- 2 days ago
At Decorex Johannesburg, we explore how identity is being shaped across Africa. From spiritual traditions and natural hair to community building and unlikely sporting dreams, creativity is redefining belonging.
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00:05if you want to see where africa is heading don't just look at the skyline look at the spaces we
00:10create the traditions we preserve the stories we tell and the dreams we don't give up on today we're
00:17here at dickericks johannesburg to meet with the creators shaping the way africa lives but before
00:22we get into today's show here's what's coming up in benin one of africa's oldest spiritual
00:28traditions is finding new audiences through voodoo days in cynical natural hair is becoming more than
00:35a style choice it's turning into a statement of identity and in south africa national figure
00:42skating champion shaven bodasing proves that some dreams don't need permission to exist
00:48i'm finally sadden bear and you're watching afri max
01:05here at decor x it's all about the way spaces shape how we live in nairobi one creative community is
01:12proving that they can shape the way we connect too with crocheting crochet isn't just for grandmas
01:21anymore in nairobi young creatives are turning it into a reason to meet create and connect
01:28when i went back to campus when people will see me crochet man they made fun of me they used
01:34to give
01:35me grandma rules because i could crochet nairobi is loud busy always online and still many young
01:43people feel alone they're connected online but still looking for places to meet in real life
01:49for some that space doesn't start with big ideas it starts with yarn and the choice to do something
01:56together offline i remember when i started crocheting i saw my mom doing it it really fascinated me and it
02:02blew my mind now young nairobi creatives are giving crochet a completely different meaning
02:08not just as fashion but as a reason together hooked on fun is a crochet based event whereby we get
02:15to
02:16celebrate crochet artists and the art that is created from crochet the amazing outfits that they make
02:22and just to celebrate fashion in a different form for many people here the appeal isn't escaping the
02:29online world it's adding something they cannot find there you know as crochet artists you're just
02:35seated on your couch you're just crocheting all day sometimes you even have to speak to yourself to
02:40remind yourself that you can actually talk this is my first time meeting crochet artists as a designer
02:46i've always like made design of clothes design of many things but this now it's like specific crochet
02:52artists have been like amazing creators exchange techniques discuss pricing share opportunities and
03:00help each other navigate the realities of building a creative career most of the conversations is how do
03:07we get to become better as crochet artists in this space it started with crochet but what clara ended up
03:14building was community you meet like-minded people you meet people who you can actually connect with you
03:21meet people who are going through the same challenges as you are so it's more of a community we're building
03:27a community and network i love the fashion and the more it grows people come bigger people do bigger
03:34they come with beautiful outfits so that's that's really what i love for many people here the craft is
03:40only the starting point the value is in finding people who understand the journey people willing
03:47to share what they've learned your theory in class it's very good but getting to apply it out of the
03:54classroom is uh it's something magical it's an amazing space where we get to see all these creatives
04:00come together and showcase all their pieces we're so glad that we could be part of it and that we're
04:05able
04:05to contribute with our yarn to be able to see these pieces that they're able to create so the
04:10robin makers community it's basically a community that is there to recognize the people who use the
04:16crochet yarns all the crochet artists all these other amazing pieces with yarn they are the reason
04:22robin is where it is today the spirit of collaboration extends beyond crochet the community attracts
04:30photographers artists musicians and creatives who contribute to the atmosphere i don't go out much so
04:38it's nice that my music is taking me out and getting me to see new environments meet new people
04:45connecting with people through music is honestly i feel like sometimes that's the only thing i exist for
04:52the red carpet is more than a showcase it's a celebration of the people behind the work
04:57the friendships formed the lessons shared and the confidence built along the way i found a group here that is
05:05more than family now and yeah it feels like home in a city that rarely slows down spaces like these
05:12become
05:12more important not because of crochet alone but because young people are looking for real connection
05:19again and sometimes that starts with simply sitting together and making something by hand
05:26you and your host identity takes many forms and sarah langer is helping shape one of them sarah has built
05:32a name for
05:32herself around lifestyle and certainly knows how to add identity into any space let's go meet her
05:39sarah lovely to see you i'm so happy to have you here why is it that we kind of are
05:44re-envisioning the way we see
05:45interiors and why has it become such an important pivotal part of our home i think that we transitioning
05:51from a more like minimalist space to people being a lot more expressive with their homes
