The efforts by MachaWood; have today been higlighted during the Machakos Festival 2018 which has made the county to be recognized as the hub of entertainment.
The Festival saw many artists and film makers bag awards for their talent and creativity. The event welcomed the Kenyan Film Classification Board; Boss, Dr Ezekiel Mutua who led on to the celebrations.
This festival is in the move to support raw and local talent from the film makers and also serve as an inspiration to other counties to take up such initiatives.
The African voice said that there has been a very misleading narrative about Africa of it being a dark and hopeless continent and everyone in the film industry should therefore strive to change it by highlighting the positive aspects through film; talking about the beauty of our land.
The Machakosfest 2018 Gala and Awards ceremony was held at the Machakos People’s Park in a ceremony officiated by Dr Ezekiel Mutua.
Mutua said that Machawood has set very high standards in identifying and nurturing talent and he was impressed by their efforts.
Speaking during the ceremony, Ezekiel Mutua commended the efforts of the film makers and said that it was a bonus for them to uphold moral values even as they use their creativity and talents.
Adding on to his remarks, Mutua said that If we build the physical infrastructure in Africa without a proper and strong moral foundation, we shall be doing zero work as bad content can easily promote vices that can destroy communities and nations.
“We believe that there is need to build a strong moral foundation in Africa through film and TV content” he said
Mutua also spoke strongly against the infiltration of foreign content that promote foreign cultural values and practices that are in conflict with ours.
“We must not accept content that undermines our culture and portrays us as inferior.” he stated
This year’s theme of the festival “Rock”, it encourages creativity and innovation in a rapidly expanding digital space that calls for ingenuity for improved quality in the production of local content that reflects who we are as a nation.
Mutua said that the film makers, have been privileged to paint the Kenya that the rest of the world identifies with and that is a task that should not be taken lightly.
Other counties should take up such initiatives in order to allow the growth and development of local talents.