When it emerged that Shakira would perform ‘Waka Waka’, the official 2010 Fifa World Cup theme song in South Africa, there was disquiet and a lot of murmurs from many Africans and understandably so.Many felt that the song, adapted from Cameroonian band Golden Sounds’ 1980s hit song ”Zamina mina (Zangalewa)” should have been performed by an African at the historic event, which was being held on the continent for the first time in the tournament’s history.For many years, Africa has been branded the “dark continent” and a distorted picture of Africa continues to be propagated. For more than 50 years we’ve allowed others, and to a certain extent ourselves, to continue perpetuating stereotypes about our continent.We fought hard to end the occupation of our lands. We must now free ourselves from colonialism’s mental shackles. It is time to reclaim what was taken from us our dignity.Besides being a source of entertainment, film has the important and often understated role of facilitating the continent to tell its own story and change the narrative about its people.This is the time to actualise the Pan African ideology that we have long talked about. Our population is sizable and capable of developing a formidable and economically viable African film industry.Kenya is taking the lead by pushing for the establishment of an African Audiovisual and Cinema Commission. This is in line with the Maputo Decision of the African Heads of State in 2003, which among other things recognizes the role that culture and the arts sectors portend for the economy of the continent.In addition, and as a demonstration of its growing commitment, Kenya will be home to the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) Secretariatfor the next four years.We launched the FEPACI Secretariat on 5th February 2015. As a revitalised FEPACI, we are keen to take an active leadership role in transforming the film sector in Africa.Our vision is to encourage ownership and control of Africa’s imaging and imagination, the preservation of our history, our memory, our cultures and languages and the promotion of our contemporary artistic creative expressions using the medium of film and television as an interlocutor for transformation.Today, we are looking at the last vestiges of an analogue era. However, the digital revolution will be nothing but a costume party in Africa if it is not supplied with indigenous cultural content capable of competing alongside other high quality world class cultural products.FEPACI believes that the audiovisual and cinema industry in Africa must be seen as not only an entertainment medium, but one which can be used for education, serve diverse social groups and cater for cultural and economic aspirations of Africans.We therefore have the obligation and responsibility as a cultural industry to make local content a primary focus and produce quality indigenous content that is competitive and unique.African cinema remains an industry falsely separated from its consumers. African films are foreign to African screens and where they exist, they still account for a small percentage of total content shown by broadcasters across the continent.Making African audiovisual content accessible to Africans must therefore be a key driver of any strategy to further develop and grow African audiovisual and cinema industries.In an effort to facilitate production of quality films, greater access and reach for African content to African audiences, FEPACI is working on programmes for the development of film in Africa.These programmes lay emphasis on promoting and strengthening the African story by stimulating investments in film training, production and post production facilities through the establishment of regional centres of excellence and scaling up of formal film marketing and distribution.An effective and sustainable production, distribution and exhibition network stands a good chance of ushering in a norm of African films financing African cinema.Combining this with the benefits to be accrued from the digital revolution, the world would have no choice but sit up and watch. African films would finally earn their rightful place.When we talk about ‘Africa rising’, it would be because we are in control of our heritage and our destiny.The writer is a filmmaker and the executive director of the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI).