Episodes
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When creativity blooms from the rich soil of heritage, stories that both enchant and educate take flight. Solomon W Jagwe, a remarkable visual artist, joins us to weave a tapestry of his life, colored by the landscapes of Uganda and the pursuit of his passion in the USA. The echoes of his childhood, marked by the inventiveness of toy-making and the shadows of war, resonate through our conversation, revealing the roots of his artistic journey. He takes us through his educational journey, where languages and cultures collide, shaping his approach to storytelling. His internship stories, a humorous vending machine encounter, and a fortuitous meeting that led him to new horizons all underscore the importance of seizing opportunities. Solomon's commitment to his craft and embrace of his heritage illuminate the path for aspiring creatives, demonstrating that every class and every experience weaves into the broader canvas of our professional endeavors. The importance of telling our own stories, nurturing our cultural identities, and documenting our histories is a call to action for all listeners; urging us to hold fast to our heritage and share our unique narratives with the world.
sowl.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@SolomonJagweinstagram.com/solomonjagwefacebook.com/Art.of.Solomon.W.Jagwehttps://www.nkozaandnankya.com/ https://www.nkozaandnankya.com/mobileapp/ https://www.facebook.com/NkozaandNankya/
Solomon is the Creator and Director of the award winning «Adventures of Nkoza “Enjovu,The Elephant Tail” animated short film. He is also a writer at Moonbug Entertainment. His practice under the name Sowl Studios majors in Concept Design, Architectural Visualization, 3D Modeling and Animation, Motion Capture, Matte Painting, Illustration, and Story-boarding. He has worked with Rival Interactive, Cornerstone, SAIC, Camber and Floreo. He also shares his knowledge and tips with his over 140,000 subscribers on his YouTube Channel.Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Cliff A. Moustache founded Nordic Black Theater in Oslo Norway together with Jarl Solberg in 1992. He is a Seycellois-Norwegian film director, actor, and playwright. In this episode, we reflect on his lifetime contributions to Norwegian society and his relentless dedication to promoting diverse perspectives in Norwegian theatre. As he navigates through his personal experiences, Cliff takes the time to pay tribute to the impactful role of his mother in his life, sharing personal stories and lessons that have shaped him. He shares his struggles with identity, cultural conformity and the story of reconnection with his roots thorugh theatre. Cliff is an advocate for representation, diversity and inclusion in theatre and film, specifically in Norway. He believes in the immense power of storytelling and its potential impact on the younger generation; emphasizing the role African creatives play in telling their own stories and debunking misconceptions.
https://nordicblacktheatre.no/@nordicblackxpress@blacktheatre
So, whether you’re intrigued by african aesthetics, cherish the influence of motherhood, or advocate for diversity in film and theatre; this episode serves as an inspiring and insightful treat.Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
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Paul Matovu’s work with Vertical and Micro Gardening (VMG) in Uganda has been nothing short of transformative; his rural upbringing being the catalyst for his passion to improve food accessibility especially in urban contexts. In this episode, we dive into the world of vertical farming, the role of policymakers in this vital and innovative sector, Africa’s role in ensuring its own food security, the importance of embracing African culture in design and mentorship, and the lessons that Paul has learned from his experimentation and failures. Paul’s journey is one of perseverance and adaptability proved fruitful.
https://hivecolab.org/vertical-micro-gardeninghttps://vmg.verticalandmicrogardening.org/about/#our-visionhttps://theindexproject.org/award/nominees/5333https://www.climatecolab.org/contests/2016/land-use-agriculture-forestry-livestock/c/proposal/1331576https://vc4a.com/ventures/vertical-and-micro-gardening-vmg/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl6dX5cl_bk
@vertical_and_micro_gardening
@saiga.baironSupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Jomo Tariku is an Ethiopian American Industrial designer, artist and data scientist. He was born in Kenya, raised in Ethiopia and currently lives and has his design practice in the USA. Jomo's work and research has been covered by many publications such as Architectural Digest, de zeen, Vogue, The Design Edit etc. His work is currently in the collection of major museums in the USA and some of his beautiful pieces were featured in the set for Marvel's Black Panther, Wakanda Forever movie.
He is one of the founding members of BADG (Black artists + Design Guild)- "a member-driven platform for creative professionals seeking community, collaboration, and creative support.” On this episode; Jomo shares his personal and career journey, his struggles and acheivements on this journey and his hopes and dreams for the future black designers in africa and the diaspora.
