Lecture: 'Afriek & Friends: Be the change you want to see'

Afriek & Friends present: Be the change you want to see Moderator: Akenna Azuiki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDEdxCdgK28 Topics: ● ● ●

Equal Collaboartion Cultural Appropriation Diversity in the corporate and the media world

Fashion from Africa should not be worn by everybody.

Question for the Audience.

Girl: If you dont know about culture and history you should not wear it. Braids-you should not wear braids if you dont know about africa.

Is there a thing about ‘african fashion’?

YES Can a white eruopean girl start an african fashion brand.

80 YES 14 NO Girl: They can start an african inspired fashion brand but not an african brand.

Sivan Breemhaar Founder Afriek Why did you start Afriek?

They , her co-founder and her were very naive, she studied human rights. She wanted to change the mindset and went to Rwanda, found herself in the same bias there. Very troubled by her own mindset which appeared there when she was doing research there. Looking down to their country and comparing their institutions and environments to the european world.

She wants to show equal collaboration.

Questionable to start an african inspired brand as white people.

Transformations-> her initial point : to change the view on africa.

Critics: you show a very white version of your brand.

She was offended by all the critics because she wanted to bring and embrace african fashion with the best intentions to show another point of view on the rich beauty of the african culture.

Ethical manifesto. So many questions-how to answer this.

Talking about difficult topics and find answers.

Critical feedback is not as much heard as it is there. She didn’t even think that it will be a problem.

Brand that wants to address the inequality.

‘The white european girl’ Ethical Manifesto.

In New York people are very outspoken, a lot of empowerment for black people. She wore in the subway and felt like being looked at. In the states they have been fighting for equality for a very long time in a very strong way.

She wants to find new blind spots very they can develop themselves. She wants to make a conversation and wants to make it easier to talk about it.

Speak up! Don't be afraid of mistakes, you gonna do them anyway a dominican republic girl sad to her and don't tip top around us.

Supporting each other no matter who you are, but try to understand the culture and being vulnerable is very important for a business that crosses cultural boundaries.

Transform one step further. Work towards equality- making mistakes.

What is african fashion.

Once you have a definition.

His definition: colour and design and drawings and stories.-the core If you talk about africa you need to talk about stories Perception of consumers is different in europe.

Equal collaboration.

Perspectives-but knowing what's happening in africa, dynamics.

African that, african this, european that, european this.

A lot of those artist are saying I am an artist first and yes I am from africa, labeling is the problem.

Do we need to label them ?

Old buddhist saying: How we live today can make the difference of who we will be tomorrow.

ZenZi consultant for fashion brands/ Brand Strategist Courage People are through things like inequality unfairness.

Ethics Problematic Brands Being sensitive and bring a message across.

Questions that we ask oneself on a daily basis: Reflection of the Zeitgeist we live in World becomes smaller

WE live in what feels like a GLOBAL VILLAGE How can we make room and space for all these cultural differences, different perspectives and all these origins and identities ? and expectiations that we see and feel around us As the world is becoming flatter the more we want to be different.

How can we remain respectful towards others but integral ourselves withing this global vision.

Importance of ethics !

We all need a moral compass.

Tony’s Chocolonely has a critical voice.

Fast fashion brand pointed inclusion and diversity head.

H&m -> has now a head of inclusion and diversity for the first time in 2018.Designers ask how to take inspiration, how it is appropriate.

How they take inspiration-> fearful to even do so, afraid to do something wrong and take something what is not theirs.

Once you borrow inspiration you make it ur own and sell it . How do u honour what you borrowed?

Downfall of brands on this -latest examples PRADA And Dolce and Gabbana with their add.

Cultural appropriation happens all the time in fashion.

Abu bakr fofanna he comes from mali and master indigo dyer.

Honest conversation: he was very disappointed, he does lots of workshops and he felt that students just took this and pretend it is them being masters of dyeing.

Share benefits of the inspirations. It is a problem.

We need a space to be represented.

