- 1 hour ago
Today Afrimaxx hands the mic to the disruptors, creators and visionaries. Meet five women rewriting the rules of what is possible.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:06today we're handing over the mic to the disruptors the creators and the visionaries from the stage
00:14to the kitchen to the camera lens these five women are rewriting the rules as to what is
00:19possible meet the pioneer giving a voice to the unexpected in the world of stand-up comedy see
00:26the visionary capturing a historic archive while opening doors for Africa's next great lens stars
00:33meet the limitless artist who redefined beauty by mastering the brush against all odds I'm
00:40Pali Satembe and this is AfroMax first we hit to Kigali Rwanda Dela Dube is a spoken word artist who
01:01doesn't just perform she ignites using the power of spoken word she is giving Botswana's creative scene
01:08a brand new heartbeat Dela Dube's words matter they're addressing critical social issues
01:16challenging stereotypes and redefining long accepted norms I am the frantic upsurge of metallic energy
01:24prose and verse from my ice-cold precision outlandish mentality and celestial body power flows through my
01:32veins power Dela is a young creative spoken word artist who uses the power of words and performance
01:39to tell stories and talk about the human condition while encouraging people to use their voice to be
01:45known and heard Dela Dube was born and raised in Khabaroni Botswana that is where I learned a lot
01:53about African culture and African history I spent a lot of time performing as a kid with my with my
02:02siblings we absolutely loved being on stage and we would do it at church we do it at school would
02:09do
02:10it anywhere we had the chance God's fed the ground love it's music runs through my veins so it was
02:16always
02:16easy and spoken word is I believe language of the conscious so bringing all these different art forms
02:22together really helps me achieve what I want to creatively and it lets me expand the breadth and
02:30depth of my message and now Dela is at one of her open mic sessions where she performs a piece
02:36that
02:36talks about the aspect of vulnerability in lovers having more to life than just living oneself and a call
02:43to action to spread the love the piece also exposes the longing and emptiness attached to the fear of loneliness
02:57face to face with who we truly are voices we only transcribe in the dark alone insatiable riddled with
03:10the fear of loneliness and the fear of loneliness and the fear of loneliness and the fear of loneliness
03:13aside from being an artist Dela is a full-time student here she shows us her favorite spots at her
03:20campus which she claims is one of her safe spaces she likes to get away from the noise so that
03:27she can
03:27recenter rethink reflect and organize her thoughts and put them down into sound writing either on her phone or
03:35her notebook I really really enjoy expressing myself through different art forms I have a talent for
03:44spoken word poetry music theater drama and creative directing as well thinking about a piece or thinking
03:50about a creative piece I really think about what would bring the subject matter out in the best way who
03:56am
03:57I trying to communicate with and theater I'll speak about that a bit has really been a great way for
04:02me to
04:02become a child again because through theater on stage you wear a persona and the onus is on you to
04:10completely explore what that character is some of my role models include Yara Shahidi she recently
04:18graduated from Harvard and I think that's amazing she's a full-time actress but also killed it at school
04:24that's something that I draw inspiration from who were you before crossing the Ulele Limpopo or the blue and
04:33white Nile creating creative spaces for artists upcoming artists children as well to be expressive
04:41enough and to be daring to speak about the things that really matter I'm really passionate about advocating
04:47for children in the art space because there isn't enough emphasis on protecting these young minds
04:53I also like to organize some music jams for people to come through and collaborate and create
04:59a few years ago I'd have believed that there's no choice that I'm making I'd have believed that it's
05:10something I was born to do but I think over the years choosing to be more intentional about the
05:16messages that I put out there has what has made me go further you know my words and my messages
05:21are
05:22really what helps me get into doors that I probably wouldn't have been qualified for
05:26stay with me you ain't gotta word it down from poetry to plate chef prince is on a mission to
05:36preserve
05:36heritage through flavors she is bringing a modern twist to ancient fulani ingredients proving that
05:43culture is the ultimate secret ingredient
05:50this chef treats patrons to ancient nomadic fulani dining experience
06:06and how does chef fat matter binta also use the experience to connect these patrons culturally
06:14today i'm hosting a dynamic experience it's a group of 35 people which are in the focus menu tonight and
