- 6 hours ago
Africa never stands still. Today, from Johannesburg's Melville Art Mile, where every corner hums with creativity, we're stepping into stories shaped by movement, ambition and inspiration.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:07africa never stands still and today neither do we from johannesburg's malville art mile where
00:13every corner hums with creativity we are stepping into stories shaped by movement ambition and
00:20inspiration but first on today's show how london-based designer tola ojwalape brings
00:27lagos energy to the africa center in london how south african kanyisilem tetua delights her audience
00:35with classical tunes then we see how one taylor nairobi stitches a whole new life using nothing
00:43but touch i'm palisa dembe and this is afri max
01:03most creators post and scroll but isaac zulze in blantyre malawi is turning his followers feedback
01:10into a double-decker bus that now moves real people through real history let's ride i will take you
01:18on a tour to show you around blanda wait can a phone really build a business in one of africa's
01:24poorest
01:25countries monetizing of social media is pretty tricky in malawi where most people live on less than two
01:33dollars a day turning likes into income is almost impossible but isaac zuze did it he turned his
01:39followers into a profitable tourism empire the secret moving the hustle from the screen to the
01:46streets you need to think of the audience that you've already grown the numbers that you already
01:50have what you could do with them offline today we'll be going on a tour blanta history tour people
01:59are here deck is ready isaac realized malawians don't know their own history because it wasn't
02:05taught in schools he saw a gap and he filled it with a buzz i did a vox pop went
02:10around town to ask
02:11people about names we should know about in history like who wrote the nation anthem of malawi
02:17nobody got it right that shows you that most people don't really know and it's not really their
02:22fault per se because malawi history has not been in our academic systems
02:31this was malawi's first true story building there's a library up here with a lot of amazing
02:38information about the city of blanter pictures you can buy pictures digital pictures in there blanter as
02:43a city is literally a living museum it's like the structures are there you know the stories are there
02:49remember the city of blanter is named after a real city in scotland where a missionary was born
02:56uh dr david livingstone so i feel like for the international people it's important for them to
03:01know it's not like a replica city but it's that city where the scottish missionaries like left a lot
03:07of stories so how do you turn a viral video into a world hassle i had passion to teach i
03:15just wanted to
03:16educate people i just wanted to tell people more about things they don't understand valuable things and
03:24when the history idea hit me i realized hey we could move in these stories yeah we could literally
03:32talk about the stories while getting to those premises while getting to those monuments while
03:36getting those structures he converted trust into experiences and experiences into cash when i looked
03:42at the numbers okay every time i get on the life i was getting thousands of people you know looking
03:47at
03:47uh what what we were teaching at the time remember isaac zuze at wuza is a storyteller literally saying
03:54isaac zuze will tell us but then obviously when you're on an online platform people start demanding
04:02to have either workshops or like physical meetings of sorts being in logistics and transportation was an
04:08easy option for me to go like hey we could take these people to these places you know it's like
04:13you're
04:13reading about uh a place you can go to and being able to go there the breakthrough was a master
04:20class in modern entrepreneurship isaac didn't start from scratch he basically printed money with his
04:25follower count creators on the digital space should take it as the digital space as an as an infrastructure
04:32full of possibilities that enables uh conversion our strategy was simple to convert trust into experiences
04:41experiences and experiences into something that is memorable something that is uh of value beyond just
04:49that one-time engagement between isaac adoza as a brand and the people that are participating in these uh tours
05:00suze tours is now a movement inspiring cultural pride and demonstrating the potential of malawi's creative
05:06economy as its tourism sector recovers i would say there's a vast difference between what i've learned
05:13in school in here because now i can see the human aspects to the history we're learning today throughout
05:20the tour since in school mostly we focus on the systems and then with the tour we see the people
05:27in
05:27how they're interacting with the space within uh the blender context it's more through the conversations
05:33we're having how everyone is so curious about learning of our history as malawi as well as
05:40plantain so that's what i've enjoyed the most isaac didn't just build a business he built a movement
