The Innovation Lab, an inclusion at the AMF 2026The fourth edition of the African Media Festival (AMF) is set to take place at the Nairobi National Museum from February 25 to 26.
The event will bring together media practitioners, creatives, technologists, and policymakers from across the continent to examine the future of African media amid evolving legal, digital, and economic pressures.
This year’s theme, “Resilient Storytelling: Reimagining Media Freedom,” seeks to deepen critical conversations around how journalists and content creators can navigate mounting threats to press freedom while strengthening independent and sustainable media ecosystems.
According to a recent announcement on the festival’s official Instagram page, the programme is designed to explore a wide range of topics, including civic technology, newsroom safety, transparency tools, and innovative business models that support independent media and creative work.
Organised by Baraza Media Lab, the annual festival has grown into a flagship convening for Africa’s media and creative sectors, serving as a vital platform for collaboration, learning, and innovation.
The forum encourages participants to exchange ideas and develop solutions at a time when audience behaviours, technological advancements, and political dynamics are rapidly reshaping the media landscape.
In a detailed pre-festival essay, AMF curator Martie Mtange described the event’s framing as “a response to the fragility and power of storytelling in Africa today.”
He noted that censorship and suppression are no longer confined to physical threats but are increasingly embedded within digital systems and platform policies, arguing that media freedom must be “reimagined beyond old definitions” that no longer align with today’s realities.
“It’s not a call to despair. It’s an invitation to build a future where our stories are not silenced, but amplified. Where our stories are not extracted, but respected. Where freedom is not something we beg for, but something we build together,” Mtange stated.
Throughout the two-day festival, participants will engage in sessions and discussions designed to challenge conventional thinking around media work and the freedoms it depends on.
Key topics will include newsroom safety protocols, the role of technology in strengthening accountability, and strategies for developing sustainable business models for independent media.
Over the years, AMF has earned a reputation as a dynamic convergence point for diverse voices, from investigative journalists and digital creators to media researchers and innovators.
The festival offers a rich mix of panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations, and strategic conversations aimed at equipping participants with practical insights and cross-continental perspectives.
Participants and commentators from previous editions have consistently highlighted the value of this regional exchange.
By fostering dialogue that bridges practice, policy, and community, AMF has helped cultivate shared understandings of the challenges confronting African media, from audience trust and digital disruption to long-term economic sustainability.
As the 2026 edition draws closer, the festival’s message remains one of agency and collective creativity.
Rather than framing media freedom purely as a defensive struggle, AMF calls on storytellers to actively reshape the norms, structures, and technologies that will define the future of media on the continent.
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