DANDANO is a digital platform that focuses on highlighting the incredible work of African filmmakers and musicians. With the aim of presenting classic creations and new productions produced on the continent, their platform is a collection of musical innovation and cinematic inspiration through interviews and opinion pieces. I had a conversation with founder and Creative Director Hakeem Adam about the platform and its significance with regards to contemplating older genres and pushing forward creative endeavors.
Tell our readers more about you and the work that you do?
Our work at DANDANO is mainly critiquing and documenting African film and music. Through interviews, reviews, in-depth analysis, DJ sets and screenings, my hope is that DANDANO can help consumers of film and music on the continent and in the diaspora make connections to the amazing and intriguing work African artists put out. I also hope that it will help them recognize the intrinsic value [of these productions], especially in the way that those mediums shape social behavior. In addition to this, we seek to help musicians and filmmakers receive constructive criticism so they can learn and improve the overall quality of their work.
I am a writer who manly functions on poetry and recently completed my studies at the University of Ghana in English and Psychology. I also freelance from time to time focusing on African culture and arts. So most of my life focuses on storytelling and I hope to put out a collection of poetry soon.
What is your relationship with music and film? What made you feel as though you want to create a platform dedicated to these two creative outlets?
Growing up, film and music was always around me. I have not had any formal training in either of those fields. However, I naturally gravitated towards music when I started out as freelance writer and taught myself to understand it and know how to write about it. That love extended towards film as I discovered that it is quiet similar to music in construction and utility.
I decided to focus the platform on film and music because I found that there was an absence of accessible critical analysis on new and old work. It is almost impossible to know what album was top of the charts in Ghana in 1975 unless you lived through the era or why Bubblegum pop emerged in South Africa in the 1980s. Access to this knowledge is quickly disappearing. I’m a firm believer in creating the change you want to see in the world. So I decided to start something as a way of sharing my opinions on new music and knowledge I discover as I [do] research. DANDANO in essence is a space where [an] understanding of African film and music is forged, and an accessible knowledge bank created.
Tell me more about the name ‘DANDANO’?
The name ‘DANDANO’, is the Hausa word for taste or flavor. I decided to go with that word because it perfectly sums up the ethos of the work that the platform seeks to do, which is basically to present a vivid description of the flavor of African film and music. The word also has a nice melodic ring to into, making it quite memorable.
In your words, explain the significance of the platform?
Well, I found out that most platforms on the continent documenting African culture do not have a specific focus on either film and music. They are mostly documenting activities across the arts from painting to fashion. So I decided to create that voice just for film and music and fill the void. Ultimately, the impact that DANDANO should have on the African film and music scene is to go beyond the surface and interrogate the content being put out. We try to make our readers understand trends, patterns, stylistic choices and other decisions that might for example, shape the African music soundscape. I feel as though that is important knowledge that we, the primary consumers of African art, should have rather than waiting for western media and academia to analyses our work. The significance DANDANO seeks to have is in shaping the narrative, ensuring that the true value of African film and music is revealed, especially as those two fields begin to gain more influence outside the continent.
What has been the response to the platform?
The response to the platform has been very encouraging even though it has [only] been operational for just over a year. I’m surprised by the level of interest it generates on and outside the internet from people all over the world. So far we have had artists, filmmakers, publicists and labels doing interesting work reaching out to us, as well as the thousands across our social media platforms who connect with us. We were also very fortunate to speak to Brenda Sisane of Kaya FM in South Africa on what it is that we do. The response is also a reflection of the good work that we do. For example, on interview we did on FESPACO [Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou] and why it is losing relevance on the African film festival circuit gained a lot of traction. Hopefully this generates conversations that contributes to shaping how film festivals on the continent are organized so we all benefit from them, and not just the film producer and director who get to attend.
Who is part of the DANDANO team? Are your contributors all people from the continent?
The DANDANO team is quite small at the moment. I am still responsible for a majority of the content published on the website. However, I do work with three other contributor based on the continent and in Canada and Europe who routinely assist with curating and other administrative and behind the scenes tasks. We do plan to expand the team to represent various interests in the coming year, so we can have some variety in our content.
What is the vision you have for the platform?
The dream is to see DANDANO become a completely independent cultural institution with roots all over Africa so we can pay attention to almost everything that is happening. At the moment, due to budgetary and personnel restrictions, we are not able to expand beyond our niche audience. We’re currently in a transitional phase, seeking assistance to help setup a music and film archive and gallery in Accra. As a small organization, we still have a lot learning and work to do. However, it is an exciting challenge and we look forward to being able to provide critical content that impacts the artists and audiences.
Is there anything you have in the pipeline that you would like to share with our readers?
2017 has been an amazing year of growth for DANDANO. One of the many things that we learnt was how inaccessible information on film and music festivals is. We’re currently working on a series to be updated every quarter that will share information on film grants for African filmmakers seeking funding for their projects. This we hope will help increase the quality of original storytelling on Africa by Africans. We’re also looking to collaborate with film festivals and provide concise guides on films and sessions to see at festivals.
Anything else you would like to mention about yourself or the platform?
It has been an incredible journey for me personally, having to combine running DANDANO with my school work. I’m still encouraged by the potential it has to serve the interest of African artists and audiences. Hopefully, I will be able to build on the traction it is gaining and expand beyond the current niche audience with content that can make an impact, as well as workshop sessions that will benefit emerging artists. We’re still a very tiny organization, but that does not stop us from having a powerful voice. And if at least one person hears that voice and is challenged by it, then we have succeeded.