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Demystifying ‘African’ design, The Africa is Now Exhibition

Good design has a place to not only making daily life aesthetically pleasing, but also functional was the clear message at this year’s Design Indaba - Africa is Now exhibition.

Curious about who designed these woven vases from Swaziland? All the answers and more in our review.

Every year Design Indaba invites the public to engage with the question of what constitutes beauty through the MBOISA award.

MBOISA stands for Most Beautiful Object in South Africa.

More than just an object of visual delight, MBOISA encourage a wider definition of beauty - one that encapsulates attributes such as social significance, economic impact, usability, sustainability and even humour.“

The winner is determined by public vote via sms and announced on the afternoon of Sunday 3 March at Design Indaba Expo.

The designs of all the MBOISA finalists will be on show at Design Indaba Expo, open to the public from Friday 1 March to Sunday 3 March at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

These are my 3 favourite final from top to bottom:

1. Golden Fold Necklace by Katherine-Mary Pichulik

2. Zanzan Umbrella by Gareth Cowden, Babatunde

3. Aretha Dress by Sindiso Khumalo

Makoko, Nigeria

The Style HQ (www.thestylehq.com) is a fashion and lifestyle blog covering everything fabulous that the continent has to offer.

In their new “Destination Fashion” series they came to Accra to cover the hottest fashion and most trendy spots. I was thrilled to help cover my city along with my gorgeous “An African City” co-star Marie Humbert and one half of the dynamic House of Cramer (www.houseofcramer.com) styling duo the lovely Afua Rida.

Every item of clothing in the piece is by an African designer. Check out the full article here www.thestylehq.com for more images and tips to make you next visit to Accra fantastic!

As part of her first public mural, incredibly talented artist, Kenturah Davis made a drawing of my portrait at Alliance Française in Accra.  In her words,

"The drawing is of four different women, living in Accra. The text used to render the image is an Audre Lorde quote, “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.”

I am facing so many obstacles with getting the Rex Cinema off the ground in Ghana.  Reviving the Rex is part of a larger vision to stimulate a creative culture that appreciates Ghanaian perspectives and fosters cultural exchange.

Interview: http://africasacountry.com/reimagining-ghanas-cinemaspace/

1) “Real kindness is an exchange with essentially unpredictable consequences. It is a risk precisely because it mingles our needs and desires with the needs and desires of others…”

2) “What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.”