- 2 days ago
Over the past decade the Fashion scene in Africa has boomed, expanding beyond the continent's borders. Globalization, the advent of the internet and platforms such as Oxosi and Lagos Fashion Week have undoubtedly contributed to the international recognition of African designers. Many of whom have been heavily involved in and relied on reviving traditional techniques to make their mark on the fashion industry. As technology in the field continues to evolve and move into a new digital reality how are some of these designers looking to incorporate/translate the heritage upheld by themselves and indigenous artisans into Web3.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I'll see you next time.
00:30I'll see you next time.
01:00I'll see you next time.
01:30I'll see you next time.
01:32I'll see you next time.
01:34So to my right is Aki Adebowale, who is the CEO of Black Tag.
01:39A round of applause for Aki.
01:41And to my left, Niki Okuboejo, who is the creative director for Post-Imperial, and also an adjunct professor of design at Parsons.
01:55So the general idea is we are trying to understand how to preserve traditional techniques and the practice of artisans in textiles back home in Africa, particularly Nigeria in this conversation, because that's where Niki is from.
02:14I'm also from Nigeria.
02:15Did I say my name?
02:16I'm Ari.
02:18I'm a filmmaker.
02:19But I have worked with these two intimately in both of their practices.
02:23So I think I would like to actually kick it off with Nii, if that's okay, just to talk.
02:31Oh, yes.
02:32Oh, yeah.
02:32Andrea Iyama was supposed to be here.
02:35Unfortunately, she had to skip town.
02:37So we're very sorry about that.
02:40You have to deal with us.
02:43I'm going to get Nii to start because I think his practice is so interesting.
02:49I think that he is part of a movement that is reviving a technique called Adire back home in Nigeria.
02:55And I think it is something that's going to be very pivotal in understanding sort of, you know, how we bridge these two people or merge these two worlds.
03:07So, Nii, do you want to just talk a bit about post-imperial and what you do?
03:10Hello?
03:11Okay.
03:11Hi, everyone.
03:12My name is Nii Okubo-Ijo.
03:13I am the founder of Post-Imperial, a fashion brand that we work with closely with a lot of artisans around Africa, particularly Nigeria, Morocco, and Kenya.
03:26Very close to the artisans that we work with.
03:29And we are stocked in matches.
03:31Mr. Porter, Bird Dog Goodman.
03:33We've been on GQ cover.
03:35We've been everywhere.
03:36So I'm proud of our achievements and the things that we've been able to do working with a lot of these artisans on the ground.
03:43And the kind of product that we've been able to deliver is unmatched in terms of the quality and in terms of what we actually do.
03:50Now, in terms of, like, when we talk about Web 3.0, before we even start with Web 3.0,
03:55I know a lot of people don't even understand what that is, right?
03:58Let's start and go into, like, Web 1.0 and 2.0 and 3.0.
04:03So basically, Web 1.0 is basically, like, when the Internet started.
04:08And that started off with, like, peer-to-peer sharing, right?
04:11And that's how we got things like Napster, LimeWire, and we were able to share things like MP3s and videos and information.
04:19So we're just sharing information.
04:20Web 2.0, we saw the emergence of social media, right?
04:26And now we're in Web 3.0, we're still trying to figure out what that is.
04:30That's mostly on, you know, with crypto, NFTs, and blockchain, right?
04:36So a lot of that, you know, there is the narrative of ownership.
04:39There's the narrative of financial freedom and moving us to the next steps where everyone has an opportunity to take over their narrative
04:48and have more equity all across the board.
04:53So it's an interesting concept, and it's something that it's inevitably be, like, Web 3.0 is inevitable.
05:00It's going to happen, right?
05:01But in the way that we think it's going to happen, I don't, I'm still hesitant on, I'm cautiously optimistic on where we're going with it,
05:12with the NFTs and with, you know, with the blockchain and everything.
05:16I don't know if that's how we're going to eventually use Web 3.0.
05:21So when I hear people talking about, you know, financial security for, like, people of color or different marginalized communities,
05:35I'm very wary about it sometimes because it really feels like sometimes we're just kind of adopting adjacent systems from old oppressive systems
05:43and just kind of applying it there.
