CANON’S MIRAISHA PROGRAMME ENABLES YOUNG AFRICAN STORY TELLERS TO ACHIEVE THEIR DREAMS

Canon Eswatini has announced the launch of the Miraisha Programme now in South and Sub-Saharan Africa. The programme, which has already seen great success in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Ghana, is celebrating its growth on the African continent with newly released case studies from Kenya and more importantly, a drive for partners in South Africa now Eswatini.

Canon’s Miraisha Programme is an initiative focused on delivering job opportunities and future livelihoods to young people across Africa through skills workshops, training programmes and enterprise support. Since its launch in 2014, the programme has educated more than 5,680+ future professionals across the continent, helping them to gain qualifications, secure employment and set up their own businesses.

“Since the inception of Miraisha, the combination of Canon’s imaging technology and African creative talent has been an incredible journey for everyone involved. Against a tapestry of many of life’s very real and challenging issues, Miraisha has given so many young Africans a vehicle by which they can tell their story,”  explained Mrs Suleman from Canon Eswatini.

To raise awareness of the importance of this initiative, Canon has also released a series of videos showcasing the Miraisha Programme in action in the Mathare community in Kenya. Supported by influencers across the region, Canon aims to share these videos as widely as possible to educate and inspire others on the power of visual storytelling as a tool for personal and community development.

Mathare is one of the most deprived urban areas in Kenya, with young people suffering from a lack of employment prospects. The videos highlight how Canon Miraisha worked with the Mathare Community to deliver training workshops to a number of young people in the area. These taught them a range of photography and filmmaking skills to help improve their opportunities. A train the trainer programme was also developed, which invests in training local photographers and videographers in country to be able to teach, share knowledge and skillsets with fellow photographers/filmmakers and the next generation. 15 local people are now employed as Canon Miraisha Trainers as a result of the programme.

Preston adds, “The passion and commitment of so many students over the last few years is testament to the abundant talent amongst so many communities across the continent. With the capture of visual imaging at the heart of what we do, Miraisha is the perfect initiative to share our technology and skills with those who have the drive and determination to succeed.”

More about the Miraisha Programme

The word ‘Miraisha’ is a combination of Japanese and Swahili. The Japanese word ‘mirai’ meaning future, and the Swahili word ‘maisha’ meaning life or livelihood, therefore future livelihood.

Since 2016, the Miraisha Programme has worked with a wide range of organisations across Africa, including Kenyatta University, Kenya Film Commission (KFC), Kenya Photography Awards, Yabba College of Technology in Nigeria, Uganda Press Photo Award (UPPA), The NRB Bus, and PEFTI Film institute in Nigeria amongst many other organisations or events.

For more details on the programme or to find out more on how to get involved: https://en.canon-cna.com/sustainability/miraisha-programme/ or email: copycateswatini@gmail.com.