06:24uh it's mostly influenced and inspired by fulani women all of these dishes we tend to add our interpretation
06:31to it so it's not the original one you eat in all the spaces we add you know fusion to
06:38it that we use
06:39like smoke like fermentation like sun drying we add all these elements to elevate the dishes
06:46let's explore why she decided to champion this course by also using ancient fulani ingredients in her cooking
06:56i think we need to diversify foods also we we focus on one thing too much it's good to eat
07:02rice but
07:03it's also good to eat millet it's good to eat fulani you know most of these ingredients from africa
07:09are superfoods and they are slowly disappearing so i use my mat as a tool to educate people
07:15but to also take people on a journey to enjoy food and culture
07:23chef benta as a strong food system advocates for the use of the asian grain fulani but why does she
07:31believe in it it's highly nutritious it's drought resistant very easy to go you don't need too much water
07:38or even too much flowering of the land and i see it as a solution for food security
07:47chef benta the first african to win the box culinary award had grandparents who were fulanese
07:54fulanese are nomadic heads men who move in search of vegetation to feed their heads and they number over
07:5920 million in central and western africa but why would chef benta introduce the fulani culinary
08:08lifestyle on the global gourmet scene and call it dining on a mat it's an old culture in africa so
08:15i believe that it's a way for people to sit down let their guard down eat and connect so this
08:22is fulani
08:23style inspired by guinea conakry polenta style and let's dig in with beef liver spicy beef liver enjoy
08:32this is the first time i've done something like this and i am just so grateful that she spent so
08:37much
08:37time um dedicating to the food and the energy of it and sourcing it every course after that was just
08:44phenomenal it was like one just topped the other it created such a harmony in the group like people
08:49were just so happy um sharing the food and it was just like a mmm sounds i i'm just i'm
08:56over the moon as
08:56you can see
08:59chef benta is not only fanatical about african gastronomy but also helps the women in the local
09:05community and why does she extend this help through her full learning kitchen foundation
09:10our main goal is to collaborate with women who are growing ponyo across ghana so basically it's to just
09:18galvanize all these women um train them with on how to place value on the ingredients they work on so
09:27like milk wagashi yogurt and all that the product they are creating can actually be a stable source of
09:34income chef benta serves as a powerful cultural ambassador and activist and with an aspiration that
09:41uses asian grains will contribute to alleviating global hunger next we're in lusaka for a taste of laughter
09:53with a twist yvonne the ventriloquist is literally adding a voice to her art and her partner has a
10:00lot to say about it hello ladies and gentlemen okay so what we have for you today these guys want
10:10to
10:10tell jokes this zambian has truly given a new meaning to playing with dolls look look
10:21but how did yvonne tamaka become one of the few professional ventriloquists in africa
10:26and the only one in zambia do you have any recommendation you would like me to sing
10:33let's find out why she decided to let her puppet speak
10:36all the languages in the world i only choose to speak facts the fact is zambia is not the only
10:44country in the world that is not familiar with ventriloquism what are some of the challenges that
10:48yvonne has faced ventriloquism being a unique art some people don't understand what's going on yes
10:55this straight to the point the thrust texts were tricky in lusaka zandia because people thought
11:02ventriloquism is the art of witchcraft not really the art of witchcraft but yeah people do get scared
11:09that how is the door talking on its own this question goes out to all of you women here why
11:15is
11:15it that when i let you out on a date momo
11:22even though yvonne performs regularly at comedy shows the art of ventriloquism is still unusual for many
11:29zambians the show was very interesting because i've never seen a ventriloquist dummy before
11:35it was my first time and i really enjoyed it ventriloquism is the art of throwing your voice
11:41so that other objects or in this case puppets seem to be talking before we find out why yvonne started
11:48ventriloquism let's find out about what letter here in the first place i learned ventriloquism at church
11:56when i was a kid my elder brother was the one who started and then i also started admiring and
12:02i was
12:02like i too want to learn yes and then the teacher of ventriloquism and thought that she was like
12:08you know what kiddo you're actually pretty talented what if i even got a step further and teach you the
12:15art of ventriloquism and she did and here we are here today with yvonne the ventriloquist and yvonne's