05:44And so we think about, like, oh, let's, like, give, like, marginalized people more equity and whatnot,
05:49but, like, who are the people that are actually benefiting from that equity that we are putting out there, right?
05:57We could say, okay, it might be a certain amount of black people,
06:01but then let's even look at the power dynamics of us over here versus marginalized people in the global south, in the third world.
06:07A lot of them run on electricity, like, maybe they don't have electricity 23 hours of the day, right?
06:14And they make, like, less than $2 a day, right?
06:17How are they able to actually adopt what we, the promises that we have Web 3.0?
06:22So it's a very, very complex conversation.
06:25And sometimes it just feels like it's being flatlined on the idea of, like, there's this promise that it's going to liberate
06:31or bring some sort of liberation to marginalized people.
06:34So it's something I also want us to be very, very, like, wary of when we start stepping into that conversation about Web 3.0.
06:42And just remember that, like, when we are talking about diversity in these spaces,
06:50there's a little bit of elite capture that Olufemi Taiwo, a philosopher, talks about.
06:55And that's really about capturing that elite black people or elite marginalized people,
07:01elite people from the marginalized communities that actually make those decisions
07:06instead of actually looking at everyone as a whole.
07:08So it's not everyone that's being liberated.
07:10That's the first part.
07:11The second part is the ecological aspect of Web 3.0.
07:18I'll give you an example.
07:20One currency exchange of Bitcoin, just one, is about the same energy that a household in Europe uses for four days.
07:31That's one, right?
07:33So we have to be, that's not something that we can escape,
07:38especially now that all of us are very aware of the ecological aspects of, like, our ecological climate right now.
07:44That's something that we need to take into consideration, right?
07:46So I'm all for progress.
07:50I'm all for going on to the next step.
07:51And I, you know, when I work with my artisans, I'm always looking for the next way to actually work with them.
07:58I have to work with them with technology.
07:59I use WhatsApp to communicate with all my artisans.
08:02I design all my stuff on Photoshop and, like, all the different programs out there.
08:07And I allow them, with their practice, to kind of transform or translate what I give them, right?
08:16So technology is important.
08:18But we have to be very wary and careful about how we frame how technology is going to save us
08:25and then save those marginalized people, especially in the global south.
08:29Great.
08:30So can I bring Aki in here to just contribute to that, maybe even distill it a little bit?
08:36You can maybe start off by just letting people know what Black Tag is
08:39and how we enter, or you as a company, enter into this conversation.
08:46Yeah.
08:46Thank you so much for that intro, Ari, and thank you, Nii, for that opener.
08:52So Black Tag is a, at the most basic level, Black Tag is a global platform for Black creators.
09:00And our mission is to equate Black art to Black money, in a sense, with the understanding
09:10that currently Black economic power does not equate our immense creative power.
09:17And our solution towards this, solution towards this problem, fixing this problem, is innovation, right?
09:26And leveraging technology, leveraging the internet, leveraging media, and leveraging different forms of creativity.
09:34So, and that's being led by Black creators.
09:37And so, and that's how we are a part of this conversation, right?
09:41Web 3 is a no-brainer for us.
09:43Web 3 is important.
09:44And it is the, you know, and just to, just to recap on Nii's opener, and just from understanding
09:52it from just like a very basic level, there's Web 1, which was reading, which is around like
09:58information, taking in information, simple, 1990 to 2005, you know?
10:05And then there's Web 2, which is about read and write, right?
10:08That's 2005 to 2020, right?
10:13Which is more so, we are creating the internet.
10:16We are writing the internet.
10:17We are, through social media, through YouTube, Instagram, through blogging, like we're creating
10:23the internet.
10:24And then there's Web 3, which is read, write, and own, meaning that we're owning it now, right?
10:29And so, to tap into, to respond to Nii and his points, it's understanding it first, right?
10:37First and foremost, collectively as people, we need to understand this space.
10:41Where a part of it is affecting our lives on the day-to-day, it's creating wealth, and
10:45the concern that Nii brought up is very warranted.
10:50You know, it's like, you know, it's this new thing, it's exciting, you see a lot of money
10:54going into it, there's a lot of innovation, a lot of relevance, but what is it, how is
10:58it changing our narrative, how is it changing things for us, right?
