How African Music Conquered the World (and Why It’s Just Getting Started)
From griots to Grammys, the rhythms of Africa have carried across centuries, reshaping how the world creates and listens to music. African music has always transcended mere sound. It is memory incarnate, ritual transformed into rhythm, protest given voice, and joy made manifest—a living pulse that carries history from one generation to the next. Over […]
Inside the Rise of Africa’s Skateboarding Culture
In Kampala, in a neighborhood called Kitintale, a half-pipe rises from the red earth. It is not polished concrete poured by a city planner or a glossy installation by a global sports brand. It is a handmade monument, built nearly twenty years ago by Jackson Mubiru, who believed Uganda’s children needed a place to roll, […]
Everyday Couture: Why Africa’s True Fashion Houses Sit on the Streets
Growing up in Africa, you feel the streets’ pulse long before you ever hear of Paris runways. On crowded roads where roasted plantain and petrol fumes mingle, a tailor’s shop hums with life. It’s a tiny space, bursting with wax prints, bogolan, kente, and lace — colors popping like a festival. A sewing machine buzzes […]
Africa Textile Talks 2025: Weaving Circularity, Wool, and Culture Into the Future of Fashion
“The Cape once dressed a nation. Now it’s being dressed by the rest of the world.” — Ilse Menck, Menck Clothing That line, delivered in Cape Town, set the tone for Africa Textile Talks 2025 (ATT). Organised by sustainability platform Twyg, ATT has grown into one of the continent’s most important gatherings on fashion, textiles, […]
Cowrie Shells Carry Africa’s Past Into Fashion’s Future
When Beyoncé appeared in Black Is King, her face veiled in a mask of cowrie shells, the world saw ornament. Africans saw memory. These glossy shells once banned, once branded “demonic” had returned to the global stage, shimmering with pride. Behind them stood Lafalaise Dion, the Ivorian designer who has become the “Queen of Cowries,” […]
Little Lagos in London: Adisa Olashile Captures Nigeria’s Spirit in Peckham
On a Saturday afternoon in Peckham, South London, Rye Lane feels like Lagos stretched across the Atlantic. Yoruba greetings ripple through the air, suya smoke drifts past the scent of jollof rice, and Ankara fabrics streak the crowd in bursts of color. This is “Little Lagos” in London, where the Nigerian community has made its […]
Beauty in Hard Times: Africa’s Lipstick Effect
What do women hold onto when everything else feels uncertain? Across Africa, one answer rises again and again: beauty rituals. In times of economic pressure, when inflation climbs and currencies wobble, many women continue to invest in small but powerful acts of adornment—braids, gele, fragrance oils, or a few yards of fabric. Economists call it […]
Where Meaning Meets Material: Dahomey Paris and the Soul of Luxury
The first time I spoke with Farid Hounkponou, I realized this wasn’t going to be a regular chat about fashion. He didn’t start by talking about trends or collections. Instead, he talked about people, stories, and why every piece of clothing should mean something. “Dahomey Paris brings together the soul of African tradition and the […]
Eloghosa Osunde’s Necessary Fiction Is a Cultural Earthquake
“Necessary Fiction is coming.” Eloghosa Osunde doesn’t say this like a casual heads-up. She says it like a prophecy. Like something already in motion. When she speaks about her second novel, her voice carries the same urgency as the text itself—a novel that refuses to sit quietly on a shelf. Osunde’s debut, Vagabonds!, shook tables […]
Lafalaise Dion on Styling Guzangs’ ‘Helmet of Heritage’ Cover with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Lafalaise Dion is a force—an artist whose work transcends fashion. Her hands don’t just style; they conjure altars of memory and defiance, weaving stories through fabric and cowrie shells. When Guzangs, the bold voice of African fashion, set out to create its debut cover, “Helmet of Heritage,” featuring NFL star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in Tamale, Ghana, […]