The AYA MasterClass Series 2018 consists in a total of 4 workshops, with one of them available online only. This masterclass series has been designed for the creatively curious and innovative visual narrators who wish to enhance their storytelling skills whichever media they professionally use.
The September MasterClass will be available online from September 15th to October 30th, 2018. All AYA MasterClass Guides will be available for free download in December 2018.
This yearâs four hosts (Chantal Olivia Miller, Theodora Valente, Muna LobĂ© and Pamela Ohene-Nyako) are seasoned female creative professionals who have a knack for sharing their passion and experience with others. Each host has a direct and vibrant relationship to themes pertaining to the (complex) realities of the African continent, the Caribbean and/or the Diaspora. In 2018, we will be delving into visual storytelling through exhibition curation, filmmaking, photography, project design, dance and media. The remaining slated dates are 15th of September and 18th of November, 2018.
 Who is it for: Art Consultants, Art Curators, Filmmakers, Photographers, Artistic Directors, Directors of Photography, Media Experts, Journalists/Reporters, Bloggers
Bio:Â Chantal's storytelling career spans over twenty years of working in radio and television with her specialities being presenting, voice overs, and producing for her own projects as well as freelancing and collaborating with storytellers with whom she shares her passion for diversity in representation. She has interviewed Kymani and Damian Marley, the late Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, Maimouna Youseff, Rodney P, Kees Dieffenthaller of Kes The Band, Freetown Collective, Academy award nominee Esther Anderson, Â filmmakers Michelle Serieux, Nile and Storm Saulter as well as athletes such as Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Neymar da Silva Santos Junior to name just a few.
She is the founder of ChantiMedia a multi-media storytelling platform dedicated to the sharing and promoting of contemporary and progressive Caribbean art via with which she has produced two short films "Journey To Jâouvert" (filmed in Trinidad ) and "40 Voicesâ, a documentary commemorating the 40th anniversary of Nevis' Culturama (Carnival) in 2014.
Chantal is also the producer of two ongoing web series I AM... and Talk that Talk. In 2013 Chantal was selected to be the 'voice' of the Caribbean for a panel discussion put on by Social Media Week London, the topic being ' The Power of the Digital Diaspora'. This invitation was based on the level of engagement and reach of her online presence which then led to other speaking engagements mainly focused on empowerment and representation, for clients such as: The Amos Bursary, Elevate Her conference, BBC Radio, Vox Africa TV. Chantal has curated several immersive events which are consistently aimed at telling the stories of 'marginalised' and underrepresented communities and has partnered/collaborated with numerous like-minded platforms and brands to make this happen: The Nublk, Photofusion UK, AfroPunk, Carnival Expo, Innocent Smoothies,The Trampery Republic,The Dandylion Project, Shutterbug UK, Chale Wote Arts Festival Ghana. A passion for storytelling with a purpose and a true 'creative synergist', Chantal has through the years built a solid network of filmmakers,photographers, artists and activists who share her vision of 'being the changeâ.
Who is it for: Choreographers, Dancers, Actors, Fitness Trainers, Self-care Practitioners, Yoga/ Pilates Teachers, Visual Storytellers
Bio:Â Theodora's passion for dance began at an early age while growing up on the island of Guadeloupe (French Antilles) where she was awarded the first place at the National Dance Confederation's both national and regional Contests in 2000. She later studied Ballet, Jazz and Contemporary Dance in France as well as Cuba.Â
At age 15, Theodora successfully completes an audition to enter the prestigious New York-based Alvin Ailey American Dance Center for a summer internship. She earns a scholarship to return there in 2002 and in 2003 receives the Oprah Winfrey grant to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center for two additional years. There, she focuses on Ballet, Jazz, African and Folk Dance, Improvisation closely working with highly creative dancers and choreographers like Dwana Smallwood, Troy Powell, Nathan Trice Fabrice Lamego, Leajato Robinson... as well as partaking in vocal training and acting. The "Dance New York International Program" under the leadership of Kazuko Hirabayashi, opens the doors to a two-month workshop in Spain where she is fully initiated to Hispanic rhythm and dance culture.Â
An experienced and dedicated performer, she has left her mark as an ensemble dancer in Julie Taymorâs Broadway musical The Lion King for three years.  She has also appeared in the Operetta âMagdalena' and performed in the ensemble of the celebrated musical, 'Adam and Eve, the second chance' under the direction of known French musician,  Pascal Obispo and Los Angeles choreographer, Tokyo. In recent years, her acclaimed performances have taken her to India and Liban with choreographer Kamel Ouali and back to France with Patrick Dupond. Theodora is also a founding company member of WKcollective.
Last but not least, Theodora is an actor and private fitness coach who's worked with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in Los Angeles and London, where she is currently based.
Who is it for: Creative Consultants, Creative Start-Ups, Media Experts, Project Managers, Journalists/Reporters, Bloggers
In August 2013, Muna founded AYA CONSULTANCY (later renamed AYA CONSULTING), a boutique firm specialising in providing innovative and tailored Program Design and Management, Content as well as Branding  services to corporate entities, local and international organisations and private individuals in the fields of the Arts, Education and Culture. She has thus far partnered with several international clients, working closely with a team of internationally dispatched consultants and advisors to lead on ongoing projects.
Muna was very recently based in East and West Africa as a result of her long-term commitment to and network base on the African continent. Her thorough knowledge of sub-regional cultures and business practices has enabled her to provide program management and training support while furthering AYAâs work. She moved back to France in 2016 to give birth to her first child.
Muna is committed to culture, education as well as the facilitation of sustainable development within the wider society. Above all, her vision, as an Afro-Caribbean woman (West Indian from her mother and Cameroonian/Ghanaian from her father), in her personal and professional practice is rooted in a significant and durable inclusion of Africa, the Caribbean and the Diaspora in the Arts, Culture and Education. She regularly writes articles on Medium.com and contributes African Travel Stories to MelaninMajority.com
Who is it for: Media Creatives; Journalists/Reporters; Bloggers; Filmmakers;  Playwrights; Screenwriters; Book Club Hosts
Bio:Pamela Ohene-Nyako was born in 1991 in Switzerland where she still lives up to this day. She carries a BA degree in International Relations and a MA degree in General History from the University of Geneva. She is currently doing a PhD within the Unit of Contemporary History at the same university, and is specializing in the transnational networks and mobilization of Black European women from the 1970âs to the 1990âs. From 2013 to 2014, Pamela worked in a private PR and communication agency in Geneva. She started organizing and moderating debates first as a member of the Festival CinĂ©mas dâAfrique in Lausanne between 2013 and 2014, then independently. She has worked with agencies such as MOA Distribution, Maximage Productions and AfrodyssĂ©e. She collaborates on a regular basis with the African Salon of the Geneva International Book and Press Fair. In May 2016, Pamela founded Afrolittâ, a bilingual and transnational literary platform she coordinates and develops in collaboration with external partners. Her vision for the platform is to use Black literature as a tool for critical knowledge, sharing and societal or personal change. The suggested novels are written by authors of African descent, most of whom are women, who question social constructs and issues. Afrolittâs activities take place in Lausanne, Geneva and Accra. They range from reading groups to events around Black literature, as well as a blog and a web series.
Individual and Collective responsibility for contributing to the firm's success