11:02And the solution to that is being involved, being involved early on, it's forming, it's
11:08Web 3, it's just begun.
11:09Like I said, 2020 is when you can technically say Web 3 is a thing, right?
11:14And so, we have the opportunity to be a part of that, to write what it actually means.
11:19And, you know, and really, that's what's going to help it support what we need to do and
11:30get towards that economic environment that we're trying to get to.
11:33And to respond to some of the other points that you mentioned, Nii, so the idea of, for
11:45instance, environmentalist, and, you know, it's very fitting being, this is the place
11:51and this, the theme of this, this event is also very, like, sustainability, environment.
11:58The environmentalist is an example, right?
12:02They made a lot of noise in this space and were very, very active to the point that Nii made
12:11around just, like, the amount of power consumption and energy consumption that Web 3 is associated
12:16with, right?
12:17And, you know, and crypto in general.
12:20And so, then making that noise forced a lot of the players and a lot of the technologists,
12:26which is, to be honest with you, just to be blunt, Web 3 is made up of wealthy white boys
12:30and tech white boys right now.
12:33That's what it's really 99.9% made of, you know?
12:36And so, a part of that is the environmentalists who care about the environment, who want to,
12:42who think, who care about being sustainable.
12:46And so, with them being involved this early in formulating that, you know, we, the space
12:54is being recreated, right, in a sense.
12:56So, a solution to, for instance, that the energy consumption is new types of protocols
13:01and new types of, like, versions of these, like, coins and these, like, this crypto,
13:05right?
13:05Or these, a blockchain that consumes less energy.
13:08Because people made noise.
13:09People say, yo, this thing is crazy.
13:11To the point that Nii made today, a specific example that he made, this is not sustainable.
13:16This is not going to work.
13:17So, the technologists came together.
13:19The community came together.
13:20And we're, and we're shipping out new versions of, of the, of the tech.
13:25Shipping out new versions of that technology.
13:26Like, like, new versions that's much less from an energy consumption standpoint.
13:33So, I use that example to say that should be the same approach towards we who care about
13:38not only the environment, but also about black wealth, right?
13:42Black economic empowerment.
13:44Get involved in the forming of this so that we can contribute.
13:49And so that we can, so this, it can be formed to support our needs, right?
13:54And, you know, and that's really what I have to say about that.
13:57I think, I think it's, it's definitely a new space.
14:00It's, it's, it's, it's, it's going to be relevant.
14:03You know, it's, it is going to be relevant.
14:05I can say it's not speculation.
14:06It is relevant.
14:07It is, it is going to be part of everyone's lives.
14:09And we just got to be a part of it.
14:10And that takes understanding it and, and being very intentional in how we, and how we do it.
14:15Yeah.
14:16I just wanted to add to that point.
14:17I, I'm not against technology.
14:19I'm not against modernism.
14:20I'm not against progress.
14:21Um, I'm all for those things, but I'm all for it in a way that allows all these different
14:27communities to have autonomy, to be able to make decisions and not, I'm, I'm for progress
14:32that allows for, um, symbiotic relationships rather than parasitic relationships, right?
14:39And that's what I want.
14:40So I'm, I'm all for that.
14:41I'm, I'm interested in understanding how web three can protect the interest of designers
14:51like me, but also, um, his artisans that are making the Adirae, you know, like web two,
14:57I think has been a really big, played a really big part in like propagating African fashion
15:02in general.
15:02Um, I bought this Mercosur top from your website when you were, um, you know, doing fashion.
15:09Um, and Andrea Yama has leveraged, um, uh, her, her like IG following and she's just so
15:16smart at, at putting herself forward and her brand and her story forward.
15:19And it's, it's made everyone like in New York and Nigeria, you know, buy her stuff and she's
15:24Lagos fashion week and all of these other places.
15:26I want to understand what web three can do for, for, for them right now.
15:32Um, but I also want to understand what it will do for the people at home that are doing
15:37this very, very intricate detailing that, that me is working on.
15:41So, um, I don't know which way to throw it now because I feel like people should maybe
15:46know a little bit about Adirae or to give me the chance to talk a bit about Adirae and
15:50what that means and then swing it back to you to find out, you know, how we protect the
15:54people making this close.
