The three ambitious and distinctive film projects signal a new approach to corporate storytelling, brand positioning and employee engagement in the African context.
Africell, a leading pan-African mobile network operator, is proud to reveal three original documentary film projects to mark its twenty-fifth anniversary.
Born from Africell’s most ambitious venture into filmmaking and artistic experimentation to date, these projects collectively exemplify Africell’s unique creative vision, savoir-faire and long-standing commitment to representing the people, the culture, and the history of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), The Gambia and Sierra Leone.
- Lobito-Bound | a feature-length documentary following explorer Dwayne Fields on an epic four-thousand-kilometre road trip along the route of the Lobito Corridor, from Tanzania to Angola.
- One Week in… |a ten-part docuseries following rising social media star Pelumi Nubi on a light-hearted and entertaining adventure around The Gambia and Sierra Leone.
- ‘50 Kwanzas’ with Jesualdo Muvuma | A short film documenting Jesualdo Muvuma, an Angolan artist and Africell employee, as he travels to Paris to receive an international award for his original animated film.
The films — all of which were produced in collaboration with Grammar Productions and Longerdays Productions, studios specialised in travel and adventure films — are characterised by their stunning visuals, larger-than-life characters and heartfelt storytelling. Each film centres around a charismatic host or protagonist with a unique story to share, threading themes of friendship, self-discovery and connection through a medium that harkens back to regional oral and aesthetic traditions.
This body of work exemplifies a more innovative approach to corporate storytelling, brand positioning and employee engagement. Africell has almost twenty million customers in Africa. Beyond this core constituency, the company’s audience extends across the African diaspora, and also cuts across the sociopolitical sphere to include contemporary critics and observers tracking Africa’s digital transformation. The films were created with both local and international audiences in mind. In attempting to capture these intimate, moving and otherwise overlooked stories through the documentary format — a booming genre — Africell has produced content of widespread appeal and critical relevance. Each film was also made with a more practical objective in mind: with Lobito-Bound, one of Africell’s primary motives is to influence policy surrounding the Lobito Corridor project in real-time; with One Week in…, its goal is to promote tourism in The Gambia and in Sierra Leone; and with ‘50 Kwanzas’ with Jesualdo Muvuma, Africell hopes to showcase its genuine dedication to its employees, supporting and championing their growth both within and beyond the company.
“These films embody Africell’s unique spirit,” explains Sam Williams, the company’s director of communications and an executive producer on all three projects. “We are distinguished from our competitors by our strong brand personality. Customers are loyal to Africell because they feel that they know us, that they can relate to us, and that we care about them. These films build on that sense of dialogue and interactivity. Each unearths new narratives, amplifies local voices, and shines a light on the best aspects of Africell’s operating markets. By telling stories in this way, Africell is breaking norms of corporate communications and demonstrating its willingness and ability to innovate within the industry.”
Lobito-Bound explores a geopolitical concept with the potential to transform two of Africell’s key operating markets. Africell commissioned the seventy-two-minute feature film to draw attention to and shed light on what appears to be history in the making. Presented by Dwayne Fields, the film benefitted from the support of partner organisations including the United States Department of State, The HALO Trust, and INEOS Automotive.
Through One Week in…, Africell anticipates attracting more international tourists to The Gambia and to Sierra Leone, while also inspiring Gambians and Sierra Leoneans to explore the wonders of their own countries. The two docuseries — each comprised of five episodes and totalling just under thirty minutes — were made with the backing of the Gambian and the Sierra Leonean ministries of tourism and culture. Pelumi Nubi — a travel blogger who in 2024 became the first woman to drive solo from London to Lagos— was the ideal host for this mini-series, as she brings the sights onscreen to life through her expressive nature, playful wit, and social-media savvy personality.
Meanwhile, ‘50 Kwanzas’ with Jesualdo Muvuma follows an emerging Angolan artist and fellow Africell employee, Jesualdo Muvuma, as he travels to Paris to attend the 16th Paris International Animation Film Festival (PIAFF, 2025). There, Muvuma receives two prestigious awards for his animated film, 50 Kwanzas, which explores the daily trials and tribulations of zungueiras — Angola’s market vendors. Like Lobito-Bound, ’50 Kwanzas’ with Jesualdo Muvuma also documents another moment of history-in-the-making as Muvuma’s animation was the first Angolan film ever to triumph — let alone to be screened — at this event.
Alex Bescoby, co-founder of Grammar Productions and producer of Lobito-Bound and One Week in…, admits that the brief from Africell was as unusual as it was inspiring:
“It’s been a joy working with a brand with the confidence to tell stories in this way. Africell emphasised from our very first meeting that it wanted to make real films that would stand on their own two feet. Africell asked for beautiful, powerful and compelling documentaries with wide appeal, not adverts. Thanks to the acute choice of on-screen storytellers – including Dwayne Fields and Pelumi Nubi, both of whom have stories and values perfectly aligned with Africell – the results really do sing, and are a worthy tribute to Africell’s twenty-fifth anniversary.”
The projects will be officially launched at dedicated premiere events:
- Lobito-Bound | Washington D.C., Luanda and Kinshasa
- One Week in… | London, Banjul and Freetown
- ‘50 Kwanzas’ with Jesualdo Muvuma | Luanda
The subsequent distribution plan for Lobito-Bound is yet to be announced. In the meantime, Africell has recently launched its social media campaign to promote One Week in… and ‘50 Kwanzas’ with Jesualdo Muvuma. In view of the objectives outlined above, and in line with its mission statement, Africell intends to make these films as accessible as possible to a wider audience. Shortly after their premieres, the films will be available to stream online for free.
“Working with Africell on this documentary series was a pleasure and a privilege,” says Pelumi Nubi. “When I drove from London to Lagos, I made some great friends and had some wonderful experiences. But the time I spent in The Gambia and Sierra Leone was particularly magical. My biggest passions in life are travel and storytelling. I am grateful to have been able to collaborate with Africell on a project that combines these two things against the backdrop of two of Africa’s friendliest and most beautiful countries: the ‘Smiling Coast’ and ‘sweet Salone.”