Ghana Funeral Culture: How West Africans Honor the Dead With Custom Coffins, Fashion, and Ceremony
A life happened here, and it was worthy of celebration.
Nthabiseng Kekana’s Sankofa: How a Sangoma’s Practice Shapes Contemporary African Art
Nthabiseng Kekana’s Sankofa: How a Sangoma’s Practice Shapes Contemporary African Art Nthabisneg Kekana At 26, Nthabiseng Kekana is building a practice that refuses the boundaries between art and spiritual work, between contemporary expression and ancestral knowledge. Fresh from her debut solo show Sankofa: A Call to Remembrance at FNB Art Joburg this September—where Lagos-based Wunika […]
Homegrown to High Fashion: African Musicians’ Style Journey and Cultural Pride
African musicians have long used fashion to reflect their cultural roots and global ambitions. In the early 2000s, as genres like Afrobeats gained momentum, artists championed local designers, wearing traditional fabrics like kente, adire, and kitenge to celebrate heritage and support homegrown talent. As their fame crossed borders, many embraced Western luxury brands like Louis […]
Hair Culture in West Africa: A Historical and Modern Perspective
Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Guzangs’ ongoing exploration of African hair traditions, tracing their evolution from spiritual practice to global artistry. This installment focuses on West Africa, following Part I, which explored North African hair traditions. Hair in West African cities like Lagos, Accra, Dakar, and Lomé has long been a profound symbol […]
Imported Treasures: Kwasi Paul’s Vision of Diasporic Style
There’s a particular kind of confidence that comes from wearing something made with intention—clothing that carries weight beyond its fabric. Kwasi Paul’s latest collection, “Imported Treasures,” understands this implicitly. Founded in 2020 by Samuel Boakye, a first-generation Ghanaian-American, the brand has built its reputation on creating menswear and womenswear that refuses to choose between tradition […]
Oyinkan Braithwaite on Cursed Daughters: “I Want Readers to Feel Relief That Things Worked Out”
After the phenomenal success of My Sister, the Serial Killer, Nigerian-British author Oyinkan Braithwaite returns with Cursed Daughters—a haunting family saga that blends realism with the supernatural, exploring inheritance, identity, and the unshakable weight of generational curses. When Oyinkan Braithwaite’s debut novel My Sister, the Serial Killer hit shelves in 2018, it felt like lightning […]
Inside Ugo Mozie’s Eleven Sixteen Presentation at Casa Cipriani in New York
Named for his November 16 birthday, Eleven Sixteen marks celebrity stylist Ugo Mozie’s evolution into a full fashion collection, born from his Enugu roots and global journey. The Nigerian-American creative director, whose designs have adorned Blue Ivy’s Cowboy Carter tour and Diana Ross’s Met Gala appearance, presented his most comprehensive vision yet with the preview […]
Nike x Air Afrique Collaboration fuses Culture, Icons, and Hidden Morse Code
The story starts with a defunct airline and ends with a sneaker that demonstrates what happens when cultural authority drives corporate partnerships. Air Afrique ceased operations in 2002, but its ghost has been haunting the fashion world lately. Not in a melancholy way — more like the kind of haunting that demands attention. When four young […]
The History of African Designers at New York Fashion Week
When African designers began appearing on the New York Fashion Week stage, they brought with them more than collections—they introduced perspectives that expanded the conversation of global fashion. From Nigeria’s vibrant textiles to South Africa’s bold silhouettes, these creators have steadily woven cultural heritage and contemporary vision into one of the industry’s most visible platforms. […]
African Art and Creativity: What Inspires Artists Across the Continent
In a small Lagos studio, a painter dips her brush in red paint. Her canvas bursts with market colors: yellow mangoes, blue headscarves, green leaves. She grew up in a noisy neighborhood where money was scarce, but the buzz of traders and kids playing gave her ideas. In a London apartment, a musician strums his […]