15:55So Adirae is a very old, um, dying technique that originates from Southwest region of Nigeria.
16:01Um, if you understand the traditional motifs that come with Adirae, you can actually read
16:07or write like a story with those motifs.
16:09All those motifs have symbolic meaning.
16:11So when I work with the artists and sometimes I incorporate some of those motifs and sometimes
16:15I'll design my own, um, uh, motifs as well, but it's, it's always an interesting, um, um,
16:21dynamic when I talk to them because I'm talking to people with like they themselves,
16:25have like 50, 60 years of experience.
16:29And then on top of that, it's like hundreds of years of experience that they are carrying
16:33on, on their shoulders, right?
16:34So it's me respecting, uh, collaborating.
16:37It's three things that's happening when we're, we're using Adirae.
16:40We're collaborating with people, the beep dyers.
16:43We're collaborating with materials.
16:45Those are the fabrics that we're working with.
16:47And we're collaborating with culture.
16:48So the Adirae process itself, we have to kind of respect that.
16:51So the way that we actually use Adirae is that like, um, they take wax and they designed wax
16:57on top of the fabric and then they now dye it into these pit dyes, uh, and then bring
17:02them out and then they dry, have them like hanging to dry.
17:05So, um, it's a very tactile process and it's one that, you know, I'm proud that we've been
17:10able to scale it in a, to a point where we can actually serve all of our, our accounts
17:16and our clients.
17:16Um, and I've worked closely with them to kind of develop it and stretch the idea of what
17:21Adirae can be from, um, experimenting with different fabrics to adjusting the dye processes
17:26so that it can match the different, um, quality control for the different markets that are
17:30in.
17:31So, um, yeah, that's basically what Adirae is about.
17:34Um, in terms of what, um, how I think web 3.0 can kind of serve that community.
17:40Um, again, I, I still think web 3.0 is still this new thing that, that is bubbling, right?
17:46We still don't know what it actually will come out to be.
17:49If you think about web 1.0, web 1.2.0, when it started, you know, the thing that everyone
17:54thought it was going to be, it didn't end up being that, right?
17:57Web 1.0 started off as with message boards, with, you know, people just having websites
18:01with information, but it ended up being something that people just share information, like, directly
18:06with, like, like I said, LimeWire and Napster.
18:08Um, when web 2.0 started, it was these kind of pages where people were just like, oh, I
18:13want to start, like, connect with my college friends, so here's Facebook, but now look
18:17what Facebook's become, right?
18:19And before then, if you were to ask, like, how could Facebook help African designers or
18:23African communities back then, you can't really answer that question, right?
18:26So I think it's the same thing here, too, as well.
18:29We're still trying to figure out what web 3.0 is going to actually be or how it's going
18:33to come about, and, you know, especially, and, and one thing we have to also realize
18:37is that web 3.0 actually is actually living in the internet.
18:40You are talking about, like, writing, um, and owning the internet, right?
18:44It's actually living in that space, right?
18:46Um, there are people who actually sell, like, digital, like, real, digital real estate, like,
18:52agents that actually sell real estate in, on the metaverse, right?
18:55But how can we apply that to people, like I said, that don't have electricity 24, like,
19:0223 hours a day?
19:03So those are things that, like, there are political aspects, there are geopolitical aspects, there
19:07are social aspects that we have to kind of address first before we now start thinking
19:10about, like, how does web 3.0 actually serve these communities?
19:14And I think it can, right?
19:16It's just, like, for example, Post-Imperial, we've been able to serve the communities any way
19:20where we can, but one of the things that we've tried to do is not come from a, a
19:24save your perspective, because I always look at it like this.
19:27If Post-Imperial doesn't exist, the artisans that I'm working with, they'll find a way
19:31to make life work for them, right?
19:33So I'm not coming up, approaching it as, like, I'm here to save them, right?
19:37It's like, hey, I have this great idea, and you guys have, like, are, are great at doing
19:42this, let's come together, let's collaborate, let's work, and let's try to do this together,
19:47right?
19:47So there has to be a collaborative aspect to this, and not coming in and saying, like, hey,
19:51we have this thing, and this thing will save you, because, again, these people that are
19:57smart, they just don't have the same opportunities that we don't, like, we've had, right?