05:57i think after covert people realize how important their homes are and how not only is it a place of
06:02sanctuary but it represents who you are what would your design aesthetic be so when i was in design
06:08school i realized that you know there's all these different design philosophies you get art deco
06:12minimalism maximalism japandi but there was nothing that actually represented and unified an
06:18african identity so i felt like that was going to be my gap and the purpose that i have in
06:23the space
06:24i'm trying to bring together an african identity that's happy that's vibrant i've collaborated
06:28with local artisans from mo's crib they so good with weaving grass so it's just bringing together
06:35the elements that create an african home and creating an african design philosophy i guess
06:40what do you think luxury means to our generation it's identity it's legacy and for me that is true
06:46luxury not turning design spaces and design pieces into something that's disposable because there's
06:53artistry behind it there's craftsmanship behind it it's an exciting time and there's so much to look
06:58forward to get mongela i celebrate you and all the best thank you design is one way people express their
07:05identities and tradition is another at benin's voodoo days people are reconnecting with one of africa's
07:12oldest living spiritual traditions let's take a closer look this is food this benis and noah celebration of voodoo culture
07:22where masquerade
07:23priests musician and worshiper gather from across the region for someone seeing all this for the first time
07:30what does food festival really mean ancestry a powerful symbol of the affirmation of african and
07:38especially beninese identity african and the food festival symbolizes this historical greatness
07:46to better understand the story of food this and the people who practice this ancient tradition i am here
07:52to meet john paul she is a food priest who grew up in this religion learning its beliefs rituals and
07:59the
07:59way of life from an early age this year the festival marks an important transitions in a role within the
08:05religion what role are you taking up the role i'm taking up now is to lead the young generation after
08:13me
08:14to teach them about prayers about how to make the beast for the different deities in photo prayer is not
08:24silent people pray through shouts of rights and movements speaking directly to the spirits for
08:31protection and guidance i think the first one is to teach people about voodoo what voodoo really is
08:39because today we can see that many people has they have bad ideas about voodoo absolutely so we have to
08:47let people know that voodoo is not evil voodoo is a religion who can help us to survive
08:53voodoo's masquerades like igungu are covered in layered fabrics cowrie shells beads and sacred symbols
09:04worshipers worshipers believe that once they appear the human disappears and the spirit speaks through
09:11movement and reading sangbeto the guardians of the night are hidden in palm front and strong spinning
09:21to protect and purify the community you can see each deities has their colors
09:29because in voodoo nothing is made for no reason everything has its reason so those colors has its
09:39vibrations as i told you vibrations energies are the most important things in voodoo so
09:49we put energies together we put vibrations together and they give something they do what they have to do
09:56across the atlantic ocean voodoo traditions survived slavery carried by africans to places like haiti
10:04cuba and brazil the festival here started in 1993 and was created to welcome people from the african
10:12diaspora exactly here at the point of no return today their descendants return to wida not as tourists
10:22but as spiritual descendants reconnecting with the source of their fate what relationship between wida
10:30the food religion and you know the point of no return having a lot of diaspora coming back home to
10:36cities you know with that was the main sleep reports in west africa and that door of no return is
10:44the
10:45symbol of what happened when the plane was landing in benin i started crying my heart began to beat
10:53faster my body warmed up and i realized that my place was really here i was returning to the right
11:01place
11:02in brazil we used the expression going back home and people use it here too but when we say it
11:09we
11:10don't truly understand what it means until we are actually here here we can understand the
11:15feeling of truly coming back home from pain to pride from remembrance to celebration the excitement
11:24the connection and the energy and the energy of the port of no return are real this festival lets us
11:32see
11:34more than we can see from where we live from where we are so when we get closer we can
11:41see more
11:42during this year's fudu festival this sacred place is being reimagined global music star davido and
11:51world-renowned artist angelic keju will perform right here because voodoo is not only rituals it's also
12:00art dances here in weda the photo festival is more than a celebration it is a powerful reminder of
12:09identity history and culture coming alive from sacred rituals to music art and global performances
12:17bini is opening its door to the world and telling its own story in its own voice dw affirmas bini
12:25republic
12:27a great space should do more than just look good it should feel like you i'm now joined by an
12:32interior
12:33designer who tells the stories of the people who live in these spaces girl congratulations on such an
12:41incredible space you know walking into the space you've been able to add an african touch that just