How do I ensure that a particular tribe doesn’t feel bad?

ASK THEM Give them an opportunity to have a voice!

The next challenge: are we ready to hear what they say?

And are we giving importance?

Contribute to Mozambique, with her own project, mozambique hardly gets mentioned, artisan women of her country in rural isolated environments worked on their crafts for decades, she brought artists from europe to mozambique.

Failure-Learning experiences Western framework being placed on african things Feeling sorry , pitying . forget about the focus and the beauty.

Start using design and creativity as a vehicle to understand each other.

Getting hands dirty, weaving, working together on a daily basis.

They did not only learn techniques but they learned life lessons.

Interaction, creativity starts breaking barriers, by working together.

Norms and valus.

Building bridges Which is incredible hard.

Fundamental shift is needed !

Positive changes that happened: edward covina ghananian british vogue editor, virgil abloh, more diversity on covers, Virgil abloh made sure so let everyone know of the origin.

Conde nast in cape town , african expertsand entrepreneus, get a voice what luxury means to them Ikea works with african artist.

Beyonce No doubt that africa is the future.

Look around you.

Large consumer based is growing and growing Brands have to jump on that if they havent yet inspire ohters to build bridges and work together with africans Collaborate, change.

Where are the people that look like me where are there ?

Too many offices without much representation True lack of diversity Its difficult to understand differences if we dont have the representation.

Critical thinker, hgead of inclusion and diversity.

Real change: start living by these values As a humanity we need to extend out aawareness beyond the immediate sphere of the awareness we live in on a daily basis . the understanding once miser is our misery The world is a mask dancing if you want to see it well you need to move.

Not only Educating girls in developing countries, really feel it and live by it Interconnected more than ever If we drive as a whole we change for the better

Who do you ask if you want to take inspiration.

There is no speaker but you have to make conscious effort, you need to do your research, where it comes from, what it represents. Research is more than checking a pinterest page.

Complex theme, how far are you going to take that inspiration, literally embedded in the collections you have an issue with crediting.

Afriek goes to the people asks them and works with them.

Simple things like using a photograph -> taking from them using them. Ask for authorization extend the awareness of what and how u gonna use it.

Commercial property you have to talk to these people.

Critical Voice inside Tony Chocolonely Tewatha Muller: 100 % slave free in chocolate Critical eye in the company , what and how the do eat and make people open their eyes and woke !

A lot of her colleagues, work there they wanna be well but in the process everyone makes mistakes and example for a mistake: Year report Pages what tonys did for the farmers, This changed to show how he is benefitting tonys.

Stereotyping ! Old fashioned image of africa.

Tonys mission: 100% slavefree all chocolate in the world.

Challenge to have more diversity in companies and to overcome the awkwardness of making mistakes in this kind of manner, since it is very hard and complex.

Leading by example. Tonys chocolate is 100% slave free but all chocolate should be !

Bottom line: we live in an unequal society. The higher meeting rooms do not represent society.

Is holland an unequal society: YES One sided 55yrs plus men in the highest positions.

First put people in to boxes to understand the world normal procedure but then we have a choice !!

First idea when we look at someone but then we have a choice!

A choice to get to know the person the background the culture, do research, acknowledge, try to understand and to learn from each other and collaborate and connect.

Big brands benefitting from cultures need to give back and acknowledge and give those a platform. You cant benefit from those you never supported.

You cant make profit from others.

Last presentation: the state of the culture We are in a good state, the millenials and the generations at the moment are really questioning and rebelling and standing for a shift and change of mind, they stand against inequality and racism and for LGBTQ rights. They are so cricital and outspoken !

Brands have to come up and be agile to have a customer group right now. If their brand is not giving something back or trying to move something in this world, it is hard to compete.

Challenges for 2019 Next step for brands and instutions: is not to stand for something but to change something !

Take action.

Do something for the culture.

Travelers: Communicate the image of a country different than it is known and shown to the world.

Stereotyping needs to stop.

GET WOKE !!!!