Dispelling Myths about the African Creative Industry

Africa's creative industry is intertwined with what people call their hustle. Its value is hidden in the tiny things that are not accounted for, properly sectioned, or just not seen.

Years ago, solar panels were questioned for their efficiency in meeting demand, high manufacturing costs, and economic viability factors such as sustaining energy. Similarly, the creative industry's potential is often overlooked.

In recent times, there has been more and more writing on how the creative industry fuels human progress through jobs, cultural preservation, livelihoods, and overall societal development. However, here's where you'll see the creative industry in our everyday lives:

?Advertising and marketing campaigns?

?Product design and architecture?

?Events and experiences?

?Activism etc.

Many still believe that Africa's creative industry is limited to clapping, feet stamping on the ground, gongs ringing, and ladies with charcoal markings on their faces as makeup.

True, but this has grown to be representation of our cultural uniqueness from person to person, community to community, and country to country.

Today, the creative arts in Africa look like:

?Music created with samplers (Amapiano music)

?Films made in an anthological style

?Indigenous designs on modern fashion prints or marketing for customer engagement

These examples show how we can incorporate arts into businesses or standalone businesses while telling the firm African stories and culture we have. There is even more potential to help expose our individual identities, promote tourism that contributes to a country's GDP, and contribute to solving awareness of African or global challenges by increasing awareness through storytelling.

It would be nice to see how we can create enabling environments for the creative industry to thrive. This starts by:

? Acknowledging that so many aspects treated as standalones fall under the creative industry

? Recognizing the creative industry's contribution to the economy and cultural preservation

? Providing support and resources for creatives to showcase their talents and grow their businesses

#KreativeDevelopment #ArtistMindset #EdsEdtalk