Instagram: @jomotariku
Website: https://www.jomofurniture.com/Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Otie Pokua Yankyera is a young architect and researcher born and raised in Ghana. Research & Development , Traditional Architecture , Sustainability and Local Materials are at the core of her research and practice. In a design space where most young designers aspire towards western architecture, design aesthetics and practices, Otie's passion lies in researching sustainable building practices in indigenous Ghana and Africa . On this episode, we talk about her personal and career journey and her passion for sustainable design and indigenous african buildings; one that she explores through her research and practice under the name Tie` Atelier.
Links to Otie's work;
youtube.com/@Otie.Yankyera
Instagram:
@owtieh-https://www.instagram.com/owtieh/
@tie.atelier-https://www.instagram.com/tie.atelier/
Center for Learning Disabilities
https://www.africanfemalearchitects.work/post/668015459739828224/a-centre-for-learning-disabilities-by-otie-pokua
Presentation: Sustainable Building Practices - Northern Ghana I || Otie Pokua Yankyera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr6mGHjiKD8Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Joshua Gwamoiza is the CEO and founder of ECO-MICE landscaping; a landscape design company with the heart to see sustainable and clean outdoor environments in Uganda. With a unique landscaping brand that emphasizes team execution, innovation, and systematic operations, the firm aims to offer environmental master planning, landscape design and landscape remodeling services that improve their clients´ outdoor living spaces. This young and enthusiastic team aspires to be Africa’s best employer and Africa’s safest place to work. In this episode we talk about what inspires Joshua, his practice and his thoughts on landscape design in Uganda and Africa.
https://landscapeuganda.com/
Instagram:@ecomice.landscaping
Blog: www.jpar.ch/uglaSupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Evelyn Mugisha´s architecture and design career journey is bold, daring, versatile and inspiring. She is an Architect and project management practitioner from Uganda. She moved to Australia in 2019 and currently works at Infrastructure Victoria, an independent infrastructure advisory body for the State of Victoria in Australia. Evelyn shares her fascination for cities, the large scale urban infrastructure that makes up cities and how this infrastructure works. She offers her views on the state and the future of African cities of infrastructure, pointing us to some innovative and sustainable solutions. We are intrigued and inspired by Evelyn's personal and career achievements , specifically her process of transitioning to a different career path with architecture and design as her backbone/foundation. We hope that this episode will help young architectural design professionals broaden the spectrum of how they can apply themselves in different career paths.
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Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Fungi Dube is a self-taught brand and visual identity graphic designer from Harare, Zimbabwe who has created a career for herself in design and visual storytelling. She describes her approach to design as being rooted in strategic, intentional and calculated sensibilities. Fungi is enthusiastic about designing from her African roots while being intentional about honoring designers who have played a key role in shaping Afrikan design. In this episode, Fungi reminds us that the African narrative is multi-diverse and multi-directional. She also points us to the rich, relevant and very much available inspiration that is to be found in our African contexts, heritage and day to day life; tasking us with the challenging and encouraging us to go outside, observe and talk to our own people about their everyday lives and processes.
Instagram: @fungidubegraphics
https://www.fungidube.com/my-linksSupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Kinam Konlan is the founder of African Food Festival Norway (AFFN), the largest celebration of African culture, cuisine and heritage in the Nordics. She is from Ghana and moved to Norway with her family at the age of 2. She is passionate and enthusiastic about telling the African food story, sharing our collective African food heritage and highlighting its place globally. Kinam believes that African food connects to the expression of who we are as africans; the memories and histories we share as individual African countries with various tribes but also as a continent.
Instagram: @africanfoodnetworknorwaySupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
In this episode ,we talk to Ibrahim Elhayawan, an architect born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. He takes us through his career journey ; from his early days in Egypt , to his 12 years at SNØHETTA a prestigious Norwegian design office, and eventually to Various Architects. In 2008, he Co-founded Various Architects a "Norwegian architectural studio- a mixture of youthful and experienced staff with various backgrounds, that prioritizes environmental solutions and innovative sustainable designs and encourages cross disciplinary engagement in architectural practice. We also talk about the opportunities and challenges of working in a foreign context and how leading and working with a diverse cultural and design team looks like.