12:22puppets now speak for her but what's the difference if i were to speak of certain issues as yvonne it
12:29would be really difficult for me and not only difficult it would also maybe put me behind the
12:36bars it would put you behind bars yvonne stick facts they like me does letting her male puppets speak
12:43allow yvonne the luxury of candidly addressing issues that would not be touched by zambian females
12:50my puppets are male because it's easier to convince people that the character has become alive
12:56when a person voicing it is of the opposite sex female puppets would be able to make as much of
13:02an
13:02impact as the male puppets are able to because at the end of the day it's the content that i
13:08bring out
13:08that counts being a ventriloquist has awarded me with freedom i would not otherwise have especially during
13:18my comedy performances this one ras negas is more like my outer ego and then i have another one a
13:25little boy muendo he is more like the little child in me or my inner child well mr mbunda is
13:33my voice of
13:34reason yvonne chose her puppets to speak up and break barriers in a culture where not only her craft is
13:40uncommon but also the idea of women speaking up knock knock who's there you you who
13:53in mali fatwa mata diabate is doing more than just taking pictures she's a photographer and a gallery
14:00owner making sure that african photographers have a space and sparking a continental movement
14:09african photographer fatumata diabete's studio is a rolling bus
14:14passers-by pose for the camera and diabete captures the moment
14:22it's very popular people like it so much they like to come to be photographed in this small colored
14:27minibus with the colors of mali of bamako and that's us it's a project that we are very passionate about
14:37at the 2023 bamako encounters the rolling studio is a meeting point for local students to get up
14:44close and personal with the project and the art people will see themselves in these images that they
14:52took and she's fatumata diabate she's a photographer and i have to add one of the most important
14:57photographers and important photographers full stop in mali since its launch almost three decades ago the
15:07bamako encounters has become the most important event dedicated to contemporary photography on the
15:12african continent the biennale is having a big impact bamako encounters has shaped and made known many
15:21great personalities like malik sidibay sidu keita and other african photographers and consequently also
15:29myself and other generations of photographers that come from mali or elsewhere many other festivals have
15:36been inspired by this biennale like adi's photo festival lagos photo or marrakesh photo all of it was
15:43impacted by the biennale in bamako so it's really a very important event in the 2023 edition of the
15:56encounters over 75 artists are showcasing their work across eight venues among them are italian senegalese
16:05artist binta dio's works her art explores migration and identity and often uses hair as a recurring symbol
16:14the event is also celebrating renowned artists with retrospectives such as moroccan photographer
16:20and filmmaker daoud aulad sayad or cuban-born artist maria magdalena campos pons
16:28in fatumata diabete's youth nothing pointed to a future as a photographer despite the objections of her
16:35family she became one of the first women to be trained at the photography school of bamako
16:39she finds it important to empower young people especially women malians love photography it's an
16:51artistic profession but it's not easy to make a living from it however it's like this here in mali
16:57every sunday there's a wedding we have a lot of celebrations where the young people can take their
17:02cameras along and if they know how to use them properly they are the photographers events like
17:09the biennale bring extra motivation because you meet other photographers from around the world you see
17:15their work you know it can get a prize and it can travel internationally and i'm truly impressed that
17:22more and more young people are taking up photography
17:27but i'd like it to be even more of us especially more women
17:36for her colleague is shola akpo women on camera are the statement
17:42the artist from benin used 17th and 18th century paintings found in european museums to inspire his
17:48photographs reimagining african queens long forgotten by history
17:54i was exploring the history of my grandmother the history linked to her
18:04fatumata diabate has also often portrayed women to give them a face strength power and history
18:14women have always been one of my favorite motifs
18:20they are very very strong figures women have always been very human very intelligent
18:28and very important figures whether in malian society or in other societies
18:36life is created by women that shouldn't be ignored with my group that i lead today the association of women
18:45photographers in mali that's what i try to teach them self-confidence that's very important even when
18:52we have ideas we're afraid to put them out there that's what happened to me during my career but thanks
