TANZANIA: TANZANIAN youths have been urged to learn how to tell their own stories using various technologies to bring vibrancy and impact to their narratives.
The remark was made recently by Princely Glorious, Co-founding Director of the OnaStories Group – a Tanzanian storytelling company pioneering the use of immersive and emerging technologies to tell powerful narratives.
He was speaking during the launch of ‘The Daladala Xperience — a documentary that explores the essence of Tanzanian identity (Utanzania) through cutting-edge technologies.
“In most cases, Tanzanian or African stories have been told by people from outside the continent. It is our desire that these stories be told by Tanzanian youths,” he said.
He noted that his company has been working to empower youths in the arts and culture sectors, equipping them with the skills to use storytelling and technology as potent tools in their work.
“Through collaborations with artists, experts and institutions, OnaStories pushes the boundaries of traditional storytelling, creating impactful experiences that resonate globally,” he said.
He said that through the Tanzanian identity (Utanzania) they came up with a project which looks into various areas such as music, Kiswahili language and daladala to respond to Tanzanian identity.
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Mr Glorious said on a documentary on Daladala Xperience they explored the essence of Tanzanian identity (Utanzania) through cutting-edge technologies using immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and projection mapping, to create a multi-sensory exploration of Tanzanian identity.
He called upon Tanzanians to continue responding to the question on their own way regarding Tanzanian identity.
OnaStories Digital Artist, Aurelio Mofuga, whose project Daladala Xperience delves into the role of the iconic Daladala transport system in shaping Tanzania’s social and economic fabric said that what differentiates their documentary and others is the use of immersive technologies.
“We used technology to tell the daladala story, incorporating virtual reality, where when a person wears the gadgets, they can feel as if they are literally inside a daladala,” he said.
Mr Mofuga said he worked on the project for six months and he had an opportunity to exhibit his work at global platforms, including the ARS Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria and the Zanzibar International Youth Tourism Summit, engaging audiences from over eight countries.
Following the successful exhibition in Linz, Austria he has been invited to lead a workshop in Dakar, Senegal, in October 23 this year.
Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) Head, Public Relations and Communication Unit commended OnaStories for being creative in telling the daladala story in a unique way.
“They have used technology which allows a person to get daladala experience by wearing the gadgets.
This creativity used to develop this content can also help us expand the use of technology to deliver various messages to people,” he said.