INSPIR’ NEWS
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heck out Dora Moti’s page for her newly made accessories. she now has men shoes. (Re)discover her page here.
INSPIR’ NEWS Its official, the summit organized by the co-
ordination of central Africa of the Pan African youth Union will be held in Sipopo, Guinea . The theme of the summit will be “youth inspired, an innovational vision of the partnership for the rebirth of Africa.” For more info, visit: www.upjac.org
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he Nakande Project is organizing it’s second seminar for Leadership at the College Francois Xavier Vogt of Yaounde, Cameroon, from the 28th to the 30th of August 2012. The theme this year is “Building the African Dream”. If you have donations such as books, school materials to support the 50 young girls that have been selected. Contact the Nakande team info@thenakandes.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS Inspir’ Favorite
with Nana-Ekua
Brew-Hammond page 8
Foculture
The Nollywood Boom page 10
Inspir’ Interview
Jason Njorku & IROKO page 12
Success Story with
David Adjaye page 18
TABLE OF CONTENTS Inspir’ Start-up
Heel the World page 20
Inspir’ Association
We built: Africa page 26
Inspir’ Career Christie Brown
page 28
4 Questions to... AYONET page 32
“TOWARDS AN ERA OF SELFSATISFACTION.”
Jin ulyits history, 15th 2012, Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. For the first time the African Union will be led by a woman.
Mrs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is, in several respects, the testimony of a wind change that has been blowing across the continent for a few years now. Values are shifting and it is not a displeasing fact. Currently, Africa is in “vogue”, investors have their eyes set on us, so in many ways it would not be right if we did not take advantage of the situation. Let’s focus on more good news: Lagos recently became the most populated African capital, getting ahead of Cairo with 11 million people in 2012. This is good news for investors and companies because a larger population means larger consumerism. Nigeria is among one of the African countries which mostly consumes it’s own manufactured goods and services. Just a few months ago they invented the Fufu machine! A machine designed to facilitate the preparation of this very popular West African dish. Nigerians will never fail at surprising us! Some African countries have come to the understanding that development comes first through the exploitation of internal skills and resources. Apart from Nigeria, Ghana sets an example of this idea. With a double digit growth (14 percent according to the latest statistics), Ghana continues it’s industrial revolution, capitalising on it’s own petrol, gold and cocoa among many other resources. Our purpose at Inspire Afrika, is to showcase countries/people we believe are role models for change on the continent. Consequently, this month we focused on Ghana and Nigeria who on the African continent are forces to be reckoned with. They have succeeded in constructing an economy mostly based on the consumption of local products. They anticipate, conceptualize, innovate and consume their own products to the disadvantage of foreign meddlers. They are living proof that charity begins at home! Enjoy! (And a Happy Birthday to Mr. Nelson Mandela, who will be celebrating his 94th birthday on the 18th of July! )
Joan Y.
INSPIR’ FAVORITE
Po
Name: Nana Eku Age: 34
Nationality: Ghan
Where you live: Q
Profession: Writer
What is the Powder Necklace about? Powder Necklace is a fictionalized account of my experience leaving the States at 12 to live in Ghana and attend secondary school. In the book, the protagonist Lila is forced to leave London, where she was born and raised, when her mother catches her hanging out with a boy. Once in Ghana, she learns she will be staying for an indefinite period of time and attending an all girls’ secondary school in the Cape Coast mountains. At the school she is confronted by a society she initially doesn’t want to understand and thinks she is better than, but gradually comes to realize how disturbing it is that she thinks she is superior to who she truly is/where she comes from. Her soul-searching has only just begun when her mother yanks her from Ghana back to London, and ultimately the States.
The title Powder Necklace is original and intriguing, what’s the inspiration behind it? In Powder Necklace, the school Lila attends is in the throes of a major water crisis. Some girls were fortunate enough to have their parents send them barrels of water so they could bathe. They would show off that they had taken a bath by over-powdering their necks. Those who didn’t have water started doing the same after a while, not wanting to reveal that they had not bathed. The “powder necklace” became a fashion statement. As I was writing the book and reflecting on the experience, I realized the statement was more profound. The girls in the book were not only making a style statement with the powder; the powder was a symbol of them holding their heads up above a challenging circumstance.
On your website you to secondary school in life, how so? Attending Mfantsima School ripped my wor going to Ghana, my wo York. My family, my f on television, the song books on our shelves me. When I went to G ily there to be on my ow I realized the world did or what I thought. Th bigger than Queens. A made me eager to lear other parts of the world spect other people’s wa
INSPIR’ FAVORITE
ortrait
ua Brew-Hammond
naian-American
Queens, New York
r
mentioned that going n Ghana changed your
an Girls’ Secondary rld wide open. Before orld was Queens, New friends, the programs gs on the radio, and the defined the world to Ghana and left my famwn at boarding school, dn’t revolve around me, The world was so much Attending Mfantsiman rn how life is lived in d, and taught me to reays of doing things.
