About the Project
Centering African voices in a contested geological age
Eight episodes exploring African experiences of unprecedented environmental and social change
In a time of instability and dramatic change, of fragile and often degenerating ecosystems, our need for stories is greater than ever. The African in the Anthropocene series seeks to document and elevate stories from across the continent, examining how communities are experiencing and responding to unprecedented change.
Through intimate portraits and thoughtful conversations filmed across multiple African nations, we're creating a documentary series that highlights both shared experiences and unique local perspectives, contributing African voices to global conversations about our changing world.
Through intimate portraits and thoughtful conversations filmed across multiple African nations, we're creating a documentary series that highlights both shared experiences and unique local perspectives, contributing African voices to global conversations about our changing world.
African in the Anthropocene
Teaser Trailer, 2025
What do we mean by 'Anthropocene'?
While scientists debate definitions and timelines, for people across Africa, the Anthropocene is not an abstract concept but a daily reality. They feel it through changing weather patterns, economic pressures and transforming landscapes.
But, the discussions about this age, its consequences, and who created it rarely emerge from the African continent. The term Anthropocene implicates all of us but we did not all create it equally. These emergencies are driven by historical processes rooted in colonialism and racialised capitalism. However, dominant narratives often homogenise the experience of living in the Anthropocene.
The Anthropocene is more than environmental crises, climate catastrophe or biodiversity loss. We need more than greater efficiencies or renewable technologies. We need new narratives about how we relate to each other, how we distribute resources, and how we achieve justice. For all of our collective presents, pasts and futures, our goal in this series is to explore what it means to be African in the Anthropocene.
But, the discussions about this age, its consequences, and who created it rarely emerge from the African continent. The term Anthropocene implicates all of us but we did not all create it equally. These emergencies are driven by historical processes rooted in colonialism and racialised capitalism. However, dominant narratives often homogenise the experience of living in the Anthropocene.
The Anthropocene is more than environmental crises, climate catastrophe or biodiversity loss. We need more than greater efficiencies or renewable technologies. We need new narratives about how we relate to each other, how we distribute resources, and how we achieve justice. For all of our collective presents, pasts and futures, our goal in this series is to explore what it means to be African in the Anthropocene.
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Where We Filmed
Eight countries, interconnected stories
From coastal cities to farming communities, exploring shared experiences and unique local perspectives
Algeria
Stories of contention and adaptation in North African landscapes
Kenya
People-centered navigations of infrastructural violence
Madagascar
Island perspectives on biodiversity and environmental change
Malawi
Grassroots reimagining of economic systems and community power
Nigeria
Megacity dynamics and economic transformation
Somalia
Community responses to worsening climatic vulnerabilities
South Africa
Post-apartheid development and environmental justice
Tanzania
Migration, urbanisation and the long shadows of slave economies