05:47he's proving that even in malawi a small idea and a small screen can pay the bills you can do
05:53whatever
05:53it is that you're on in beauty just plan well have a strategy it's not it's not about being smart
05:58it's just
05:59being good with money your relationship your habits the way you manage your time your resources will tell
06:08that you can run in a business
06:21the malval art mile is more than just a walk it's a vibe in motion every month the streets light
06:28up with
06:28art music food and fashion and the neighborhood comes alive
06:36and the person behind this momentum is its founder aubry aubry what an incredible initiative you've
06:43got going on here today in malville now tell me what was that exact moment that you thought that no
06:49man malville needs a little bit of movement and not just the nightlife i run a local newsletter called
06:54malville and told a weekly newsletter community news and events and every time we put together the
06:59gig guy we saw that art was on the forefront every single time and i was like okay now some
07:04sort of
07:04cohesive effort has to happen between these art galleries i knew everybody individually so i actually
07:09spoke to mkuleleko here at resource about it he thought it was a great idea now when visitors do come
07:15to
07:15the malville art mile what is one thing that they can experience that might change their mind about
07:20malville as a place let's say by far the people it's like a village but it's in a suburb you
07:26know
07:26we all know each other we all help each other and you'll never sit at a bar or anything without
07:30the
07:31person next to you saying oh by the way are those whatever's or where are you from you know have
07:36a
07:36conversation if you were to take me exploring here today in malville where would you take me and why
07:43well avalon is one of my favorites get that authentic marvel home feeling i feel like marvel homes are
07:48different but probably the marvel i'll definitely make a turn at the marvel mud room and continue
07:53to experience all that you have in store thank you so much thank you rose and thank you for coming
07:58to marvel salute from the malville art mile to london where tola ojwalape is shaking up interior design
08:06known for her acclaimed work at the africa center she is turning heads with her unique mix of nigerian
08:13roots and european training and will soon be doing so in her hometown of lagos
08:23her work is celebrated as warm tactile and steeped in a rich cultural heritage
08:29this is tola ojuolape the interior designer who took on london's iconic africa center
08:36and is now breathing new life into other spaces in the uk
08:42this is a tapas restaurant in shoreditch while tola's home is here in london her work exudes a
08:50distinctive blend of influences her nigerian heritage her time in ireland with her family as a child
08:58her study of design in italy this intercultural background is embodied in her creative philosophy
09:04i think that the fusion of being nigerian having european sensibilities naturally came together just
09:13kind of immersing myself in these different environments did something to me from a young
09:17age and i've been able to marry both since establishing her studio in 2021 her designs have transformed
09:26restaurants hotels hotels and residential spaces but it was her work here in london's iconic africa
09:35center which cemented her transition from rising star to celebrated designer
09:43a home away from home was what they were looking for they wanted someone who understood the african
09:49continent cultural resonance and design but could ground it in a contemporary setting
09:54vivid color warmth and texture characterize tola's vision for the center's bar restaurant and event
10:00spaces it's her most high profile design to date
10:07the africa center is a cultural beacon for the continent and its diaspora first established in the
10:131960s it's long been a political and intellectual melting pot hosting some of the most distinguished figures
10:21of the 20th century including maya angelou and desmond tutu
10:29nine years after the original site was closed tola was tasked with bringing it back to life
10:34here at a new site in london's suffolk borough how do you create a space where someone from morocco
10:44and someone from namibia will both enter it and feel i belong here
10:52tola drew on her unique blend of creative influences to develop a celebration of african
10:57design and artisanship every inch of this space is centered around showcasing unifying african design
11:06features
11:07one of the unifiers that we see across the continent is that element of tactility and the element of warmth
11:15things that have been made by the hand i think the biggest challenge was actually how do you
11:20communicate africa to the rest of the world africa is not a country it is a continent and it has
11:26a
11:26myriad of experiences and the key was then to convey that and that for me that was through the materiality
11:34the makers the craftspeople sofa is from a famous senegalese designer called usman baye
11:4390 percent of the interior elements were imported from across africa many of the artisans are being