What is your advice to aspiring writers out there, especially young aspiring African writers? I think lack of confidence fells more writers than lack of discipline, so my advice to aspiring writers, particularly those that are African, is to know without a doubt that your story is worth telling. Then tell it—and do the hard work of making sure people hear it. In other words, take yourself and your craft seriously. Don’t be intimidated by what others have done. Know that no one else can tell your story the way you can. In addition, read voraciously and write constantly—daily if you can. Keep a journal. Read a book or article, listen to a song, and attempt to rewrite it your way, in your voice, as practice. Make friends with other writers, and seek out mentors who can help you
get your writing to the level it needs to be by reading and honestly critiquing your work. Try your hand at other genres. If you are a poet, try writing a short story or an essay; do the opposite if you are an essayist or into fiction. You’ll be surprised at how exercising in another genre will improve your comfort genre.
Interview by Amma O.
FOCULTURE
THE NOLLYWO
H eard of Hollywood? Heard of Bollywood? What about Nollywood? That’s
right there is a new “lywood” in town that has taken the African movie industry by storm. The Nollywoodien boom didn’t start yesterday; it is an industry that has made its way from the local studios and homes in Lagos, Nigeria to the homes of the African Diasporas across the world. You may be wondering what Nollywood stands for and what it represents. Just as Hollywood evokes the multi-billion dollar movie industry of the USA and Bollywood the sing song, highly successful movie industry in India, Nollywood is none other than Nigeria’s very own multi-million dollar movie industry that has taken the African movie industry to another level.Nollywood faced an astonishing growth and popularity during the 1990s and 2000s, and became the second biggest film industry in the world for its sheer annual number of film productions
which is ahead of Hollywood and second to Bollywood.Every month around 200 Nollywoodien videos are put out and the industry is worth a total of 250 million dollars. On the African continent, it is the largest and most successful movie industry, its counter part, the Ghanaian movie industry has taken inspiration from it and collaborations are endless between the Ghanaian and Nigerian movie industry. The thing about Nollywood is that it is enjoyed by everyone and all Africans no matter which country they are from, some of it’s prominent actors have become house hold names and are the Angelina Jolies’ and Brad Pitts’ of the Nollywood industry. Geneviev Nnaji, Funke Akindele, Desmond Eliot, Jim Lyke and Zack Orji are among the famous of Nollywood. Zack Orji is considered today as one of Nollywood’s legends; he is an established actor, producer and director and
has helped propel No African continent to
It all began in the 19 casting arrived in N regulated and had hu port, content was lim content so local pop tions were broadcas for the future popula productions, pretty productions were bei leading to the birth o mal movie trade.
Today, Nigerian mov movies in not only N er African countries ers within the count a 1000 and 2000 mov titles are delivered to week and are sold at An average film cos dollars, is shot in just
FOCULTURE
OOD BOOM!
ollywood beyond the tween 150 00 to 200 00 units in just a day. its Diasporas. In the last few years, Nollywood has 960s when TV broad- taken a strong hold of the African DiasNigeria, it was highly pora. Firstly with internet; the movies beuge government sup- ing streamed onto YouTube in parts have mited for foreign TV made these accessible to Africans in Eupular theater produc- rope, in the USA, the Caribbean or any sted. It set the stage other part of the world. The industry is arity of Nigerian film increasingly recognized in international soon many of these film festivals and directors and producers ing circulated on tape attend these events. of a small scale inforOne of the first Nigerian movies to reach the international stage was Osuofia in vies outsell American London, starring Nkem Owoh, a famous Nigeria but many oth- comedic actor. Hilarious accounts of a Nis. Over 300 produc- gerian man discovering the western way try produce between of life in London for the first time. Today vies annually, 30 new many of the movies know the same intero shops every single national success as this first one. As the t an equally fast rate. popularity of these movies grow within sts between 17 to 23 the Diaspora, some such as Jason Njoku t a week and sells be- founder of Iroko TV has capitalized on
this success and created internet platforms and channels through which these movies can be viewed easily, a sort of improved version of the YouTube model. Eventually these platforms will be paid for; IROKO is already being called the African Netflix. A good hint at where the industry is heading in the future.* Nollywood is another proof of Africa’s endless talent in many fields, our natural resources are not only in our land but our people also possess the natural talent to propel the continent onto the world stage as can be seen with Nollywood. The success of the industry is only growing and techniques and tools are improving. What’s next? A Nollywoodien walk of fame, a Nollywood actors wax museum, a huge Nollywood sign on the hills of Lagos, who knows, anything seems possible at this point. Amma O.
