Submissions are open for the NOOR Visual Storytelling Educational Programme on regenerative agriculture in Côte d’Ivoire.

As the climate crisis accelerates and intensifies beyond the most dramatic projections, science-based research, indigenous knowledge and reciprocal practices tells us that we must restore our land, if we are to stand a chance at surviving the future.

Are you a visual storyteller, photographer or visual artist interested in investigating and documenting regenerative agricultural practices in West Africa and their immense potential to make a positive societal and environmental impact on the region? Apply with an ongoing project or a project idea you hope to realise for a chance to earn a place in the tuition-free 6 months mentoring programme of the NOOR Foundation with authors Bénédicte Kurzen and Aïda Muluneh.

In the coming decades, Africa is set to become home to 40% of the world’s population and one region in particular, the 600-mile stretch between Abidjan and Lagos in West Africa is experiencing fast paced development at an astonishing speed. This rapid population growth, combined with extreme changes in the climate and the ecosystems it supports poses a very serious question: how is the region going to be able to feed the ever-growing population?

Experts believe the only solution lies in regenerative agriculture: an outcome-based food production system that aims to have a lower, or even net-positive environmental impact on the Earth. In the African context, regenerative agriculture means using smart farming techniques that work synergistically with the local climate and fertilise the soil while restoring lost wildlife and biodiversity. These high-yield techniques produce enough food to help feed a growing population and improve livelihoods in food systems. They also make the farms more resilient and adaptive, able to handle the changes in weather caused by climate change.

The adoption of regenerative agriculture practices has the potential to improve the livelihoods and resilience of farmers, processors and consumers. It can also help restore natural systems which, in the case of West Africa, are highly eroded from centuries of intensive farming.

Backed by the Embassy of The Kingdom of The Netherlands in Abidjan, the NOOR Foundation will support eight French-speaking Ivorian visual storytellers in the realisation of stories that investigate and highlight regenerative agricultural practices in Côte d'Ivoire.

What are the topics we are looking for:

Stories surrounding agricultural practices, challenges, issues and solutions in Côte d'Ivoire in times of climate change – that is the focus for the research and images produced during the NOOR Educational Programme.

What you receive when selected:

Tuition-free participation to the programme;
Travel costs, accommodation and food paid for during the 5-day live workshop (2 October - 6 October 2023);
5-6 month mentoring programme by the NOOR Foundation in French;
3-5 one-on-one online sessions with one of the mentors;
Participation of your story in the closing event in Abidjan which will take the form of an exhibition, a public presentation event, or a combination of different presentation forms;
Publication and promotion of your story on all the NOOR communications channels: newsletters, social media and website;
Access to the NOOR Network, a dynamic, international community where a variety of opportunities (including exhibitions, assignments, and other educational activities) will be openly accessible.

What we expect from you when selected:

Cooperation, flexibility, professionalism and commitment to the project: please keep in mind that when you are selected we are denying entry to someone else.
Availability to travel to Abidjan to attend the live workshop between 2-6 October 2023, which is a mandatory part of the programme.
A visual story to deliver at the end of the programme (January-February 2024) composed of:

Images (at least 20 high res captioned still and/or moving images: we also accept film/video but take note that we prefer photographs or a mix of both mediums);
A title and a project description (max. 500 words) in French;
A source sheet wherein all data points have a note that connect them to a reliable source.

The programme is divided in 4 phases:

An online kick-off session where you will be informed on the programme and mutual expectations.
A 5-day live workshop in Abidjan between 02-06 October 2023 with mentors Bénédicte Kurzen and Aïda Muluneh;
A 4 month online mentoring programme composed of 3-5 one-on-one sessions aimed at supporting the development and production of your chosen story;
A closing event in Abidjan wherein your work will be presented publicly in the form of an exhibition or a digital presentation.

Apply before 28 July 2023 - 23:59 p.m. CET following the guidelines in the document below for a chance to participate in this unique opportunity.

©Aïda Muluneh - The Silence of Within - 2019

For any inquiries on the programme and the application process please write to stefano@noorimages.com.