New Tshimologong partnerships to help link SA creatives with French market

Partnership agreements signed this month between Joburg-based Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct and two French entities will help link French and SA creatives in the digital sector.

Tshimologong signed the agreements with the French National Audiovisual Institute (Ina) and the French Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (Sacem), on 16 and 24 May, respectively.

Tshimologong CEO and director of the Digital Content Hub Lesley Williams (pictured above, left) said in a statement yesterday (28 May) that the agreements present an “exciting” opportunity for African digital innovation to reach a broader global market.

The accords are the latest in Tshimologong’s collaboration with French organisations. Last year, the French Development Agency (AFD) signed a three-year €950 000 (R14.5-million) grant to fund the precinct’s Digital Content Hub (see this story).

Tshimologong’s partnership with Ina will include training in virtual reality and augmented reality

Tshimologong’s partnership with Ina will see the two focus on immersive content training by sharing expertise on web series, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), binaural sound and digital music.

In addition, Ina and Tshimologong will also pursue efforts in the production and distribution of content using archives.

Ina CEO Laurent Vallet (pictured above, right) said the institute has built successful partnerships with South Africa around archives preservation and professional training.

In October last year, Ina and Tshimologong successfully hosted a hackathon and content production event — the Rivonia Trial Sound Jam — using sound archives from the Rivonia Trial.

Tshimolong said its agreement with Sacem had come about as a result of the society’s support of springboard and incubation platform Digital Lab Africa.

The two organisations will now offer seminars, training courses, seminars and workshop opportunities with a focus on authors’ rights issues, management of intellectual property, rights in the digital era, together with new business models.

Sacem CEO Jean-Noël Tronc said the society is “thrilled” to reinforce authors’rights and copyrights and the virtues of collective management in Africa.

Read more: AFD to invest R14.5m in Tshimologong’s new Digital Content Hub

Featured image, left to right: Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct CEO Lesley Williams with INA CEO Laurent Vallet (Supplied)