JASON NJOKU
iROKO Partners:
THE ENTERTAINMENT DIGITAL REVOLUTION
INSPIR’ INTERVIEW
T
wo years ago, Jason Njoku – the founder and CEO of iROKO Partners- went back to Nigeria, his home country “penniless” and realized that his mother was addicted to Nigerian/Ghanaian Movies. One day, she asked him to look for more movies and he noticed that DVDs were hard to find and were not even available online. After many unsuccessful ventures overseas, Jason knew that this gap in the market was the opportunity, HIS OPPORTUNITY. With respectively more than 5,000 Nigerian/Ghanaian movies and 35,000 Nigerian songs available online, iROKOtv and iROKING, companies owned by iROKO Partners, are bringing the African entertainment industry to the next level. Let’s explore iROKO Partners, the entertainment Digital Revolution. Inspire Afrika:You have iROKOtv, iROKING, iROKtv, NollywoodLove and Yoruba Love. What are the differences between these 5 concepts? Jason Njoku: iROKOtv is essentially the African equivalent of ‘Netflix’. Our concept is brutally simple: It’s an awesome, easy to use, high quality platform for people to watch Nollywood movies. When I started out, I knew that people loved Nollywood, but very quickly, when I started seeing the amount of traffic coming to our site, I realised that they really, seriously love Nollywood. There’s an unquenchable thirst out there for movies. Luckily, we have enough to satisfy our viewers’ watching habits - we have a catalogue of about 5,000 movies available for free in HD
and anyone who subscribes to iROKOtv+ can exclusively get the newest releases every week. This subscription comes in at $5 a month, which is roughly the same price as one DVD. If iROKOtv is the African Netlfix then iROKING is the Spotify. iROKING has over 35,000 songs from 200 or so of Nigeria’s top artists. iROKING is the future of Nigeria’s digital music scene – people can access the tunes anytime, anywhere – so we’re spreading the love and helping our artists go global. iROKtv is a Nollywood behind the scenes channel – a bit like the E! Channel in the USA. NollywoodLove was our first Platform for streaming movies and Yoruba Love shows films in Yoruba.
INSPIR’ INTERVIEW lovers’ thirst for more films. We have the movies, the team, the brand, the momentum and we don’t see any limitations on what we’re capable of achieving.
IA: Doesn’t your website mean people buying less cassettes and DVDs? How does the entertainment industry react to this? Jason: Over 95% of Nollywood revenue is still made from people buying DVDs. People can still buy DVDs absolutely ; but our business model is all about access to Nollywood and if you are outside of Nigeria, it’s tough to get your hands on a DVD. Now, if you live in Russia, Malaysia, Thaïland… You can watch your favorite Nollywood movies online, on a mobile device, anytime. Don’t forget also, DVDs get copied illegally and pirated, and the producers don’t receive a single penny from pirated materials. DVDs are easily copied, whereas our online material is safe and protected.
IA:How did you pull in customers for the website? How was the transition from YouTube to an actual website managed? Jason: We built up a massive following with Nollywood love and when we made the transition to our own platform, iROKOtv, our fans followed. They loved the site and the fact that we were constantly uploading films – both old and new. We haven’t really advertised – just on Facebook really – our success has been through word of mouth endorsement. people watch iROKOtv, they love it, they tell their friends & family – the love spreads. IA:What are the copyright grounds like in the African movie industry? Jason: There’s very little understanding of copyright laws in Nigeria. The culture of respecting people’s intellectual and creative property isn’t always there; hence the devastating effect piracy has had on the industry. These pirates steal movies, copy them onto DVDs and the producer, who invests his own time and money in making these films, loses out. It’s theft, plain and simple. There are some laws in place, but they are difficult to enforce. We invest hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to combat this. We want to legitimize the industry, ensure people get paid fairly and keep the ecosystem going.
IA: Nollywood is thriving like no other African movie industry, what do you think makes it so unique and successful? Jason: It’s a celebration of Nigerian culture – the idiosyncratic nature of Nollywood is totally its key selling point. I think that the sheer volume of films being made is also part of its successthere’s always something new; people can’t get enough of Nollywood. We found a super-user recently: in 89 days, one iROKOtv viewer watched 1126hrs, 59m and 30s. The content is there for people to watch. IA:How do you get permission from the copyright owners of the movies in order to distribIA:Today you are being called the African Net- ute them on the website? flix; do you see iROKO TV as big as Netflix in Jason: We buy the online licences from the prothe near future? ducers – this gives us the exclusive online rights Jason: We’re a young start-up, we’re just under to their films for a set period of time. two years old, so I don’t know if we can say we’re going to be as big as Netfilx. However, we are as- IA: How did you approach and pull in invespirational – we know there’s a huge market out tors? there – we are the ones satisfying Nollywood Jason: We didn’t approach any investorts - they
INSPIR’ INTERVIEW
came to us. Last year, we were featured in an article by Sarah Lacy of TechCrunch – this caught the attention of US-based hedge fund, Tiger Global (early investors in Facebook), who decided to start a conversation with us. They were impressed with what we were doing, our ambition and, importantly, the sheer volume of traffic that our sites were seeing. The conversation progressed super-fast and led to them leading two funding rounds totaling $8m. Our investment story is not like others’ – we didn’t pitch, we didn’t have a 50,000 word business plan. We had a unique idea, a captive audience and the team in place to make it happen.
