Finding Riverwood: Njoki Muhoho and the coincidental crossroads bringing young filmmakers together

Whatever you call it, soap opera, drama, un feuilleton, seifenoper, مسلسل – they are beloved viewing all over the world. “But we call them telenovelas,” says Njoki Muhoho, firmly. And if you’re looking for an authority on African storytelling, she is the person to speak to. Officially, Njoki is the founder and Executive Producer of Zebra Productions Kenya, an all-female Kenyan company known for TV and film. But anyone in the industry will tell you that Njoki is so much more than her title gives her credit for.

The multi-award-winning producer of giants of East African TV, such as Changes and Mama Duke, Njoki is also the Founder and Former Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory, a fully funded film academy in East Africa. Since 2023, Zebra Productions Kenya has partnered with the Canon Miraisha programme, training and mentoring the next generation of African filmmakers and TV producers. But before you can even begin to understand the cultural importance of nurturing filmmaking skills in the region, you need to go all the way back to the 1970s. And an entrepreneurial village…

When looking for a location to set up her offices and studio, Njoki discovered Nderi Village, around twenty minutes from the city centre. It is typically African but with unusual ambitions. “I call it the ‘filming village’ because that's where the real film industry of Kenya began,” she explains. “The young men all worked in a commercial street in Nairobi, filled with electronics shops, where people would buy VCRs, VHS, that sort of thing. And cameras. Of course, in those days, the cameras were camcorders.”

Such equipment was out of the reach of these young men because it was expensive, but they had dreams. They rented, borrowed or saved to buy what they needed. “Then they shot movies with no technical education, no scripts, no nothing. Within weeks they've come up with a few ideas, shot, edited and put it on CDs or DVDs. And they're selling it!”

These determined creatives were the birth of what is called The Riverwood Industry – East Africa’s answer to Nollywood. “Why River? Because that commercial street is called River Road – the Nairobi River flows nearby.” In the years that followed, Nderi Village became synonymous with filmmaking, sometimes feeling like a living film set. “The way I describe it, if you're walking down a village path holding a camera and see a donkey or a dog, and shout ‘cut!’, they will actually stop walking!” she laughs.

Njoki realised that it was full of properties, ripe for renovating into locations for the telenovela format – the perfect place to purchase land. “I had just been commissioned to adapt a South African Telenovela to the Kenyan environment. It had been an unexpected hit because it was aired during covid.” It was a long format, which meant continuous production for twelve months. So, Nderi Village was the ideal ‘permanent set’. Word got out and soon people were coming to her, offering to sell their land, and she realised that families needed to quickly raise money to send their children to university. “Parents came to me, saying, ‘my kid didn't get government sponsorship’,” she explains. “’I need the fees quickly, otherwise they will lose the opportunity’.”

She began to see something special happening around her. A village with filmmaking in its blood, the desire of families to support their children and an enormous number of young people with no shortage of talent and ambition. Right alongside her company, which was being commissioned to create the kind of television that was perfect for Nderi and its people. So, to the astonishment of many, she opened a community office in the local shopping centre, advertising auditions. “I bought a whiteboard and markers, and wrote, ‘are you between 18 and 26? Do you have an interest in acting? Experience not necessary.’ Over a hundred people turned up.”

At the same time, she began having conversations with Canon Central & North Africa, and the two converged, creating a powerful Miraisha collaboration that would offer mentorships in video and still photography. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young people and an incredible opportunity to learn the ropes – especially knowing that each episode they work on could have a huge audience. “Many Kenyans watch such series,” says Njoki. “And the feedback is immediate. If I want to know whether an episode is a hit, I just have to be on social media five minutes after airing.”

Indeed, the format offers a near-perfect environment for this kind of cyclical portfolio building, as “they are commissioned,” she explains. “They offer continuous funding, unlike films.” Her Miraisha students work with the Zebra team in three-month blocks, using Canon technology and guided by Canon Certified Trainers. They learn behind-the-camera skills, but also the all-important commercial aspects, such as pitching, representation and ethics, all in the context of the Kenyan film industry. After graduating, some stay with Njoki, continuing to learn and grow their careers. Others take their skills into the industry, with some 2023 alumni joining the crew of Kenya’s famous TV show, Salem.

“In Africa, we always say, ‘I'll tell you a story’. And the audience has to reply, ‘tell us’ – they have to give you permission,” Njoki smiles. “Because every story, authentically in Africa, was not written. It was shared.” And, when you think about it, this is how all the best stories begin – in the words, truths and lives of people (“The lived African experience”). Which is why Njoki and her students are so great at what they do. “Telenovelas are supposed to be inspirational. The harder the life is, the more people just want to go and see things that make them feel good,” she adds. And, viewed through this lens, it feels like the world of Zebra productions and Miraisha could almost be a telenovelas storyline of its own– young Africans who dream of making films meet a guiding force of a woman who changes their lives.

Learn more about our Miraisha Programme.