Afrika Design: Creative Tour of Africa

36 🇰🇪 Style and Sisterhood | Neema Walove

Discover what it takes to be successful in the fashion industry!

Neema takes us into the world of fashion and her journey to the point where she launched her own company, Walove by Design. Her clothing line aims to empower women by assisting in the formation of a sisterhood centered on appreciation for women and their contributions.

She draws attention to the difficulties faced in Kenyan and other African households where creative industries, such as fashion, are considered more as hobbies than as jobs that "put food on the table." She explores Taita beading tradition because it served as a major source of inspiration for her designs that reveal the creative process.

This is the sixth episode under the ‘Shifting Narratives’ program supported by the British Council SSA Arts.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

IG & Twitter: @walovebydesign

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neema-walove

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/neema-walove

35 🇰🇪 Renewed Cultural Wisdom | Sylvia Omina Otsieno

Sylvia walks us through the customs of the Luhya and explains how subtle rituals like naming are important for maintaining community harmony. She talks about her upbringing in the Marachi culture and her background. She emphasizes the necessity to return to earlier ways of doing things because they were sustainable by bringing up raw materials like papyrus as examples.

She goes into great detail about the things that her culture and way of life gave her inspiration, demonstrating how old methods may still be employed in place of contemporary innovations like a refrigerator. She also imparts knowledge that her grandmother taught her and that she has used in both her personal and professional endeavors.

This is the fifth episode under the ‘Shifting Narratives’ program supported by the British Council SSA Arts.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

IG: @ominaotsieno

Website: https://ominaotsieno.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvia-omina-otsieno

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/sylvia-omina-otsieno

34 🇺🇬 Past Meets Present Design | Kenneth Kanaabi

The future is ancient, says Kenneth, emphasizing the significance of combining historical knowledge into contemporary design processes. He contends that ideas like sustainability are nothing new and have existed for a very long time.

In this episode, Kenneth discusses his creative process, which began with his father making many of the items the young boy wanted. From an early age, he had practical experience in product design and prototyping. He describes the characteristics of Afrikan design, some of the materials utilized in its production, and the ideas that went into it.

This is the fourth episode under the ‘Shifting Narratives’ program supported by the British Council SSA Arts.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

Twitter: @kanaabi_kenneth

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-kanaabi

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/kenneth-kanaabi

33 🇰🇪 Developing Cultural Competence | Mathews Wakhungu

This is the third episode under the ‘Shifting Narratives’ program supported by the British Council SSA Arts.

In this episode, we speak with Mathews Wakhungu, a researcher from the Bukusu community. He explains how cultural anthropology impacts our thoughts, actions, and design choices. We also learn about Kungu Labs, a research and design lab that uses ethnographic research for human-centered design and social impact innovation.

Adrian invites us to consider a more holistic approach to design, focused on life-centered design. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on the intersection of cultural anthropology, design, and social impact.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

Website: https://www.kungulabs.com

Twitter: @kungulabs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathews-wakhungu

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/mathews-wakhungu

32 🇪🇹 Legacy Lives On | Tsedaniya Delnessa

We hope you’re onboard as we continue our creative tour of Afrika! This will be the second episode under the ‘Shifting Narratives’ program supported by the British Council SSA Arts.

In this episode, Tsedaniya Delnessa discusses the history of Manakristo Designs, a company devoted to using salvaged and recycled wood along with tried-and-true wood finishes to create beauty over time. She emphasizes both the financial and aesthetic aspects that allowed her to give purpose to her passion for restoring the past.

She dives deep into her motivations for reclaiming the wood while also shedding light on the stories behind the myths and legends, around her community, that have shaped our cultures today. 

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

Website: https://manakristodesigns.com

IG: @manakristo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tsedaniya-delnessa

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/tsedaniya-delnessa

31 🇰🇪 Enabling Through Arts | Sharon Zarita

We are back on the tour of Afrika! This will be the first episode under the ‘Shifting Narratives’ program supported by the British Council SSA Arts.

In this episode, Sharon Zarita takes us through her journey of becoming an Arts & Culture consultant. We talk about the exchange of cultural knowledge and ideas. Sharon elaborates about how her company, Sekoya East Africa, is an arts organization that serves emerging craft makers and creative professionals through creative skills development, promotion of their work and provision of peer mentorship.

We also unpack the benefits of mental health support and how Sekoya can bridge the gap between education and the workplace. In her words ‘be the canopy for emerging artists.’

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

Website: https://sekoyaeastafrica.com

IG: @sekoyaeastafrica

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/sharonzarita

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/sharon-zarita

30 🇰🇪 Make It Circular! ♻️ feat. Esther Kute

This is a bonus episode of Afrika Design about circular design. It's in partnership with What Design Can Do and their 'make it circular' challenge. We discuss examples of design from all over the world and some specific ones from Kenya and Africa. There are examples of culture, nature, materials, storytelling, and even water preservation. We also discussed that sometimes the best design thinking comes from experts in fields other than design.

Thank you to Esther Kute who joined us for the episode. You might recall Esther was our very first guest on the podcast and you can actually check out that conversation to hear her talk more in detail about her experience as a breakthrough product development manager at Bata.

Happy Holidays! See you in 2023:)

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

Website: https://makeitcircular.whatdesigncando.com

Music by: Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/make-it-circular

29 🇺🇬 Mistakes Make Us | David Ogutu

In this episode, we're off to Uganda. We have a conversation with the co-founder of Kafunda Kreative, which is a platform that connects creatives with markets to further their creative career. We discuss the challenges that creatives in Africa face and the possible solutions/steps that can be taken to elevate freelancers and those in the creative industry. He shares his life experiences and how they shaped the company and opened doors for not just him but others around him. He talks further about his main goal, which is to provide what he lacked as a creative to make it easier for those who come after him.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamogutudaudi

Website: https://www.kafundakreative.com

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/david-ogutu

28 🇿🇼 Don’t Forget About Yourself | Dillion S. Phiri

Welcome back to Afrika Design!

We begin the next leg of our journey in Zimbabwe. This will be our first episode under the Shifting Narratives program supported by the British Council and in partnership with Kampala Design Week. In this episode, we talk with Dillion who is a social sculptor and the founder of Creative Nestlings; a design community comprised of Afrikans from across the continent. We discuss community, self, and what can and needs to be done for creatives to thrive in Afrika. Join us as we unpack what it means to a build community and grow the self.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dillionsphiri

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/dillion-phiri

27 🇰🇪 Why Afrika With a ’K’ | Mugendi M’Rithaa

Our next stop: Kenya. This episode took us in a nice full circle, with Prof. Mugendi K. M’Rithaa, who has been mentioned by several guests on the podcast. Prof. Mugendi K. M’Rithaa is a transdisciplinary industrial designer, consultant, educator, and researcher currently teaching at Machakos University, Kenya. He’s also the President Emeritus and Convenor of the Senate of the World Design Organization (WDO). He has a special interest in the pivotal role of design thinking in advancing the developmental agenda on the African continent. In this episode, he expounds on the co-creation of a new narrative of an emerging Africa. We talk about everything design from AI, Industrial Design, traditions, Afrika with a ‘K’, and how we can move away from a Euro-Centric view of Africa to finally embrace our identities and our uniqueness through a sense of ownership in our designs, culture, and traditions.

*For the best experience, please use a headset/earphones.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mugendi-kanampiu

Music by: Ngalah Oreyo (@ngalah_oreyo) and Mercy Barno (@merc.b_)

For the full episode transcript: https://www.afrika.design/mugendi-mrithaa