- 8 hours ago
Today, host Bibi Raii meets with Juliet Olanipekun, Princess of Arigigi Akoko to talk about the luxury of Nigerian designs and to try them on- as this episode is all about: African Taste, on African terms.
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00:07Ekoi Nigeria knows luxury but spaces like this are trying to define something more specific
00:17African taste on African terms here art fashion and one-of-a-kind designs shine all under one
00:26roof but before we step in let's take a look at what's coming up we step into Kisumu Kenya with
00:33ivy dodo where music meets meaning and a city finds its voice discover how childhood passion
00:40has made Gloria Maluku's dream of Congolese superheroes then visit a beautiful calm retreat
00:47outside Cape Town that redefines the meaning of downtime
00:53I'm Bebe Rae and you are watching Afro Max we explore Kisumu Kenya with ivy dodo where music
01:15meets meaning and a city finds its voice hi guys my name is ivy doolo coming to you right from
01:28the
01:28shores of nam lol way all the way from Western Kenya this is my city kiss summer Kenya's third largest
01:37city sits on the banks of Africa's biggest lake cultural capital for the country's lure people
01:43Kisumu is known for fresh fish stunning sunsets and irresistible bengal rhythms I love my city
01:54Kisumu because it's a very beautiful place as you can see we have the lake we have the hills that
01:59surround us and we have amazing people people are very friendly so when it comes to music and Kisumu
02:07Kisumu has produced so many great legends an example is the late Ayubogada who took our music all the way
02:16to
02:16Hollywood I love music it's who I am it defines me I feel free because you know something about music
02:25when it hits you you feel no pain Kisumu's growing population has put a strain on its most precious
02:31natural resource the degradation of Lake Victoria or nam lol way as the locals call it caused Ivy's music
02:38to take a turn so for us this lake has been a source of our livelihood it has also a
02:45connection with our
02:46culture and our economic growth as people in Kisumu but sadly since last year it's been facing a lot of
02:54threats the lake the lake started having lots of plastics in it making the lake die to an extent where
03:01fish
03:03don't have food anymore so that's the reason as to why I decided to be an environmentalist in Kisumu
03:21I want this lyrics of this song to inspire the people of my city to be able to know the
03:33consequences of
03:34what we're doing to this lake and to know the importance of this lake Ivy doesn't limit her
03:39environmental advocacy to the concert stage most city residents live in informal settlements like
03:45this one and it's here that Ivy's anti-pollution crusade gets hands-on so we in Koyango my place my
03:53hood this is where I live and we're on our way to a plastic recycling workshop and we're going to
04:00meet a
04:00few of our young environmentalists can you imagine all this came from the lake we're going to shred
04:09these plastics through this machine and get to see what you're going to get precious plastic
04:15wanyata is headquartered in Kisumu's largest slum young waste pickers take plastic waste from
04:20waterside dumpsites and transform them into household objects and trinkets they can sell wow isn't this
04:26beautiful this is the end product from all the waste that was collected in the dump site for Kisumu
04:32residents the lake is more than just an important economic resource it's also a place of relaxation
04:38and what better way to enjoy it than with a sunset cruise on Namlolo's gentle waves
04:45i love my city and i love my lake and i'd love for my city people to come together and
04:50preserve this
04:51lake for the future generation
04:58today we're in the heart of Ikui at Akoko and i'm with founder Juliette hi Juliette hi what is this
05:06space all about and how did it come to be we are just about predominantly showcasing African made African
05:13owned to me fashion is a way that you can dream yes we love to like just create stuff that
05:19just feel a
05:20little bit different so when it comes to curating i mean i'm very very very personal um i also want
05:27to
05:27have like fun pieces fun finds from having like a glove like a chic of a glove that you can
05:33just you
05:33know put on play around with a necklace that is just you know something a little bit different
05:42all these are made in Africa amazing and that's the story that we want to tell amazing i love that
05:49so much now you've been around or you've been in the process of building for five years now five years
05:56ago i started my brand called lfj which we were able to obviously take into the global scene we became
06:03the first black owned brand to showcase during thailand fashion week we were featured in wallpaper magazine
06:08which has about 12 million viewers and for me i needed to say okay i've done fashion i've done design
06:15how do i help other brands grow as i've been able to grow
06:21this is the first floor incredible so what is the story behind the name so my dad is a sitting
