In this episode, I speak with Modupe Oloruntoba, a Nigerian writer and content consultant who has navigated Africa's borders since childhood. From crossing daily between Lesotho and South Africa for school to building a career in Cape Town's fashion scene, Modupe offers a unique perspective on how borders shape Africa's creative industries.

Our conversation explores the current state of African fashion as it transitions from "ecosystem" to "industry," while examining how fragmentation across the continent limits scaling opportunities. Modupe shares fascinating insights about the logistics challenges of cross-border business, noting it's often "easier to ship fashion from Nigeria to London than to Cape Town."

We delve into the nuances of identity, connection, and technology's role in fostering or hindering creative community. Rather than rejecting our inherited borders, Modupe suggests asking the more productive question: "This is us, this is what we have, this is what we've inherited, good and bad—what now?"

Her vision of a borderless Africa includes easier movement, more experimentation, and cultural exchange that would unlock innovation and scale currently hampered by policy restrictions. As she powerfully observes, "We have our physical borders, but policy is the real border" that shapes what's possible for everyone.

This content is created as part of the Move Africa project, commissioned by the African Union Commission and supported by Africa No Filter (ANF) with funding from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIZ, the African Union or ANF.