Orange is launching the third season of its flagship program Y’Africa, which will be broadcast weekly from mid-April on 15 national TV channels across Africa; This new season is dedicated to the journeys of 28 rising sporting talents from 12 countries; Like the first two seasons, it is directed by Dan Assayag and produced by Fame Productions; Season 3 has 7 episodes, each 52 minutes long.
The Y’Africa project was launched by Orange in February 2020. The first two seasons were very successful, not only on the 15 African terrestrial TV channels on which it was broadcast, but also on social media, where content from the series has racked up 80 million views. The first two seasons highlighted the richness and diversity of African culture by profiling 63 artists. The third season presents 28 high-level Olympic and Paralympic athletes and champions, each of them represents the continent’s hopes.
Inspired by the extraordinary pool of talent seen across the continent, Y’Africa celebrates the vitality and plurality of modern Africa and its people. The name of the program also reflects this connection, “Y’Africa” is the contraction of “Africa Ya lelo”, or “Africa today” in Lingala.
Breathtaking images, extraordinary stories
Season 3 of Y’Africa involved 18 months of filming in all corners of the world: South Africa, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Spain, the US, Ethiopia, France, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia. Among our 28 athletes are 13 Olympic champions, world champions, or world record holders, including:
- Tigst ASSEFA (Ethiopia), World Marathon Women’s Record Holder
- Hugues Fabrice ZANGO (Burkina Faso), 2023 Triple Jump World Champion
- Cheick Sallah Junior CISSÉ (Ivory Coast), 2023 World Champion, gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Taekwondo Olympics
- Tamirat TOLA (Ethiopia), 2022 World Marathon Champion
- Amane BERISO SHANKULE (Ethiopia), 2023 World Marathon Champion
- Amos KIPRUTO (Kenya), bronze medalist at the 2019 World Marathon Championships
- Sabastian KIMARU SAWE (Kenya), 2023 Road Half Marathon World Champion
- Khadija EL MARDI (Morocco), World Heavyweight Champion in Amateur Boxing 2023
- Nicolas Pieter DU PREEZ (South Africa), gold medalist at the Beijing 2020 Paralympic Games in Road Cycling
- Djamel SEDJATI (Algeria), 2022 World Vice-Champion in the 800 Meters
- Kaylia NEMOUR (Algeria), 2023 Vice-World Champion, Uneven Bars
- Soumaya BOUSAID (Tunisia), bronze medalist at the Beijing 2020 Para-JOs in the 1500 Meters T13
- Oussama MELLOULI (Tunisia), gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics in the 10 Kilometer Open Water
Y’Africa Season 3 covers 21 Olympic disciplines, from traditional favorites (such as athletics, swimming, boxing, gymnastics, fencing, and judo) to the most exciting new ones (including BMX, skateboarding, and surfing). As well as the acclaimed athletes profiled in the series, we also feature rising athletes, training for top-level international competitions through sheer rigor and commitment, despite having not yet won a title. Their journeys, their preparation, and their stories are worth hearing.
Season 3 was also the occasion for last summer’s launch of the Y’Africa Facebook page (https://apo-opa.co/4d04OPE). With more than 350,000 followers to date, this exceptional communication platform will help us continue to promote African talent.
Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Africa and Middle East: “Season 3 of Y’Africa marks a new stage in our commitment to highlighting the wealth and diversity of African talent. This series offers a unique platform to celebrate our ambitious and determined youth. I am delighted that the Orange Group is once again playing a key role in highlighting these inspiring stories.”
Caroline Guillaumin, Executive Director of Communications at Orange: “In this Olympic year, we have decided to highlight the sporting talents of the African continent. After two seasons dedicated to artists, Y’Africa returns with an exceptional series of portraits of athletes, women and men, champions, and their aspirations, all arranged around the theme of surpassing oneself. Through this program, launched in 2020, we want to share the dynamics of the African continent with as many people as possible. It is also another way of consolidating the Orange brand by establishing a sincere dialogue with audiences.”
Dan Assayag, Director: “I have admired the beauty, grace, agility, and power of athletes when they realize their full potential. I have understood why motivation is nothing without discipline. I have observed that top athletes have an above-average work capacity. I have also seen their tolerance of pain. I have understood that Olympic sport is a world of its own. And they made me understand, all in their own ways, what it meant to represent your country as an African. For all these reasons, Season 3 of Y’Africa is special for me.”
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