06:27king
06:28and i am the princess of arigidiakoko and which is a side of me that not a lot of people
06:33know
06:33but the name literally did come from me thinking about how to continue to create that voice of
06:40heritage and just how to create culture and continue to work in that purpose my native land
06:48being a princess this is my castle and i invite everyone to come welcome all welcome all but we're
06:56also showcasing pieces in a way that people wouldn't even think that is conventional i love that you know
07:02what we are going to catch up with you a little bit later i look forward to it time for
07:07dream homes
07:08and today palessa tembe escapes just outside cape town to a homemade for slowing down and switching off
07:15across africa incredible homes are raising the bar of modern design this series gives you a front
07:22receipt to unapologetically stylish spaces the kind you can't help but save screenshot and dream about
07:34you can't help but you can't help but you can't help but you can't help but if you feel the
07:36need to
07:37escape the city for a bit not far just somewhere quieter this is the place tucked into montague just
07:47outside of cape town this holiday home is all about calm space and switching off it's called still
07:57which pretty much says it all palessa tembe is here to get her chill on and explore the space with
08:03its
08:03designer henry bloom of henry bloom interior design so here we are welcome to the project
08:18store beautiful project of ours listen it is a beautiful summer's day the temperature
08:25is quite perfect for a house tour so can you just tell me a little bit more about this project
08:29of
08:30course so the project came about sort of just before lockdown so it was a weekend of sort of chaos
08:37in
08:37terms of getting a basic design going and they literally started that week and the project sort of
08:44evolved in me being in charge of the architecture the interior design the furniture the art curation
08:51so basically everything you see within the space and around the space i had like my finger on it yeah
08:59and it basically then became this beautiful sort of unique destination location and looking externally
09:06henry it seems as if you've definitely paid attention to the materials used exactly so the approach
09:12was a very sort of simplistic and minimal material and textural approach so textures plays a vital role
09:20through the use of things like the clumpy brick cladding and the same goes for the structure of the
09:26building so the whole house is basically built with brick walls that were back bricked and then painted
09:32white and there's only two colors that we used white and like a dark charcoal so let's call it like
09:39a black and
09:39white sort of color scheme well for first impressions i definitely like what i see let's have a look on
09:47the
09:47inside inside henry's carefully chosen artworks appear everywhere quietly shaping the mood henry you know
09:58stepping into the space i'm already seeing some strong design decisions such as this fireplace yes the
10:05fireplace becomes quite a interesting and sort of dynamic piece within the whole home so generally
10:12i feel like i'm probably more known for quite a masculine straight line design approach and in this
10:19case we wanted to bring that across but we also thought how do we soften that and a lot of
10:25that is
10:25through this curved element which you can see through the fireplace the kitchen counter that has the slight
10:32sort of curved edges and even things like the furniture choices so the haldane side tables the round
10:40dining table all those sort of like organic curved shapes just make the space a bit more feminine and
10:47softer and more inviting and warm one of henry's signature touches in this home is the screens
10:56filtering light inviting the breeze
10:57and turning function into something you'll totally want to add to your pinterest board
11:05this kitchen keeps things low-key everything you need is here it's just neatly tucked away behind
11:12bespoke cabin tree
11:15sculptural lights turn the ceiling into a moment and wherever you look the art just pops
11:26henry we're in the one and only bedroom can you just tell me about it the bedroom like you mentioned
11:31being the only bedroom becomes quite a significant space and what's also great about the bedroom is
11:37when you're lying in the bed you've got this beautiful double door looking onto the magnificent
11:43mountain views and it leads out onto the front sort of stoop patio area and outside is where the zen
11:51really hits so i think what the house so beautifully like encompasses is the fact that the indoor and
11:59outdoor spaces becomes almost like the same area so outdoor spaces like the one we're sitting in now is
12:07a beautiful sort of lounge set up with the round plunge pool but again that sort of circular organic
12:14shape comes through and this is really a space for people to enjoy sort of when you're in the living
12:20area or in the bedroom it just flows out onto this and then ultimately also onto the gardens so you've