IA: You are based in Lagos and have offices in New-York and London. What are the roles of each office? Jason: Lagos is the Head Quarter – we have a staff of over 80 there. All the work relating to films is done here – purchasing, editing, and uploading. We also have a legal and customer service team on site. Lagos is also home to iROKING. In London, we have a tech and communications team, as well as some killer business development guys who work on monetizing the platforms. And New York, open for business for a couple of months now, is all about business development – what can we do to further expand our reach in the United States of America.
IA: At the moment you focus on Nigerian/Ghanaian movies, do you plan to also add other African movies, music...etc content in the future? Jason: We are experts in our area at the moment – Nollywood is what we started with and where we’re headed at the moment. One thing I’ve learned in business is never say never – we’re known for Nollywood, it’s what we live, love and breathe – but if Africa’s film industry expands then I guess it would be interesting for us to see what we can do to help this growth.
the investment going in to building IT and Internet infrastructure is huge. I think that once broadband penetration across our continent is at over 40%, then the focus of iROKO Partners will be very different. At the moment, more people watch iROKOtv in London than Lagos; we’re very much a Western-facing business. But when broadband in Africa becomes a consumer commodity rather than a luxury item, we will be refocusing our attention on the continent and looking at how we can service the millions upon millions of Africans who want to get their IA: Are there any plans for services expansion hands on awesome Nollywood films. (maybe customers ordering DVDs from the website or even an actual Nigerian/Ghanaian video rental store!) Jason: Our most recent service expansion was introducing a subscription model – iROKOtv+. Viewers can access awesome, brand new content for only $5 a month – roughly the cost of one DVD. We’re a digital company - the Internet is what we excel in, so no, I don’t see us selling DVDs or opening a rental store. We look to the future, which is the Internet and online movie experiences. Broadband penetration in Africa is relatively poor at the moment – but this is changing, and fast. When Africa comes online in the coming years we will see the company. IA: 3) Where do you see IROKOtv in the next 5 to 10 years? Jason: Good question. We don’t plan too far ahead – the Internet moves quickly and so do we, so we don’t commit ourselves to anything too far in the future. Africa is coming online –
INSPIR’ INTERVIEW IA: What is your response to those who say IROKING is a “bully” in the Nigerian music industry with the argument that your platform is irrelevant because YouTube provides your content for free? Jason: I totally refute the fact that iROKING is a bully and that iROKING is irrelevant. We are a catalyst for the Nigerian digital music revolution that is currently unfolding. We spend a lot of time nurturing artists – whether it’s designing a brand for them, managing their YouTube pages, helping them with getting their name out to new audiences around the world. For example, our mostpopular YouTube artist is P-Square. Before we started managing their content you could generally find their videos scattered around YouTube. They lost millions of views before we started managing them.They did not have the expertise or understanding in terms of copyright protection from UGC (User generated content) that generally floods the site. Since we started managing them in May 2011 they have built up over 26.5 million views. We have remitted 70% of ad revenue to P-Square amounting to tens of thousands of dollars they never knew
they could receive. Is this bullying? Absolutely not and both I, and Michael Ugwu – CEO of iROKING, are only too happy to discuss this accusation with anyone who doesn’t think we are advancing Nigeria’s music scene. IA: How would you advice other African movie industries who want to reach that level of success? Jason: This, I would say for any business, not just the film industry, you will only succeed if you have passion in abundance for what you’re doing. The creative flair and passion that the Nollywood movie producers have for their films is incredible- hence the success. IA: Is there any process to follow when you decide to come back to Africa? Jason: Make sure you take the time to learn and understand local business processes and customs. If you’ve been in the US or UK for an extended period of time, don’t think you can just move to Africa and use the same techniques to do business that you learned abroad. You’ll fail.
H THE SUCCESS STORY OF
DAVID ADJAYE
by O.S.E.R. l’Afrique
H
e lives between London, New York and Berlin, where his architecturale office, Adjaye architects, is implanted. The entrepreneurial David Adjaye likes to travel and is born of Ghanian parents in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania. His talent opened glorious doors for him. He will be building the National Mall of Washington for 2015, the future National Museum of African/American History and culture. The project costs 370 million euros, is inspired by a Yorouba sculture and could be inaugurated by Barack Obama. Elsewhere in the Russian capitale, he recently
inaugurated the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo. Other projects are building up his name, such as the Idea Store library of London (2001), the Nobel Peace Center of Oslo (2005), the Contempory Art Museum of Denver (2007)... His origins are however not forgotten, in Ghana Adjaye architecture built the Elmina College, an “educational village” for students but it also hosts events. David Adjaye was educated by his Father, a diplomate who worked in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Egypt, finally ending up in the UK.
He ended up in High School in a dysfunctional neighborhood where he faced prejudices of all sorts. A teacher even advised him to play sports because he is black. David still paved his own way; he got accepted to Middlesex University then to the South Bank University. He went on to do internships in architectural offices, with the likes of David Chipperfield and Eduardo Souto de Moura. In 1993 he obtained a diploma from the Royal College of Arts.
