What the Met’s 2026 Theme Means in an African Context, and the Designers Shaping the Narrative

As the Costume Institute prepares its “Fashion Is Art” spring exhibition, two African designers — Chelsea Jean Lamm and Sevon Dejana — make the case that the conversation has been alive on the continent all along.
The Lusaka Youth Are Building Their Own Scene

The third spaces, pop-ups, and pricing decisions behind a generation’s bid for cultural infrastructure.
Who Trains the Machines That See Africa?

The Sovereign Stack
As AI becomes the infrastructure beneath culture, African creators can no longer
Woven Stories: 9 African Artists Shaping Contemporary Narratives Through Textiles

Textiles are more than material. They hold stories, histories and languages shaped through time. I think of them
The Image Belongs to Us

There’s a moment early in My Father’s Shadow where Lagos doesn’t announce itself. It just… is. A street. The quality of afternoon light on a wall you’ve definitely seen before. Children doing the specific nothing that children do in cities that haven’t been built for spectacle. I was in Cannes when I first saw it […]
Karibu Nairobi: Stamped and Approved

Sinatra Chumo on reclaiming the postage stamp as a site of cultural critique
The Hotels That Actually Know Where They Are

The Hotels That Actually Know Where They Are Cultural programming has become one of hospitality’s most overused promises. Here’s how to tell the difference between a hotel that has genuinely embedded itself in a place — and one that has simply dressed the lobby. Credit: HBD Principe – Oca Sundy Restaurant, Sundy Praia, Príncipe Island […]
Cotonou Knows Exactly What It’s Doing

Cotonou Knows Exactly What It’s Doing Amazone Statue, Cotonou, Benin. Photo: Présidence du Bénin. Every West African knows Cotonou, whether or not they have ever stopped to think about why. The auntie who goes for fabric knows it. The trader who crosses the border from Nigeria knows it. The goods that show up in Lagos […]
Funky Fahd Will See You Now

Funky Fahd Will See You Now The best store in Marrakech has no website, no address, and no plans to change that. Courtesy of Fahd Al Marsaoui / Funky Cool Medina There are cities you visit. And there are cities you’re quietly introduced to. Through people, through instinct, through doors that never appear on itineraries. […]
The Jersey Economy: Why Africa Is the Most Valuable Untapped Market in Sports Merchandise

There is a version of this story that begins at a football match. Maybe it is a World Cup qualifier