ART Archives - Culture and Conversations on Africa

March 6, 2023

How music can boost African economies and increase regional integration

Before there was jazz, soul, R&B, rock, or hip hop, there was the beat of African drums. All 8 billion of us on this planet have our ancestral roots on the African continent, and the same is true for many of the most widely consumed sounds and rhythms that move us. Music from the African continent continues to ascend to new heights, rapidly growing in prominence and popularity. Afrobeats is now one of the continent’s greatest cultural exports, with its instantly recognizable sounds often heard on street corners, shopping malls, sports stadiums, runways, and clubs around the world.

As a blend of west African music, jazz, and funk sang in English, west African, and pidgin languages that originated in Nigeria in the 1990s and early 2000s, Afrobeats has become one of the defining musical genres across Africa and globally. It follows in the footsteps of African music from earlier eras, such as highlife from Ghana and Nigeria in the 1950s and soukous from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the 1960s. These and other African musical forms have gained prominence in recent decades, gaining widespread listenership through the efforts of African musicians. In the process, these musicians have helped promote regional and cultural integration by influencing musical styles across the continent.

With new partnership models, continent-wide advocacy and promotion, and leveraging digital platforms, Africa’s music could drive economic growth and continental integration.

African Music goes global

Legendary performers such as ET Mensah, George Darko, and the Oriental Brothers International Band were key drivers in expanding the reach of highlife music. Likewise, the popularity of soukous has been propelled by famous artists, including Kanda Bongo Man, M’bilia Bel, and of course, the dynamic Papa Wemba.

The unforgettable Manu Dibango is credited for popularizing makossa globally. And Fela Kuti was at the vanguard for Afrobeat music with its strident demands for economic and social justice.

Fast forward a few generations, renowned artists such as Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and Yemi Alade are extending the prominence and recognition of Afrobeats across Africa and globally.Afrobeats and other emerging musical forms from Africa, such as Amapiano, are gaining popularity and can serve as models for further economic and cultural integration on the continent.

Amapiano, the isiZulu term for ‘the pianos’ is a musical genre which originated in the townships of Johannesburg and Pretoria in South Africa in 2012. It combines local music influences with jazz and house music. It is increasingly transcending borders and entering the African and global mainstream, led by popular artists such as the Scorpion Kings, DBM Gogo, and Lady Du.

Amapiano songs now regularly trend on social media and have garnered more than a billion streams to date on platforms including Spotify and Apple Music. It is even influencing music powerhouse Nigeria, where several artists have recorded hit songs using Amapiano influences. These developments with Amapiano are helping to grow the music industry in South Africa, whose revenues in 2022 are estimated at 2 billion South African Rand ($117 million.)

CCAfrica Music Article Jazz and afrobeat contempo

Partnerships and collaboration for Africa music

The cultural impact of emerging African music genres such as Amapiano has room to achieve even greater economic impact. A recent report by Afreximbank (pdf) shows that music contributes only 0.1% of the GDP of the entire African continent.

The Afreximbank report finds that while African musicians are enhancing their reputations on the global stage, they “still lack sufficient recognition and representation in the global market.”

While the contribution of music and other elements of the cultural economy to the GDP of most African countries is low, especially in comparison to other regions of the world, there are signs this could be starting to change.

There are potential opportunities for the music industry’s expansion in the region by leveraging new partnership models to secure support from the private sector and government. Collaborations with other sectors, including tourism, fashion, and sports, can yield further benefits for the cultural economy as a whole in Africa. This, in turn, could facilitate employment growth in the music sector, creating jobs for youth. While musicians and the private sector are driving much of this activity, governments in the region also have a critical role to play in growing the music industry across African countries.

Some recent examples of these types of collaborations led by governments come from Morocco and Zimbabwe. In Morocco, the city of Essaouira is renowned for its music festivals, architecture, history, and beaches. The promotion of Essaouira as a music and tourism destination is a result of partnerships between local and global agencies—led by the Moroccan government and the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), which designated Essaouira a Creative City for Music in 2019 and the Creative Tourism Network.

Earlier in 2022, Zimbabwe launched a five-year music strategy, which aims to ensure a sustainable music industry in the country as part of overall plans to enhance the visibility and standing of Zimbabwe’s cultural economy.

Equally important is the need for strategies to advocate, promote, and grow the African music industry. For instance, after a successful locally-led lobbying campaign, Congolese rumba was included on the Unesco heritage list in December 2021. In Zanzibar, for two decades the Sauti za Busara festival has been a platform for developing new artists and sustaining diverse music styles, with the event committed to spotlighting women and up-and-coming artists.