11:49exhibited in the uk for the first time today this site is once again a vital cultural hub celebrated
11:57for bringing together african art intellectual achievement and entrepreneurship under one roof
12:04tola created a space worthy of this broad heritage it's really really amazing when people come into
12:10this space now and i tell people when they come in that look once once you cross the threshold into
12:15the
12:15into the reception area downstairs you are now in the independent republic of the africa center
12:21i don't know how she did it you know but it works
12:29welcome to chakra since finishing the africa center tola has been on a roll the chakra restaurant
12:37in central london is just one of a series of spaces exhibiting her tell-tale blend of influences
12:44back in the studio she's also building a new product line named odo an homage to women of her nigerian
12:51heritage it should feel like it has been touched or marked by the hand they're prototypes for future
12:59projects her next projects will bring her work to the african continent for the first time
13:05to the heart of one of her primary sources of inspiration lagos nigeria in a world that tries
13:12to kind of give you a label i would say that i'm someone who can fit into many places i
13:18think it's a
13:19combination of many many different experiences
13:24working in lagos is a full circle moment for a designer whose unique style has won her critical
13:31acclaim clay is both the material and a way of slowing down kate shand is one half of the malville
13:46mud
13:46room a pottery teaching studio that's part of the tour kate we live in a time where everyone feels
13:52rushed and overloaded why do you think people are turning towards k mostly it has to do with how
13:59tactile and tangible clay is it's also expressive creative it's transformative see students transform
14:08as they're transforming the clay into whatever vessels or sculptures they are creating where do you
14:15feel like the first shift you see within people is it their mood their energy and their focus well
14:22why don't we start by letting you have an opportunity to feel the clay and experience
14:30its tactility tell me more about the malville mudroom what energy does it bring to the suburb i think we're
14:38sort of testimony to creativity and offering something that people want um works and melville's the
14:47perfect place oh my goodness my very own afro max cup thank you so much kate this is so special
14:53and i
14:54think i know exactly where i'm going to be taking my morning coffees equipped with a broken flute and
15:00a future uncertain artist kanisilem teetua is now part of the grammy academy showing that black girl
15:08magic keeps on moving no matter the start she didn't grow up in a concert hall but in soweto where
15:18art was
15:18rare space was limited and dreaming aloud was not welcome everything changed when she found a flute it
15:26was broken but it would become her voice it was actually unintended i i found the flute i found this
15:34passion for this instrument and it turns out that so many people identify with who i am and also finding
15:42that i have a lot of causes that i'm very passionate about that are not just music today kanisile brings
15:48music to places like the nelson mandela children's hospital as a part of her broader humanitarian mission
15:55not as charity but as recognition because she remembers what it feels like to be unseen
16:03when i was first exposed to music it was also through a community concert in soweto and i just
16:11remember that feeling of being exposed to something but also feeling very seen in a community where you
16:18didn't feel seen and that someone from up high decided to come here and actually see you
16:24and expose you to this world which has completely changed my life it's her music that bring the
16:33children hear hope healing and hopefully social change some of them they see the orchestral instruments
16:39for the first time they're just so curious and and so music is is wonderful it's a wonderful tool
16:47to enhance our curiosity kanisi lemteto didn't choose classical music because it welcomed her she chose it
16:55because it spoke to something inside of her even when the world around her didn't and the more i played
17:02the
17:02the more i performed the more i started to get exposure i started to find a lot of people coming
17:08to me and saying i recognize with you you represent opportunities i never had and so many people reaching
17:17out to me and i thought oh my gosh i thought i'm just playing the flute that's when kanisile understood
17:23this was no longer just about music every time she stepped on stage she carried expectations histories and
17:30unspoken pain especially of girls who had learned to stay quiet there's times you feel like um and i
17:37want to be more than a black body on stage there's a my voice can be used behind the stage
17:43in boards
17:44asking difficult questions advocating and and seeing gaps that people might not even be aware of and
17:52because of all this amazing stuff you've done on the stage people actually listen to you
17:57classical music has space for her talent but not always for her truth so she made a decision many