12:47doesn't feel cliche we are redefining what afrocentric bohemian styles looks like because that was the
12:53theme that we have for the space so what we did here we put some basic neutral colors but we
12:59added pattern
13:00which is the african element as you can see the wallpaper over here it's very neutral but it has those
13:05patterns which are the african inspired pattern on the wallpaper looking at the trends within the
13:11interior space what have you kind of picked up globally and how have we been able to make an
13:17impact as africa so i think as african we bring pattern that's what we are actually exporting to the
13:23world our pattern and how the pattern can be sophisticated you can see everywhere there's coffee
13:28table it has some soft curves over here we've got soft curves this couch soft care it's very warm and
13:35cozy feeling and that's what we're trying to create thank you so much for sitting down with me pleasure
13:42identity is shaped in ways that have nothing to do with our homes
13:45in senegal elizabeth neoki is helping a new generation embrace african hair on its own terms
13:56natural hair is everywhere right now but in senegal wigs and weeds still dominate here in senegal um when
14:05you grow up people make you think that your natural hair must be high like you really need to manage
14:13it
14:14it's not something acceptable or really nice to see that's exactly what stylist elizabeth
14:22nyuki wants to change as a young woman they will make you know like your natural hair are not
14:31beautiful and you have to fix it or hide them when i realized that something needed to change
14:40it's that many girls they don't even know their hair they don't take time to be patient and learn how
14:49to
14:50manage their hair how to take care of them and how to wear them and be proud two years ago
14:58elizabeth
14:59began gathering friends to share braiding techniques she learned from her mother what started as
15:05informal meetups quickly became something bigger at the first time we was just gathering together with
15:14my fellow sisters we were wearing our working our hair styles many girls are coming to ask if they can
15:22join us they really like what we are doing right now and they want a change they want to have
15:29a community
15:30that they be they will be part of like to be more comfortable wearing natural hair styles and so and
15:38then we start to
15:39the afrobabies movement the movement reached a new level when senegalese beauty queen camilla diane
15:45stepped onto the miss universe stage wearing one of elizabeth's creations for camilla it brings me a lot of
15:55visibility and people start to recognize my work and start like not seeing the african hair
16:05styles or the avant-gardist hair styles are something different now i see many girls are more comfortable
16:12wearing the natural hair styles even like going out with their own hair it's amazing patricia corea has
16:20been working with elizabeth from the beginning she has seen how women in dakar have embraced the movement
16:28we can say there have been changes because it's given people a better opportunity to express themselves
16:35to better showcase their identity it's quite different from before when people would prefer to wear wigs and
16:42such at events but now all the women are highlighting african hairstyles fatima watera is a fashion model in
16:52the car she has grown to prefer natural hair for her assignments yes every time i feel confident
17:02because i love everything extraordinary i love coming here when i want to dream
17:09so with these hairstyles it's striking it shows that there's someone who's different it makes me unique
17:19so i love it these aren't traditional hairstyles recreated for nostalgia their interpretations braided
17:29crowns sculptural afros and architectural hairstyles are becoming a new visual language
17:37one that feels distinctly african for example at home i don't wear a wig i always wear african hairstyles
17:49with my own hair and what surprises people is that you are out of the ordinary because when you go
17:57to
17:57an event where all girls have wigs or hairstyles you know what i mean and then you show up with
18:04an
18:04african hairstyle it's something else entirely you will be the star of the event basically natural hair
18:11has long been seen as difficult to manage but better products growing expertise and access to information
18:20that the biggest mistakes to me is they don't know how to take care of their hair they don't even
18:29know
18:29what type of hair they have and don't take the patience to love them and carry them because for me
18:39it's not
18:40only hair it's who they are it's their words our hair carries a lot of stories and when they will
18:50learn how to manage them they will like they will love them and start wearing their words what started
18:59as friends meeting has grown into something bigger than a salon a movement redefining what beauty looks
19:06like and giving more women the confidence to wear it their way sometimes self-confidence comes in the
19:15way we wear our hair and sometimes it comes from us living out our dreams most figure skaters start off
19:22as children but for south africa's to win border singh he proves that even late starters can become
19:28champions
19:31the axel and i have a love-hate relationship uh i love it it hates me that's how it works
19:37some days it's
19:38there some days i am still searching for it most competitive skaters start training before they reach
19:45primary school age cape town based juvin border singh started at 25 in figure skating that's almost
19:51unheard of yet against all odds he's south africa's adult champion i love the feeling you get when you