In 1994, he created his own architecturale office from lack of work. He teamed with students of Princeton University and from Barcelona where he was teaching, a period during which he is passionate and shares his admiration for the performance of buildings and urban plannification. His natural tendency led him to conceptualize each building according to the role it will play in the city.
In addition to this, he obtained the silver medallion of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
(Re)Discover O.S.E.R. l’Afrique
INSPIR’ START-UP HEEL THE WORLD, A SHOE COMPANY.
There is a new type of entrepreneurs in Africa, one that is altruistic. Heel The World (H.T.W.) is more than a shoe company; the team has taken on the noble decision to pull Ghanaian entrepreneurship with them to the top. As social entrepreneurs Fred Mawuli Deegbe and the team at H.T.W. define the basis of their mission as “supporting entrepreneurs in Ghana”. They have created a movement through their beads bracelets that has been successful in carrying their message worldwide. They intend to go global with the H.T.W. brand; it’s safe to say they are well on their way to do so. We talked with Fred Mawuli Deegbe and partners to discuss the Heel The world brand, one of the most promising start-up in Ghana.
INSPIR’ START-UP
Inspire Afrika: How did you guys meet each other and why did you partner up? Fred: Today the entire company constitutes of ten people who are directly involved with H.T.W. At the beginning I approached three guys of my age and one younger guy. The three guys were technical and good at what they did, the younger guy; Vijay Manu; was still at university but he was interested and passionate. We tried to meet but the meetings fizzled out eventually, excuses came up. So I ended up with just the youngest guy to start off, I didn’t expect this but it all goes to show that passion is important in starting a company. He didn’t know much but he was interested and curious. Experience is nice but passion makes you curious and fearless. This was by the end of 2010.
dles production. The third guy, Jeffrey Manu, is Vijay’s older brother. I had worked with him before on a venture that didn’t work out from lack of real business experience. We started H.T.W. and eventually Jeffrey joined the team as well. At the time, Vijay was at University, I worked at a bank and Jeffrey at an advertising agency. Today, Jeffrey takes care of advertising, marketing and social media. Vijay does production and I just fill in the gaps as the general director.
I.A: When and how did you get the idea for H.T.W.? Fred: In 2009, I went to a friend’s place to play video games. I burrowed shoes from Dad; well I stole them under his bed. A pair I knew he wouldn’t miss or notice was gone. They looked so terrible my friend teased me badly about I.A: So who does what? them. Eventually, I went out to buy a new pair Fred: Vijay Manu is my main partner, he han- of shoes, as I marveled at a pair of shoes in the
INSPIR’ START-UP
shoe shop window, a shoe shine boy walked by. I felt compelled to ask him if he could make the pair of shoes I was looking at. He basically said that it was impossible to make a pair of shoes like that anywhere in Ghana. That answer upset me; after all, I thought to myself, these are just shoes not spaceships so why can’t they be made in Ghana? I told an Aunt of mine about the shoe Shine boy and how what he said upset me. She said she saw someone who made “excellent” shoes round the corner of where we lived. We went to see the guy, he didn’t make “excellent” shoes but he made shoes and it was a start. I did that for a little while until I thought to myself what if I made a company out of this. I.A: What is H.T.W. really about? Fred: It is about social entrepreneurship – definitely, we believe in the whole “you can do it yourself, you don’t have to rely on anyone” and setting ourselves up as an example for others to become entrepreneurs in Ghana. Our marketing tactic stems from who we want our target market to be: young, trendy and inspirational. The main reason we do this is we want to help other people, empower other start-ups. Recession or no recession, ignorance is the biggest problem in starting a business, people who know where to get their money from are able to establish businesses because they know where to get it
from, they do their homework. The message we are selling is the idea of the beads as well. I.A: Where do you get inspiration to design your shoes? Jeffrey: We like fashion; we use to have a t-shirt company. We check out blogs, we improvise try to figure out what our market will like and sometimes we just go for the cool factor and hopefully we get people who think like we do. It’s all by God’s grace. I.A: Can you describe the process from the design of a shoe to its actual fabrication? Jeffrey: We make sure we have the concept on
INSPIR’ START-UP
paper, we take it to the factory, go through the whole process of can we make it here, what kind of leather should be used, what kind of sole, gum sole or wooden soles, we get them cut. There are a lot of technicalities when we make the shoe, in the last part the shoe has to sit in a “last”. This will give it its final shape: the leather sits in it for a week or more and forms its shape. We design the shoes ourselves and fabricate them in our factory (Fred’s garage) and distribute on our website. We do direct marketing by approaching people we think are our direct market and pitch to them. We collaborate with organizations and individuals who we think will boost us – for example, we approached a lawyer from the second biggest law firm in Ghana because we felt he represented what the brand is about. However, it is all driven by word of mouth most of the time. I.A: What was your initial strategy and current
strategy? Jeffrey: Initially, we started by defining our product: we created a few shoes; we were looking for a certain image so we did a photo shoot to portray that image. We then put the pictures up on Facebook and then we attached questionnaires to accompany those photos. We offered people who answered the questions discounts for the products to encourage people to answer them. We knew our target so we wanted to get a feel of what they wanted, we asked questions such as “how much would you pay for a shoe?”, “what is the most you would pay for a shoe?” etc... Currently, we’re working on the product, packaging, souvenirs just to get the product right and then work on perception and how we want it to be viewed through branding. Once you’re on Facebook after doing all this you’ll attract the type of people who are attracted to that kind of brand image you created.
