YouTube has announced the expansion of efforts to support creators and the creative economy in Africa through the 2023 #YouTubeBlackVoices creators and artist cohorts.
Now in its third year, the initiative is a follow-up to a
global, multi-year commitment made in 2020 to uplift and grow Black creators,
artists, songwriters, and producers on the platform.
Forty creators from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will be part of
the 135 #YouTubeBlack Voices Creators selected globally who are enrolled into
the cohort.
Among the 23 #YouTubeBlack Voices Artists selected for the
programme are African fast-rising musical artists, Asake from Nigeria, Gyakie
from Ghana, Kamo Mphela from South Africa, and BNXN from Nigeria. The cohort
will also include Hip Hop producer MashBeatz from South Africa and
Nairobi-based producer Ukweli, who will be joining 17 #YouTubeBlack Voices
Songwriters and Producers globally.
As support from YouTube, grantees will receive $20,000 and
$50,000 as seed funding, dedicated partner support for six months and have the
opportunity to participate in programmes including bespoke training, workshops
and networking programmes spread out across the year.
Over the next few years, YouTube will be directly investing
in more than 500 creators and artists from across the world to support, grow,
and fund their channels and content development through the #YouTubeBlack
Voices Fund.
MD, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, Alex Okosi during the
announcement said: “We are excited about the creators, musical artists and producers
from Africa joining others from across the world in the 2023 #YouTubeBlack
Voices Fund. The initiative is dedicated to equipping up-and-coming Black
creators and artists with the resources to succeed on our platform.”
The artistes, songwriters, and producers joining the
#YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2023 will be required to set goals, develop
content strategy, and engage with their fans on YouTube, with the assistance of
a YouTube partner manager. There will be networking opportunities with other
artists, songwriters, and producers included in the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund,
and a chance to maximise the impact of their channels as they provide
catalogue-development opportunities.
“We are seriously interested in the growth of the creative community in Africa. For the creators, artists, songwriters and producers that will be joining this third cohort, we will go beyond the initial training to measure our success with them over a long-term period, thereby ensuring that they achieve sustained success,” Okosi said.
Discover how applying to the YouTube Black voices fund can give you access to funding and resources to help boost your content as a black creator.
