What social media means for the Creative Africa scene & what Creative Africa means for the social media scene.
For a very long time, Africa has been dying to share its passions, potential and stories with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this desire was quickly dampened by the lack of an appropriate channel through which the people could share their “African experiences” by themselves. This brought about a very one sided and Eurocentric perspective, that starved the world of Africa’s colorful, vibrant, inspiring and diverse creative scene. Thanks to the social media there has been a significant break through unwarranted barriers, resulting to an evident change of perceptions with regard to the African people and their culture. These changes can be noticed in our daily interactions with people from different cultural backgrounds as we engage in conversations relating to Africa.
An international panel discussion in collaboration with Social Media Week Hamburg, Social Media Week Lagos, New York and Berlin — we discussed what social media means for the Creative Africa scene and what Creative Africa means for the social media scene! This live international panel will consider the importance of social media for the Creative Africa scene & the importance of the African perspective in the social media scene. The platform FASHION AFRICA NOW connects readers with Contemporary Creative Africa, sharing global stories and striking visuals from the continent and Diaspora. Together with influencers based in Lagos and New York we will discuss the impact of social media for the creative industries. We will also look at the importance of representing diverse voices and African perspectives in media.
The tech and creative scenes in Africa are hubs of entrepreneurship and innovation, it’s time the rest of the World woke up and took notice. There is a lot of untapped potential waiting in international collaborations, working together we can change the game. German media cgiant, Rocket Internet, already has a foot in the door, will you be next?
As Africans enjoy the warm cuddle of digitalization, especially in the form of social media, it is important to understand that creativity, ambition and passion are central to enabling the diversity needed for a continuous and proper representation of the continent in the global (social) media: “It is the future and we should be part of it”
Beatrace Angut, Fashion Africa Now.
Our Networking Event during Social Media Week Hamburg: It was a cosy atmosphere in the ASTRA Rockstarsuite at Superbude for our talk on Contemporary Creative Africa at Social Media Week Hamburg. Beatrace Angut Oola and Helen Gimber from Fashion Africa Now shared the stage with photographer Felix Gyamfi and fashion entrepreneur Emo Rugene… Stories were told and contacts were exchanged and PROPERCORN was enjoyed by all – yum!
Entrepreneur – Emo Rugene
Emo Rugene has a Master’s Degree in Peace, Security, Development and International Conflict Transformation. A promising professional football career was halted due to injury and instead Emo became a model and was booked for numerous fashion shoots and catwalk shows in Kenya and East Africa. He dreamt of an even bigger career in the United States, but short of money for the flight, Emo began designing shoes to earn his passage and quickly discovered that the entrepreneurial life suited him well. As owner and head designer of his shoe label Afroshoes, he sells and distributes in the East African region and he is expanding steadily into Germany and beyond. He recently completed a Kickstarter campaign for his new sneaker line: the Nyala collection.
Photographer – Felix Gyamfi
Felix Gyamfi is the son of a Ghanaian father and a German mother and grew up in northern Germany. He studied Communication Design at Muthesius Kunsthochschule in Kiel and is now working as freelance artist and photographer. His work has a strong focus on social aspects and he is most comfortable working with people as the subject. Self expression is his main goal and some recurring themes are transculturality, identity & civil rights. Looking to the future he is honing his fashion photography skills – combining quick-paced, goal-oriented work and the vast creative possibilities of the fine arts.
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