Borderless Africa

As digital currency and immediate communication are redrawing the economic map, our work “Borderless Africa” takes viewers on an emotional journey through the history of how the movement of money and goods has changed across decades within a strictly controlled ecosystem of African countries, limited by colonial borders and dictated by foreign interests and entities. This ad did not only open the viewer’s eyes to the wasted opportunities that have arrested the development of Africa, but it also stood for an unapologetic African pride that doesn’t rely on western storytelling or imagery. “Borderless Africa” shows how the free trade of pre-colonial Africa can be achieved once again with the use of technology and digitization. By having our actor literally walk through history, we can follow the chain and see where it was cut off and why it will inevitably be reconnected with the help of digital payments and remittances.

This ad tells three stories: what Africa once was, what it was forced to be, and what it is becoming. We highlight the greatness, history, and possibility of this great continent while directly confronting the reality of the wounds that are still healing. We knew this ad would be shown across Africa as well as in the diaspora, making it all the more important to not shy away from the very harsh realities of this continent’s past and present. Western imagery and ideals have dominated African advertising, and so in every single part of the process of making this ad, we made a point of being confrontational, accurate, and honest, from imagery, music, and voiceover to costume design and casting. This was far more than an ad; it was a stand taken, a responsibility shouldered and a gauntlet thrown. Africa is rising, and now she is speaking in first-person narrative, loud and clear. We applaud our client’s bravery and for seeing their business—transnational remittances—as a social responsibility and a cause that will lift and transform the African continent, bringing her back to the greatness from whence she came.