18:58to photography i managed to grow out of it today i'm able to express what i want and that's what
19:04i try to teach
19:05that every woman can express her inner self to the world
19:14diabate's association offers creative workshops and educational projects especially for women because
19:20they continue to be underrepresented in photography
19:23for me there is no profession that has a gender anyone can practice the profession he or she wants
19:31if you take the history of photography it was invented by a man but that doesn't mean that a woman
19:37can't do it
19:44artists like fatumata diabate prove that african photography is an established and dynamic form
19:51of creative manifestation
19:59finally we meet gift mulenga this sought-after makeup artist in zambia turns impossible into a masterpiece
20:06her talent is undeniable and her spirit is a masterclass in resilience
20:16why did these gifted hands have to remove so many obstacles on their way to the top most of my
20:22life
20:23i struggled to come to thames with my disability and was often depressed
20:33before gift mulenga became an award-winning zambian makeup artist she was often shunned by those around her
20:40how did she manage to live her dream life after all
20:49i started doing my makeup in 2020 that was when i decided to
21:00see if i can do something with my hands i thought of let me try this if i can do
21:08it or not because
21:10it's not every time a person with a disability would come up with a skill
21:14and challenge yourself that you can do it or not
21:22i made gifts through so elanji one of my students who had attended an online class
21:29she wanted to pay for gift to attend one of my online classes for makeup i believe she was very
21:35talented and the only thing she needed was a little more guidance on makeup her classes used to take longer
21:42because i had to give her breaks to rest her leg but apart from that i didn't have any challenges
21:47with
21:47her we are always feeling pity for ourselves but i was like no i have to stand on my own
21:52and i have
21:53to do this i have to try it if i can do it or not to stand on one's own
21:57is not exactly easy for
21:58people with disabilities in zambia even though disabilities due to accidents illnesses or congenital
22:05conditions are widespread why was it so hard for gift to accept this it was really hard for me to
22:13accept who i was it took my lifetime just for me to accept that you know sometimes you'd be with
22:20your
22:20friends you're there you're playing and someone would just say look at her she doesn't have a hand so
22:26i really took that to personal because i used to ask my parents a lot like why why does it
22:33have to
22:34be me like why should you give birth to someone like me i would do makeup on someone and then
22:40that
22:40person goes out tells the other people and then that person doesn't know me in person then she comes
22:46she'll be like how is she going to do my makeup she doesn't have a hand look the way she
22:52is so people
22:53would look down on me that really made me feel so bad according to the world bank in 2021 an
23:00estimated
23:0015 percent of the zambian population was disabled like many of them gift struggled with barriers to
23:08education healthcare and employment however in 2021 she became miss disability but what was the next step
23:19i was so surprised like i was very shocked i was amazed i was happy i was excited like everything
23:25you know
23:26because within a week the video that i posted got about a million views thousand of likes and thousand of
23:38comments i do beauty makeup special effects my hands can also cut the hair yes
23:53after cutting when the clients wants me to dye the hair i do that too so it was through facebook
23:59i was
24:00going through my news feed then i came across somebody who's physically challenged and i got really
24:08inspired and i really wanted her to do a face bit on my face and she does a good job
24:27zambia has established a legal framework to support people with disabilities together with the national
24:32disability policy this promotes the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities but why is
24:39inclusion key some of us are still held in shells that we can't come out because of our disabilities
24:46thinking that maybe when i say i want to i want to be a doctor i may not be accepted
24:51because of my
24:52disability they will look down on me they'll say how can you do that because you are like this
24:57but once you you just give us that opportunity whereby we are able to speak out to do anything
25:03that we can do and any opportunity that comes my way so long as i'll be there to stand on
25:10my own in
25:11future with all that she's been able to achieve gift mulanga proves that with supportive inclusive
25:17access and opportunities anything is possible words food laughter and grit these women aren't just
25:30making history but they are reshaping the future so thank you so much for joining us in the celebration
25:35of women please do hit us up on our social media platforms as we love to hear from you but
25:41until next time
25:42thank you