INSPIR’ START-UP I.A: What is the signification of the beads bracelets? Jeffrey: The black is for hard work, the gold is the reward of that hard work or the success after hard work. It is a reminder for all those trying to do something meaningful, just so people remember that success comes with all the hard work you have to put in it. They are hand made in our factory as well. IA: You don’t have a store yet because you want to be careful. What steps are you taking to make sure that the opening of the store will be a success? Fred: As much as we are shoe makers, we are also scholars and business men. We read a lot and ask a lot of questions to try and avoid making the mistakes a lot of startups make. When we came out people kept asking us where our shop is, when our website will come out and a lot of questions about the stuff they expect people to have when they start a company. The truth is when you start a company; you don’t have any customers so why spend money on renting an office space setting it up when you have no customers. The smarter thing to do is to start on Facebook or social media where you can have people like your page, share your page, send you messages or unlike, diss you but give you feedback nonetheless. The first thing you need is interaction, within that you will get a momentum and start to formalize the language that people understand. If you have a certain name but your customers know you by another, you would rather go for
the name your customers are familiar with, you won’t get the chance to do this if you come out with a launch immediately. You have to feel out the market. Also, you don’t just come out with a business plan because a business plan requires you to make projections about things you have no idea about because you haven’t started yet. I.A: What type of people did you approach for advice when you started? Jeffrey: We wanted to make sure we had an international company; although local it had to be an international brand. We targeted people who are big in Ghana, who had been in the industry a while. We we re blessed to meet some of them who ga ve us advice while some told us of their rough experiences. Some discou raged us with unpromising accounts of their experiences. We were concerned with branding; we went to see two top guys in Ghana for branding, they spoke to us and gave us advice. We approached a company that manufactures handicraft and wooden artifacts. They are based in Adenta but supply to Target in the US. So we did our research, we looked for people who knew and understood the requirement of the European and Western market. We did a lot of implementing as well and were frugal with our money. We read a book called “The four steps to epiphany” by Steve Blank about Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that helped us focus on the important things. We all have visions of grandeur when we start a business, but we should not let ourselves be carried away
in an attempt to reach those visions, the first step in to focus on the product. We are working on the product, our packaging, souvenirs such as the bead bracelets to get the product right and work on the perception we want people to have on the brand.
they need. Some people simply need advice or a photo shoot that they can’t afford. I.A: What is, according to you, the key to succeed in the industry in which you operate? Jeffrey: I would say you have to like what you do, that is the best way to get into something like this: passion. Everyday has to involve an emotion that keeps you going. You should also have a bigger goal than money; the truth is once you have money you’ll get bored. Also, find people who are doing things you are doing and ask them questions, buy books and watch their YouTube videos for inspiration and insight.
I.A: As social entrepreneurs, tell us more about your social venture? How do you encourage entrepreneurship in Ghana? Fred: The plan is to help people. We help start ups through funding, marketing and we give talks in colleges. We are currently helping a 19 year old girl who wants to start a female shoe company with start-up funds. We give free consultancy to people like her; we hope to help more people. We also help by providing tools for PR, video Join Heel The World’s Facebook page by clicking here shoots, photo shoots but it all depends on what
INSPIR’ ASSOCIATION
What is the basic concept behind We built: Africa?
WeBuilt: Africa is a social enterprise that hopes to implement change with contemporary architecture and design by redesigning and rebuilding the worn out market stalls and homes that span the slums of its many countries with recycled building materials.
What element led you to have such an idea / Where did the idea come from ?
I founded WeBuilt: Africa in my second year of architecture school, an idea that was brought to fruition in response to a design problem I had isolated in the informal market, a prime location for trade in my country, Nigeria. After many visits to the markets, I observed a widespread design issue that negatively affected the key parties partaking in the markets, the vendors and customers alike. The aim is to generate the highest possible outcome in terms of productivity and sales of each vendor, create a customer friendly environment and help in developing community-driven social economy.
