See my Story. Copyright by Madgermanes | The story behind its creation

Digital storytelling is a creative practice that enables people to tell, shape and share their personal stories with the help of digital media. The focus is on the narrator themselves: they decide what, how and from what perspective they want to tell their story.

Listening is at the heart of this process. Before a story is translated into images and sound, space and time are needed to uncover memories, feelings and perspectives. The workshop leaders do not see themselves as directors, but as facilitators: they provide productive support to the storytellers in formulating the story, recording the voice-over, selecting photos and videos, and editing the video. In the end, each storyteller decides for themselves whether their own story is ‘right’. Only then is it released for publication.

Sabine Felber conceived the cooperative self-portraits as artistic photographs created in close collaboration between the photographer and the subjects. The location and image detail are chosen together. However, the decisive moment belongs solely to the person portrayed. Using a self-timer, they decide for themselves when to press the shutter button. The result is images that combine personal responsibility and self-representation. They can be presented as part of a digital story or as independent works.

The digital stories and collaborative self-portraits were developed and produced in two five-day workshops held on site at the CCMA with a total of twelve Madgermanes participants. The workshops provided space for reflection and discussion and began with a guided storytelling circle. Through listening and non-directive, circular questioning techniques, the participants were empowered to work out their personal, biographical stories and their emotional core. The participants also exchanged ideas, experiences and perspectives with each other, working together to develop the stories. They learned about means of expression that go beyond the spoken word. Movement, dance, sounds and acting can be used for the stories.

Once the participants had worked out the stories they wanted to tell, they either created a script that served as the basis for the subsequent voice recording or recorded their story directly as a voice-over. The participants then collected media elements such as photos, videos, sounds and music that fit their story. In addition, each participant created a collaborative self-portrait.

Finally, under guidance, the participants edited their digital stories: the spoken text was imported into the digital video editing software and synchronised with the visual elements. Care was taken to ensure that the voice-over matched the timing of the images, videos, noises, sound effects, etc., and supported the overall aesthetics and atmosphere of the story. The workshops concluded with presentations of all the digital stories and self-portraits (simple projection: computer, projector, loudspeakers) and a joint evaluation session.

Sabine Felber (Idea, Project and artistic direction)

Sabine Felber is the driving force behind the project. Alongside AMZ e. V., she is the lead project manager. Sabine Felber works as a sociologist, digital storytelling expert, photographer and education consultant on a freelance basis in Germany and internationally. She lives in Berlin.

In 2012, Sabine Felber, in cooperation with Joe Lambert, a pioneer of digital storytelling, organised a Europe-wide workshop in Berlin that brought together digital storytelling with autobiographical photography and collaborative self-portraits. As a scholarship holder of the Goethe-Institut Bangalore/India, she realised five digital stories and 21 collaborative self-portraits with Indian women on the topic of safety in public spaces in 2014. Sabine Felber worked as a media coach for six years (from 2012 to 2018) in the educational project ‘Here’s my Story’ run by Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Zuhören Foundation. Within this framework, over 300 digital stories were created with pupils, including many refugees, at Bavarian secondary schools.

Sabine Felber is responsible for the entire conceptual and organisational design and implementation of the project. She coordinates the various participants, from the team to the attendees, and takes the lead in addressing them. Sabine Felber is the artistic director and conducts the planned workshops in Maputo in collaboration with two local partners. As curator, she is responsible for the content, development and realisation of the planned exhibitions and accompanying events in Mozambique and Germany.

picture: © Sabine Felber

Kátia Manjate (artistic supervision)

Kátia Manjate is a Mozambican dancer, choreographer, and researcher whose work intersects performance, contemporary dance, and critical thinking. Her practice explores the body as a site of knowledge and memory. She creates works that blend traditional and historical references with contemporary languages. Kátia is interested in new ways of presenting and contextualizing dance, dialogue between art and community. In dramaturgy, she develops processes that challenge power structures and imagine alternative of existence through movement.

picture: © Amilton neves Cuna

Kayesun Assis (media supervision)

Kayesun Assis is a creative storyteller driven by a passion for real experiences and meaningful connection. From co-founding a school news club to working with the charity Anthrillis in Mozambique, he has seen how honest storytelling can inspire change and build community. Through digital media, he explores the intersection of art, empathy, and communication, using photography, video, and narrative to give voice to diverse perspectives. Fluent across languages and cultures, Kayesun sees storytelling as a way to bridge understanding and spark transformation. He is currently studying economics in Maputo.

picture: © Kayesun Assis/ Sabine Felber

Storytelling between two worlds

Storytelling in Mozambique differs noticeably from the Western style: it is often more linear, more factual, less emotional. For the project work, the results of which will later be shown in schools and educational institutions in Germany, this presented an exciting challenge: to build a narrative bridge between Mozambique and Germany.

Since the artistic director, Sabine Felber, comes from Germany and thus brings a perspective from the global North, it was clear to her that the workshops had to be designed in collaboration with Mozambican artists/trainers.

A public call for applications by the CCMA helped to find two ideal partners: dancer and choreographer Kátia Manjate, who works with movement, space and voice, and young student Kayesun Assis, a digital native with journalistic experience and very good English skills. Both brought exactly the skills that were still needed for the project in collaboration with project manager Sabine Felber.

In a week-long educational workshop at the end of August 2025, Kátia and Kayesun learned the practical methods of digital storytelling. By the end of the week, both had created their own digital story and a collaborative self-portrait. This was an important step towards being able to co-lead workshops themselves in the future.

A total of twelve Madgermanes took part in the project. Six of them told a digital story and created a collaborative self-portrait, while six others created a collaborative self-portrait only. Interest in the workshops was high: the CCMA received over 35 applications to participate in the open call for entries.

The two five-day workshops entitled ‘See my Story. Copyright by Madgermanes’ took place in September. Three storytellers worked with each of the three trainers. A specially arranged transport service and ample catering for everyone ensured that the project days ran smoothly.

At the end, the six storytellers presented their finished stories. The feedback was consistently positive. The participants emphasised the value of the collaborative process: the togetherness, the exchange, the creative energy. Everyone said they felt truly represented by their stories.