us come together and begin serious discussions on how we can establish exchange programs between Zambia and Kenya. The opportunities are there. The willingness from Kenyan institutions and production houses is already there. What remains now is for us as creatives to organize ourselves and identify areas where collaboration can immediately begin.

Ideas are open.

I am calling upon creatives, associations, institutions, and stakeholders to bring forward ideas on:

• Skills exchange programs

• Training collaborations

• Joint productions

• Festival partnerships

• Equipment-sharing systems

• Creative entrepreneurship

• Digital monetization

• Guild formation

This is the time for us to think beyond individual success and begin building a stronger industry collectively.

One of the most inspiring models we observed in Kenya was how creatives collaborate through guilds and shared equipment systems. We also visited institutions that are willing to train Zambian professionals in technical areas such as lighting, production, and film operations.

With Kenya Grip CEO Stephen Obunde (far left) Bridget Malumba (in green) and Kabinda Lemba (far right)

This presents an opportunity for Zambia to begin developing specialized technical skills that are necessary if we are to position ourselves as a regional film and media hub.

The future of Zambia’s creative industry is promising, but it requires structure, collaboration, and deliberate investment.

As President of the National Association of Media Arts, I remain committed to following up on the relationships and opportunities established during this visit. The conversations have already begun, and now the responsibility is on us to ensure that these engagements translate into meaningful action for the benefit of our industry.

I once again extend my sincere gratitude to the National Arts Council and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts for believing in the importance of exposing creatives to international platforms and learning opportunities.

The journey to transforming Zambia’s creative sector has begun, and together, we can build an industry that is structured, sustainable, competitive, and globally recognized. For more details get in touch on +260978929919 or info.nama.zambia@gmail.com