Recorded on Mar 20, 2022
More about Various architects here:
https://variousarchitects.no/
Instagram: @variousarchitectsSupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
On this episode; co-hosts; Eunice N Schumacher and Penina Acayo Laker start off this seasons recap on a high note and share highlights and lessons learned from an amazing group of practitioners this season: Architects (Tosin Oshinowa, Jesse Tukacungurwa), Graphic Designers and researchers and educators (Tapiwa Matsinde, Henry Mainsah) and revolutionary design thinking enthusiast changing the game (Ateh Nkem Atabong). Many thanks to all our gusets!
Our first article is out in Uganda´s architectural journal by the Uganda Society of Architects (USA)Our very own; Penina Acayo Laker has co-authored a book; “The Black Experience in Design: Identity, Expression & Reflection . She briefly shares about the book and her experience on this book.We celebrate and congratulate on architect Francis Kere on his achievement, the first African to win a Pritzker Architecture Prize (It’s about time!!!)Podcast collaborations and “Spin offs” are underway! Our website is live and will be a place you will want to keep your eyes out for as we document upcoming collaborative projects with some of our guests.Netflix celebrates African talent in new documentary series
Made by Design.Highlight publications.
Fashion Illustration Africa Paperback – November 2, 2016
Author: Tapiwa Matsinde
https://www.atelier55design.com/
Contemporary Design Africa Paperback – Illustrated, June 2, 2015
Author: Tapiwa Matsinde
https://www.atelier55design.com/
The Black Experience in Design- Identity, Expression & Reflection
Authors: Anne H. Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, Jennifer Rittner, Kelly WaltersSupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Henry Mainsah is a Research Professor, media and design scholar at the Institute for Consumption Research at the Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway (OsloMet) .
He is originally from Cameroon and has lived, studied and worked in different African and European contexts. He obtained his PhD from the University of Oslo. He worked at the university of Oslo, and later worked as an Associate Professor at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
Design Research and how it compliments design practice;Social media design and its relevance to showcasing african design and designers; andAfrican Identity and design
His research interests include interdisciplinary research methods, digital media, design, identity, digital literacies, and youth culture. His publications are available in print and on the internet.
In this episode, we talk about;Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=mt2Kf2kAAAAJ&hl=en
Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Tapiwa Matsinde is an author, an independent curator, a content creator, a design consultant and design business mentor. Storytelling is at the heart of what she does. She draws a lot of inspiration from her Zimbabwean heritage and the rich and diverse cultural heritage from the African continent and African diaspora. Her practice is focused on shining a light on designers, artisans and creatives who are underrepresented in the creative industries in Africa and the African diaspora. She shares their stories, and helps them tell their own stories through her award-winning platform atelier 55; that started as a blog and has evolved into an invaluable resource in telling African design stories. She also hosts a podcast called " Behind The Design" where she engages in insightful conversations with designers and creatives from Africa.
Books: Contemporary Design Africa, ifa-Pure Gold, Fashion Illustration Africa
https://www.atelier55design.com/
Instagram: @atelier55design
www.tapiwamatsinde.comSupport the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Ateh Atabong is a Pharmacist, a Business Strategist, a Business Development Manager, Mentor and design thinking enthusiast.
He is the co-founder and CEO of SAWA, an agribusiness company based in Norway, that imports highly nutritional and high quality nutritional and medicinal ingredients from Africa to the European market.
In this episode we will draw on his expertise and experience in growing agribusinesses and as a mentor for young and upcoming innovators and investors in agribusiness in Africa and the diaspora. We talk about the state of agriculture and agro-businesses in Africa; and how architects, designers and innovators can apply their knowledge and expertise through applying design thinking principles; to create sustainable solutions and businesses in agriculture.Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
On this episode we talk to Ateh Atabong . He is originally from Cameroon but has been living in Norway since 1999. He has kept his connection to the African continent and has a passion for business and innovation in Africa. He is a pharmacist, Business Development Manager and mentor; with various qualifications in business development, leadership, strategy, customer validation & design thinking.
Over the years he has ventured into startups, Business development in pharmacy, healthcare, agriculture and logistics in Africa and Scandinavia. This path also sparked genuine interest in design thinking and its role in successful business development. Ateh believes that interrogating and exploring the the connection between design thinking and creating solutions for the African market is the key to identifying, understanding and finding solutions for the challenges we face in the health care sector in Africa. He also helps point out opportunities for designers to engage and apply their knowledge in the healthcare sector in Africa.
