Can Duanju Thrive in Africa?

In China, a quiet revolution has reshaped the way audiences consume stories. Known as Duanju, these short dramas, packaged in one to two-minute vertical episodes, have exploded in popularity, topping streaming charts and birthing a billion-dollar industry. With fast production cycles, addictive cliffhangers, and mobile-first design, Duanju has become the binge-watch of the smartphone era.

But could this format thrive in Africa, where storytelling is already one of the continent’s most dynamic exports?

Africa’s Own Micro-Drama Roots

Africa is no stranger to short-form storytelling. TikTok skits, Instagram reels, and YouTube comedy sketches already command millions of views. Nigerian creators, for instance, have built global fan bases with quick-witted, relatable content. Nollywood, the continent’s film powerhouse, has also experimented with short web series and micro-films.

But unlike China’s Duanju industry, Africa’s short content is largely fragmented. It flourishes on global platforms like TikTok and YouTube, with little local infrastructure to monetise at scale. Humor and social commentary dominate, while serialized melodrama, Duanju’s bread and butter, remains underexplored.

The Overlap: Why Duanju Fits Africa

Mobile-first culture: Africa has one of the fastest-growing mobile internet populations in the world. Smartphones are often the first and only screen.

Emotional storytelling: Whether in Nollywood or in skits, African stories thrive on heightened emotion, exaggerated characters, and dramatic conflict, perfect ingredients for Duanju.

Low-budget creativity: African creators already excel at producing impactful stories with minimal resources, a key feature of the Duanju model.

Still, challenges remain. Data costs are high in many African countries, limiting binge consumption. Monetisation options are sparse, with ad revenue and creator payouts lagging behind global averages. And culturally, audiences have leaned toward humour and satire rather than the serialised melodrama that fuels Duanju in China.

Without localised platforms or sustainable monetisation models, the format risks being seen as just another global trend rather than a transformative industry shift.

The real potential may lie in a fusion: an African Duanju that blends melodrama with comedy, romance with street culture, and serialised hooks with cultural authenticity. Imagine a Lagos love story told in 100 one-minute episodes, or a pan-African thriller designed for the vertical screen.

Streaming platforms like Showmax or even TikTok itself could become the launchpads for such experiments. With Nollywood’s global influence and Africa’s young, digital-native population, the continent could not just adopt Duanju, but reinvent it.

Duanju’s rise signals more than a passing trend. It’s a shift in how stories are written, filmed, and consumed in the mobile-first world. Africa, with its vibrant storytelling traditions and hungry young audiences, is well-positioned to embrace this format.

The question is not whether Duanju can thrive in Africa; it’s who will build the ecosystem to make it happen. And when it does, the world may find itself binge-watching African micro-dramas the same way it once fell for Nollywood films.

Article written by Blessing Azugama

#Blessingazugama