20:02Don't have the same privileges that we've had, so we have to be very mindful about that,
20:07and I think, like I said, collaboration is one of the things that we need to, like, think
20:11about, and that's having a sense of empathy.
20:13I always coin what we do, empathic design, right?
20:16And it's all about collaborating, and so a lot of that has to come into place, like,
20:21collaborating with different aspects of, you know, from creative aspect to the political
20:26aspect to the social aspect, and seeing how all of those things can come together, because
20:30I don't believe in one future, I believe in multiple futures, and so in order for all
20:35those things to happen, you have to engage in multiple aspects, and you can't necessarily
20:38do it all yourself, a lot of things have to happen, but that one thing that you can do
20:42really well, you take that one thing and you do it, and then it becomes the cog in the
20:46machine that could make that change, too.
20:48Oh, okay.
20:49It'd be, I think we will try and get some questions in, but it'd be great for you to
20:53counter that, and maybe I should be a bit clearer and say that my concern is that Web3
20:58and, you know, like, meta and digital design wipes out traditional Adonis and Adired wax
21:08printers that have to be at home and doing this thing by hand, you know, that idea of craftsmanship
21:12in Web3.
21:12Yeah.
21:13No, no, no.
21:13Again, these are all very valid and warranted concerns.
21:16I think perhaps the best way to approach this is less about thinking about Web3 as a tool
21:22or this object, but more so as a system and just an environment, right, of this, that capitalizes
21:32on this concept of decentralization.
21:34So, for the example that you used around, you know, just not even having power, you know,
21:39back home, you know, we can tie that back down to, you know, arguably down to just, like,
21:45bad governance, right?
21:47And so, literally, governance is one of the very, like, core components of Web3 or crypto,
21:55right, in that space, right?
21:57Decentralization, this idea of, like, a trustless environment.
22:00Trustless is a term within Web3 that means you don't, we're no longer trusting individuals
22:06that we're allowing smart contracts and technology and logic to be able to decide and mediate,
22:12right, right, and it's just, like, it is what it is, right?
22:15There's no, like, there's no politics, there's no, it's self-governance, right?
22:20The very basis of Web3 is about that idea of decentralization, right?
22:24So, think of it as a mindset, not so much a tool to solve a specific problem, but, you know,
22:29like, if this is not working, what do we, how do we leverage ownership, how do we leverage
22:34decentralization and creating our own systems of governance, right, to make it work?
22:38A great example staying in Africa is probably M-PESA, which is a payment, electronic payments
22:48established in Kenya, right?
22:50Pre-PayPal, pre-all of Square and, you know, what we all use today, this started off in Kenya
22:57almost as a solution to the problem we're having with traditional means of exchanging, like,
23:02payments, right, and so from there, many, like, non-Africans were inspired and they created
23:11these systems and these, like, ways that we pay today, right, giving that example, but
23:16that's taking a concept, that's taking this technology not as a tool but as a concept,
23:22right, that helps you build the very basis for new establishments, right, and decentralization
23:29is the key in this scenario, hence why the government and, you know, they really don't
23:34know what to do with Web3 right now, right, it's not, it's not controllable, it's hard
23:37to tax, it's, it's trustless, you don't know who's associated with it, and, and right now
23:43it's like, there's, there's scrambling because they don't, they don't fully understand it,
23:47right, and so, like, it's, it's that idea of, like, thinking beyond, I mean, don't be an
23:51anarchist or be an anarchist if you want.
23:53It's up to you, you know what I'm saying, but, but, you know, but, but, you know, think
23:57about how do I, how do we leverage this system to create a baseline to build on top of and
24:02not just as something to solve an issue, rebuild using it versus using it to mend a problem.
24:09Yeah, I agree with that.
24:10I think one of the things that we could probably do in terms of, like, incorporating Web3.0
24:15on the continent is, you know, using mobile systems because if you look at, like, a lot of
24:20Africans, the way that they actually engage in the web is through mobile phones, right,
24:25so if there's a way that we can actually incorporate Web3.0 to work seamlessly on mobile phones,
24:30then that's something that I can see that people can engage with.
