For a new African Narrative
In discussion with Moleskine Foundation CEO Adama Sanneh, Moky Makura is the first guest speaker on our creativity for social change podcast: Creativity Pioneers.
Moky Makura is the executive director of Africa No Filter, a donor collaborative effort that aims to transform contemporary narratives in Africa through research, grants and advocacy.
On this episode, “For a new African narrative” she explains how it is essential for African people, especially the younger generations, to take back control of their history. By giving them agency and redefining their African identity outside of the colonial lens, they are able to innovate and create a future that is catered to them.
Her philosophy connects with the Moleskine Foundation’s idea of creativity for social change, in the sense that without proper agency, there is no possibility for innovation that fits one’s own narrative. And without that innovation, creativity cannot be developed to serve a purpose.
And I often find that when people look at creativity on the continent, it’s always about solving problems. You look at some of the biggest innovations we had, it didn’t necessarily solve the problem […] And out of that came solutions that the challenge with Africa is that we come in with this problem mindset. We come in with something that’s broken that needs to be fixed. And we immediately sort of put a timeframe around creativity.
Listen to the full Creativity Pioneers podcast here, to equip all of us with new perspectives and unconventional ideas to amplify our creativity, critical gaze and imagination
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
