with our common trials and triumphs.
As Fela Kuti so eloquently put, “Music
is the weapon of the future, music is the
weapon of the progressives, music is the
weapon of the givers of life.”
Art As A Form Of Healing
Art has been used by communities around
the world to spread messages of peace and
humanity amidst some of history’s worst
atrocities. The Ubumuntu Arts Festival
in Rwanda is one of the most beautiful
portrayals of this.
African Art In The Digital
Era
Today, the global creative industry is
heavily influenced by African culture
and creativity - so much so that there
exist genres in the music industry called
Afrobeats, Afro-fusion and Afro-
futurism in literature and television.
The festival happens every year to
commemorate the end of Kwibuka, the
national genocide memorial period, as
a forum for artists around the world to
come together to showcase the power and
peace in focusing more on our common
humanity than our differences. The fast-growing market for African
content can largely be accredited to the
global surge in digitization over the past
few decades. In this day and age, you don’t
need to move to Hollywood and spend
years waiting for your “big break” among
similarly starving artists. Social media,
and the internet as a whole, has simplified
the process of content distribution. You
could produce creative content and be
able to easily share it with the world from
the comfort of your home.
A similar example is the Global Peace
Festival, which takes place in the
Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya,
and Nepal, and uses art and culture as a
tool to spread the message of reconciliation
amidst an array of backgrounds and beliefs. The marriage between art and technology
has led to an array of African artists having
their work recognized almost entirely
through digital marketing platforms.
Content creators like food, lifestyle and
travel bloggers/vloggers have grown
entire careers that are not only profitable
but also serve as a platform to showcase
the beauty of their countries, communities
and culture.
Whether it is through major motion
pictures like Lion King, cross-cultural
collaborations like Beyonce’s latest album
that only featured African artists or Afro-
futurist productions like Black Panther,
African creatives are transforming the
global entertainment industry.
The creative and technology industries
have immersed themselves in nearly every
aspect of our everyday lives to the extent
that they have influenced the way that we
speak, think, move and transact.
To many people, every form of margarine
is Blue Band, every cab is Uber, every
form of toothpaste is Colgate - all of this
is the impact of a group of creatives who
presented these brands as ones you could
trust, so much so that they become the
default.
Every sector in the economy is looking to
the creative industries for this effect - to
be able to speak to people’s emotions and
share their message in the most intriguing
and versatile way amidst the swarm of
competition.
The power and impact of art are undeniable,
but the creative industry requires a vast
amount of support to become the panacea
it has the potential to be. There are several
challenges facing the creative industry,
especially in Africa. Access to funding,
distribution platforms, and professional
skills training to be able to create quality
content are some of the biggest hindrances
for African creatives.
Digitization has made it easier to share
your content with the world but, in the
vast sea of content available for people’s
consumption, the question becomes: how
do you stand out? What makes your story
exceptional enough to grab the attention
of a generation with an astoundingly short
attention span?
In an era with a plethora of options, brands
are desperately fighting to stand out in the
market. No one wants to stand in long
queues at the bank or sit in traffic to get
to their favorite restaurant. For this reason,
there has been a boom in the demand for
mobile apps.
With streaming platforms like Netflix,
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