24:32Like I said, the way that I interact with my, my staff in Nigeria is through WhatsApp,
24:38like, all of them, right, so I think there is something over there that we can actually
24:42do to kind of incorporate it.
24:43How that looks like, I don't know.
24:44Like I said, I think Web3.0 is still so fresh that we don't really know how it's actually
24:50going to, like, how we are going to use it or what the system is going to look like,
24:54you know, so.
24:57Amazing.
24:58I think we have, we have some time for questions.
25:01I did see one or two hands go up, but my timer's not in sight, but maybe I can just give
25:09you the microphone.
25:11Does that work for everyone?
25:12Okay.
25:20Good evening, gentlemen.
25:35Welcome.
25:35Evening.
25:36Welcome.
25:36I wanted to ask, with you doing fabrication and your traditional way, which is absolutely
25:46awesome, I've done the wax myself and played around with it, but what I really wanted to
25:52know is, do you work with other people, like, here in the United States?
26:00Say, for instance, if I wanted to get fabric designed, would I be able to get fabric designed
26:04from you?
26:05So, you know, with us, the way that we've actually been working, our system is very kind
26:10of, like, streamlined, that we only usually work with, like, making stuff for PostNipira
26:18right now.
26:20We want to get to a point where we'll be able to work with other people, but right now, we
26:23only work with PostNipira just because of our timelines, our capabilities, our bandwidth.
26:29What about purchasing?
26:30Yeah, purchasing, you can, with the fabrics itself?
26:32Yes.
26:33That's something that I have to, I've never thought about that, but that's something I
26:37have to think about.
26:37Yes, because I love purchasing African wax fabrics.
26:42I use them a lot in my fashions.
26:44I'm a fashion designer.
26:45My name is Stephanie Moy.
26:46Nice, nice, nice.
26:48Yeah, I have to think about that.
26:49I've never really thought about that.
26:50I just mostly about, like, my accounts and, like, selling into clues.
26:53We make it and turn it into clues.
26:54Well, we can exchange information.
26:57Yeah, for sure.
26:57I've been to Nigeria before.
26:58You've been to Nigeria?
27:00Yes.
27:00Or somewhere?
27:01Oh, Lagos.
27:03Actually, I was there for Africa Fashion Week.
27:05Okay, nice, nice, nice, nice.
27:07I plan to go back.
27:08Nice, yeah.
27:09Go in December.
27:09You're welcome.
27:10You're welcome.
27:10Good.
27:10Good.
27:25Is this a seat?
27:26Welcome.
27:27Good afternoon.
27:27My name is Mianza.
27:29I am the Region 1 International Chair.
27:31I represent West Africa and the National Society of Black Engineers.
27:34We've danced around the topic of how in West Africa, like, there's not a lot of accessibility
27:45for people that aren't Ajebota, or as posh as some of us, to these resources.
27:54We've talked about how in FinTech right now, though we know it's a very necessary tool and
28:00coming tool, but we're kind of in a place of limbo, where we don't know where it's going.
28:04And that's, I feel like, that was emphasized a lot just now.
28:07What are the necessary steps so that we're not just sitting here waiting for a white man
28:12to publish a research paper before we can make a decision on how we can make a difference?
28:18So, my uncle always says, go with the goas, and, you know, when life gives me lemons, I
28:24make the lemonade that I can make.
28:25For me, what I've done at Post-Imperia, like, before I, when I started Post-Imperia, there
28:29were so many doors I tried to knock at, and so many people that I wanted to see me.
28:34And I just decided to do my own thing, right?
28:37And that's what we did at Post-Imperia.
28:39I just found one diet artisan, worked with them, found a few more, worked with them, and
28:44before I know it, I have, like, a few community of diet artisans that I work with.
28:48So, it's really about, like, just taking that one step and, like, looking at what you have.
28:53And, yes, it's, sometimes it's daunting when you, you know, you have to walk three, four
28:59times, it's not going to, four times harder just to get your product done.
29:03And I've seen everyone else making in Portugal, or making in China, or making somewhere else,
29:07and you're like, I wish it was easier.
29:09But, unfortunately, that's what it is.
29:11That's the lay of the land.
29:13And we just have to deal with that.