Well-planned regional events will also become important in driving cultural and economic impact. For instance, a collaborative contribution by Senegal, will host the eighth edition of Africa’s pre-eminent music awards ceremony, the All-Africa Music Awards (Afrima), in January 2023. This event includes collaboration between the private sector and government, with Senegalese President Macky Sall pledging greater support to the awards, citing Afrima’s role in engaging youth in the cultural economy and in promoting tourism.

Digitization in music

A diverse array of artists from across the region are now using digitization to reach new audiences and markets. Part of the success of genres such as Amapiano can be attributed to streaming and social media platforms. Digital technologies, including mobile and e-commerce platforms, offer another potential area for the music industry to contribute to further economic and cultural integration in the African region.

With mobile phone subscriptions at 46% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, and internet connectivity surpassing 50% in countries including Egypt (at 71%) and Ghana (at 53%), musicians have a key digital platform through mobile phones for the distribution of their music. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), one of the legacies of the covid-19 pandemic was the acceleration in the shift to e-commerce and digital platforms for cultural economy activities which includes music. Estimates are that revenue from digital music streaming in Africa will grow to $500 million annually by 2025, up from $100 million in 2017.

The way forward for Africa’s music industry

Diverse musical genres have historically served at the forefront of cultural and economic integration worldwide, and Africa is no exception. While platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, and TikTok are popular for streaming music from African artists, questions arise about the economic dividends per stream captured by the artists.

Here lies an opportunity for musicians, artists, the private sector, and governments to drive economic growth from Africa’s music sector. Investing in Africa-led and locally-owned streaming platforms could potentially address some of the bottlenecks around earnings. Additionally, innovative financing programs from agencies such as the African Development Bank (AfDB) and governments could stimulate economic activity and fuel job creation within the music industry. And as a medium-term intervention, governments can collaborate through platforms such as the African Union to pledge funding and other interventions to increase the contribution of music to the region’s GDP.

Since that first drumbeat was sounded until the present day, diverse music genres from across the African continent have served to entertain and inspire globally. They have served as the marching rhythm for social change while gaining greater prominence at home and abroad. And with the right collaborations and investments, the impact of a growing and more dynamic music sector will reverberate across the African continent.

In the years ahead, these actions will strengthen the foundation for greater integration and prosperity and serve as a blueprint for other sectors of the cultural economy in Africa.

November 3, 2022

Africa’s creatives are promoting sustainability to combat climate change

Africa’s creatives are promoting sustainability to
combat climate change.

©Culture_&_Conversations_on_Africa_Climate_Change_&_Sustainability_UPDATED_20_April_2022

Culture and Conversations Climate Change and Africa's Creatives

Africa’s creatives are promoting sustainability
to combat climate change.

Culture and Conversations Climate Change and Anthony Mwangi

Wangari Maathai

In her 2004 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Wangari Maathai, the late Kenyan activist, spoke of the “central role” of culture in the political, economic, and social life of communities. She also charged Africans and the rest of humanity with their responsibility to the Earth, saying, “Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life- support system.” With a population of more than 1 billion and growing, Africa contributes the least of any continent towards global carbon emissions but stands to lose the most if the projections for climate change are realized. This is further compounded by the fact that since 1900, east Africa is estimated to have lost more than 80% of forest cover, while west Africa has lost more than 90%.

This trend will be accelerated as Africa is already undergoing rapid urbanization, resulting in more deforestation and polluted air and water bodies. With the growth of Africa’s middle class, there will be a greater aspiration for convenience, including consuming disposable goods, resulting in greater pressure on the environment.

The coronavirus pandemic has shifted just about every metric on the planet. But chaos presents an opportunity for recalibration. This crisis has reaffirmed the need to create sustainable practices in spite of the constraints that are emerging from the pandemic. Those who have been able to utilize opportunities to produce more locally and take steps to strengthen local supply chains have fostered positive change during this tumultuous time.

What role are Africa’s creative industries and cultural economy playing in staving off this future and ensuring sustainability? The greatest areas of innovation are being witnessed in building design, fashion and visual arts.

Culture and Conversations Climate Change and Solar

Jubilee House, Ghana

Rwanda Cricket Stadium

How African creatives are embracing sustainability in urbanization

The rapid urbanization process in African cities leaves room for local artistic and cultural influences to be harnessed. The cultural economy can facilitate the integration of sustainability into urban designs, ranging from the use of public spaces to the design of buildings.

