By Eunice Nanzala Schumacher & Penina Acayo Laker
This podcast is part of My African Aesthetic; a platform that centers research on African Aesthetics, African Design Philosophy, and African Placemaking inAfrican and African diaspora communities.
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The podcast currently has 28 episodes available.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/
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.
@vertical_and_micro_gardening
@saiga.bairon
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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 achievements on this journey and his hopes and dreams for the future of black designers in Africa and the diaspora.
Instagram: @jomotariku
Website: https://www.jomofurniture.com/
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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=Fr6mGHjiKD8
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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/ugla
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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-links
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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: @africanfoodnetworknorway
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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: @variousarchitects
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Instagram: @myafricanaesthetic
Website: https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/
The podcast currently has 28 episodes available.