CAMBRIDGE, United States — A new African feature film exploring artificial intelligence through the lens of youth innovation and inequality is gaining international attention after a successful cinema run in Nigeria and a global screening tour.
Makemation, produced by Nigerian AI developer-turned-filmmaker Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, presents a coming-of-age story set in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, while grounding artificial intelligence debates in African realities.
The film recently screened at the Harvard University Center for African Studies, followed by a discussion featuring its producer and economist Ebehi Iyoha.
The conversation focused on how African communities can shape AI development rather than remain passive consumers of global technologies.
The story follows Zara, a young girl who discovers artificial intelligence as a tool to transform her life and community. Her journey unfolds against challenges including poverty, gender expectations, and limited access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
Through Zara’s experience, the film explores broader questions about digital inclusion, youth innovation, and locally driven technological development.
It also examines how African communities navigate infrastructure constraints such as unreliable electricity, limited internet access, and scarce formal employment.
Akerele-Ogunsiji said storytelling plays a critical role in shaping technological futures, warning that AI narratives dominated by a few global powers risk deepening inequalities.
The film argues that African youth are not merely users of imported technologies but active creators capable of shaping innovation.
The title “Makemation” blends the word “make” with the suffix “–mation,” evoking automation, imagination, and transformation. The concept underscores the film’s central message that African ingenuity often emerges from necessity and informal innovation ecosystems.
The narrative places artificial intelligence within everyday life, connecting technology to family livelihoods and grassroots creativity. In one scene, the protagonist reflects on her parents’ informal jobs while expressing the belief that education and innovation can create new opportunities.
The film also highlights structural barriers facing young African women in technology, including social expectations, economic precarity, and limited mentorship. Rather than romanticising hardship, it portrays how community support, role models, and inclusive policies can expand participation in digital fields.
According to United Nations estimates, Africa has one of the world’s youngest populations, a demographic factor expected to shape AI adoption, labour markets, and education systems. The film suggests that with the right support, this generation could build technology tailored to local priorities.
As the film continues its international tour, Makemation is positioning African storytelling at the centre of global AI conversations, arguing that debates about emerging technologies are already unfolding in classrooms, neighbourhoods, and innovation hubs across the continent.
Source: The conversation
