EXCLUSIVE: Rosina Shiko Takes Her Limpopo Roots to Lagos in a Major African Entertainment Milestone

Have you ever worked so hard towards something that, when an exciting opportunity finally comes knocking, you need a moment to sit back and say, “Wait, is this really happening?”

Well, sometimes life has a way of taking your hard work places you never imagined, and for Rosina Shiko, that next destination happens to be Lagos, Nigeria!

The Limpopo-born filmmaker, journalist and television and radio producer has been invited to serve as an international panelist at the All Africans Indie Film Festival (AAIFF) 2026, taking place on 28 November 2026 at the Muson Centre in Lagos.

Her panel contribution will centre on the theme, “African storytelling by Africans, for Africans and the world”, exploring the importance of African voices in telling the continent’s stories, breaking barriers as a woman in film and media, creating sustainable opportunities for emerging creatives, and the role of journalism, television and radio in shaping Africa’s narrative. She will also serve as an official jury member for the inaugural edition of The Honors Award, assessing film, music video and documentary submissions and participating in jury deliberations.

Now, before she gets carried away with packing, travel arrangements and deciding what makes the cut in that suitcase, I had to make sure I got a little time with her! After all, you cannot expect me to let someone head off to an international event like this without getting you, our readers, some juicy scoop straight from the woman herself.

Now, in this exclusive Q&A with Africa Jamz FM News, Rosina gets candid about her journey, her experiences and the story behind this exciting chapter in her professional life.

Let’s hear what she had to say:

1. Who was Rosina Shiko before the invitations?

“I was a young, ambitious girl from Limpopo who always knew I belonged in the entertainment industry, specifically acting. Growing up, I was obsessed with Nollywood movies. My whole family got hooked because of my obsession. That was my first love for storytelling. In primary school, I was very active in sports, arts and culture, traditional dances, musical plays. I would curate stage plays when we had guests visiting the school. That is where it started.

“But when I got to high school and had to choose subjects, there was no Dramatic Arts, no Music, nothing for my passion. That was a wake-up call. I realised if I wanted this career, I would have to leave home and go to the big city, Johannesburg, to pursue it. And that is what I did. Those early years taught me resilience. If there is no door for you, you build one. That is still the storyteller I am today,” said Rosina.

2. What sacrifices did you make? Did you ever question if it was worth it?

“Honestly, a couple of times, I questioned it.

“Journalism was never on my wishlist. Filmmaking was never on my wishlist. I knew myself as a poet. I had the skill and the passion to write, and I wanted to be an actress. But when I consulted institutions to go to university for Dramatic Arts, I realised my Maths marks were too low. I had to do a bridging course, and I chose journalism.

“Little did I know, that was a trap, in a good way, that got me hooked. From a young age, I was obsessed with knowing things, investigating small stories, and asking questions. Even my high school principal once told me, when you grow up, you are either going to be a journalist or a lawyer because you talk too much and you question everything. That turned out to be true.

“But getting into the real industry, seeing the dark side they don’t show on media, I did ask myself, is this worth it? Or were we just sold dreams? What kept me going was that I realised my passion was never just acting. My passion was storytelling. Journalism gave me a way to tell real stories. Filmmaking, TV, and radio gave me a way to tell them bigger. So I stayed,” said Rosina.

3. You are going to Lagos not just as an attendee but as an international panelist. What does this mean to you beyond recognition, especially as a woman from Limpopo? And what do you want the continent to understand about unheard voices?

“For me, coming from a small township in Limpopo, this means that all the work I have been putting in, all the investment I have made in this industry, finally, someone has noticed. And I can never be grateful enough for that kind of recognition.

“For all those stories that go unheard, I want to say this: I am a big believer. The Bible says, when the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen. And whatever is done in the dark will one day come to light. That is exactly what this moment is.

“All those stories that go unheard, untold, unseen, one day they will become the breaking story for the masses. A liberating story. An impactful story for the young generations to come,” said Rosina.

4. African stories are reaching international audiences, but who controls the narrative? What is African entertainment still getting wrong, and what needs to change?

“What African entertainment is still getting wrong is that Africans are not given the opportunity to tell their own stories the way they know them best. We have seen international platforms, Netflix and Amazon coming to Africa to try and tell our stories. But we still don’t have the power to change the narrative of how they tell them.

“We have seen it with stories like Shaka Zulu, the Rain Queen Modjadji, The Woman King, and recently the Trials of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Watching those pieces reminds me that we still don’t have a voice in this industry. We still have to rely on first-world countries to tell us how to tell our own stories. That should never have been the case in the first place.

“What I want to change, and what I want to contribute in Lagos, is for Africans to finally stand up for themselves and tell their own stories the best way they know how, as people who have lived those experiences. Not because people read it on the news or saw it on the internet and assume that is what defines us as African storytellers. No. We must be the ones to define ourselves,” said Rosina.

5. You will also serve as a Jury Member for The Honors Award, which recognises professionals whose contributions often happen behind the scenes. Why is it important to recognise these unseen creatives, and is there an experience in your own career that made you appreciate the invisible work?

“This question literally hits home for me.

“I have been part of a couple of productions, both local and international. But one experience was alarming for me. I created beautiful documentaries to raise awareness about gender-based violence. And my angle was different, to also give men a platform to finally speak. Because the narrative has always been giving women a platform to speak, but gender includes both males and females. I did the work of an executive producer. The producing, the research, writing questions for guests, I contributed about 60% for that documentary to come to reality. And after the entire documentary was shot, when I saw the credits, I saw my name as an Assistant Production Coordinator.

“It took me two years to realise that as much as I know, and the people I worked with know, how much I contributed, my recognition only ended on that credits board. That is when I said it is time to change that narrative. How about we make everyone who has had a similar experience to mine understand: We see your work. We recognise all the sweat, the creativity and the passion you put into putting all these pieces together that people finally get to see on screen.

“These people are not celebrated. The only time we see them celebrated is during film awards, where only directors, producers and writers get recognised. What about the visual mixers? The audio managers? The production coordinators? There is an entire crew behind that final piece you get obsessed with on TV. That is why The Honors Award matters. That is why I said yes to being a Jury Member,” said Rosina.

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