Architecture’s most prestigious honor— the Pritzker Prize—was recently awarded to Diébédo Francis Kéré, a Burkinabè- German architect known for ingenious, climate-resilient structures, that draw on indigenous historic architectural best- practices from his country of origin, Burkina Faso.

Moreover, Rwanda’s Gahanga Cricket Stadium, which opened in 2017, has been recognized for utilizing sustainable construction methods. It has won awards for its distinct design that blends the stadium into the surrounding area and merges cricket with Rwanda’s famously hilly terrain.

In Ghana, the seat of the presidency, Jubilee House draws upon local culture for the design of the structure. In the quest for sustainability, solar panels are being installed as part of the government’s “Solar Rooftop Programme” to utilize solar energy to power government buildings.

And although projects of this nature have received mixed reviews, in Senegal, the U.S. $2 billion Diamniadio Lake City that is under construction is influenced by Senegal’s indigenous culture and landscape and is being constructed with locally sourced, sustainable materials.

African artists and designers leading the way in sustainability

In textile and fashion, designers are increasingly using locally sourced, recycled items for production. This is especially important as the continent tries to free itself of its heavy reliance on importing second hand clothing, as its own textile industries with deep cultural significance are left in disarray.

This heavy reliance on second hand imports has had a negative impact on local textile and apparel markets in countries including in Zimbabwe. This practice also contributes to waste generation from so-called “fast fashion.”

Some critical steps are being taken to begin to reverse this trend. The demand for sustainable fashion in African countries already exists—and some designers and companies are stepping up to meet this challenge. They include the Senegalese fashion house Tongoro, which relies on local, eco-friendly materials and has been featured in major fashion publications.

Mitimeth, a Nigeria-based company, aims to make handcrafted products, using natural fibers from items such as corn husks that would otherwise be discarded. In 2018, IKEA partnered with South African designer Sindiso Khumalo for its Överallt furniture collection. Khumalo, a celebrated South African fashion designer and recipient of the prestigious 2020 Green Fashion Awards, combines sustainability, social impact and empowerment in her fashion. She takes pride in using organic cotton and hemp for her textiles.

Tongoro Fashion label by Sarah Diouf, a Senegalese designer

Africa’s visual artists and how they are addressing sustainability

Visual artists can also be a source of inspiration for sustainability. A number of artists are using recycled waste to design compelling works that have gained regional and global prominence.

Ugandan artist Ruganzu Tusingwire was inspired to reuse plastic bottles to design an award-winning recycled amusement park for Ugandan children, building on the works he and other artists have created from trash in the capital of Kampala. The Ghanaian sculptor El Anatusi, who is based in Nigeria, has exhibited a storied career combining arts, culture, and sustainability. His works, consisting of recycled wood, bottle caps and iron nails, have been featured at the Venice Biennale and at the Tate Modern museum.

What’s the way forward for sustainability in creative industries in Africa?

Three main threads emerge to further cultivate and embed sustainability practices into the process of creativity. The first entails the design of buildings. Architecture that infuses African cultural elements (as seen at Jubilee House in Ghana) with eco- friendly standards in the design and building processes can provide benefits that include the preservation of local culture, facilitating a greater diversity of structures, protection of the environment and boost in economic activities.

As much as 75% of the carbon footprint of all buildings in their lifetime comes from the materials they are made from rather than the energy used to power them for several decades. Concrete and steel are the biggest culprits. Wood, which is now being used to build high-rise buildings in Canada and Norway, negates this problem.

Second, this approach can also apply to the fashion world where waste is a natural by-product of hyper consumerism. If the industry could utilize and champion the concept of recycling and up-cycling in the design, sourcing and production of materials for consumption, it could yet turn things around. African designers are leading in this realm and can continue pioneering new innovations that are both eco-friendly and have design appeal.

Third, creating works utilizing recycled materials while drawing upon local cultural influences can be a catalyst towards sustainability. One such example includes Sanusi Olatunji, a Nigerian artist whose body of work includes “Waste is Wealth,” is focused on targeting a consumer market for products made from recycled materials. But at the same time his work is desirable for both individuals and galleries.

The future of sustainability in Africa

Most African countries do not have the financial resources that more developed nations in Asia, Europe and North America have to mitigate the effects of climate change. African countries will need to find internal resources to support sustainability initiatives.

