00:00Hello guys, welcome to Entertainment Week Africa 2025, one of the largest gathering
00:06of industry stakeholders, creatives and of course innovators who are all gathered under
00:11one building to discuss one thing, how to move the Africa creative industry forward.
00:17This year's team Closed the Gap talks about creating more opportunities, access and of
00:22course a freedom to choose to be the best thing that has ever happened.
00:27Come along with us as we explore.
00:41I think that one way you can balance both is to, as much as you can, be your true self,
00:47your most authentic self and trust yourself.
00:52If you know me very well, you know I don't give a shit, like I don't care.
00:56I do as I want, I'm very original as it gets, like I don't send anybody, I'm not so much
01:03am I?
01:04If there's anything like being too much, yes.
01:08I feel like the gaps are already getting close.
01:11Women are doing more, from millennials to Gen Z and even after we're doing much more with
01:17ourselves, we're achieving more, we are being more vocal and like I said, we're already
01:23bridging the gap.
01:24So it's just fantastic and it's a lovely time to be alive.
01:27The gaps are plenty.
01:28Gap between skill development, gap in access to opportunities, gap in connectivity.
01:42So, small example is, you as a young talent are looking for an opportunity to either express
01:49yourself or you have something that you're looking to sell, but you don't know where
01:55or how to sell it.
01:57You know, that's just a small example and we create the platform, give them the opportunity
02:02where sellers can meet buyers and buyers can meet sellers, just as an example.
02:07You need to advertise.
02:08And I tell people, no matter how popular you are, that's why a lot of celebrity businesses
02:13don't last.
02:14Because they're like, I am this, why would I need to pay you?
02:17You gotta pay!
02:18Because guess what?
02:19Our audience might not be your audience.
02:21His audience might not be your audience.
02:23So you know what?
02:24Pay and advertise.
02:25And I'm sure once you advertise, you see the power of ads.
02:30And then again, there's the power of collaboration.
02:32This panel section was about fashion and it made me understand more about fashion.
02:39I'm not really a fashion type, so I will not say I learnt much, but it's more educative
02:45about fashion.
02:46To teach the fashion world and how we can grow.
02:50And with the assistance of AI, we know AI is coming up and you know how social media
02:55has been.
02:56So with the help of social media and with the help of AI, it makes us understand that
03:00we can boost our product, make more fashion, not follow the trend.
03:04Because most times we follow the trend and get distracted.
03:07So while working on our own self, we can get understanding, make our own different product
03:13because we don't want to get distracted by the trend and social media.
03:17I actually listen more than I speak.
03:18And that is why I do a lot of educative content on social media because I learn a lot.
03:26I don't do too much and I don't think there are certain places you shouldn't do too much.
03:30Something in life, you get it.
03:31You just have to be a go-getter.
03:32And I felt like at the time, at 19, my pocket money in school was not enough anymore.
03:37I wanted more.
03:38I wanted to do more things.
03:39I wanted to buy more things.
03:41And I would call my mom.
03:42My mom would just say, in Yoruba, when I lost this school, I thought to myself, I
03:48only had two choices, work or sleep with men for money.
03:51And I decided to work at the age of 19.
03:54And I would never forget this.
03:57That decision at that point in life literally upped me throughout my life
04:03because I became consistent in what I wanted, what I want to do in life.
04:06I became a go-getter that I didn't even know I was myself.
04:09Challenges, right?
04:11Prior to The Real Housewives of Lagos, I was Laura.
04:14I was quite popular on social media.
04:16And I tell people I only choose to put out positivity.
04:19I don't put when I cry on social media.
04:22I don't put when I'm sad on social media.
04:23I don't call people out.
04:25That's something I don't do.
04:26I have principles.
04:27I do not call, no matter how bad you are to me, I don't call people out.
04:31And I don't challenge certain, you know, rumors about me.
04:34I've been here for too long.
04:36So nothing really faces me.
04:38When I did Real Housewives, I mean, prior to Real Housewives, you've not seen me cry before now.
04:43But I did Real Housewives and season one, I was very emotional.
04:48And that was one part of me that a lot of people didn't know.
04:51Well, Ntemi Week Africa is the largest gathering of the entire creative ecosystem.
04:57The idea of moving from Ntemi Week Lagos to Ntemi Week Africa is because we realized that the problems and the challenges facing the creative sector, the creative ecosystem across the continent is similar.
05:08You know, whether it's infrastructure, it's funding, or how we can strengthen our collective voice vis-à-vis global conversation, global stage.
05:18That's the reason why, you know, we're doing this.
05:20And it's in its fourth edition.
05:22This is an expansion from Ntemi Week Lagos, now Ntemi Week Africa across four different locations for the first time this year.
05:30So, you know, we have here at Eco Hotel, we have at Ebony Life that takes care of like our film screenings, our film premieres and our music showcases and things like that.
05:40And then Alliance Francais is where we have our AI and tech aspect, you know, for entertainment week.
05:47And of course, over here at Eco Hotel, we have all the workshops and panels and masterclasses and whatnot.
05:52Then all the night events such as opening party, opening nights, opening events, fashion show, comedy show, all the night stuff happens at LifeSpot Entertainment.
06:05Well, first of all, the fact that I get to see the ladies, I mean, I was on the panel with my fellow real housewives.
06:13So, I mean, getting to sit with them, share insights, you know, learn one or two things from my fellow housewives.
06:20I think that was really the highlights for me and seeing them after such a long time.
06:24We already have a round circle. Within that circle, fashion, film, music, all are within it.
06:33The African creative industry, they are all intertwined, right?
06:39When you see a fashion design, when you see a music, what do you call it? An artist, right? Shooting a music video.
06:45What are you seeing? You are seeing production, which is film. You are seeing the outfit, which is fashion and in music.
06:51So already these industries are all intertwined. The question is, how do they come together?
06:56Which is collaboration. Collaboration is key. So basically, the foundation for collaboration is already there.
07:02It's just a matter of the kind of community you are trying to collaborate with.
07:06What do you call it? Yeah, basically that's it. What community are you trying to collaborate with?
07:15They all go together already. The foundation is already there. That's the good thing about it.
07:18For me, consistency can be positive and negative. I've been consistent. Again, when I think, when I look at my Instagram page and I see people that are like,
07:26I will put something that will make people visit my page. So it's very deliberate for me. I deliberately put myself out there because my brand is my money.
07:36Some of us can be in denial and be like, I don't care. But as human beings, we need to grow.
07:42In stages of life, we need to grow and change and growth is great for us.
07:47This has all been a defining and inspiring moment at Entertainment Week Africa 2025.
07:53And with the team close the gap, the message is clear. More opportunities, more access and more collaborations.
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