Our Bi-Table Unit is designed such that space is more efficiently utilized with two table surfaces wrapping around the butcher, one for cutting, one for display. As a result, bring about a noticeable improvement in the immediate market surroundings of the trader; and the market as a whole. Once mass produced, incorporating alterations based on What is the BI Table Unit? Why did you come feedback from the the case-study pieces (longer up with it and how does it work? How did table surfaces, thicker wood and more shade), will butchers react to/welcome the concept? give each vendor a sense of empowerment as well We identify the problem within market to be that of as encourages people to buy local produce from disorganization which stems from the fact that the informal markets. each vendor partaking in different trades use similar units, a single surfaced table. In order to change Who can participate? Is certain knowledge in the existing market problem as a whole, we start architecture required? by solving each trade-specific problem by isolat- We Built:Africa is composed of various teams as ing each trade and designing for it as an individ- seen on your website. What are the conditions to ual entity; that is to say, a stall unit designed for a become and be a Team leader? Anyone motivated butcher would be different from that of a tomato enough to actively realize change in her/his comseller and of a mobile vendor. Increased productiv- munity can participate. No architecture knowledge ity and sales as indicated through the installation whatsoever is required, simply the willingness to of our first case-study; the Bi-Table unit design for work towards creating and ultimately, changing butchers in the markets. lives.
INSPIR’ ASSOCIATION Do you have a physical office in Nigeria?
We have been in and out of pop-up stores all year but we are hoping to soon set up a permanent location. We are currently located at 285, Akin Olugbade street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
What other project plans do you have coming up?
What is your academic background?
I am (un)fortunately, still an undergraduate. I have completed two years of architecture school at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SciArc) and currently taking a year off to realize design proposals. I will (un)fortunately be going back to complete my education this fall at UCLA.
How many members are in We Built: Africa today?
WeBuilt: Homes WeBuilt Homes aims to redesign and fabricate low budget well designed contemporary homes for those at the bottom of the pyramid in hopes of providing the basic necessities with the material they are accustomed to but with a modern twist. Contemporary architecture is meant for all and not just ‘high society’ so, the intention of this design proposal is to introduce innovative architecture with the influence of materials familiar to the site’s existing condition.
We have 76 volunteers and counting.
As you are Nigerian, it must have been straight forward to start-up in Nigeria. How do you intent to expand and touch on other African countries?
There is high demand for the trade-specific stalls as the informal markets span the streets of Africa and once a typical market is populated with a tradespecific units, it will serve as a basic model for replication through out Africa. We intend to liaise with as many African designers as possible by basically just spreading the word visa social media and creating enough awareness. With mass-production in mind, fabrication techniques used in the assembly of each unit are easy enough to be repeated; steps taken have been documented. These instructions are given along side the pieces of each stall in order to to allow for easy assembly. Add to that, materials are easily sourced and can be constructed with only the most basic tools required.
Above is a render of a design proposal deemed ‘Contemporary Shack Type A’. Embedded in its design are perforations to allow for natural light and ventilation in the space. It contains a bedroom, kitchen, shower cubicle, and a sales stall which is incorporated in order to cater to the vendor requirements of Blessing who trades to sustain her family. The pieces will be prefabricated in order to allow for ease in construction for the volunteers of WeBuilt Africa who will help build the structure.
THE FASHIONABLE CAREER of AISHA OBUOBI
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reated 4 years ago, Christie Brown is a luxury women’s clothing brand based in Accra, Ghana. Its founder, Aisha Obuobi, was one of the pioneers of the uprising of the African Fashion Industry through the use of its trademark wax print to create a new modern image of African beauty. The brand was among the prominent African brands during Fashion week in Paris and celebrities such as Alicia Keys have been caught rocking Christie Brown’s designs. Discover our Inspiring Career of the month...
INSPIR’ CAREER
THE BEGININGS.... Aisha (here on the left)always had a passion for fashion. Influenced at a young age by her Grand-mother who was a seamstress, it was something she always had an eye for. The brand was launched in March 2008 as she noticed there weren’t many African brands and people didn’t wear them enough. She thought it would be interesting to bring African fashion to people in a brand new way. Determined to see it work, she enrolled at the Vogue Style School of Fashion run by Joyce Ababio, a big name in Fashion in Ghana where she learnt to draft patterns and stitch for a year so she could have as much of a personal involvement with the creation of the brand as possible.
THE BRAND’S NAME Christie Brown is not Aisha’s alter ego, or a total invention. The name belongs to her grandmother who passed away 3 years before the young lady launched her brand. She decided to pay tribute to the woman who influenced her love for fashion. Aisha explains that she lived with her grandmother when she was younger. It was all about sewing machines and pieces of fabrics. Her grandmother was able to make clothes with all types of fabrics and she began doing the same. Her Aunt bought her a mini sewing machine and her Mom got her a weaving loom which all seemingly guided her towards her path.
THE CONCEPT... Christie Brown was created with the aim of encouraging people to wear wax and other African prints in a more original ways. People tend to wear prints and wax in traditional styles and on special occasions (Kaba’s, etc.). As Aisha confirms, things are gradually changing: “Now people wear wax on any occasion: on their regular working days, in clubs, or just on daily errands.” She is more than happy to see the change that is coming about in the way people wear print and wax not only in Ghana but in the fashion industry; a trend that is according to her, positive publicity for Africa within the industry and across the world.
