Words and interviews by Simon Bland
Through his company Maona Art, entrepreneur Tatenda Jamera is redefining what audiences can expect from African cinema. Founded in 2021, his start-up applies a filmmaker’s eye to independent stories of the African diaspora, bringing them face-to-face with audiences across the UK on the big screen. At the centre of everything Maona does is story - something that, according to Tatenda, was ripe for change when it comes to mainstream African narratives.
“What I noticed with African cinema is that sometimes, it’s not relatable,” he tells us, shortly after completing a stint on our West Midlands Create Growth Programme. “I like stories that are simple, straightforward and not about trauma. Just heartfelt stories like teenagers in the village who fall in love. We don’t always have to exploit the notion of ‘Africa is struggling or in poverty’ which is the norm that we often see.”
After realising this negative narrative frequently outweighs the positive, Tatenda decided to do something about it through the indie-movies Maona showcases. “I try to focus on stories that are really positive about Africa, families, success, endurance and people who are just enjoying life. For me, it’s all about tales that are relatable to us as humans. They’re either informative or entertainment,” he adds, highlighting what audiences get out of this curation. “For those who grew up in the same culture, it’s entertaining to see ourselves on screen. For those who didn’t, it’s educational.”
“Creative UK gave me the insight and support that helped me run Maona like a business”
Capitalising on this niche proved to be popular, attracting a wide variety of audiences to stories that would usually fly under the mainstream radar. “Different demographics come to our screenings,” admits Tatenda. “We actually don’t have a target audience; we just show cinema from Africa and whoever wants to watch it can watch it.”
As the company grew, so did its ambitions, ultimately leading Maona to open its own cinema in Oswestry in late 2025 dedicated to showcasing more work from African filmmakers. To help aid their growth, the company benefitted from Creative UK support. Through our West Midlands Create Growth Programme, Tatenda joined a cohort that received bespoke mentoring preparing them for the world of investment - from perfecting pitch decks and inspecting all areas of your offering, to learning how to work closely with potential backers.
For a founder with a filmmaking background, this tailored business-brain guidance was crucial. “Ask me to be creative and I can do it with my eyes closed but in terms of how to turn that into a business? That’s not my forte - but Creative UK gave me that support,” says Tatenda. “They offered loads of information; from IP to marketing, structuring a board, financing and funding. Personally, I hate all of those things - but I need to know them,” he reasons. “Creative UK really gave me the insight and support that helped me to run Maona like a business.”
Under the guidance of two programme-assigned mentors, each of whom had extensive experience in growing creative companies, Tatenda learned to fill key gaps. “For me, the most useful thing was having a board,” he says of key takeaways. “Now we’re getting funding, I need to be accountable to people and know that we’re using money wisely. Now we have a board that looks over everything, including how we structure the business. That was a key thing that I got from the programme.”
“I feel better informed. I know exactly what I’m talking about and I’m confident in applying for funds.”
The benefits from this type of support, structure and insight quickly became apparent. By adding to his skillset as a founder, Tatenda was able to secure the funding needed to open Maona’s first cinema, bringing more African stories to more diverse audiences. “We managed to secure about £100,000 through different sources. That was a really tangible result [of the programme] because without it, we wouldn’t have been able to launch.” In turn, this experience has also helped him feel more confident as a creative founder. “I feel better informed,” he adds. “I know exactly what I’m talking about and I’m confident in applying for funds.”
All in all, it’s a learning experience that Tatenda would suggest to other creatively-minded founders looking to broaden their business expertise. “The support I got from Creative UK would cost thousands if you were to go solo and try to get a consultant. As an entrepreneur, we don’t have that kind of money, so I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to take advantage of it,” he says. “It gives you access to lots of information that you can customise to your own business and use to your advantage.”