Leaders across the creative community can facilitate behavioral change and can help reshape the inputs required for production across various industries. Progress can emerge through the ingenuity of everyday people; the long- cherished cultural practices of nomadic communities; or the innovation of artists, engineers, and architects. The elements are already there for an African future grounded in sustainability. The right leadership, persistence, and investment can foster a sustained appreciation for the environment on the African continent that serves as a model for others.

Sanusi Olatunji works with paper and fabric to spotlight recycling, which is his primary art form. In his words, “Waste is wealth.”

November 3, 2022

Africa’s architectural excellence spans the continent

Pyramids, Al Haram, Egypt

African Created Wonders

When one thinks of architecture in Africa, the first thought that would come to mind for many would be the pyramids. While these are culturally significant and technically incredible, they are only one among many wonders created by African architects. There are others across the continent which are equally deserving of fame and tourism income.

Lady of Peace

Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro Basilica in Yamoussoukro, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, is one such architectural wonder. Around 1,200 people worked on the project, as per a LA Times report published in 1989, the year before its consecration. According to the Guinness World Records, it is the largest Christian church in the world. It was designed by Dabou-born Lebanese/Ivorian architect Pierre Fakhoury. Indigenous Iroko wood was chosen for 7,000 pews that make up part of the magnificent building.

Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro Basilica

The Great Mosque of Djenné

The Great Mosque of Djenne

The Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali is another famous religious building in Africa. The mosque is believed to have been built between 1200 and 1330 and the local community has been praised across the world for its preservation efforts. They have favoured retaining historical and structural integrity over trying to modernise the building. The walls of the mosque were built with traditional earth bricks known as ferey. Traditional materials including palm-trunk inserts have long been vital to the design of the Mosque.

Not all African architecture is strictly religious. The Golden Jubilee House, the presidential palace in Accra, Ghana, was reconstructed and inaugurated in November 2008. It is not only the residency of the president, but also a monument to an important chapter in Ghana’s political history. The new Jubilee House is a gigantic 11-storey low-rise building.

The Golden Stool is housed in the Asante royal palace in Kumasi, Ghana. This, in itself, is an architectural wonder. It is the most important stool in the Ashanti kingdom as it represents the authority of the Asantehene (king) and the preservation and prosperity of the kingdom and its people. The stool is made of solid gold.

The Golden Jubilee House

the Nubian pyramids of Sudan

It is certainly worth appreciating the architectural complexity of the pyramids. However, it is easy to mistakenly associate pyramids with only Egypt, when in actual fact, the Nubian pyramids of Sudan are every bit as marvellous.

The Nubian pyramids were built by the rulers of the ancient Kushite kingdoms over hundreds of years to house tombs for the Kings, Queens and wealthy people of Napata and Meroë. They were heavily influenced by the Egyptian pyramids, but there are more pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt. There are roughly 2000 Kushite pyramids in upper Sudan and only 200 pyramids in Egypt.

The Amphitheatre of El Jem in Tunisia is another example of North African architectural excellence. It was built in around 238 AD and is estimated to accommodate around 35,000 spectators. The amphitheatre has played a major role in popular culture, featuring in Monty Python’s Life of Brian and the film Gladiator.

However, few architectural sites are of more significance to African people than Dakar’s Selebe Yoon, which translates to “the crossroads” in Wolof. The 1,000 square-metre building is a gallery supports which supports local and international artists alike.

The Amphitheatre of El Jem in Tunisia

Selebe Yoon, Dakar, Senegal.

The gallery hosts exhibitions, such as one which is upcoming by El Hadji Sy, who is a Senegalese artist with a credible reputation on the international stage.

On display during the recent Entre Acte exhibition were the works of Rufai Zakari, who created art out of fragments of recycled plastic. This is an example of how Selebe Yoon is used to bring important topics such as sustainability to the forefront of discussions while promoting African talent such as Ghana’s Zakari and Senegal’s Sy and allowing them free reign to create work that is relevant to their own cultures.

Across the African continent, there is architecture that deserves the highest praise. Above all, African architects have shown time and time again whether in Ghana, Tunisia, Sudan or Egypt that they come from intelligent, expressive cultures and that this has been the case throughout history, dating back to an era when today’s most common forms of art did not exist. Elements of indigenous African cultures are showcased in all their beauty. Africa’s complicated history and beautiful triumphs continue to be showcased by some of the most talented architects on the continent and the world.