12:26got the veggie patch on the one side that when you stay here you can obviously use and utilize
12:32and then there's also like the sort of stream that flows from the top end of the property down to
12:38the
12:38bottom so all of those sort of zen moments that's created within the outer footprint of the building
12:44itself and just when you think the relaxation can't get any better there's one last escape a rooftop deck
12:52with sweeping mountain views this getaway truly has it all who else is suddenly in the mood for yoga
12:59herbal tea and cancelling wall plans
13:11oh this is interesting yes actually it's from a brand from bene his name is tige absolutely adore him
13:19he's one of the feature brands out here he's young he's fun he's just eclectic i love it yeah we've
13:27been
13:27talking a lot about the clothing but we haven't talked about the footwear what is going on here
13:32what is this the master craft of this is incredible funning looking at how it looks like
13:37the hide the quality and the detailing what it feels like i mean i'm obsessed with them me too
13:44and i was literally begging i said i need this in my size as well nice yeah all right let's
13:50let's go
13:50back downstairs let's find you an outfit yes if you're going on the red carpet and i mean you need
13:59something that's fancy oh i'm ready it's comfortable as well as stylish of course fun and fun lots and lots
14:14of fun let me see myself wow absolutely stunning this is the silhouettes the way it falls the fabric
14:23and even the color too literally looks so gorgeous on you this is a sign yes so for yourself what
14:31to you
14:32defines great african fashion right now to me to be honest africa is literally taking the forefront we're
14:40seeing brands like hatumba kalenta we're seeing brands like in the space of africa pioneering when
14:48it comes to fashion so i think what defines us is edgy different but also heritage and culture how we
14:55mix
14:55and transact that into a piece is magnificent 100 yeah so for me africa is something that just creates a
15:03world of a world of experiment um and that's what we do yes experiment in different ways and we just
15:09make it our own absolutely reinventing recreating and having fun with it i think that that is what
15:15fashion is all about exactly afromax reporter colette prince shines a spotlight on three canadian women
15:24redefining success in male-dominated industries
15:33goneayan women are doing it for themselves and they're not asking for permission i found three
15:39ladies from ghana that are taking it on and slaying coming in at number three architect nana akua bome
15:48she's built her own lane in an industry that wasn't exactly built for women i literally started this
15:56firm with my baby in a court next to me half of my staff have been having their babies whilst
16:05working
16:05and it's become something of a character of this firm while raising a child she was also building one of
16:16ghana's most exciting studios but why did she choose architecture what's special about architecture is
16:23that it's so specific no two clients are the same no two sites are the same no two needs or
16:30briefs are
16:31the same for every project we look at it really from a blank canvas and the design process is worked
16:37out from asking the right questions and teasing out what is the most suitable for this particular
16:47project architecture has long been a boys club so known as making sure more young women get through
16:53the door we are a largely female architectural firm somehow women have always liked to work with us
17:00because we do make room for our special needs which is pregnancy maternity and all that there's so
17:09many people who are trained here of the same like-minded people who have gone out and are doing marvelous
17:16things not just building spaces but making sure more women are taking up spaces too love it and that brings
17:25me to number two on my superwoman list sue a ram kumar jeweler but not as you know it
17:34i've always been very interested in the concept of recycling
17:38in undergrad my thesis was on recycling of metal in ghana and my eyes were open to so many things
17:45so they started her brand with one thing in mind protecting ghana's natural resources so she doesn't
17:53use newly mined gold to have a buyback program which we initiated about five years ago where we encourage
18:02customers to walk in and sell their old gold products to us for cash a master jeweler her piece is
18:09incredible
18:10but has it been easy in a male-dominated industry is having men work for you it's been challenging
18:17i've had men come and work for me and after a few months they'll tell me they can't take instructions
18:23from a woman so i should give instructions to another man so that the man can give them the
18:28instructions but i can't directly address them and it's been really challenging i've had i've had it all
18:32but i think i'm a strong person and i know this is what i'm meant to do and i'm just
18:38doing it