INSPIR’ CAREER THE ORGANIZATION AT CHRISTIE BROWN Christie Brown is still a young label. As a result, Aisha does not really run a team of designers. However, she works with a partner, who is more involved in the merchandise and operational branch of the brand. They are a good team and bounce ideas back and forth between each other. Even though the brand is not yet a big fashion house with many designers, Aisha definitely aims at getting there in the near future.
THE EXPERIENCE OF PARIS... The label was one of the only Ghanaian designers chosen to showcase at the “L’ Afrique – à – porter” in 2010, in Paris Fashion week. She was apart of a collective of 9 other designers. “I was still fresh in the game, and it was thrilling to interact with artists who have been in the fashion game for much longer and to see how the industry is run from another perspective. It was an eye-opener.”. HER INSPIRATIONS... Aisha scouts for street style from around the world on various blogs. She is also inspired by her immediate surroundings: observing people on her way to work, at market places, at work. She is also inspired by Ghanaian street style. Oscar De La Renta, Diane von Fürstenberg, Carolina Herrera, and Celine are some of her favourite designers.
HER RECIPE OF LONGEVITY Because of the instability of trends, labels and designers, standing out in the fashion world is tough. For Aisha, the secret to longevity is building your brand on a specific VISION. “Do what you have to do the best you can… Come up with fresh things, but always with a precise vision”. It is about constantly building on the vision and aesthetic you have for your brand, to be recognizable with an element that runs through every collection, a sort of trade mark: “once people have identified you and your vision, they’ll follow you more easily, even if you are going for something different”. Christie Brown’s trade mark is African clothes with a modern twist; it is about creating interesting wax print marketable to all types of people.
THE GLOBAL PLACE OF AFRICAN FASHION “I’m not a member of those who think that we should always look African. We live in a global village nowadays”. According to Aisha, African and European influences are both apart of fashion. It’s much more interesting to mix them than to put them into different categories. Even though the wax fashion is a trend and a phase, there’s nothing wrong with that, African designers should ride that trend for exposure: “We have to see the positive side of this trend, and be proud of being African designers”. So even though it may be a fade, it is a chance for designers who want to be on the international scene to jump on there and enter the industry. African Fashion is often categorized but according to Aisha, it is not a negative thing, there is a pride in being the African designer and that doesn’t mean you can’t go global. There are foreign brands that simply by being based in New York have had international success such as Vera Wang, an Asian designer. If a designer wants to avoid categorization then they should be based in such international locations as New York but there is nothing wrong with categorization.
THE SECRET OF THIS SEASON Don’t forget to watch out for printed pants, they are the up and coming trend of the next season according to Aisha: “However, the true secret is to harbour your personal style so you can interpret the trend in your own unique way and know how best it works for you!”
“If you have a real passion for fashion, just go for it. Don’t let anyone put you down or talk you out of it. It gets though and there are days you don’t want to do it anymore but it’s that passion that will drive you, making you able to renew your collections every season. If you have an aesthetic you want to get out there, go for it, the challenges will push you through.” Aisha Obuobi. You can discover Aisha OBUOBI and her collection by clicking here
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4 QUESTIONS TO
frica Youth Network (AYONET) is the hub of youth entrepreneurship in Ghana today. It encourages young Ghanaians to get involved and become decision makers for their country. Through various award ceremonies, the youth are shown appreciation and encouragement and are also inspired by the hard work of their peers; these awards are great exchanging grounds for the young entrepreneurs of Ghana.
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frica Youth Network (AYONET) em when a group of young Ghanaians met and d for youth inclusiveness in decision-makin country. We also notice that the African y be empowered.
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he organization’s mission is to promote aw build the skills and experience of the disad young people in Ghana and Africa to effect p changes. (Lead, Transform and Achieve). The p of AYONET are to mobilize youths across the co pate in all spheres of national development. The a holistic involvement of young people as key acto ing and social transformation. The strategy the in order to realize these objectives is to streng pacities of youth leaders and to advocate a influence policies promoting and main ing youth participation in nation processes.
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n order to carry out our missions, we have different strategies. For instance, we engage youth, communities and policy makers through advocacy, forums and interactive sessions. Entrepreneurship seminars and programs are also core values of AYONET, as we hope to bring change in all aspect of youth development.
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hana Youth Awards (GYA), organized in collaboration with 54 Kingdoms LLC, will highlight and acknowledge the efforts of Ghanaian youths (15-35 years) in every field. Awards will be given in sixteen individual categories, three group awards, and a community service award. The awards will be a celebration of youth, culture and most importantly creativity. The goal of the GYA is to acknowledge the achievements of exceptional young Ghanaians in the country and around the world making significant impact in Ghana. GYA also seeks to promote positive youth development by inspiring young people to achieve greater heights and to know that good achievements are recognized and highly appreciated.
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