18:03are afraid to make to speak even when it would be uncomfortable for her just to pursue the music
18:10it was so unconventional you know even for us as a family and um she actually uses her own passion
18:18uses the music to actually make sure that she contributes positively onto others and as well as to us as
18:25a
18:25family she didn't come from a system built for success she came from people who believed even when the path
18:32made no sense her dedication carried her from a borrowed flute to historic milestones
18:39principal flattest of the johannesburg philharmonic orchestra she's sort of the hut
18:45of of of the orchestra of course she gets to play quite a lot of melodies which shine through uh
18:51in
18:52in many of our concerts and through uh other work that she does independently including her recordings
18:59and teachings they are only a testament to her talent uh but more importantly to her passion
19:07for music for diversity in music and for the girl with the flute there's been even more to talk she's
19:14a two-time summer winner but accolades were never the destination they were leverage
19:22i really feel that um it's helped my advocacy work in that i'm able to be a strong voice for
19:29artists who might otherwise have been overlooked power doesn't always look like protest sometimes
19:36it looks like having a seat at the table and refusing to stay silent the talent will take you
19:41this far but humility respect seeing other people as whether it's a world leader or a cleaner or a janitor
19:50or a security guard that will take you places you cannot even imagine she started with a broken
19:57flute and ended with a voice and she's using it from his tiny shop in nairobi's umacha estate charles
20:15measures out fabrics by touch alone losing his sight didn't stop him he has rebuilt his life stitch by
20:23stitch steady in motion in nairobi's umoja estate as sewing machine harms not guided by sight but by memory
20:34and unshaken will meet charles the tailor who stitches hope into every scene just because i can't see
20:44doesn't mean i stop seeing my future blindness changed charles's world but not his purpose many
20:52expected him to beg instead he built a business a family and a legacy
21:04my name is jaskibe mwangi from ranga county but i live here in mojatoo nairobi
21:12i have worked as a tailor since 1990 my eye problem started without me noticing
21:21i was just sitting here one evening working and my vision started changing like seeing rainbow colors
21:28purpleish i started struggling to read text messages on my phone given the display the numbers began
21:37looking doubled and blurred at the edges i decided to go to hospital to get checked the doctor told me
21:45i
21:46had high eye pressure he called it glaucoma i used medication for almost three years but it didn't help
21:55one day 2017 on a sunday i slept okay but when i woke up on monday my vision was gone
22:04his hands do what many said was impossible they see
22:11from measurements by god's grace i was able to mark my tape measure
22:18if you look closely you'll see the cracks so when i'm taking measurements i count as i feel the cracks
22:26for threading i brainstormed on what gadgets i could use to get the thread into the machine
22:35i came up with a broomstick i just sharpen it and then use it to thread
22:44every stitch is a promise to his children to his future
22:54i love my work so much when you create something with your own hands it feels good
23:00much better than begging or depending on relatives
23:04it has become a way of life because when god gives you a family
23:08as a father you must provide whether you are disabled or not
23:14you have to work so hard that your family stands strong
23:25i get to spend my day well and provide for my family
23:29my children are grown now and living their own lives
23:38we talk on phone and sometimes they visit
23:41that's how we support each other
23:46still built trust trust built community
23:51my name is john charles we don't recognize anyone else here but him
24:00why because his work stands out he does more than even people who can see perfectly
24:09sometimes he only asks two things what color is the item or help me choose the right color thread
24:17does it what keeps me coming back to him is that the things he teaches me as a young person
24:24really build me he is older than me not only a friend but someone with nuggets of wisdom
24:33nuggets of wisdom chance works because he has something to give he's not done yet
24:44we are sharing this story to remind people no matter your situation don't hide yourself
24:51even if you're disabled don't lock yourself away if you are in some occupation
24:58try again show people you are still capable
25:03when your income drops and your needs stay the same life becomes tough
25:10but you can't give up life is a hassle fight back
25:20when life challenges you challenge it back
25:24and that's our loop through the art miles so much energy and so many corners we are yet to explore
25:30thank you so much for moving with us today find out more online and on our social media platforms
25:36but until next time goodbye
25:38Bye.
26:08Bye.
Comments