18:41and at number one leslie loco the first african woman to curate at the venice architectural biennale
18:50and yes that's really major
18:56so for me africa has always been the place of the future has always been the testing ground for the
19:00future in a way and again it comes back to the point that we are really we're simultaneously the
19:05world's youngest continent and the world's oldest continent you know everybody on this planet came from
19:10africa at one point at this biennale she shifted the entire lineup more than half the voices now
19:17african and that's in a space that's always been seen as very european leslie has always been ahead
19:25of the curve even 20 years ago she was designing buildings differently like this her home in accra
19:33made partly with clay bricks even then she was ahead of her time depending really on the way
19:40you live you have to a lesser or greater extent control over your environment and i think the trick
19:46for many kind of modernizing african cities is how to adapt a way of life a way of working a
19:54way of
19:54living that was really designed for a different kind of climate for this one
19:58is there anything leslie can't do world-renowned architect academic with a phd oh and an
20:07international best-selling author being an architect shaped me as a writer somehow a biennale is the
20:16perfect bringing together of two two worlds growing up in ghana my first window onto the rest of the world
20:21was through books and there you have it three ghanaian women who aren't just slaying they're staying
20:30next up we're off to kinshasa in the drc where a bold creative is building a comic scene from scratch
20:37she's also opening the doors for the new wave of storytellers meet gloria maluku
20:49comics in congo face huge challenges such as high printing costs piracy and almost no distribution
20:59so gloria built his own studio by self-publishing and making use of social media
21:06i started making comics from childhood until university my mother advised me to go to the academy
21:14of fine arts i chose comics primarily because i found it easy to create comics animated comics
21:25to fight against theft to fight against mediocrity to fight against discrimination it is through comics
21:34that i have conveyed my message gloria maluku had already spent years turning his own school notebooks
21:42into universes now he is using that experience to open doors for young artists across the drc
21:53no sponsors no big budgets just a dream and the hassle to turn followers into readers in a country where
22:02comics barely exist it's stability it's the stability i have today because we started somewhere we have
22:11excellent equipment equipment equipment on the same level with that of an international artist from a
22:17cartoonist whose work can be found elsewhere abroad in europe or america before that wasn't the case
22:25and when that wasn't the case i didn't cross my arms i worked hard it was ambition and vision that
22:34brought me to
22:35where i am today and today i am stable gloria wants the drc to be part of history in recent
22:43years african comic
22:45culture has been growing globally from lagos comic-con established in 2012 and nairobi comic-con established
22:54in 2014 these stories celebrate african themes and heroes in drc comics have been part of the art scene since
23:03the 1950s but the production of each edition of comics is way below what other markets are producing
23:11and distribution almost non-existent lately the country has been organizing comic fairs to bring
23:20together comic artists like gloria but this is not just a story about how far gloria has come
23:27it's also about who is walking in behind him now 19 artists are drawing their first big break
23:35a 76 page comic that could rewrite congo's creative future what i would like readers to feel first of all
23:46is that they can recognize themselves in my stories
23:53that they can travel and that they can defend a course that they feel like heroes because i've always
24:01said to myself that i'm here to make them heroes of tomorrow so i would like them to be able
24:10to
24:11amass themselves in it and be able to travel in it too just as they are getting confident with their
24:21lines
24:21and other questions walks into the room what happens when machine control faster than all of them
24:30i can never breathe life into a work of art that's a certainty ai is not a professional skill
24:40ai helps us because it's a tool it's part of the documentation tools
24:48no one can refuse ai
24:51but you have to know how to use it the worst part is that amateurs or non-professionals misuse it
25:02that's the problem but for a professional ai is one of the tools
25:10from lagos to kinshasa african comics are rising
25:15and for these young congolese artists the fight isn't just against blank pages it's against invisibility
25:24their stories are the revolution
25:30today has been a celebration of africa's rhythm and imagination and it's a reminder that the future
25:36isn't waiting it's here right now that's it from me don't forget to keep in touch on our socials
25:42until next time bye