By Samuel Ouma
Canon Central and North Africa have announced a new partnership with communities in Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt to ensure people are connected in Africa.
The new collaborations included those with SYNC School in Cairo, Egypt, Peexoo, a Nigerian photography hub, and the Photographers’ Association of Kenya (PAK).
Canon, a long-standing supporter of film and photography education groups, aims to inspire and enrich the next generation of image-makers.
“Our mission is to empower people to see the bigger picture, on a grandyet local level,” explainsAmine Djouahra, sales, and marketing director for Canon Central & North Africa. “In this rapidly changing, image-based culture, we want to explore new and innovative ideas with a wider audience.”
They noted such collaborations would provide a forum for sharing Canon expertise, knowledge, and technology, with regular masterclasses, training opportunities, photo booths, and competitions.
Community members will also gain exclusive access to masterclasses with Canon ambassadors through the collaborations, including Emmanuel Oyeleke and YagaziEmezi.
There will also be regular competitions to challenge and inspire with exciting prizes such as Canon’s mini phone-to-printer Zoemini, the portable Selphy, G-Series printers, and a compact Powershot SX720 mirrorless M50 cameras.
According to Canon, the collaborations have realized tremendous progress with SYNC school in Egypt having 94000 photographers, filmmakers, and content creators.
Peexoo, on the other hand, has brought together more than 20,000 photographers and videographers from across Nigeria.
“We change perceptions through film and photography,” said PeexooCo-Founder,
techpreneu r Steven Kelechi Nwadike.
Also, in Kenya, the Association of Kenya (PAK) is now the leading photographic society representing professionals, amateurs, and hobbyists.
It further disclosed that interest in developing and recognizing excellence in amateur and professional photographers goes beyond Hands-on ‘touch and try’ sessions with cutting-edge Canon R system technology.
Canon said its Future Focus programme for students is in its fifth year, and the inaugural Redline Challenge for amateur photographers received tremendous response in entries from the African region.
“We believe in enriching local creatives and welcome the opportunity to connect and support the next generation of visual storytellers. By investing expertise, technology and opportunities in them, we hope to enhance their art, skills and future careers,” said Amine Djouahra
Therefore, filmmakers and photographers across Africa to connect and collaborate.