19:58fly into a jump and you're you attack it and you get up you rotate you land it and it
20:05really is testament
20:06to all the hard work and all the falls that went into learning that jump with only a handful of
20:12ice
20:12rinks in south africa's cities figure skating remains one of the country's most niche sports
20:17but what does it cost to pursue your dream when the system doesn't support you we're a developing
20:23country if you compare it to first world countries russia for example where once you get to certain
20:29levels you don't pay for anything you go to a skating school basically and that kind of government
20:35buy-in the proof is in the pudding look at the results for shevin all his costs come out of
20:40his pocket
20:41it's ice time it's coaches it's choreographers it's boots it's sharpenings it's medical bulls
20:48through the roof with four hours of training six days a week it's not just his bank balance that feels
20:54the pain figure skating is a dangerous sport it's brutal on the body and because you're doing all
21:00these crazy acrobatics on a blade on a sheet of ice that is rock solid the room for error is
21:06zero
21:07i've broken bones i've dislocated joints i've torn ligaments i've had surgery i'm constantly in pain
21:13somewhere something is aching but that's the sport and then there's the axle jump the move that still
21:20messes with his head the axle is the only jump that takes off forward so you're skating backwards
21:25at quite a decent speed and then you have to step onto your left leg you have to launch yourself
21:31into
21:31the air jump out the circle and then find an axis snap over it rotate and prepare for landing getting
21:38over the fear and hoping trusting that you're going to somehow not break your neck it's it really is
21:44the definition of a leap of faith but once it's there the axle sort of unlocks the other jumps
21:51now she been is training to retain his title at the south african figure skating finals i tend not to
21:57be
21:57so great under pressure and i think it's because i put so much pressure on myself you've got to just
22:02train the brain it's a pity he didn't start when he was five or six we do a lot of
22:07visualization you've
22:08tried to imagine the situation as it will be at the competition because nerves also get you a lot of
22:15people think that it's 50 mental 50 physical i think you're you're heading way towards more it's
22:2130 physical and 70 mental just by itself it's a sport of repetition that's how we train all these quick
22:31twitch reflexes so that it becomes second nature but figure skating isn't only mastering jumps it's also
22:38creative my biggest strength is not really my jumps it's my artistry and the way i can feel the
22:44music and feel my performance that's what i play to and that's what i really work on everything you do
22:49in skating is dancing your posture the lines that you create dance is the polish that makes everything
22:54really really pretty when training ends another side of shebin takes over as a candidate attorney he
23:01represents the sbca in animal abuse cases a cause close to his heart having worked there as an
23:06inspector before qualifying working in animal welfare is soul destroying it as part of the reason i started
23:12skating because it's a beautiful escape to the horrors that you have to see every day i really do love
23:17the work that i do now it's vindication for for animals i get a a lot of satisfaction from successful
23:25cases where i can deny people ownership of animals for the rest of their lives so the thought was from
23:30their side as a proudly gay man she bends precious free time is spent with friends in cape town's queer
23:36district
23:38i love being part of the lgbtqia plus community i am who i am and everybody loves me for it
23:44and i think
23:44that's the beauty of my skating community but also my friends and my family i couldn't be more proud as
23:50a friend he's worked so hard to achieve what he has the other night he phoned me he skate impaled
23:55into his hand
23:56and then the next day he was back on this the ice rink training again every early morning every fall
24:03and every hour on the ice has been building towards this moment
24:10when your first jump of the program is a disaster everything inside of you just wants to be like can
24:17we just stop the music i want to get all but having the fortitude to be like okay
24:22rein yourself in and speak to yourself positively now he cites a set on obus dwarf germany where he
24:28hopes to be the first south african to compete in his division at the isu adult figure skating championships
24:35i'm really looking forward to that international competition experience where i get to rub shoulders
24:41and share ice with exceptional figure skaters ex-olympians ex-world champions when you surround yourself with
24:48that caliber of skater you can only benefit so she then has started fundraising to get there if you're
24:54in europe it's a train ride whereas for me the flights are crazy expense accommodation visas competition
25:02entry fee nobody pays for it i just want to get everything i can to be the best skater i
25:07can be i give
25:08myself license to fail license to take the risk because i'm giving myself a chance of what i love
25:14at the foot of africa far from figure skating's traditional powerhouses she then keeps carving
25:20out space for a dream that once felt impossible here at decorix we've made people and ideas
25:27shaping how africans live now and after today's stories i'm leaving with something more valuable
25:34than just design inspiration a reminder that identity isn't fixed it's something that is shaped every
25:40day until next time goodbye