29:14And so, for me, that's how I've taken that approach.
29:16So, what I would advise is just looking at the landscape, what you have to, like, that's
29:22available, talking to the people on the ground, and seeing what their needs are.
29:27That's why I said it's a collaboration.
29:29And then, from there, just go ahead and, you know, lay out your proposition or whatever
29:33you want to do.
29:34And so, that's how I've always approached it.
29:36I think also it's about, right, maybe Akin can speak to about being left out of this future,
29:42I guess.
29:42Yeah.
29:43No, I mean, I would simply say something that's really dear to me is this idea of just, like,
29:49just go build it.
29:52Build it yourself, right?
29:54Like, do your own thing.
29:55You know?
29:55Constantly, we've been relying, for so many centuries, we've been relying on things being right
30:02around us.
30:03But while that needs to be done, and 100% we're going to keep our foot on those necks, like,
30:09we need to be building our own.
30:11Code is code.
30:12The code is there, right?
30:14You need the internet, right?
30:15We need to figure that out.
30:16We need the internet.
30:17You need an understanding of the code.
30:19And you need to know what you're building.
30:20And you need to have that conviction.
30:23Go out and build your own.
30:24We need to build our own platforms, build our own platforms, build our own platforms.
30:27It is everything.
30:28We can control when we can build our own platforms, right?
30:31And that's the key.
30:33If there's a, we talk about Web3, we talk about decentralization, because it allows you
30:38to do that.
30:39It allows you to set your own rules, set your own standards, and create your own systems,
30:44right?
30:44In a sense, right?
30:45And it's brilliant in that sense.
30:48So leveraging something like that, for instance.
30:49But the theme is, no matter how hard it may be, and it's really, really difficult, it
30:55is imperative that we build our own platforms in all categories and all fields, right?
31:00That's just, so no dependency, lack of dependency.
31:03That's what I would say.
31:05Yeah.
31:05I mean, like I said, it's difficult, but it's the hand that we're dealt with, and we just
31:09have to do it, right?
31:10And just, I understand if you're kicking and screaming and shouting while you're doing
31:15the process, I do do that as well.
31:16But it's still, you still just have to, like, at the end of the day, wipe your tears and
31:21be like, I'm still going to roll your sleeves and get up and do it again.
31:25Well said.
31:26Well said.
31:27Great question.
31:29There's someone dying to ask another question.
31:31Just one more.
31:35Aki is a self-taught coder, which is what made that answer very interesting.
31:39That's true.
31:40You should have mentioned that.
31:41He's shy.
31:43Hi.
31:43Hi.
31:45Okay, so.
31:46You guys stressed the importance of, oh, sorry.
31:52Oh, sorry.
31:53So, in the beginning, you guys stressed the importance of owning part of Web3.
32:00Can you guys get more specific as to what that looks like?
32:06Because I understand what owning part of Web2 is.
32:10Like, as a content creator, it's important to own, like, have a website that you own because
32:18you don't own Instagram, you don't own Facebook, you don't own YouTube.
32:22So, what does owning part of Web3 look like specifically?
32:26I would say the easiest thing, given the little bit of time that we have left, is to look at
32:31something that's working for the global market and create one for your community.
32:35Copy.
32:35I'm asking you to actually copy.
32:37Okay.
32:37Look at an NFT marketplace.
32:39Create a black NFT marketplace.
32:41Okay.
32:41Look at a coin that's successful.
32:43Create one for your community.
32:44Create one for LGBTQ.
32:46Create one for the environmentalists.
32:48Create one for whatever you care about, whatever your community represents, right?
32:51Okay.
32:51In a sense.
32:52Just look at what's going, what's happening right now, what's being tested, and just create
32:56your own, simple and plain, for starters.
32:59Okay.
33:00All right.
33:02Thank you, guys.
33:03Thank you so much.
33:04That was a wonderful question.
33:05Unfortunately, we have run out of time.
33:08So, hang around and do more amazing things.
33:11Thank you, Essence, so much.
33:13Lagos Fashion Week, and Acne and Me.
33:16Thank you all so much.
33:26No, I don't have a card.
33:27Look at mine.
33:28Yeah, sure.
33:29Yeah.
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