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Africa Must Assert 'Narrative Sovereignty' to Shape Development Agenda, Expert Says
Africa Must Assert 'Narrative Sovereignty' to Shape Development Agenda, Expert Says
Sputnik Africa
For decades, Africa's development story has been told largely through the lens of quantitative metrics—economic indicators, human development indices, donor... 26.02.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-02-26T10:30+0100
2026-02-26T10:30+0100
2026-02-26T12:10+0100
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Africa Must Assert 'Narrative Sovereignty' to Shape Development Agenda, Expert Says
Sputnik Africa
For decades, Africa's development story has been told largely through the lens of quantitative metrics—economic indicators, human development indices, donor disbursement figures, and performance dashboards designed to satisfy Western benchmarks and reporting standards. But now this framing is changing as policymakers call for a paradigm shift.
African Currents interviewed Rachel Athieno, a pan-African narrative strategist, strategic communicator, and founder of the EduCinema Initiative in Uganda, about the power of storytelling in development. She argued that local communities should be treated as co-creators, not just beneficiaries, and stressed the importance of indigenous knowledge in driving sustainable change.Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.Listen to this episode on our website or Telegram.► You can also stream the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
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Africa Must Assert 'Narrative Sovereignty' to Shape Development Agenda, Expert Says
10:30 26.02.2026 (Updated: 12:10 26.02.2026) For decades, Africa's development story has been told largely through the lens of quantitative metrics—economic indicators, human development indices, donor disbursement figures, and performance dashboards designed to satisfy Western benchmarks and reporting standards. But now this framing is changing as policymakers call for a paradigm shift.
African Currents interviewed Rachel Athieno, a pan-African narrative strategist, strategic communicator, and founder of the EduCinema Initiative in Uganda, about the power of storytelling in development. She argued that local communities should be treated as co-creators, not just beneficiaries, and stressed the importance of indigenous knowledge in driving sustainable change.
"Development fails when it ignores lived narratives. And we all know that narratives bridge the gap between information and impact across different sectors [...]. It is true that many African events and figures are underrepresented, but the deeper issue is not just absence. It's selective visibility. Global narratives do not simply ignore Africa. They curate a specific version of Africa that fits existing power structures [...]. if we are serious about enhancing visibility and impact, we must move beyond solidarity rhetoric to structure collaboration. I believe this is not fantasy. It's a logical next step in the long struggle for narrative sovereignty," Athieno said.
Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.
Listen to this episode on our website or
Telegram.►
You can also stream the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.►
Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
