AFRICA IS HOME TO MORE THAN A BILLION PEOPLE SPREAD ACROSS 54 COUNTRIES AND SPEAKING MORE THAN 3,000 LANGUAGES. SO WHY IS AFRICA USUALLY LIMITED TO A SINGLE NARRATIVE?

Screened in Accra, Washington D.C., and New York, the film takes viewers on a journey across the continent to show its truth: Africa is deep, rich, and complex. Currently part of the in-flight entertainment on South Africa Airways and Arik Airways, “Africa Straight Up” has also been screened on the Africa Channel in the US and UK.

Africa Straight Up features exclusive interviews with two of the continent’s hottest artists – South African Lira and Nigerian rapper M.I. The film also features some of their and other African artists music.

Learn more about the non-profit organizations featured in Africa Straight Up:

Children of Kibera:

Based in Kenya and in Washington D.C., this organization focuses on providing vital educational opportunities for children living in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum. Headed by Kenneth Okoth, Children of Kibera offers scholarships for high school students to attend boarding schools in preparation for university.

Student Sponsorship Programme of SouthAfrica:

Founded in 2000 and based in Johannesburg and Cape Town, SSP provides elite education to high-school students through five-year scholarships. The program aims to combat certain legacies left from the era of apartheid, when black students could not afford to attend white secondary schools.

Ethiopian Children’s Fund:

Former supermodel Anna Getaneh is the founder behind ECF, which was first established 14 years ago. The fund supports the building and maintenance of its Education and Development Programme in Aleltu, Ethiopia, providing a stable educational complex for children between the ages of 4 and 17. The ECF also aims to improving the quality of healthcare in the village for all of Aleltu’s occupants.

Ashesi University:

This four-year, private and non-profit university is based in Accra, Ghana, and was founded in 2001 by Patrick Awuah, Jr. Mr. Awuah made his fortune as a program manager at Microsoft in the 1990s; after retiring from Microsoft, he moved back to Ghana, his homeland, to set up Ashesi, which now serves over 500 students every year.

Infinite Family:

The inspiration behind Infinite Family struck Amy Stokes, the founder, in 2003, when she and her husband traveled to Johannesburg to adopt their son from an orphanage of children left behind by the ravages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. Ms. Stokes—who last year was nominated as one of CNN’s Heroes of 2011—saw that these children, without regular and devoted contact with loving adults, were losing opportunities of support and growth. By creating an accessible and easy-to-use technological platform, Ms. Stokes and her team created a way in which teenagers from southern and sub-Saharan Africa could communicate via video chats with adult mentors on a weekly basis.

Lagos Business School:

As the need for business managers continues to grow at a rapid pace across the continent, the Lagos Business School of the Pan-African University in Lagos, Nigeria, aims to fill the ranks with trained MBAs. In 1996, LBS joined with Barcelona’s IESE Business School to begin offering MBA degrees, and in 2003, LBS began offering its own MBA certificates.

Africa.com, held an exclusive party to celebrate the release of their brand new documentary Africa Straight Up!

Africa.com partnered with Cocody Productions, Africa Style Daily, Heritage 1960, Africans in the Media & Creative Industry, Hip Hop Saves Lives, AfriPOP! Magazine, and Adirée; to bring together 150 of New York City’s most internationally aware and culturally engaged young Afropolitans for the private party.

Guests mingled with Chairman and CEO of Africa.com Teresa Clarke, Consul General of South Africa George Monyemangene, model and actor Ger Duany, Heritage 1960 CEO Enyinne Owunwanne, choreographer of Motown: the Musical, Warren Adams, Vice President for the Americas for Arik Air, Bob Brunner, Harden’s Guide Co-Founder Richard Harden, and many other notables from New York’s Afropolitan crowd.