He is a co- founder and CEO of SAWA AS, an agribusiness company that imports highly nutritional and high quality ingredients from Africa to the European market.
He is also the founder and CEO of HETA consult; a company that focuses on healthcare for the African market; providing health care consultation focused on defining and identifying general health solutions for the African health market, together with healthcare practitioners, organizations, private, public companies and individuals in order to build effective and sustainable health care systems in Africa.
He is a Board member at Norway Cameroon Business Council, Africa Connect and Pangea Angels AS
https://www.sawa.no/
https://www.hetaconsult.com/Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Architect Jesse Tukacungurwa is a Registered Architect, with over 15 years of experience in building projects design, project management and supervision. He is the director of design at ONCEPTi Architects in Kampala Uganda; a firm that he started 12 years ago.
Jesse holds a Bachelor degree in Architecture from Makerere University in Kampala-Uganda and a Masters degree in Sustainable building Technology from the University of Nottingham.
His practice specialises in Sustainable building design aiming to transfer knowledge and skills on how to bring down the energy load of buildings and create architectural solutions for the african context.Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Tosin Oshinowo is a Nigerian architect, Designer, Creative Entrepreneur, Culture Enthusiast, History Junkie & Mummy. Tosin holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Kingston University, a Masters in Urban Design from the Bartlett School of Architecture London and an Architecture Postgraduate Diploma from the Architecture Association, London.
She had her early professional practice in London and Rotterdam before moving to Nigeria. Tosin is the founder and Director of CmDesign Atelier, an Architectural Design Consultancy firm she set up in 2012 in Nigeria. It is a collaborative, informed and aspirational design practice that strives to work with people as people and not just as clients; creating places conscious of materiality, light and spatial experience.In 2017, she founded ILE ILA (House of Lines), a contemporary handmade Nigerian lifestyle furniture line which celebrates her native Yoruba culture and is known for its period- conscious, bold and colorful expressions made in Lagos, Nigeria.
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Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
After such a rich first season, Eunice and Penina (co-hosts) sit down and reflect upon key themes such as: the role of identity and knowing ones heritage when designing in the African context; the value of telling our own stories, in our own African way and lens; and how our education system needs to stay relevant to meet the demands of today's landscape; that emerged from our conversations with our guests.
A huge thank you to all our guests for sharing their stories and invaluable experiences with us. To all our listeners, we appreciate your support, messages and words of encouragement. We look forward to building upon ideas from season one, in addition to introducing you to a new group of designers and architects living and practicing on the continent and the diaspora.Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Jude Yaw Agboada is a visual communication designer, educator and branding expert from Ghana. He currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri and teaches communication design at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri where he holds a position as the 2019-21 Louis D. Beaumont Artist-in-Residence.
Through his design practice called “ Made In Edujway,” Jude had worked with clients like Ghana International School, University of Ghana Business School, and GIZ Ghana. Jude uses storytelling, dialogue to explore ways to encourage difficult conversations across cultures. In his practice, Jude explores how people define community, identity and culture via multidisciplinary approaches- ranging from artist books to public installations.
Jude holds a Bachelors in Communication Design from Kwame Nkrumah University of science and technology in Kumasi, Ghana and a Master of Fine Arts in Visual communication design from the school of art institute of Chicago, Illinois.
Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ -
Jude Yaw Agboada is a visual communication designer, educator and branding expert from Ghana. He currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri and teaches communication design at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri where he holds a position as the 2019-21 Louis D. Beaumont Artist-in-Residence.
Through his design practice called “ Made In Edujway,” Jude had worked with clients like Ghana International School, University of Ghana Business School, and GIZ Ghana. Jude uses storytelling, dialogue to explore ways to encourage difficult conversations across cultures. In his practice, Jude explores how people define community, identity and culture via multidisciplinary approaches- ranging from artist books to public installations.
Jude holds a Bachelors in Communication Design from Kwame Nkrumah University of science and technology in Kumasi, Ghana and a Master of Fine Arts in Visual communication design from the school of art institute of Chicago, Illinois.
Support the show
Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/ - Show more
